Ruger Model 77/17 17 Hornet Part I

The provenance of the 17 Hornet is often credited to P.O. Ackley, dating back to the early 1950s. However, Ackley states in his 1959 book, “Handbook For Shooters and Reloaders” that other versions predated his .17 Ackley Hornet . Shooters handloading those early cartridges were challenged by a lack of quality .17 caliber bullets and a lack of quality .17 caliber barrels. Neither challenge exists today.

The Ackley has a 38° shoulder with minimal body taper, the modern version stewarded by Hornady has a 25° and minimal body taper, the 22 Hornet parent case has a 5° shoulder and significant body taper. All headspace on the rim, rather than the shoulder.

The 17 Hornets, version aside, are generally considered 200 yard, small varmint cartridges. They are especially suited to geographic areas of dense population where noise and danger of ricochets make them naturals. They are easy and inexpensive to handload, easy on barrels and rifles are typically quite accurate.

Background of an arcane and recondite nature

The Ruger 77/XX’s origins go back to the Ruger 77/22, a dedicated 22 LR rimfire design. Thanks to the persistent efforts of Ruger’s Jay Jarvis, and his desire for the new rifle to accommodate the longer 22 Winchester Magnum cartridge, the rifle’s design incorporated a number of adaptable elements.

The 77/ series receiver can be cast in varying lengths. Paired with breech blocks of various length, the 77/ Series can accommodate different length and diameter cartridges. All models within the 77/ series share a common size bolt handle, with forward twin lugs that engage the rear receiver ring. Magazine length and capacity vary for the same purpose.

The receiver for the 44 Magnum is 1/2″ longer than the 22 rimfire version. Prior to November 2009, 22 LR, 22 WMR and 17 HMR rifle barrels were slip fit to the receiver and secured with a V block. Barrels for all other chambers, and all production since, are threaded to the receiver.

The Ruger 77/ series anthology goes something like this: Ruger 77/22 22 LR 1989, Ruger 77/22 Magnum 1990, Ruger 77/22 Hornet 1994, Ruger 77/44 Magnum 1997, Ruger 77/17 HMR 2002, Ruger 77/17 Hornet, Ruger 77/357 Magnum 2011, Ruger 77/17 WSM 2018. Available chambers ebb and flow with market demand, but the good ones always return after a hiatus. Models are available with walnut and synthetic stocks.

Real Guns has covered this combination in significant detail previously, available as:

Ruger’s 77/17® 17 Hornet Part 1
Ruger’s 77/17® 17 Hornet Part 2

Joe, I am in my house, on lock down and growing highly impatient. Is this story going anywhere? Sure, isn’t it always? I mean, I may not know exactly where at this point, but it is definitely going somewhere. Something we won’t be doing.

The focus of this effort is to improve the accuracy of the combination, with a minimal outlay of cash and labor. Why? Because it seems too many people buy a firearm and accept whatever it delivers from the factory; see term, “It is, what it is” and amend to add, “Only if you are what you are”. Deep, man. Anyway… The approach taken, and results that follow, pertain to this rifle alone. Different rifles respond to different approaches and even one specimen within a product type will often respond differently than another. Think of this as a suggested alternative to buying a new rifle, getting less than exciting results a local range, then making a bee line to social media to bitch and post a thumbs down rating and being unhappy with your purchase.

So I shot some groups and began to poke around…

My approach was to set up the scope, then shoot my groups of varying loads and bullet weights, withholding further adjustment. This allowed me to gather group size data and measuring shifts in point of impact. The five shot group pictured measures 11/16″, center to center, most distant holes.

Ten additional five shot groups varied in size between 11/16″ and 1″. In highly technical jargon, I classified this Ruger Model 77/17 as a 11/16″ – 1″ shooter with Hornady Superformance 20 grain V-Max ammunition.

What to do? What to do? Start finessing the rifle or start finessing handloads? With only fifty rounds of factory ammunition, I did not have enough inventory to work the rifle and validate results without losing the baseline.

I would handload first, get groups as small as possible, and then shoot factory ammo to confirm the improvement was due to handloads and not the bore/barrel becoming seasoned and settled. With a new baseline, I could then go on and make mechanical changes to the rifle.

Objectives

The objective is to get .17 caliber, 20 grain Hornady V-Max bullets to shoot smaller than 1/2″, 5 shot groups at 100 yards. What is the scientific basis that led to that criteria for improvement? The 1/2″ five shot group is small enough for critical hits on small game and varmints. Why Hornady and Nosler bullets in these weights? Because I have an ample supply of brass and thousands of these tiny bullets and other necessary components. Why now? I am also on lock down, but fortunately with a shooting range out back and access to the shop.

This is a fun project; easy on the ears, easy on the gear and easy on the wallet. Yes, I also can feel the electricity of anticipation in the air… like the sounds of a giant bug zapper. Yes, I did borrow that imagery from Phil Collins. Yes, he is an old timer. No, I do not find myself wondering what happened to Crockett and Tubbs. Can we just change the subject?

The following is an initial run…

Bellique piget post notitia collectio

Warning: Bullet selections are specific, and loads are not valid with substitutions of different bullets of the same weight. Variations in bullet length will alter net case capacity,  pressure and velocity. Primer selection is specific and primer types are not interchangeable. These are maximum loads in my firearms and may be excessive in others. All loads should be reduced by 5% as a starting point for development where cartridges have greater than 40 grains in capacity and 10% for cartridges with less than 40 grain capacity following safe handloading practices as represented in established mainstream reloading manuals. Presentation of these loads does not constitute a solicitation for their use, nor a recommendation.