17 Hornet rifle suggestions

[dtucker]

I met up with a friend the other day and we had been talking about shooting little varmints and rifles. He told me about a rifle he had that was a CZ 17 Hornet and got it out to show me. Boy was I impressed with the little caliber and rifle. It is something that will fill the void in what I do not have and also have been thinking on a little 17 centerfire for some time. I have my mind set on the 17 Hornet due to factory ammo until I would get what I need to reload for it and also have been looking out their to see what is available. Right now it is looking like the CZ with the heavier barrel and down the road dropping it into a Bell & Carlson stock with the aluminum bedding block. For you fellas that own one of these is there any preference over the CZ or the Ruger. Can the trigger be adjusted on the CZ or replaced with an aftermarket trigger? I have never had a CZ centerfire rifle but am impressed at what I saw.

 

[MrMajestic]

Try poking around on the Saubier site. I think you'll find it's the CZ hands down. I run a .17 Ackley Hornet in a 20" 10tw Contender and a 24" 10tw .17 Ackley Bee, bother MGM barrels. They are very accurate and another possibility for you.

 

[swd]

The CZ is a nice rifle and the triggers are very adjustable. Ruger has always been hit or miss on their Hornet based actions.

 

[dsandfort]

Depending on your budget, Cooper M38 is a good choice. 1/2 MOA guarantee. I have one and also an Ackley Hornet. I give the nod to the Ackley but the HH shoots just as well.

 

[kcjim]

I have a CZ in .17 Hornet with the heavy Varmit barrel. The trigger was adjusted and works pretty well. Not as well as a Timney that was installed in my CZ rifle in .221 Fireball, but entirely adequate. My .17 Hornet shoots very accurately. It is fun to shoot and while not as explosive on prairie dogs as my more powerful .20 and .22 caliber center fires, it makes up for it in being fun to shoot due to lower recoil and milder blast.

 

[Yote Hunter]

Get the CZ 527 American with the 21.5 inch barrel unless you just enjoy carrying excessive weight around. You give up nothing on accuracy and you can see hits easily through the scope . The sporter weight barrel is equal to a heavy barrel with that 17 caliber hole in it. Mine shoots the 20 gr vmax 3650 fps with 10.3 gr VV 110. Very accurate.

 

[ben lurkin]

One more vote for the CZ! Here's mine shooting factory Hornady 20 gr superformance ammo at 100 yards:

If you don't like the factory set trigger; Rifle basix makes a replacement for $79 (grabagun.com) I have one in my CZ 223 Kevlar and it works very well. I have it adjusted down to 12 oz since I only bench shoot with that one.

 

[rifleman700]

I met up with a friend the other day and we had been talking about shooting little varmints and rifles. He told me about a rifle he had that was a CZ 17 Hornet and got it out to show me. Boy was I impressed with the little caliber and rifle. It is something that will fill the void in what I do not have and also have been thinking on a little 17 centerfire for some time. I have my mind set on the 17 Hornet due to factory ammo until I would get what I need to reload for it and also have been looking out their to see what is available. Right now it is looking like the CZ with the heavier barrel and down the road dropping it into a Bell & Carlson stock with the aluminum bedding block. For you fellas that own one of these is there any preference over the CZ or the Ruger. Can the trigger be adjusted on the CZ or replaced with an aftermarket trigger? I have never had a CZ centerfire rifle but am impressed at what I saw.

CZ just like you mentioned above, heavy bbl and B&C stock.

 

[Tommie]

CZ hands-down.

 

[D-mon]

I have a ruger in 17 hornet with the varmint barrel, and I m not impressed yet by the group despite bedding, trigger adjustment and recrowning ,not to mention proper cleaning.

 

[Bangs OH]

I have a ruger in 17 hornet with the varmint barrel, and I m not impressed yet by the group despite bedding, trigger adjustment and recrowning ,not to mention proper cleaning.

Change the words "have" and "Ruger" to "had" and "Savage" and that also summarizes my experience with the p.o.s. M25. Stay away. Love my C-Z 527s; it'd be interesting if Howa ever adds to chamberings offered in their new Mini actions, however.
Also, fwiw: I wouldn't recommend the little .17HH for any serious woodchuck hunting. Might be okay for smaller varmints in light wind, but aim a rifle loaded with that round at a big bean-fed Ohio groundhog and you'll probably hear it laughing. I dumped my .17 for a .22 Hornet and used it as the iconic Hornet should be: for close-in work under 150 yards where a centerfire rifle with a louder report wouldn't be acceptable. A .20 Hornet might have been interesting, but there's already the .19 Calhoon....