Wildcat reloaders - help wanted

The #1 community for Gun Owners in Indiana

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • master*photog

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Mar 21, 2013
    53
    6
    Mooresville
    Are there any wildcat reloaders here that frequent the forum? Or does anyone know of anyone that is good at and can make some good suggestions for a newbie with regards to reloading for the 17AH?

    Thanks!
     

    oldpink

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Apr 7, 2009
    6,660
    63
    Farmland
    I'm just an ordinary everyday reloader, but you'll definitely find several wildcatters here.
    One, sadly, is shootered (banned), at least for the time being, but you should have no problem with one of the practitioners of the dark arts to help you with your questions.
     

    Broom_jm

    Master
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Dec 10, 2009
    3,691
    48
    I reload for several different wildcat cartridges (working on a new one right now) and live in the Mooresville area.

    The 17 Ackley Hornet is an interesting little critter, ain't it?! :)

    I've got a 100 yard range in the back yard and a reloading bench in the garage. If you want to come over and wring out some loads, let me know.

    Jason
     

    jamesb

    Plinker
    Rating - 100%
    6   0   0
    Jun 5, 2013
    138
    18
    Indianapolis
    I reload for the 17AH and a few others, my best advice, pick up a copy of the sensational seventeens by Todd Kindler. Head over to the woodchuck den site and to saubier.com, there is a ton of knowledge on that site. 17 squirrel is another wildcat loader that helped me out when I started with the 17 squirrel. I have a batch of 17AH ready for fireforming as soon as I find a new range.
     

    tat2clod

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    22   0   0
    Nov 18, 2012
    468
    18
    A friend of a friend has a .17 Bond that he's looking to sell it's built for a Rampo action with a custom stainless heavy bull barrel. My Google search didn't yield a lot of info has anyone heard of this? This is from memory but a necked down .223 case and a .17 caliber bullet screaming at around 3800 fps weighs about 14 pounds wearing a 12 power Leaupold. Can get it for what seems like a reasonable price including all the proper dies and a variety of componets. Any input welcomed thanks for the read if you made it this far?
     

    master*photog

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Mar 21, 2013
    53
    6
    Mooresville
    I reload for the 17AH and a few others, my best advice, pick up a copy of the sensational seventeens by Todd Kindler. Head over to the woodchuck den site and to saubier.com, there is a ton of knowledge on that site. 17 squirrel is another wildcat loader that helped me out when I started with the 17 squirrel. I have a batch of 17AH ready for fireforming as soon as I find a new range.

    Thanks for the tip, I actually picked up the sensational 17s manual from Todd and this is how I decided on the 17AH. It appeared to be the most straight forward of the 17s to reload. I'm just having trouble getting of the ground on whether to:

    Anneal or not to anneal
    trim or not to trim
    2 dies for forming or 3 dies for forming
    trim necks or not to trim necks
    polish the dies - don't polish the dies

    As you can see, there are a myriad of approaches, I'm just trying to find a consistent one and one that works. I have no problem with the involvedness or the complexity, it's just the polar opposites on varying opinions. This makes it quite difficult to get off the ground.

    Thank you for the offered help and tips thus far.
     

    jamesb

    Plinker
    Rating - 100%
    6   0   0
    Jun 5, 2013
    138
    18
    Indianapolis
    Anneal or not to anneal
    - I annealed after discussing brass forming with a few people, Todd being one of them. Most people agree that it will cut down on split necks. I picked up the woodchuck den annealing tip and it has worked great. So far I have not had any split necks. The method I use is to stand the cases up on a cookie sheet with enough water to cover the case when I knock it over. I bring the tip down to just below the shoulder, wait for a slight color change then slowly mover the tip up and off the case. Then I knock it over. I anneal after mechanical forming before I load for fire forming.

    trim or not to trim
    - I didn't trim my brass before fire forming. With the 17AH it is pretty close to being were you want it after mechanical forming, but I would check one to make sure it fits your chamber. After fire forming I will trim it to length.

