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The Range
Firearms Chat
Anybody mess with a 17 Fireball?
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<blockquote data-quote="forindooruseonly" data-source="post: 3827136" data-attributes="member: 13718"><p>Well, a month and a half later, I have an update.</p><p></p><p>Sent the first 10 down range today in the 103 degree heat. First five just went to barrel break-in, sighting in the scope, and making notes.</p><p></p><p>Second five went into a 2 1/2 group at 100 yards. 3 were in a nice one inch group, another was close but out a bit and the last was a flyer that I'm pretty sure I dropped.. I'm pretty sure if I do my part, this would hold an 1 and a half at 100 yards. Not bad for a starting load with a 14" contender.</p><p></p><p>Now that I have some fired brass, I can check where the lands are. The new brass was tight enough that I ringed the bullets getting them seated and just went with SAAMI specs for COAL. The jacket is extremely thin, requiring careful seating.</p><p></p><p>Some initial thoughts</p><p></p><p>First, before today I hadn't shot a Contender in probably 15 years. So this is all new again to me.</p><p></p><p>Second, there is a surprising amount of recoil and muzzle blast from the .17 Fireball in a Contender. Having shot a lot of .22 Hornet and .221 Fireball in rifles, I didn't expect much. Reminds you how different a handgun is from a rifle. </p><p></p><p>Third, my spotting scope is an older Redfield 60x. I couldn't see the bullet strikes on the cardboard. I can see .22 caliber just fine, but the .17 is about impossible to see through my spotting scope. Makes for some long walks from the table to the target for each shot.</p><p></p><p>Fourth, it looks like the .17 Fireball is still going to cause a lot of fouling.</p><p></p><p>Fifth, reloading .17 is a chore. So much of the tools and stuff I use are geared towards .22 or bigger. I've had to spend quite a bit in accessories just to deal with .17. Add to the fact it's a contender and not your typical bolt action, and it gets finicky kinda quick.</p><p></p><p>All in all it was a good day. I'm gonna load another batch and see if I can get it to group. Mostly, I think the limiting factor today was just from my poor technique in trying to shoot on a sand bag with a handgun. Gonna have to work on that.</p><p></p><p>I'll take pics next time.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="forindooruseonly, post: 3827136, member: 13718"] Well, a month and a half later, I have an update. Sent the first 10 down range today in the 103 degree heat. First five just went to barrel break-in, sighting in the scope, and making notes. Second five went into a 2 1/2 group at 100 yards. 3 were in a nice one inch group, another was close but out a bit and the last was a flyer that I'm pretty sure I dropped.. I'm pretty sure if I do my part, this would hold an 1 and a half at 100 yards. Not bad for a starting load with a 14" contender. Now that I have some fired brass, I can check where the lands are. The new brass was tight enough that I ringed the bullets getting them seated and just went with SAAMI specs for COAL. The jacket is extremely thin, requiring careful seating. Some initial thoughts First, before today I hadn't shot a Contender in probably 15 years. So this is all new again to me. Second, there is a surprising amount of recoil and muzzle blast from the .17 Fireball in a Contender. Having shot a lot of .22 Hornet and .221 Fireball in rifles, I didn't expect much. Reminds you how different a handgun is from a rifle. Third, my spotting scope is an older Redfield 60x. I couldn't see the bullet strikes on the cardboard. I can see .22 caliber just fine, but the .17 is about impossible to see through my spotting scope. Makes for some long walks from the table to the target for each shot. Fourth, it looks like the .17 Fireball is still going to cause a lot of fouling. Fifth, reloading .17 is a chore. So much of the tools and stuff I use are geared towards .22 or bigger. I've had to spend quite a bit in accessories just to deal with .17. Add to the fact it's a contender and not your typical bolt action, and it gets finicky kinda quick. All in all it was a good day. I'm gonna load another batch and see if I can get it to group. Mostly, I think the limiting factor today was just from my poor technique in trying to shoot on a sand bag with a handgun. Gonna have to work on that. I'll take pics next time. [/QUOTE]
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