Bullberry 17 ah article

Bullberry Barrelworks .17 Ackley Hornet
By Executive Editor John Anderson
For 20 years now Bullberry Barrelworks of Hurricane, Utah, has been well-known for its
custom firearms, with the Woodsmith Inc. portion of the business noted for its custom
wood stocks. This year the company celebrates its 20th anniversary. To commemorate
this event, owner Fred Smith sent us a custom gun for testing.
Bullberry probably has been best known for its handgun work, particularly custom barrels
and the customizing of Thompson/Center Contenders and Remington XP-100s, along with
fancy wood stocks for them. But Fred also does rifle work, and the gun he sent us
represents this aspect of his talent.
The rifle we received from Fred is one of the neatest little things I've seen for some time.
I've long been a fan of what I call the "minimalist approach" to varmint hunting ... the
use of small cases, little bullets, and light powder charges. In this group I include such
cartridges as the .22 Hornet and .221 Fireball, plus various sub-caliber cartridges based
on these and similar cases. The .17 caliber is the most well-known of the sub-calibers, but
we also must include James Calhoon's recent introduction of .19 caliber cartridges, and
there even have been experiments with .14 caliber guns. Such cartridges obviously won't
work well when targets are out around 500 yards, but within the limited range of their
capabilities these little cartridges are just plain fun. Recoil, muzzle blast, excessive barrel
heating, and heavy copper fouling are not problems, and a pound of powder goes a long
ways. In gopher pastures or prairie dog towns where the shots are not excessively long,
these little cartridges are surprisingly effective ... and always fun.
The rifle we received from Fred Smith is chambered in .17 Ackley Hornet and is built on
the Czech CZ 527 action. The CZ actions are considered by some to be the best Mauser-
type actions available today. This action is small (designed specifically for cases like the
Hornet and Bee), measuring 6 5/8" long and having a front receiver ring 1.215" in
diameter. The bolt release lever is on the left side of the rear receiver ring. Scope mount
bases are machined into the top of the receiver, and with this short action the scope rings
end up being only 3 1/4" apart, measured from centerline to centerline on the rings.
Page 1 of 9Bullberry Barrelworks .17 Ackley Hornet
10/21/2009http://www.varminthunter.org/article3.shtml

Essentially there is no leeway in scope mounting.
A box magazine holding five cartridges extends from the bottom of the action in front of
the trigger guard, with a release button on the right side of the magazine. The action
screws have hex head slots. The safety is a pivoting lever on the right side of the back of
the bolt, and rotates through 90 degrees. When in the forward (or upright) position, the
safety locks both trigger and bolt; rearward (or horizontal) allows the trigger to be pulled
and the bolt to be operated. Finish on the action is black matte, called "Black Velvet" in
the Bullberry catalog.
The CZ 527 action features an adjustable (for weight, pull length, and overtravel) single
set trigger. When not "set," the trigger lets off at just over 1 1/2 lb., but there is some
creep. When "set" by pushing the trigger forward, it lets off at a crisp 12 oz. I did not
adjust the trigger during my shooting, using it just as it came from Bullberry.
The rifle measures 39 5/8" overall and weighs 7 lb. 5 1/2 oz. The Warne Quick
Detachable Scope Mounts add 5 1/2 oz and the Leupold Vari-X III 6.5-20x scope added
another 17 oz. Field-ready, the rifle as tested totals 8 lb. 12 oz. Length of pull is 14 1/4",
drop at comb is 1 7/8", and drop at heel is 2 1/2".
The barrel is a chrome moly blank, Premium grade, from the custom shop of Wilson Arms
Co., chambered and finished in Black Velvet by Fred Smith. Rifling twist is 1 in 10. The
barrel is 20 13/16" long, measured from the face of the receiver, and is finished in Black
Velvet. It's a straight taper, measuring 1.075" just in front of the action and 0.800" at the
muzzle. The muzzle is finished with a recessed 11 degree target crown. No open sights
are included. The caliber is marked "17 Hornet" just in front of the receiver ring on the
left side, and 5 inches forward of that the barrel is marked "Bullberry/Woodsmith,
Hurricane UT 84737, 20 Years 1980-2000."
The stock is straight-grained walnut with little figure and contrasting Madagascar ebony
pistol grip cap and fore-end tip, all done up with a glossy finish. This particular piece of
walnut has a tight, fine grain structure. There is a high comb cheekpiece on the stock, and
a Wundhammer swell on the right side of the pistol grip. The curve on the pistol grip is
rather tight, becoming almost vertical near the grip cap, a shape I found comfortable to

