Have any of you gotten to try out that little new 17hmr? I've been wondering how it is performing. Any in put would be interesting. thanks

-- Dean (xdeano@hotmail.com), April 09, 2003

Answers

Spent 1st wk May in S, Alberta shooting gophers with Sav.9317,fired 650 rds. w/o cleaning cause left cleaning rod at home, no real loss of accuracy. Tested Hdy,CCI,Rem ammo, gun prefered Rem even tho loaded on same equipment as Hdy? Very accurate, flat shooting and hard hitting for rimfire.Shot 4 or 5 dbls with one shot but could not anchor 2nd gopher,he crawled down the hole. Buddy with .22mag 50grs.always had both gophers dead at the hole.Scope is Banner 4- 12x40AO for close focus shots from 5ft. to 200yds.Can see bullets hit thru scope.Rain drizzle wet gophers give off mist cloud when hit.

-- dwayne cyr (cyr@kmts.ca), May 26, 2004.

I have ordered a 17HMR. I just could not stand how my buddy was doing so well with his compared with me and my 22 (he is a better shot than me anyway but this was redicules). My question is with all your combined experience with 17HMR's what power and what brand of scope would be the best match? I am willing to go into debt in order to hit these squirels. Thank you, Al

-- Al Conway (ancestor@ocsnet.net), May 11, 2004.

I get the message ! this sounds like a great gun, you've convinced me. I am now dreaming of getting one (although I am not a hunter I love plinking with my 22LR cz). Only thing is, 17 HMR guns and ammo appear to be unavailable in France, where I live. Is anyone in the secret of the reason for that ? Are we likely to be able to find this little wonder in our shops any time soon ? I really think it would be a real seller ! BJ

-- Bernard Jolivet (bernard.jolivet1@9online.fr), April 01, 2004.

I have a Marlin 17V. my only complaint was trying to find scopemounts that would allow me to easily attach a 40mm reticle scope to the top of it, i found KWIK-SITE makes scope mounts to convert the 3/8" dovetail to 1" weaver which allowed me to attach a 4-16X bushnell scope with a 40mm reticle which gave me an impressive group at 100 yds(3 shots through the same dime) with Hornaday V-MAX rounds.

-- aaron (snakeyeslw389@citlink.net), February 13, 2004.

I just recently bought a Rossi R17S .17HMR it is stainless with wood stocks. I am not much for using scopes, I prefer open sights to anything (just the sportsman in me). However this is a wicked round! I was totally blowed back by this little mag. I use the Hornady V-tip rounds for practice and use the CCI Hollow tips for hunting. I have taken a wildboar at around 115yards with one shoot just behind the ear, and dropped that stinker in it's tracks! I haven't had a chance yet to try it out on small game, just boar and coyote.Needless to say coyotes haven't a chance either. But am all to willingly ready to drop some squirrel and rabbit. Florida law does not allow deer to be taken with rimfire ammo. I am hoping that the state will make an adjustment for the .17HMR

Just a test for someone to do with the .17HMR, fill a drink can with water and take a shoot at it at about 75 to 100 yards, the can will literaly explode! I love this gun and have actually retired my big bores and shotguns from hunting (with the exception of deer, in which will make that adjustment as soon as local laws adheres).

-- Robert Haynes (sjacobrobert@msn.com), February 01, 2004.

I bought the Savage .17 heavy barrel and a BSA 3X12X50 Scope. A great match. The rifle was bore sited and and then finalized the adjustment in 13 shots at 75 yards. The next 2 shots went right throuogh a quarter. A week later I shot a quarter at 75 yards with 5 consecutive shots. This rifle is awesome. I bought the rifle to go ground hog hunting. But after hunting all summmer and shooting ZERO grond hogs I realize the coyote population has over grown it's boundaries. I'm now gearing up to hunt the wileies. The ballistics show up great when shooting pigeons. The first pigeon was right at 40 yards. The bird absolutly came UNGLUED in the scope. I had no idea that this round could make a pigeon explode. This phemomena was not a fluke, as the second pigeon was a repeat performance. I have taken one fox squirrel. He was about 80 yards away. ther was no entrance wound visible but the exit wound was the whole side of he head. All of the shooting has been done with Hornady rounds but I have just purchased two boxes of the CCI's. I can't say it enough >>>>>>>>>>>This rifle is Awesome<<<<<<<<<

-- Mark A. Lemon (mlemon2@woh.rr.com), January 03, 2004.

I just got a Marlin 17V, it looks like a great rifle ( a 22 on steriods) I want to put a scope on it , but which one is best, I picked up a 3-9x40mm.. I am not sure if this is the right scope . anyone have any suggestions...

