.17 rem build ?s

[Travis C]

Im wanting to build a complete upper in 17rem and need to know if there is anything "special" i need to buy buy to make it run reliably? Gas block etc ...

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

I have to assume that who ever you decide to buy the barrel from will be able to awnser the more technical questions for you. But in responce to your general question NO. The barrel is the only componet that will change. The barrel maker should have the gas port size figured out if they do not then dont buy their barrel. Also ask the barrel maker what buffer weight they use.

will you post your parts list?

The .17 rem is a 223 necked down to .17

 

[Travis C]

Actually its a take off barrel from my varmint tikka and have a friend who is going to be building it for me and want to understand the build better and buy the right parts for him to assemble. Buffer you say...i will check into that. Its going to be built on a dpms lower and might use a dpms upper from brownells or some other supplier.

 

[LouBoyd]

I have a 17 Rem AR-15 which I built using this Shilen barrel and bolt:
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/12...zle-diameter-1-in-10-twist-24-stainless-steel
It' was an easy "drop in" build using standard AR-15 components including the buffer components. The bolt is nothing special, only provided with the barrel to insure proper headspace tolerances.

Why would anyone chose to re-contour and re-chamber a bolt action barrel into an AR-15 barrel when a quality factory barrel is available "off the shelf" ? I'm not saying it can't be done, but I can't believe it's worth the effort. Tuning the gas port on an AR-15 for a "non-standard" cartridge is not a trivial job.

 

[Travis C]

Yeah, its not something that is common to do, but the barrel has a lot of life yet and because of that and it will only get shot on coyotes, i figure its worth it to me. Its onlt getting threads cut andand under the gas block are the two places that will be cut and thats it. Not really a major project and well worth it since it will be shot less than 200 rounds a season.

 

[Kevin Thomas]

Travis,

Make sure your buddy has a bore scope and knows how to locate a gas hole so that if falls into a groove. This is a fairly straight-forward job, but unless he knows how it's done . . . I'd have some concerns.

 

[msalm]

I've built several 17 remmy's on the ar platform, and if you are going with a 20" barrel and a standard gas tube length, start SMALL on the gas port and work your way up. Standard gas port diameter is around .092-3" for a 223, and if I remember correctly, I had full function at around .075 or .078" in the 17 Remmy...that may have been with an 18" barrel and mid-length tube though now that I think about it. As for the gas port in the groove, if it is a 6 groove barrel, good luck fitting a gas port in the groove on a .17 cal barrel. I've done it both ways on the 223's and 6.5 Grendel, in the groove and where ever it may land. I have not seen any accuracy or fouling issue either way. Your choice but I just thread the tenon, chamber, and torque the barrel extension on and drill the hole where it needs to be. No trouble getting sub 1/2 MOA AR's using that method. IF you want to time the port, use your borescope and slide it up to where the port will be located, and mark the barrel tenon with a sharpie at every groove. When you thread the tenon, it is a simple matter to time the top of the barrel extension to one of the grooves.