The .17 Mach IV / 4.4x35mm is a
wildcat
The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...
centerfire
Two rounds of .357 Magnum, a centerfire cartridge; notice the circular primer in the center
A center-fire (or centerfire) is a type of metallic cartridge used in firearms, where the primer is located at the center of the base of its casing (i. ...
rifle
A rifle is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a gun barrel, barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus o ...
cartridge, based on the
.221 Remington Fireball case, necked down to fire a bullet. The cartridge was introduced in 1962 by Vern O'Brien.
The cartridge offered an easy case conversion and good ballistics, but could not compete against the
.17 Remington.
The name, Mach IV, comes from the claim that the bullets can reach . Due to the relatively small case capacity, even small variations in powder of can lead to the difference between a safe and dangerously over pressure load. Aftermarket barrels for the
XP-100 pistol were sometimes marked ".17 Mach III" due to the lower velocity produced by the shorter barrel.
Wildcat Cartridges: .17 Mach IV
Column by Layne Simpson in ''Handloader Magazine''
The .17 Mach IV became very popular with varmint hunters, so much so that in 2007, Remington introduced its own very similar version, the .17 Remington Fireball.
See also
* .17 Remington Fireball
* .221 Remington Fireball
*4 mm caliber
This is a list of firearm cartridges which have bullets in the to caliber
In guns, particularly firearms, but not #As a measurement of length, artillery, where a different definition may apply, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviated ...
*List of rifle cartridges
List of rifle cartridges, by primer type, Caliber, calibre and name.
File:Cartridge Sample 2.jpg, 350px, From left to right: 1 .17 Hornady Mach 2, 2 .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire, 3 .22 Long Rifle, 4 .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire, 5 .17/23 SMc, 6 5mm ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:17 Mach IV
Pistol and rifle cartridges
Wildcat cartridges