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Common uses: Varmint, Small Game
| Type | rifle (centerfire) |
| Typical load | 20gr Nosler Varmageddon (FB Tipped) |
| Muzzle velocity | 4200 fps |
| Muzzle energy | 784 ft-lb |
| Published G1 ballistic coefficient | 0.183 |
| Case length | 44.8 mm |
| Overall length | 54.6 mm |
| Range (yd) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft-lb) | Drop (in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 4200 | 783 | -1.5 |
| 100 | 3535 | 555 | 0 |
| 200 | 2962 | 389 | -1.3 |
| 300 | 2456 | 268 | -6.7 |
| 400 | 2006 | 179 | -17.8 |
| 500 | 1611 | 115 | -37.8 |
At 1,000 yards, .17 Rem. (20gr at 4200 fps, 100 yd zero, standard conditions) has a modeled come-up of about 48.0 MOA / 13.9 MIL, retaining 806 fps (subsonic).
| Range (yd) | Velocity (fps) | State | Drop (in) | Elev (MOA) | Elev (MIL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 | 2456 | Supersonic | -6.7 | 2.1 | 0.62 |
| 400 | 2006 | Supersonic | -17.9 | 4.3 | 1.24 |
| 500 | 1611 | Supersonic | -37.8 | 7.2 | 2.10 |
| 600 | 1289 | Transonic | -71.5 | 11.4 | 3.31 |
| 700 | 1075 | Subsonic | -126.1 | 17.2 | 5.01 |
| 800 | 954 | Subsonic | -210.8 | 25.2 | 7.32 |
| 900 | 872 | Subsonic | -333.5 | 35.4 | 10.29 |
| 1000 | 806 | Subsonic | -502.1 | 48.0 | 13.95 |
Extended predictions beyond 500 yards are modeled from the same G1 engine — useful for initial DOPE, but outside the 500-yard manufacturer-table validation audit. Confirm with observed DOPE, especially near transonic.
Small-game/varmint context — the deer- and elk-sized energy references aren't applicable to the cartridge's listed uses. When a downrange table is available, its retained-energy column can provide context; verify the exact load and follow local game regulations for legal methods.
Your barrel, ammunition lot, and conditions will differ — always verify against the manufacturer's data and your own rifle.
The .17 Remington is prized among varmint and small-game shooters for launching a roughly 20-grain bullet past 4,000 fps, producing an exceptionally flat trajectory, very light recoil, and explosive expansion that limits pelt damage on foxes and coyotes. Its tiny, fast bullets are well suited to prairie dogs, ground squirrels, and other small pests inside a few hundred yards, where the round rewards precise shooting with minimal report and disturbance. The trade-offs are equally well documented: the small, high-velocity bore fouls quickly with copper and carbon, demanding frequent and careful cleaning to hold accuracy, and the light projectiles are readily pushed around by wind and shed velocity fast, limiting practical range. It has always been a specialist's cartridge rather than a general-purpose one, and shooters who tolerate its maintenance appetite value it as one of the flattest-shooting, lowest-recoil varmint rounds available.
Remington introduced the .17 Remington in 1971, chambering it initially in the Model 700 rifle. The cartridge was formed by necking the .223 Remington case down to .172 caliber and moving the shoulder back, creating a sharply bottlenecked round built to drive very light bullets at extreme velocity. It was designed specifically as a varmint cartridge, and for years it stood as the fastest and best-known factory .17-caliber offering before smaller .17 rimfires and the later .17 Remington Fireball broadened the category.
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