17 Remington Fireball

May 7th, 2016

The short version is that I wanted to build a rifle on my own. I had been impressed with the Marlin X7 series rifles and because I could buy them cheap I chose that for a platform.

Deciding on the caliber was a long drawn out process but it was fun and a great learning experience.

As of this writing, the rifle is complete and I have been shooting it. I have tried 3 or 4 different powders and both 20 and 25 grain V-Max bullets.

So far I am thrilled with the accuracy and the fact that it does not seem to be finicky. It shoots both bullets well and there has really not been a standout on the powder.

I did have a group open up to over 1 inch on May 4th but haven't determined if it was the seating depth or the neck tension.

The caliber is amazing. I've been all about light and fast for many years now and don't suspect it will ever change. The 17 Hornet showed me the potential of the 17 caliber and while have no complaints with the 17 Hornet, my Savage Model 25 chambered in 17 Hornet leaves a lot to be desired. You can read the review here.

After resolving myself to the fact that I was not going to locate a batch of 17 Fireball brass, I opted to buy some Nosler 221 Fireball and a forming die to reduce the neck.

The results have been outstanding.

3 Shots

The long version of the project can be read here.

Bill

Last Modified: Saturday, May 21, 2016 8:43 AM