    2 dies for forming or 3 dies for forming
    - I have the bullberry dual ended die, one side 20 and the other 17. I used that to bring the brass down to to 20 then 17 then I run it through the full length die to make sure I had the should bumped back far enough. Once it is formed I then only neck size it until it does not fit the chamber. I am using a contender so it might be different for a bolt gun.

    trim necks or not to trim necks
    - not sure if you meant turn the neck diameter? I used winchester brass and I didn't need to turn it, but again, I would check to fit in your chamber, some can be cut pretty tight depending on who did it.

    polish the dies - don't polish the dies
    - this will depend on how your brass looks. I guess some people polish to help not collapse the neck but I did not polish mine, I had 0 collapsed necks using imperial sizing wax. Just a little goes along way. Some people experience collapsed necks with too much lube.

    The 17ah is pretty straight forward and easy to make. Don't be afraid to loose a few cases because that is all in the learning. What are you going to be shooting it out of?
     

    master*photog

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Mar 21, 2013
    53
    6
    Mooresville
    Anneal or not to anneal
    - I annealed after discussing brass forming with a few people, Todd being one of them. Most people agree that it will cut down on split necks. I picked up the woodchuck den annealing tip and it has worked great. So far I have not had any split necks. The method I use is to stand the cases up on a cookie sheet with enough water to cover the case when I knock it over. I bring the tip down to just below the shoulder, wait for a slight color change then slowly mover the tip up and off the case. Then I knock it over. I anneal after mechanical forming before I load for fire forming.

    trim or not to trim
    - I didn't trim my brass before fire forming. With the 17AH it is pretty close to being were you want it after mechanical forming, but I would check one to make sure it fits your chamber. After fire forming I will trim it to length.

    2 dies for forming or 3 dies for forming
    - I have the bullberry dual ended die, one side 20 and the other 17. I used that to bring the brass down to to 20 then 17 then I run it through the full length die to make sure I had the should bumped back far enough. Once it is formed I then only neck size it until it does not fit the chamber. I am using a contender so it might be different for a bolt gun.

    trim necks or not to trim necks
    - not sure if you meant turn the neck diameter? I used winchester brass and I didn't need to turn it, but again, I would check to fit in your chamber, some can be cut pretty tight depending on who did it.

    polish the dies - don't polish the dies
    - this will depend on how your brass looks. I guess some people polish to help not collapse the neck but I did not polish mine, I had 0 collapsed necks using imperial sizing wax. Just a little goes along way. Some people experience collapsed necks with too much lube.

    The 17ah is pretty straight forward and easy to make. Don't be afraid to loose a few cases because that is all in the learning. What are you going to be shooting it out of?

    Thanks Jamesb - what you have written appears to be the most consistent in the multiple forums I've joined in trying to gain knowledge with the forming of the 17AH. I have a Cooper Classic model 38. I'll be using Winchester brass as well.

    The only thing I have different compared to your dies is what I'll be doing initially. I have the redding #1 form die for my first die, then the Redding form and trim die for my second die - after that I'll run it thru the Redding FL die. Once fire formed, I too will be only neck sizing with my Wilson straight line die. My bullet seater is a Wilson straight line die too.

    Thanks again!!
     

    master*photog

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Mar 21, 2013
    53
    6
    Mooresville
    A friend of a friend has a .17 Bond that he's looking to sell it's built for a Rampo action with a custom stainless heavy bull barrel. My Google search didn't yield a lot of info has anyone heard of this? This is from memory but a necked down .223 case and a .17 caliber bullet screaming at around 3800 fps weighs about 14 pounds wearing a 12 power Leaupold. Can get it for what seems like a reasonable price including all the proper dies and a variety of componets. Any input welcomed thanks for the read if you made it this far?

    Did your buddy ever sell his rampro action/17 bond rifle?

    Thanks!
     
    Top Bottom