Which powder?
 

I'm trying to low load my 17 hornet. The only powder I have is LilGun and when I get to where I'm going it's not going to fill half the case so I'm looking for a bulkier powder.
So far the best contender seems to be Trail Boss but I'm told it's very finicky getting it into the case.
Can you guys throw out some bulky powders that you know about please. I'll take it from there but when I call the dealer to ask for powder it would be nice if I knew what I was looking for.

I would stick with Trail Boss for downloading the 17 Hornet...

I've never found the powder to be difficult to handle, those tiny lightweight 'donuts' aren't anywhere near as sticky as Lil Gun in my experience!

There's several threads on TB loads for the 17 Hornet.
http://www.saubier.com/forum/showthr...eferrerid=7375

Thanks Tilleyman. Good to know. I'll check out that link.

I use TB in the 17 FB and 17 HH. Works great, no problem loading it. It throws great and doesn't bridge going into the case.

Which powder
 

Toxo,. You will find that trailboss is very easy to work with and also that for reduced loads, it works great, with dumping a double charge, by mistake, is almost impossible.
I, as others, use it in various cartridges for reduced loads. You will like it. Do not concern yourself with what some say about it being hard to handle, etc. Bill K :)

Thanks guys. Have now got some TB and am itching to try it.
Will still carry on trying to get the LilGun down low but it's good to know that what I'm aiming for is achievable with TB.
I believe that 1.7gr of TB behind a 20grain vmax has been mentioned but what would be the equivalent for the little 17grain bullet

Three grains of bullet weight won't make much difference. I don't have any 17s to try, so I use the 20s but my bet is worst you would need to do is drop .1 grain to keep the same speed.

That's the question -- just where are you going, and why? I'd agree that TB is the way to go. Have you tried using a scoop for measuring and drop it from about 4 - 5 inches into the cases? That worked pretty well for me in the .17 AH case.

Then again, having no clue as to "where you're going," that may or may not be the answer. Kinda like trying to load a .300 Weatherby Mag down to 30-30 velocities -- you may have your hands full.

Jus' sayin'

Trail Boss works perfectly in the .17AH, loads just fine - absolutely no trouble for me getting it into the case.
Cannot imagine where difficulty comes from.

I use 3.7gr. with 25gr. bullets, getting 1,785fps and under 3/8" groups at 50 yards. I was also fireforming, so your case should hold that much or more. Excellent stuff.

N120 is usually the go to powder for small 17s, works well for me in 17AH.

I have though found despite the small size of the kernals you can get an occasional powder hang up in a funnel so you do need to keep your wits about you.

My own procedure is one round filled, then bullet seated, then weighed and boxed rather than fill perhaps 6 or 10 cases at a time then seat as I do with bigger calibers.

A