Old stock 17 HMR Hornady ammo

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Joined
Dec 25, 2007
Messages
9,933
Location
missouri
Just an observation:
If you have a stock of this ammo, I'd suggest you begin cycling it out. We're getting quite a few split necks/cases that are not rifle related. All three rifles(actually 4 barrels as I just had my spare 77/17 barrel threaded and swapped it in last month) we're currently shooting are showing the case splits. Even Tom's tight chambered CZ has case body splits. Some of this ammo is 10 years old. I haven't seen this happening in more current production lots.
This unfortunate as I'm an ammo hoarder and tend to stock heavily on ammo that works well in my rifles.
 
Joined
Jun 19, 2006
Messages
4,247
Location
Midwest Illinois
Maybe 8-10 years ago I had some cases split in my Single Six, plus one squib. Also split in my 77/17. I called Hornady and they had me ship all the boxes I had with that lot number back to them. They replaced them all. Think it was 7 boxes.


I still have 13 or 14 older boxes of the Hornady 17 grain left. So far they have been fine. That being said I have been shooting them up. My American likes the 20 grain XTP's and my Volquartsen likes the newer A-17's.
 
Joined
Dec 25, 2007
Messages
9,933
Location
missouri
Update:
I opened a carton of 2010 vintage Hornady 17HMR with the 17 grain V-max this morning. While loading the magazine, I noticed some of the bullet tips were different color.
Shooting @ 25 yards to check zero wasn't too bad but I had one hangfire and several neck splits. I did notice if the tip colors were mixed in a string of shots, the group widened considerably and if all were the brownish color(normally these bullet tips are bright red), the groups wandered from the zero.
Shooting @ 100 yards exacerbated the spreads and zero shift to the point that I simply gave up shooting the 17.
Doing a close inspection, I found 6 of the 10 boxes in the outer pack to have mixed color tips. Too bad I didn't find this in September when Tom was passing through Grand Island almost weekly. I'll just set these boxes back in the carton and he can run it by next year.
Guess I need to search through my stock and see what else is available but I'm pretty sure almost all the 17HMR ammo I have is the same description(although different production dates).
 

contender

Ruger Guru
Joined
Sep 18, 2002
Messages
25,142
Location
Lake Lure NC USA
I had an "old stock" 17 in my rifle this past spring,, that popped,, but didn't fire,, jamming the tiny bullet in the barrel. Saved a ground's life.
I'll be double checking my stock.
 

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