use. The stock comes equipped with sling swivel bases, plus a Pachmayr rubber recoil
pad. Inletting of the action and barrel is excellent.
Suggested retail price for the complete rifle, including the Warne scope rings, is in the
$1,300.00 to $1,350.00 range. With the fanciest grade wood, the price could run around
$1,900.00.
A letter from Fred Smith accompanied the rifle, explaining his reasons for the chambering,
some details on his loads, and a bit about the action. He said one of his customers
suggested the chambering because his gun in .17 Ackley Hornet outshot all his others.
The lack of recoil means you can see for yourself the bullet impact. The chamber was cut
to minimal dimensions. This holds down brass expansion but necessitates full length
resizing. But the brass won't be overworked because the chamber is only half a
thousandth larger than the full length resized brass. Fred said he tried fire-forming brass
with a squib load of Bullseye packed with a quarter square of toilet tissue, then corn meal
on top and a wax plug to seal everything. This worked, but he said it would be simpler to
just fill the case with 4198, seat the cheapest bullet he could find on top, and go hunting.
The five-shot box magazine works, Fred said, but he found it just as easy to lay a
cartridge on top of the magazine and close the bolt. He did recommend closing the bolt
with a bit of authority as the Mauser claw extractor must climb over the rim. Fred also
said the new action is still stiff so it was necessary to be aggressive when extracting to
get the case clear of the action.
Load data for the .17 Ackley Hornet is a bit scarce but I did manage to find odds and ends
scattered through several old magazine articles, plus P.O. Ackley's book. Also, Walt
Berger and James Calhoon sent me load data. Two booklets have been published with
load data on various .17 caliber cartridges, including the .17 Hornet. One is 17 Caliber
Shooting by Dick Saunders, Manchester, Iowa, printed in 1991. (I haven't seen this
advertised in four years so I don't know if it's still available.) Another comes from Todd
Kindler, proprietor of The Woodchuck Den. He sells a load manual, printed in 1995, called
The Sensational Seventeens, and it's advertised in The VARMINT HUNTER Magazine. This
comes in a three-ring binder so supplements can be added.
Various powders mentioned for the .17 Ackley Hornet include 2400, 4198, 4227, AA 1680,

Reloder 7, and a few others that none of us would be able to find today. James Calhoon
said in his data that AA 1680 was the best powder in this cartridge, Walt Berger thinks it's
a good one, and Todd Kindler also likes it, though these latter two also offer data for
other powders. James said he thought that 25-grain bullets were too heavy for best
performance in this small case, so data for only his 19- and 22-grain bullets was provided.
Walt and Todd offered data for 25-grain weights and less. IMR 4227 appeared to be the
second most popular powder for this case, and offered performance similar to AA 1680.
Though Fred Smith had sent some fire-formed cases with the rifle, I wanted to experience
the case-forming process myself. So, armed with a supply of Winchester cases and a
Redding form die set, I began. The Redding die set consists of a form die, a file trim die,
and an extended shell holder, needed with the short file trim die. Using Imperial Sizing
Die Wax (now sold by Redding), I lightly lubed the cases and ran them all through the
form die, which reduced the neck diameter to .20 caliber. Next the cases went into the file
trim die to reduce the neck diameter to .17 caliber. The final step in the case forming
process is a pass through the full length sizing die. Depending on chamber dimensions
and brass used, neck turning or reaming may be necessary, but was not required for this
cartridge. The result of this forming process is a rather strange looking case, but all that
changes in the fire-forming stage. During the case-forming steps I lost no cases from any
cause. The scope I used for all the shooting with this rifle was a Leupold Vari-X III 6.5-
20x40mm Target with a fine dot on a fine cross hair reticle. All cases were loaded on
Redding .17 Ackley Hornet dies, which included a neck-sizing die that I didn't use because
of Fred's suggestion that I full-length size the cases.
Todd Kindler offers a fire-forming load in his .17 caliber book, and Steve Timm has told
me he likes to use a bullet somewhat heavy for the caliber when he fire-forms cases, so I
decided to combine the two ideas. I used the AA 1680 powder Todd recommended but
chose a heavier bullet than his suggestion. What I did was use a 30-grain Berger bullet in
place of the 25-grain one in Todd's book, and then backed off the initial powder charge. I
charged one case with 10 grains of AA 1680, one with 10.5 grains, one with 11 grains,
one with 11.5 grains, and one with 12 grains. Then, using the Stoney Point O.A.L. seating
depth gauge, I seated the bullets 3 thousandths off the lands. Firing these loads at the
range, I could see that the 10-grain load didn't quite fill out the shoulder perfectly, but
the 10.5-grain load did and so did the 11-grain load. With the 11.5-grain load and 12-

