Kind of an odd question...

[Loki_762]

I was wondering if it would be possible, or for that matter, even practical, to order an NEF with a centerfire hammer and a .17 HMR barrel for the sole purpose of having the barrel re-chambered to a .17 Ackley Hornet.  Does anyone know if this is possible, reasonable, or just plain crazy?  I am looking for a way to get a gun in this caliber at a reasonable price, as the reloading equipment  is going to get costly.  I know that ideally I would find a Hornet and rebarrel it, or get a TC and get a barrel in that caliber, but I am thinking cost effective here.  What do you guys think?  Is this nuts, or can it be done?
Loki

[quickdtoo]

You might have to do the swapping on your own. Get an SB2 frame and also buy a 17 sportster, IF the barrel will fit the SB2 frame. Maybe someone here with both can do a temporary swap to see how they fit for ya. You would need the centerfire fire pin location as opposed to the rimfire location. 2 new rifles may be necessary to accomplish that if you can't find any parts used. And the ejection would have to be dealt with, also. :?

[Mitch in MI]

I was wondering if it would be possible, or for that matter, even practical, to order an NEF with a centerfire hammer and a .17 HMR barrel for the sole purpose of having the barrel re-chambered to a .17 Ackley Hornet.

The difference is not in the hammer, but in the frame and firing pin. The rimfire frame has an offset drilled hole for the firing pin.

If I had a centerfire and a rimfire, and could swap barrels (or if the rimfire was larger than the centerfire so that I could fit the barrel down to size) I'd get a HMR barrel and rechamber it to 17 MACH IV or 17AH. The factory will not fit a rimfire barrel to a centerfire frame, nor will they sell an unfitted barrel, not even to gunsmiths.

[Loki_762]

Yeah, I was afraid it would be either impossible or too complicated to be worth the effort.  Well, then, is there anybody that makes aftermarket barrels, or am I getting into Contender/Encore territory here?
Loki

[Mitch in MI]

I don't know of anybody who makes aftermarket barrels, the factory sells barrels for 1/3 the cost of T/C barrels and that's pretty steep competition. Some, like David White, will cut off a shotgun barrel, thread the stub, and install a custom barrel, but the cost is pretty high.

Three ideas:
1. Find somebody who's getting ready to order an extra barrel for his rimfire and get him to order a .17HRM for you while his gun's at the factory.
2. Buy a $90 .22, send it in for a .17 barrel, sell the .22 if you don't want it.
3. Buy a $125-150 .17 HRM, sell the stocks for $50 on eBay, sell the receiver for whatever you can get for it, and ream the barrel to 17AH.

If possible, make sure the barrel from the centerfire rifle will close & latch on the rimfire frame. It's still possible the rimfire barrel won't close on the centerfire frame, but it's easy to remove material from the barrel, much harder to add it. If you have lots of rimfires to choose from, pick one that will swap barrels in both directions with your centerfire.

It sure would be fun to have a 17AH/22AH combo on the same frame, wouldn't it?

[Leftoverdj]

Rimfire barrels are often made of a softer, easier to work steel than are centerfire fires. Such a barrel would be likely to shootout in fairly short order if rechambered to .17 Ackley Hornet. You might check with NEF to see what they use for .17 HMR. If they use 4140, you're set. If they use something else, you better be prepared for a short barrel life.

Converting a rf action to cf is pretty simple and about a $50 job. Since H&R usta chamber .222 and .223 in the old cast actions, the Sportster action should easily handle the .17 Ackley Hornet with even less case head thrust.