-- t. haven (cando142@yahoo.com), December 19, 2003.

I JUST PICKED UP MY SAVAGE .17 93R FVSS AND PUT MY TASCO 10X40X50 SCOPE ON IT. GUESS WHAT AFTER I SIGHTED IT IN IM HITTING A PENNY AT TWO HUNDRED YARDS THATS NO JOKE THIS GUN IS A REAL SHOOTER I HAVE MORE ENJOYMENT WITH THIS GUN THEN I HAVE WITH ALL MY OTHERS. IF YOU WANT A GREAT GUN FOR SHOOTING DEAD CENTER PLEASE GET THIS ONE YOU WONT BE SORRY. THIS SAVAGE IS DEAD ON. THE SCOPE IS 15" LONG AND YOU WILL HAVE TO GET THE HIGH RINGS FOR IT. THE RINGS COST AROUND $25.00 BUT ITS WORTH IT. WHEN YOU GET THIS GUN BE READY FOR LOTS OF FUN. THE SHEELS COST AROUND $10.00 FOR A BOX OF FIFTY HAVE A GREAT TIME.

-- BILL (SHOOTING5@AOL.COM), December 13, 2003.

Bought my Savage .17hmr last thursday and was shooting dimes off a board at 125 yards w/ ease. I put a 3-9x32 and it does the trick. I recomend this rifle to all of the plinkers and varmint hunters.

-- Nick Jacquemin (jacq220@hotmail.com), November 25, 2003.

I just got a Marlin 17V and put a Simmons 3x9 22 Mag scope on the rifle. Had it shooting in 13 shots after bore sighting. Shot from bench rest at 50 yards with Harris bi-pod gun shot 7 shots just below the center line in bull (ess that dime size group) then shot it at 100 yards found that the bullet dropped less than 1/2" below the 50 yard group at the 100 yard range. Took the gun hunting killed a turkey at 100-125 yards and a squirrel at 108 steps using shooting sticks. With the light recoil and little sound this is a great small game gun. Now if I can just find a place to get the ammo cheaper than $11.oo a box I can shoot more.

-- Don Rupp (dnsrupp@kiski.net), November 11, 2003.

Has anyone tried it on our Red Foxes here in the uk, if so does it do the job and what distances can i expect to shoot them at.

-- Cliff Sanders (vermineruk@aol.com), November 10, 2003.

took two bob cat at100yds and 170 checked with range finder right in the bread basket love my 17 hmr with remington bullets

-- bobcat (remington66@ev1.net), October 21, 2003.

got a ruger 96/17 with leupold 2x7. .75 incher with the hornady load and slightly better with the cci round. great plinking rig and absolute death on the armadillos.

-- greg (walk853@bellsouth.net), October 15, 2003.

dear dean i have a cz varmint .17 with asimmons 3.8~12 by 44 on top.one night recently i shot 4 three quarter grown and one very large dog fox in just under an hour.[lamping and squeaking]ranges varied from 35 to 140 yards.all shots were placed in the gearbox [heart/lung]and were all clean kills.i do not have enough land to aquire a larger calibre rifle so i decided to give the 17hmr a try,boy am i glad i did!our problem in england is getting enough ammo as we are only getting the surplus you fellas arent using!we are paying 23pounds sterling per 100 rounds keep your powder dry buddy,good hunting, dave.

-- david wylde (baldydave@btopenworld.com), October 11, 2003.

I have shot my son's Ruger 77/17, and it is worth every cent! He has nailed pesky garden rabbits easily at 200 yds. We shot some coins one day. The noticible difference between Stinger.22's and the .17 was astounding! The .17 rounds were balistic tips. The quarters were dented and shot through with the Stingers, while the .17 holes looked like they were drilled through. Next test was a piece of 4" thick, very hard clear Lexan. The penetration with the .17 was much greater, and both brands of .17 performed the same. The .17's penetrated 5/8" into the Lexan with an almost perfect mushroom inside the Lexan. Remember, this Lexan is the same material used for locomotive bullet proof windows! The bullets are frozen in place, and with 1/8" of the bullets sticking out of the back of the blocks! I was under the impression the .17 bullets would vaporize, but this is clear proof the bullets do not vaporize, as many folks probably think they do. Interesting to is the fact the block was shot at 50 feet, and the two bullets are actually touching each other.After the first round was fired and the knocked down block was set up again, the angle of attack was slightly different, which allowed the two holes so near the same point of impact, but was befeficial because it allowed room for the two touching bullets. The bullet cavities at the end of the mushroom measure 1/2". Pretty good performance for such a hard material, and proof the bullet has good retention.