grain load I could feel slightly sticky bolt lift, a sign of excess pressure. So I elected to go
with the lightest fire-forming charge that fully filled out the case ... the one using 10.5
grains of AA 1680 under the 30-grain Berger bullet, touched off with CCI BR-4 primers. I
used this load to fire-form all the cases I wanted to work with and never lost a single case
in the fire-forming process. This 30-grain bullet weight is really too heavy for the powder
capacity of the Hornet case to stabilize properly, so it was not surprising that accuracy
was indifferent when fire-forming. Five-shot groups ran from around an inch to a little
under 2 inches, with most in the range of an inch and a half or so. But this heavy bullet
weight turned out to be perfect for fire-forming the cases. Velocity averaged 2,979 fps.
Than began the load testing process. Bullets I had to work with included 19- and 22-grain
weights in James Calhoon double hollow-point style, Starke Bullet Company 25-grain flat
base hollow-point, Hornady 20-grain V-Max and 25-grain hollow-point, and Remington
25-grain hollow-points. Starke also makes a 20-grain weight that I think would be ideal,
but I didn't have any, and Berger offers 18-, 20-, 22-, and 25-grain .17 caliber bullets.
Walt Berger's bullets have a reputation for fine accuracy, but regrettably I had none to
work with. However, that really was of little concern. After all, I was just trying to get an
indication of how well the rifle shoots. I didn't want to wear out the barrel before the new
owner has a chance to shoot it. (Actually, Fred Smith told me that a quality barrel in this
cartridge should be good for around 10,000 to 12,000 shots because the small case
capacity won't heat the barrel enough to cause severe erosion. A .220 Swift this cartridge
is not.)
I loaded cases with all the different bullets I had in increasing charge weights, increasing
each charge no more than three tenths of a grain at a time, and reducing that to two
tenths as I approached recommended maximum charges. Accurate's 1680 powder was
used for all my loads, and I never exceeded the suggested maximum charge in any of the
data I had. I tried to maintain a uniform seating depth just off the lands. One of the
things I was trying to determine was whether I was going to run into any pressure signs
with any of these loads.
As it turned out, pressure wasn't the problem but wind was. After loading my cases I
waited for more than two weeks for the wind to drop enough to go shoot. Finally, in
desperation, I headed for the range even though it was windier that day than I would

have liked. This was not the best condition under which to shoot groups with light .17
caliber bullets, and the temperature was a chilly 43 degrees to boot. But I tried, despite a
right-to-left wind that increased as the day went along.
James Calhoon's 19-grain bullets were up first, and clearly I was getting some horizontal
stringing. Sometimes I'd have vertical dispersion of no more than 1/2" but have one or
two shots out in left field, increasing a group to nearly 1" or more. But I did get one
three-shot group measuring 3/8" and some others at 1/2" or just a bit more. The
maximum powder charge with this bullet was 13 grains of 1680, which showed no
excessive pressure signs. Velocity for this 13-grain load averaged 3,859 fps. Things didn't
change much when I switched to the Calhoon 22-grain bullet, with horizontal stringing
again present. But I had one five-shot group that measured 5/8", with four of those shots
going under 1/2". The maximum charge of 12.8 grains of 1680 showed no excessive
pressure signs and averaged 3,736 fps.
After my tripod supporting the chronograph sky screens got blown over — twice — I
called it a day. I apologize to Mr. Calhoon for not being able to give his bullets a better
test. But I figure if I can get some of the groups I did in these conditions, they ought to
deliver some really good groups on a calmer day. Actually, not one of my shots would
have missed a gopher at the 100-yard range I shot at. And I've always heard good things
about how Calhoon bullets perform on prairie dogs and gophers.
Two days later it still was a bit breezy but certainly less so than it had been for my first
trip to the range. The Starke 25-grain bullets indicated they were accurate. The first
group had four shots measuring only 3/8", with a called flyer out to the right. Three of
the shots clustered into a tiny cloverleaf 1/8" from center to center. I had two more
three-shot groups, at 3/8" and 5/16", and five-shot groups at 11/16", 5/8", and 7/16".
The top load of 12.5 grains showed no signs of excess pressure, but did expand into a 1"
five-shot group, indicating the possibility that milder loads offered better accuracy.
Average velocity for this top load was 3,560 fps.
The Remington 25-grain bullets also appeared to offer excellent accuracy. The largest
five-shot group measured 3/4" and the smallest went 1/2". The largest three-shot group
measured 7/16" and all the rest were 3/8" or 5/16". The maximum load of 12.5 grains

