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#1
11-03-2016, 10:06 PM
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Your thoughts in a 17X357 Maximum
I have been working on a new project, a 17X357 magnum built around the T/C Encore...
I went with this specific chambering because I had the reamer, and because Starline has finally started producing 357 Maximum brass. I bought a couple thousand pieces of this new brass and it is excellent! Here is a list of specs on this new build! ACTION: T/C Encore with 20 oz. trigger... BARREL: Shilen Select Match / 1-9" twist / 25" length / 1.200" straight tube / barrel built by my method of barrel stubbing... MUZZLE BRAKE: My spiral ported design, adds 1 1/2" to the overall barrel length... CALIBER: 17X357 Maximum aka .17 MAX CAT... STOCK: Custom thumb-hole stock with ambidextrous grip and 3" wide beaver tail forend... BASE / RINGS: Custom Weaver style scope base for the larger 1.200" diameter barrel and Burris Signature Zee rings... SCOPE: Vortex Viper 6.5X-20X-50mm with 30mm tube and fine duplex reticle... BI-POD: Sinclair 3rd. Generation F-Class... RELOADING DIES: Neck bushing hand dies, cut with chamber reamer. Form dies were made from 1" aluminum bar stock... BULLETS: Hornady 20 gr. V-Max / Remington 20 gr. Hollow Point / 20gr. Varmageddon... FIRE-FORM LOADS: These loads had to be a minimum of 3,800 fps. to fully form cases, and the best part of this, these loads would average 3/8" at 100 yds.! COMMENTS: Since I am loading using hand dies, I took one piece of brass at the shooting range, and loaded it each time with an increase in powder 3/10th. grain at a time. The last round of the day clocked in at 4,112 fps. with absolutely no sign of pressure! So far 2 crows got to meet my new .17 Max Cat, and for some reason, neither one of them had anything good to say about it! I'll post pictures of this new rig, once I can get back on my computer... I already have a heavy offer for this barrel, and if I do decide to part with it, next in line will be for a short necked 6mmX30-30 Improved. Just the thought of this one excites me a lot more than this .17 caliber, especially since I am a 6mm junkie!!! 
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#4
11-05-2016, 12:36 AM
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Many years ago Bill West made this round up. I had a T/C barrel chambered, from 17HMR to 17/357 Max, by OTT. Bill called his round 17 Maximum. Unfortunately my barrel has given me pressure signs with anything over 17M4 loads and not sure why. CH4D had the dies. Annealing the brass after forming sure helped.
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#5
11-05-2016, 04:52 AM
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Your wildcat sounds similar to one Bill West came up with a while back.
This is Gary Wenzl's pic: 17 Javelina IMP, 17-357 Max (Bill West), 17 Wenzl Special, 17 Jet (long neck), 17 Killer Bee (Dan C) 
__________________
Any citizen accused of a crime is presumed innocent until bankrupted beyond all reasonable doubt. In our country the lie has become not just a moral category but a pillar of the State. -- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Last edited by RareBear; 11-05-2016 at 04:57 AM.
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#6
11-05-2016, 10:03 AM
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I personally prefer the shorter 17 Wenzl Special over Bills 17 Max. And not for names sake but rather case capacity.
Although the 17 WS is basically a shorter 17 max it's actually a 17 jet run in deep to clean up a throat. Knowing what I know now and doing it all over again there's no doubt that I would make it a rimmed version of Ray's 17 jav imp. I have found that the case capacity of the 17 jav imp and 17 ws are similar and about perfect for maximum performance with lesser powered and maybe a little less barrel heat (using the 25 gr vmax) The main reason for a 17 Jav Imp over the 17 WS is because I like the longer neck and nicer shoulders on the 17 Jav Imp making it not only very efficient and accurate but also very attractive to my eyes. That said there's nothing wrong with Bills 17 Max! He did a great job and it would be better for the guy without a small chop saw or way to shorten the case up a bit.
__________________
Shoot First... Ask questions later... On Saubier.com __________________ NRA Lifetime Endowment Member
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#7
11-05-2016, 02:43 PM
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Quote:
More work than I will ever do again for a wildcat cartridge! The absolute worst cartridge though, was taking the 444 Marlin down to .17 caliber!!! The customer that wanted this barrel, just gave me a handful of money to make a 17X357 magnum Improved, and with brass being a LOT easier to form, this should prove to be a fun build. We formed 50 pieces of brass this morning, using Starline nickel plated brass, and it makes for one cute little cartridge. I also think this cartridge will be better suited to the 20 gr. bullets we have on hand...
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#8
11-06-2016, 03:07 AM
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No doubt about it, the 20 grain Vmax will be a real screamer for you, fast and flat. As for my own self I find it more and more difficult to overlook the performance of the 25 grain Vmax.
__________________
Any citizen accused of a crime is presumed innocent until bankrupted beyond all reasonable doubt. In our country the lie has become not just a moral category but a pillar of the State. -- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
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#10
11-07-2016, 02:42 AM
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David, Rarebear is right on target IMHO. I personally wouldn't consider a 20 gr vmax in that case. The shorter 17 WS send the 25 gr vmax at some amazingly fast velocities with much more down range performance. I was pretty much decapitating PDs in the 300 yard range. Hope to see done pics of the finished project, sounds like fun.
Not where I can get to my other pictures but here's a thread when I first built it popping PDs. http://www.saubier.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10584 That 9 twist should be perfect for the longer 25 gr vmax.
__________________
Shoot First... Ask questions later... On Saubier.com __________________ NRA Lifetime Endowment Member Last edited by GLWenzl; 11-07-2016 at 02:47 AM.
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