-- John Andrews (oldhickory45@yahoo.com), September 23, 2003.

I just bought a Savage 17 Heavy, wood stocked. I am slapping on my good old Bushnell Banner 3x9, 40mm lens. It is coming off my now retired .22 squirrel rifle. Nope, haven't fired it yet, but bushytails are good as in the pot(head shots only)! Being used to the little .22, this is going to be quite an adjustment, easy 200 yd shots!

-- John Andrews (oldhickory45@yahoo.com), September 23, 2003.

Yes I do indeed have a 17 HMR and what a kick in the you know where it is to shoot!Out to 200 yards it’s a small varmint killer. I have a Marlin heavy barrel VS with a world class Tasco scope on it which out to 200 yards is enough for me.

I was out last week shooting ground squirrels and at about 150 to 180 yards with 300 shells I knock down over 275 critters using a Barris Bipod and a good rest.

It’s a fun gun to shoot and pretty cheap if you order you shells in bulk, we did and got the price down to $7.50 per box of 50 Hornady’s. My little Marlin likes the Hornady’s better than the CCI’s or Remington’s

The only thing is the Marlin has a heavy trigger pull but I had it worked on and now it’s down to 2 LB. pull.

Try One You’ll Like It.

-- Ron Silva (ron300mag@aol.com), September 22, 2003.

Well after 5 months since my oringinal post I have gotten a lot of use out of my CZ heavy barrel. It dumps small animals and even larger animals, coons and skunks. I have not tried this bullet on coyote yet, i'll wait a bit longer to see if there are any one else with significant kills. I have also tried two different ammo (CCI and Hornady). Both worked well in the CZ but the CCI hollow point works a bit better. A few weekends ago I took both boxes out to the range. The CCI averaged, .533 inch, (7-3shot groups), the smallest being .203 inches, the largest being .765 inches. The Hornady didn't do as well. Averaging 1.025 inches, smallest being .828 and largest being 1.203 inches. (BOTH were tested at 100YDS) I had a 1/2 value crosswind of 6mph.

-- Dean (xdeano@hotmail.com), September 21, 2003.

I had the chance to do a little shooting on gophers on the weekend and was also impressed with the litte round. It soon became apparant that the little bullet was far superior to the 22 long rifle. The first and most obvious difference is how much flatter the bullet carries. The little 17 hits gophers and literally blows a hole out the other side the size of a loonie. There is little recoil and the hit is obvious through the optics. The only thing I miss is the solid thump of a 22 long rifle hollow point on impact and the way the 22 hammers the gopher. In comparison to the 22 long rifle shots at 225 yds are common place where as with the 22 I have toppled gophers at this range with some accuracy but 5 or 6 shots are needed to dial in for the kill. Based on this hunt I am purchasing the 17 hmr as soon as possible.

-- Raymond Richards (kikass700@hotmail.com), August 21, 2003.

I bought the Savage with the heavy barrel and the wood stock. This rig is about 1.5 lbs heavier than the synthetic stock and thus is easier to hold steady. My brother and I compared the two and the heavier rig out shot the synthetic by a hair. In the gopher (Richardson Ground squirrel) field we were totally impressed. We have shot many gophers with 22LR out to and past 100 yards. With the 17HMR 100 yard shots are routine. Wind has little effect up to 100 yards but is a factor beyond. We have been able to connect on many gophers out to 200 yards and find this little round to be extremely accurate. The bullet kills gophers with exteme prejudice. Very few gophers that have been hit in the body move at all after the hit. Most kills are instantaneous and most gophers are completely eviscerated. The damage is unbelievable and you can see the hit as the recoil is almost nonexistant. I have a 3-9 scope on mine while my brother has a 4-12 on his. I will be replacing the 3-9 on mine with more optic. I think something in the 16 range would do this rig justice. In short the 17HMR is a lot of fun. Get one as soon as possible.

-- Garth Richards (amj@sasktel.net), August 18, 2003.