offered no indication of excess pressure, and produced an average velocity of 3,589 fps.
n shooting the Hornady 20-grain V-Max, I struggled a bit. Several times I had good four-
shot groups but had a called flyer outside the main group for one of the five shots.
Discounting these flyers, the groups stayed under 3/4", with one five-shot group
measuring 3/8" center-to-center. Three of these shots went under 1/4". The best three-
shot groups measured just under 1/2". The top charge of 13 grains of 1680 gave no
indication of excess pressure, and produced an average velocity of 3,886 fps.
The 25-grain hollow-point bullet from Hornady also resulted in some called flyers, but the
worst one of these expanded the group to just a hair over an 1 1/4". The others stayed at
1" or under. Taking away the called flyers, the largest group went into 7/8", with two
groups at 1/2". All three-shot groups stayed under 1/2", ranging from 7/16" down to
3/16". The top load of 12.8 grains of 1680 showed no indications of too much pressure,
with no sticky bolt lift. This load averaged 3,620 fps.
In all my shooting with this rifle I cleaned the bore thoroughly every 25 shots. Copper
fouling did not appear to be a serious problem.
My load tests with this rifle were not designed to be definitive. In fact, they are only just
the beginning. The first thing I was trying to determine was if the maximum loads for
each bullet appeared safe in this particular rifle. And they certainly seemed to be. I
encountered no sticky bolt lift with any load, which usually is an early signal of too much
pressure. And primers looked the same from charge weight to charge weight. Of course,
it's a good idea to keep in mind that the temperature was no higher than in the mid-60s
on the warmest day I shot. At 80 or 90 or 100 degrees, things might be quite different. In
all this shooting, I did not lose one case to any cause ... no split necks, no case head
separations, no nothing. I have no doubt the tight chamber and minimum resizing are
major factors.
Another goal in my shooting was to see if any of the bullets I had on hand indicated that
they would shoot well. And each of them produced enough good groups to suggest that
some load work with seating depth, charge weight, and perhaps another powder (IMR
4227 would be the one I would try next) will produce excellent groups. I would have no

hesitation in grabbing any one of the bullets I tried and heading off to the dog towns.
Were it my rifle I would have a lot of fun working up more loads. But I have to leave
something for the new owner to do.
And who is the new owner of this fine rifle? We don't know yet. It could be you. Fred
Smith donated this rifle to The Varmint Hunters Association for the auction during
Jamboree's Saturday evening banquet. So if ya want it, ya gotta come 'n git it. But you
might just have to outbid me for it.
Bullberry Barrel Works
2430 West Bullberry Lane
Hurricane, UT 84737
Phone: (435) 635-9866
Fax: (435) 635-0348
www.bullberry.com
Fred@bullberry.com
Warne Manufacturing Co.
9039 SE Jannsen Rd.
Clackamas, OR 97015
Phone: (503) 657-5590
Fax: (503) 657-5695
Leupold & Stevens Inc.
P.O. Box 688
Beaverton, OR 97075-
0688
Phone: (503) 526-5195
Redding Reloading Equipment
1089 Starr Road
Cortland, NY 13045
Phone: (607) 753-3331
Fax: (607) 756-8445
www.redding-reloading.com
Berger Bullets Inc.
5342 W. Camelback Rd. - Ste. 200
Glendale, AZ 85301
Phone: (623) 842-4001
Fax: (623) 934-9083
James Calhoon Bullets
Shambo Rt. 304
Havre, MT 59501
Phone: (406) 395-4079
www.jamescalhoon.com
Hornady
P.O. Box 1848
Grand Island, NE 68802
Phone: (308) 382-1390
Fax: (308) 382-5761
E-mail:
webmaster@hornady.com
www.hornady.com
Remington Arms Co. Inc.
870 Remington Drive
Madison, NC 27025
Phone: (800) 243-9700
www.remington.com
Starke Bullet Company
Cooperstown, ND
Accurate Arms Co. Inc.
5891 Hwy. 230 W.
McEwen, TN 37101
CCI/Speer
P.O. Box 856
Lewiston, ID 83501
Saunders Gun
and Machine Shop
RR #2, Delhi Road

Phone: (800) 416-3006
www.accuratepowder.com
Phone: (800) 627-3640
www.cci-ammunition.com
Manchester, IA 52057

Bullberry 17 ah article

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Bullberry 17 ah article