.17 hmr case neck splitting & testing

Cass

So having used the .17hmr for a good few months now i've never experienced any of the issues surrounding case neck splitting as others have experienced.

Was on the range on Saturday, after the hcap, and was zeroing in the Father's new Savage 93r17. I had a some Hornday 20 gr xtp left over from when i bought my CZ455 so used them first.

They grouped perfectly even in the wind and rain. Much better than the 17 gr Federal, however when the wind died off a little the Federal came into their own. Now i don't use Hornady in the CZ. The Federal have always given me the result i need and were slightly more consistent than the Hornady so i stuck with them.

Once finished i fired a couple of Federal in the Savage to check zero compared to the Hornady, and as i had a few hundred Federal for the CZ i figured he could use them until he gets his own ammo or settles on a make/brand.

Here is the kicker. For the first time i got case neck splitting from the Federal in the Savage. I only noticed it when i ejected a round i'd just fired and no case came out. When i looked into the chamber there was a case stuck. I used the knife on my Leatherman to get the case out. It came out very easy. When i checked the neck was split.

I immediately checked the box of Federal and none of the rounds were cracked/split. So any splitting occurred after/during firing. I still had 15 Hornady left and tried 5 more. The groups were tight, and the cases ejected fine with no splitting. I tried another 10 rounds of Federal. i checked each one before firing and there was not a bother on them. After firing i had one case with a split neck. The groups were also fairly tight. Sub 3/4" at 100 yards.

SO it got me wondering would it be down to chamber design as opposed to ammo manufacturer alone. I have never have a split neck in the CZ hence the reason i got to thinking along these lines.

The only good thing was accuracy was not affected in the slightest by the cases that split, and any cases that stuck can be removed with your nail or the tip of a knife, small tool. There is no pressure or resistance to remove it. So i came tot he simple solution of using the Hornady 20gr for the Savage, and keep using the Federal for the CZ.


Was wondering if anyone else has tried the same ammo in different rifles and what if any splitting or issues did you find.

deerhunter1

Cass wrote: »

So having used the .17hmr for a good few months now i've never experienced any of the issues surrounding case neck splitting as others have experienced.

Was on the range on Saturday, after the hcap, and was zeroing in the Father's new Savage 93r17. I had a some Hornday 20 gr xtp left over from when i bought my CZ455 so used them first.

They grouped perfectly even in the wind and rain. Much better than the 17 gr Federal, however when the wind died off a little the Federal came into their own. Now i don't use Hornady in the CZ. The Federal have always given me the result i need and were slightly more consistent than the Hornady so i stuck with them.

Once finished i fired a couple of Federal in the Savage to check zero compared to the Hornady, and as i had a few hundred Federal for the CZ i figured he could use them until he gets his own ammo or settles on a make/brand.

Here is the kicker. For the first time i got case neck splitting from the Federal in the Savage. I only noticed it when i ejected a round i'd just fired and no case came out. When i looked into the chamber there was a case stuck. I used the knife on my Leatherman to get the case out. It came out very easy. When i checked the neck was split.

I immediately checked the box of Federal and none of the rounds were cracked/split. So any splitting occurred after/during firing. I still had 15 Hornady left and tried 5 more. The groups were tight, and the cases ejected fine with no splitting. I tried another 10 rounds of Federal. i checked each one before firing and there was not a bother on them. After firing i had one case with a split neck. The groups were also fairly tight. Sub 3/4" at 100 yards.

SO it got me wondering would it be down to chamber design as opposed to ammo manufacturer alone. I have never have a split neck in the CZ hence the reason i got to thinking along these lines.

The only good thing was accuracy was not affected in the slightest by the cases that split, and any cases that stuck can be removed with your nail or the tip of a knife, small tool. There is no pressure or resistance to remove it. So i came tot he simple solution of using the Hornady 20gr for the Savage, and keep using the Federal for the CZ.


Was wondering if anyone else has tried the same ammo in different rifles and what if any splitting or issues did you find.

I had quite a few Hornady 17gr spliiting in my CZ never affected accuracy and never had an issue with ejecting them. I can remember one batch of 5 boxes(250 rounds) I had 2 or three in every box

Snakezilla

Ive had a good few hornady 17g split but not in the past while. Never enough to cause a jam or anything though and never noticed a difference in performance or accuracy.

bit off topic - Having serious trouble with Federal , must have a batch with bad primers or something. Was out for rabbits the other night and came across a fox just under 100 yards. Had the crosshairs right between the eyes - click....nothing ....

Big Buck

CCI 17grain ammo had problems with neck splitting but was very accurate through my 1517, and always ejected.
Hornady ammo seemed to be worse for neck splitting but again, didn't seem to affect accuracy and ejected perfect

mister gullible

Used only Federal (preferred round) in my cz, had some splits -maybe 5% - but no accuracy or ejection issues.

1jay1

I recently bought 4 boxes of Federal and after reading about split cases before firing I checked the 200 rounds - 35 split cases!!
I'm going to fire a few this Sunday at the range to compare groups and or POI change.

eoin.d

I bought a box of winchester this evening to try out in my cz455. I only used 10 rounds , checked all before firing, all were ok all fired ok and ejected ok but one case was split. Although all grouped well.

Cass

The consensus seems to be that even with splits there is no loss of accuracy and no issues with ejection, etc.

eoin.d

your right cass no real issues, but you would prefer not to see them. ive been using hornady and federal and never seen any split. maybe I have just not noticed before

Cass

I've never had a split using Federal in my CZ so like yourself never knew what other were complaining about. In the Savage was the first time i seen it.

However when you consider it's a .22 magnum case necked down it's not surprising. You're putting a lot of "strain" on a small and thin case to neck it from .22 to .17 so some splitting, while annoying, is to some degree expected.

dazed+confused

Cass wrote: »

The consensus seems to be that even with splits there is no loss of accuracy and no issues with ejection, etc.

Absoultely, I've had it occur too, only ever with Hornady 17gr. I got a fright when I saw it first and returned the box of bullets to the RFD. He had seen it before though and replaced them no problem.

Mezamo

All .17hmr ammo is loaded in the same factory in the U.S. Please see response I got from CCI to the question:

Thank you for you'r query ____,
CCI, Federal, Winchester, Remington and Hornady all loaded here at CCI in Lewiston, Idaho with a V-max bullet are identical, with the exception of tip color. Manufactured on the same equip, to the same ballistic specs, using the same components other than color of the tip of the bullets. Obviously the shellcase 'head stamp' and packaging would be different on the various products.

Linda Olin
CCI/Speer Technical Services
2299 Snake River Ave.
Lewiston, ID 83501

That puts that one to bed :D

Cass

That was explained before lad. It's well known it's all made in the same place, but it doesn't answer the question. Not why they split, but why some split in some guns and not in others?

As i said above the Federal have never split in my CZ, but do in the Savage. Only a couple out of 50 but it happens. Yet in the CZ i've fired over 200 without an issue. It would lead me to believe that while there may be weaknesses in the brass and it goes across all brands, there must be some discrepancy in the chambers of different makes, and even models/batches of models. I say that because lads have said above that in their CZ they have gotten split necks.