I know that the original question was posted about four months ago, but here is what I think for whomever it may concern. I researched the .17HMR extensively on the internet and read many gun tests, and, though I could be wrong, I think that the Ruger 77/17 Varmint model rifle is the most accurate bolt-action .17HMR factory gun on the market. That is why I purchased one about two months ago. Hornady initially invented the round in its polymer tip V-Max bullet configuration. Remington ammuniton followed with its famous polymer Accutip. Shortly after CCI began production of the first hollow point .17HMR cartridges. I have only shot CCI's rounds. I did not quite have enough ammo to sight in properly at the range. My first and second shots with a BSA Sweet 17 variable riflescope at 25 yds. were way left, too far left, so I knew something was wrong. I tightened all of the screws and fired two more shots; they were about twice as close. I adjusted the finger adjustable knob, and my fifth and sixth shots landed in the same hole in the dead center. At fifty yds. it only took two shots, an adjustment, and two more shots to be dead on again. At one hundred yards, the fouled bore, the hot barrel (from both the repetetive firing and the blazing sun), and the gusty winds made it harder to tell how it was shooting consistently. I ran out of ammunition, but my final shot was placed towards a life size picture of a pigeon at one hundred yards. I hit it right in what would be its heart, so I was satisfied. On my friend's property, I finally got to field test it. I spotted an English sparrow on top of a pine by a creek, so I aimed just below it. I knew that it was shooting a little high because I had practiced on some marshmallows earlier that day. He dropped like a fly. I blew his chest open. He probably became some fortunate coyote's dinner. The next day a squirrel came within sight of our camp, so I grabbed a full magazine and headed toward him. With the intent of a clean kill I aimed at his head, but when I fired I did not know if I hit him. My friend said that I had and that his guts were hanging out. Sure enough, he came toppling down. He was stone cold, but I do not condone hunting with a rifle that is not perfectly accurized for its purpose. I did not mean to misplace the shot, but it goes to show the potential of this little round. My only complaint with this rifle is that most scopes installed on it come into contact with the bolt handle, including mine. So I did have to order the extra high rings, but they traded me for the ones that did not fit. Now I have an excellent rifle that packs a punch in a rimfire cartridge; this was main influence to purchase it in a state that allows no centerfire rifle use on squirrels. There's my two cents. Sorry it was so long. Happy huntin'

-- Jonathan Hinde (JJHINDE@comcast.net), August 07, 2003.

17 I love it I dont care what anyone says about it.I shoot it alot and in the past 2 mouths ive killed 1 redfox at 80yards one shot and 5 youtys one was right at 139yards he ran maby 3 feet if thatthe rest all from 36 to 80 yards I love that 17hmr. But for youts us that cciammo it gets in those youts better

-- jerry gammill (jerryvideojunky@aol.com), July 25, 2003.

I picked up a .17HMR in a Savage bolt action and it is great on gophers. I was makeing shots out past 100 yrds with ease, its bang on alright. but I have one complaint with the Savage. The trigger pull seems to be way to heavy, its far greater than 3-4 lbs. There is a way around it and I will be looking in to it for sure. all I have tried is the Hornady ammo thus far It works so well I dont think I will need to experiment.

-- Grant Burwash (gburwash@telusplanet.net), July 22, 2003.

i have a ruger 96/17. all i can say is "AWESOME". shoots .500 moa groups at 100 yards. have a BSA 3-9 illuminated reticle on it. i am going to put a new barrel on (cant decide between 18.5 and 20" and Green mountain or volquartsen. i say buy one. in fact, Buy two !!

-- squirrelmaster (chubpatrol@aol.com), July 04, 2003.

I PURCHASED A .17 HMR IN A RUGER 77/17 IT IS A GREAT GUN AND SHOOTS VERY WELL. I PUT ON A REDFIELD 5 STAR 3-9. IT IS A GREAT SET UP. I WISH THAT REMINGTON WOULD COME OUT WITH THIS IN A BOLT ACTION.

-- KEN (KSTEMARIE@MIDCO.NET), July 03, 2003.

Ilove my ruger 77/17!!! have had NO problems .... on wed i shot and confirmed little old red squirelat 225 yards...but for those shots ..NO WIND!!!!!

-- david sutherland (thedviantone@yahoo.com), June 28, 2003.

i bought the marlin stainless .17, and put a 6-18-50, a bit of an over kill, 100 yards, it will hit the same hole, and up to 200 it does really well(acuretly)..we have a chrony at the range, and it shot 2715 fps with the hornady rounds...it is really under rated!!

-- john lech (jayboy396@aol.com), May 22, 2003.

Well i finally went out and bought a CZ heavy barrel 17hmr today, now i'm itching to put some optics on it and shoot.

-- Dean (xdeano@hotmail.com), April 29, 2003.

does a real good job on squirrels and the like,must use headsohts if you wish to have much left to eat,does real good out to 100 then drops off prety good but with a 17 gr bullet it works as good as could be expected,i got a stainless marlin put a 6x burris on it and if you miss a squirrel out to 75 or so it's your fault,wind is a big problem though,but real fun to shoot,and very accurate,bobby

-- bobby (bobbydickey@hotmail.com), April 17, 2003.