Re: 17 REM or 17 FIREBALL
I have a bone stock 17 Rem, but I can't really answer which is better or the barrel life. I use mine mainly for groundhog hunting in areas that I can't afford a ricochet. I'm using the 20gr V-Max and pushing it to about 4200 fps, IIRC. At 100yds, it will typically hold 1/2 MOA, but I did have to tinker with the load for a while to get it to shoot that consistently. Again though, it's a factory rifle. That little bullet at that speed simply disintegrates if it hits anything whatsoever. I've whacked groundhogs with it out to about 250 yds with no problem. Funny thing is that I never see an exit wound, and really have to look hard for the entry wound. It simply turns the hog's internals to jelly. No mess at all.
It's a really cool round but is a bit more difficult to load for. You'll need to buy another powder funnel and seating bullets is a bit of a challenge, especially when you first start. You'll also need a new cleaning rod and jags. My barrel fouls up pretty quickly and is quite evident in the groups when it does, but yours should be less if you're using a custom barrel. Just keep it clean. If you're gonna shoot long range with it, I'd go with a 1-9 twist to shoot the heavier 30gr bullets. Both Hornady and Berger have good bullets to choose from.
The 17 Rem is a really cool little round. A 223 loaded light is much more practical, but the 17 offer more of something different. It has some serious "crack" to it when you fire it, which surprised the hell out of me when I first shot it. Definitely not a quiet gun. Wind will play hell with it at long range though. I would recommend going for it if you have the interest.
