Reloading vs factory ammo

[uncle buck]

I have an Encore 17 Fireball  Accuracy barrel.  Today was the first day that I zeroed in at 100 yards...Started with Remington 20 grain V-Max factory ammo..
I was a bit disgusted. 3 inch groups and fliers yet too..    I even clean the barrel at the range thinking that maybe I just shot to many rounds through it..  Shot it again and the factory ammo still grouped from 2 to 3 inches..Shot a total of 16 of the 20 rounds from the brand new factory ammo...  Late winter I did some serious reloading for the 17 Fireball...6 different powders using 25 Grain HP Hornady bullets...4 different powders using 20 grain V Max.  Every one of the reloads I shot grouped from 1/4 inch to 1 inch. Something reloading what it can do for your rifle..In this case 10 different reloads beat out the factory round...I am now excited...I have to decide if I want to use 25 Grainers or the 20 grain V Max reloads...

Never heard anyone that owns a Remington gun complain about the 17 Fireball factory ammo.. Sure did not shoot good in my Encore barrel thats for sure.. However all the reloads did....No fliers what so ever and some of the most perfect groups I ever shot...

[jaybird]

same problem with remington 180's out of my marlin xl-7 30.06... 4 inch groups... neck size, and reload good winchester brass with 165gr sierra bthp... 4 shots, .690 group as best group with most being under an inch..

duplicate results with my marlin xl7 25.06 and prvi partisan 90gr hp factory loads... 3 inch groups at best with flyers... neck size and reload the same prvi partisan brass, 75gr sierra varminter hp over 59gr of h4831sc... cover 5 with a quarter, can almost block some of the groups out with a dime

if you are looking for accuracy, i am convinced that reloading is the way to go... i weigh every charge, and neck size only...

[uncle buck]

I weight every reload too...I dump grains near what it should be then finish the weight with a powder trickler..

[Buckwheat]

unclebuck
That is why I shoot reloads to hit small targets.  I shot 3 rem rifles in rem 17 this summer and none shot good, some 3 inch groups with factory ammo. The throat is to long in these guns for me to waist my time trying to work up a load. I tried to see how far out I could seat the bullets in these guns to get closer to the lands but there is just to much play.  I purchased a CZ . Factory ammo shot groups 1 to 1 1/2 groups. But CZ has good chambers so I knew that reloading would make this gun shoot good groups. Right now I am seating bullets 7000 off lands and my 5 shot groups are under a dime if I do my part with this CZ.  But I have to clean it every 20 rounds or things start going wrong. But I like like the way this gun shoots, cleaning it is done with a smile.

[scott]

i shoot the UMC 25 grain hollow points and can shoot under 1/2 inch easy.  forrest's gun shoots the same bullet and at best he is getting 3/4 inches groups.  I wasn't there when Ralph sighted his in but he said his didn't shoot as good as mine but was more than exceptable.  all guns are Remington 700 SPS.  BW i know they had the problem you are talking about in the model 7.

[Buckwheat]

Scott
 UB asked if anyone has ever had a problem and I answered with the information I have. If you check the throat on your guns you will probbly see that you can not hold the bullet correctly in the neck of you wanted the bullet out to or even close to the lands.  A lot of shooters set there bullets just touching the lands. The throat is just to long in the Rem,s I shot.
Some do shoot good I hear, just none I shot. I am glad yours is one of them.
l

[scott]

i hope you didn't take me the wrong way.   I appreciate the information. 

 I can tell on mine the bullets seats further in the Forrest, i have more resistance on the bullet near the end, that is why i think mine shoots a little bit better.  I was just saying that I know were have problems in the model 7 but i didn't think they were in the 700.  i was going to buy the model 7 until i read a review of what you are talking about.

[uncle buck]

My 17 Rem 700 BDL likes the factory ammo...I did reload for it this year.. However with the short fuse...Predator season is next week I sighted it in again with 17 Rem 25 grain factory ammo...One of those years for me.... surgery namely.  I plan to do all this stuff at the range and I just don't quite get to the range like I should. However I got the 17 Rem sighted in with factory 25 HP...The 17 Fireball Encore...I can see that going to be a tack driver once I reload the 25 Hornady HP for actual hunting... I decided that I am going to go with my 1/4 inch group powder that shot the Hornady 25 HP.  I have just always used the 25 grainer HP for fox for years.. I don't know what the 20 grain V-Max would do to a fox pelt..However nice to know that this particular 17 Fireball will shoot either the 25 HP or the 20 grain V-Max at about  1/4 inch groups..

Notice Buckwheat stumbled on the problem in Remington 17 Rem rifle...Could be that there is no problem for Remington owners who have one of the 17 Fireball Remington rifles?  My 17 Rem 700 BDL must be about 20 years old now...Maybe just when Remington was going to the 17 Fireball they just did not quite do the Quality Assurance on the no longer to be made by Rem 17 Rem rifles?

[Buckwheat]

Scott
Never thought you were getting upset since we are talking what we found.

 This story has nothing to do with rifles but I purchased a Barnett Penetrator crossbow. Some said they were having problems with Barnett bow triggers and not shooting good. Well just so happens I like my Barnett crossbow and it will shoot. I put it in my rifle rest to sight it in and I shoot one arrow at each bulls eye at 40 yards. If I were to shoot 2 or 3 arrows I would break arrows. The trigger feels real nice to me. :-)