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View Full Version : .17 hornet? Rifle or pistol primers


sodbuster
02-17-2008, 01:52 PM
Got another question about my new .17 Ack. Hornet. In my .22 hornet I have been using pistol primers.Should I do the same in my .17 hornet?

Thanks, sodbuster

Larry in VA
02-17-2008, 04:00 PM
I have had my best luck with pistol primers. I’ve used CCI-500’s and Fed GM100M primers with really good performance.
However many hear on this board use rifle primers in the 17 AH very successfully also. I believe most are using WSR and/or Rem 6 1/2.
It’s is best to try several of each to see which works best for you.

Bryce
02-18-2008, 09:46 PM
I use Federal 205M's in mine, certainly no objection with the way it shoots.

I think it comes down to how well you tune the load to suit the primer you are working with. Changing primers might improve the load but that isn't to say that the primer is better for all loads, you may have had the same improvement with a little fine tuning of the powder weight or seating depth.

claimbuster
02-20-2008, 03:44 PM
Tried WSP's in my Cooper 17AH and had two pierce in 200 rds. A mess to clean up! It's back to WSR's for me.

Rick in Oregon
02-20-2008, 07:01 PM
After running a bunch of different tests with different primers in mine, I settled on the Remington 6-1/2. It gave the most consistant results, along with the best accuracy. But again, unless you try different combo's, you'll never know what's best for your rifle for sure.

I've had others tell me that with such a small case capacity of the Hornet case, you really don't need a 'full power' rifle primer. But you also want decent cup thickness for the pressure range that a rifle cartridge operates.

Rickster
02-21-2008, 11:58 AM
Somewhere in my library of reloading manuals and related materials I have an article about primer tests conducted by the Frankfort (??spelling) arsenal. Their conclusion was that the least amount of primer force for SUFFICIENT (emphasis mine) ignition provides the best accuracy. I'm convinced I get better accuracy from my K-Hornet with small pistol primers. As already noted in other posts one still has to relate primer cup thickness to the pressure level of the loads you're using if going with SP primers.

Bryce
02-21-2008, 06:43 PM
Here is a primer (not 17AH) story that might be of interest, talking about sufficent ignition.

Panda 6PPC. At 29 grains N133 it shoots well. I tried Federal 205M's and CCI BR4's and both shoot just as well at this load. The rifle also shoots well at around 30.0 grain N133. At the hotter loads Federal 205M's have the clear advantage, with BR4's I just could not tune out the vertical spread despite altering powder weights and seating depths. Seems there was some ignition related deal going on.

Is a BR4 a little milder than a 205M .... that would make sense. The milder primer is just a bit lacking for a chocker block full compressed load but works OK with a little less powder when it isn't compressed in the case.

Bryce