17 HMR recall

[kanook]

I know some of us this ammo and rifle so I thought I would pass it along

PRODUCT SAFETY WARNING
AND RECALL NOTICE

17 HMR AMMUNITION AND MODEL 597® 17 HMR SEMI-AUTOMATIC



DO NOT USE REMINGTON 17 HMR AMMUNITION IN SEMI-AUTOMATIC FIREARMS.

DO NOT USE THE REMINGTON MODEL 597 17 HMR SEMI-AUTOMATIC RIFLE.

Remington has been notified by its supplier of 17 HMR ammunition that 17 HMR ammunition is not suitable for use in semi-automatic firearms. The use of this ammunition in a semi-automatic firearm could result in property damage or serious personal injury.

If you have a semi-automatic firearm chambered for 17 HMR ammunition, immediately discontinue use of Remington 17 HMR ammunition. If you have any Remington 17 HMR ammunition that you wish to return to Remington contact the Remington Consumer Service number below. Do not return the ammunition to the dealer. Remington will provide you with a $10.00 coupon for each complete box of 50 rounds of Remington branded 17 HMR ammunition you return to Remington. This coupon is for end users only and will be good for the purchase of any Remington ammunition at your local dealer.

In light of the ammunition manufacturer’s notice, it is very important that you immediately stop using your Remington Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle. If you own a Remington Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle and wish to return it to Remington please contact the below Remington Consumer Service Number. In return for your Remington Model 597 17 HMR synthetic stock semi-automatic rifle, Remington will provide you a coupon valued at $200.00 good for the purchase of a replacement Remington firearm. If you have a laminate stock Remington Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle, Remington will provide you a coupon valued at $250.00 good for the purchase of a replacement Remington firearm. This Coupon is for end users only and will be good for the purchase of a Remington firearm at your local dealer. Contact Remington to recieve your free shipping label to return your Model 597 17HMR semi-automatic rifle to Remington..

Please allow up to 6 weeks after Remington receives your Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle or your Remington branded 17 HMR ammunition for the appropriate coupons to arrive. Instructions for redemption of the coupons will be contained on the coupon.

For any consumer questions or instructions on how to return of your Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle or your Remington branded 17 HMR ammunition, please contact the Remington Consumer Service Department at 1-800-243-9700, Prompt #3.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Safety First
Always observe the ten commandments of safe gun handling and wear approved eye and ear protection anytime you are shooting.

 

[darksidemxer]

hmm thank god i got a beautiful savage bolt action

 

[E304life]

I saw that sign at the store the other day. Good thing i have a CZ boltie. So is it the gun or the ammo that is the problem? What is the problem exactly?

 

[627PCFan]

There have been several out of battery kabooms. Im guessing related to dirty chambers. Its a high PSI rimfire round and the brass isnt that strong unsupported-

 

[kanook]

So is it the gun or the ammo that is the problem?

DO NOT USE REMINGTON 17 HMR AMMUNITION IN SEMI-AUTOMATIC FIREARMS.

DO NOT USE THE REMINGTON MODEL 597 17 HMR SEMI-AUTOMATIC RIFLE.

It is both the ammo and the rifle.

 

[TehK1w1]

Hmm, in exchange for your defective gun they offer you a $200 coupon to buy another remington???

If you go to the "safety center" on remington's website, they also have a special program where they will modify pre-'82 rifles so that the bolt won't lock while the safety is on I guess having to take the safety off to load/unload is just too dangerous...
They charge money for it, too.

 

[damien]

There have been several out of battery kabooms. Im guessing related to dirty chambers. Its a high PSI rimfire round and the brass isnt that strong unsupported

How did they fail to find this flaw in their testing of their product prior to its release?

 

[Zane]

It isn't so much out of battery kabooms as it is starting to extract the brass before the pressures fall to safe levels. The timing tolerance is much narrower in the 17 HMR than it is on the 22 Magnums. It isn't as simple as taking a 22 magnum and slapping a 17 HMR barrel on it. People were experiencing split cases.

No other manufacturer has recalled ammunition. Supposedly it is all made by CCI and rebranded.

 

[12many]

Does it seem like Rem. is passing the buck to make it seem like it is the ammo manufact. fault?

If one is not going to shoot 17 hmr in your rifle chambered for 17 hmr, what would one due with the rifle? Likes someone else said, $200 does not seem like much. This does not make me want to buy a remmy.

 

[Zoogster]

So is it the gun or the ammo that is the problem? What is the problem exactly?

Also keep in mind that the smaller the bore the more a barrel obstruction will raise the pressure. Even just leading or fouling could begin to raise the pressure vry rapidly.
A drop of moisture could raise the pressure significantly. While with a larger caliber with a large bore and/or a larger payload it takes more material to equal the same percentage of reduced space in the barrel. Meaning a higher margin of error.

When you operate at high velocities with high pressure in a small bore using light projectiles there is more danger of pressure spikes from any number of sources.
Add to this that the case is rimfire, which means the rear of the brass is weak enough to allow the firing pin to put a reliable dent in it, and you have a recipe for disaster. Weak brass which can have a pressure spike from things as routine as leading.

So I would say the primary danger is the caliber and cartridge design. However because of the danger posed by that caliber in a semi auto design, a semi auto firearm chambered in it is worthless because it does not have a source of safe ammo.

A bolt action avoids much of the problem because it does not open before pressure drops. Even if the rear of the case got a hole in it from the firing pin and high pressure, or the case split in a bolt action (less likely) as long as the overall pressure was not high enough to blow up the chamber or barrel it would be fine. The bolt would remain in place, keeping the action closed regardless of a failure of the cartridge. The support of the bolt on the cartridge would also reduce the chance of a failure to begin with not allowing it to expand to the rear, while that could become the path of least resistance when a semi action begins to open.

So it is the cartridge and caliber that poses a danger, but bolt actions are less prone to the weaknesses of the caliber.

Quite simply it appears to be a round which is too much to be a rimfire cartridge. Semi-auto designs cannot safely tolerate that.

So the cartridge is the problem, but a semi-auto firearm is worthless without the caliber it is chambered in. Perhaps a .22 Magnum barrel will not be prone to the .17HMR problems? Otherwise you have a firearm worth very little.

 

[renegade1alpha]

I bought a Charles Daly shotgun and was ridiculed by people telling me it was a "jam-o-matic" and that I should have bought a Remington or a Benelli. I have put lots of ammo through it with no problems.

Seems like even Remington screws up and makes a lemon every now and then too.

 

[Apple a Day]

Perhaps a .22 Magnum barrel will not be prone to the .17HMR problems? Otherwise you have a firearm worth very little.

If you switch from .17 HMR to .22 Mag are there any other changes you have to make besides switching the barrels out? Forgive my ignerntz but if the .17 is just a .22 necked down then will the extractor, ejector work for both?

 

[bubbaturbo]

Isn't it great to see Remington step up and do the right thing for their customers? Wait, didn't the guns sell for like $400? OK, nevermind then.

 

[45crittergitter]

I'll give y'all the $10 per box of ammo....

 

[kingmt]

I bought a Charles Daly shotgun and was ridiculed by people telling me it was a "jam-o-matic" and that I should have bought a Remington or a Benelli. I have put lots of ammo through it with no problems.

Seems like even Remington screws up and makes a lemon every now and then too.

I have found it to be the case that they seem to pull off a good one every now & then. I have a old Viper that I think is great but I have several friends that own them & say they are junk. It is the only good Remington I have ever shoot.

 

[searcher451]

The current edition of "The American Rifleman" hs a short piece about the recall, IIRC.