17 WSM vs Groundhogs.

[Canuckenstein]

Covid lock down so we’ve been fixing up the range. After a day of hustling around on a skid steer, I decided to take care of some groundhogs in our berms. That 17 WSM in a stock Savage Bmag is a laser. The one on the right is a vitals shot. The on the left a head shot right between the eyes. Both were 90-120 ish yards away. What are great little rifle.

 

[chutem]

I don't see the pic's.

 

[Canuckenstein]

I don't see the pic's.

They’re up now,sorry at my regular job doing maintenance at a steel mill. Poor signal.

 

[chutem]

Got em now, thanks. Nice work on the ghogs.

 

[JSH]

It is a pretty fair cartridge that could use a lot of help. I won’t say mine is a laser, but it is a fair shooter after some tinkering. As with most rimfires the ammo is a major issue, the 17WSM more so than others.
I gave up and just call mine an honest 1 1/2 MOA most days, others claim better.

 

[AdamT204]

Nice job on the double

 

[Canuckenstein]

It is a pretty fair cartridge that could use a lot of help. I won’t say mine is a laser, but it is a fair shooter after some tinkering. As with most rimfires the ammo is a major issue, the 17WSM more so than others.
I gave up and just call mine an honest 1 1/2 MOA most days, others claim better.

Mine with Winchester shoot 3/4 - 1 MOA with hornady it’s same same but different.

 

[JSH]

Mine with Winchester shoot 3/4 - 1 MOA with hornady it’s same same but different.

I err to the large side, because in the 4-5 different cases I have tried their always seems to be a flyer for what ever reason. When I was still chasing groups I always had the chrono going, more times than not it was way off of the rest.
If I took the flyers out, yeah I would say it 5/8-1”.
It is what it is and I have come to like the darn thing for some strange reason.

A couple of more days and we will see if the prairie dogs still dislike it as much as the did last year. I shot the heck out of it the last afternoon of my second trip last year, found a bunch of dumb ones. The more I shot it the better it shot. Makes me wonder if it doesn’t like to run dirty.

I wish Aguila or Fiocchi would pick up the ball and run with it, won’t hold my breath though.

 

[twdjr]

Nice going!

 

[DirtySteve]

I love my B-mag.. Ok love is a little strong of a word. But it is a neat cartridge. All ammo regardless of head stamp is Winchester. I can plant PD's out to 200 with it pretty consistently.

 

[Schandler]

I know it’s rimfire and ammo is the limit but if tikka or cz would come out with a bolt in 17wsm I’m thinking that would be mighty high on the got to have list ! I have the bmag in a thumbhole hole Boyd’s and I’m like the rest - it’s just fun to watch the hit on whatever pd ghog or crow or skunk. I think you could hit a toenail and they’re done

 

[Canuckenstein]

I wish Aguila or Fiocchi would pick up the ball and run with it, won’t hold my breath though.

CCI,or Even S&B...

 

[Pablo]

Bought one several years ago that is a Ruger 77. The trigger was awful, as was the bedding. Both were corrected before firing a shot through it. Took it to the range and tried three different types of ammo, at 50 yds it gave me a .133 a .150 and a .220 five shot group with three different types of ammo. It is currently something like 82 for 85 out the bedroom window on Prairie Dogs from about 60 to 125 yds. Not too much to complain about with this rifle.

 

[JSH]

You will have to search around, but there was an article where a gent had all or most all of the factory rifles available. He shot all of them with the same ammo lots.
Top to bottom on accuracy, with the most favored lot by the rifle, seems like there was 1/4-3/8” spread between the best and the worst. The Volquartsen only shot a few tenths better than the Savage, as I recall. I cooled my jets on spending more money for a “better” rig. The consensus by the author was, the available ammo was what was holding the 17WSM back in the accuracy department.

They are what they are. If a body has one that makes itty bitty groups, you should feel very fortunate if not lucky.

I have visited, corresponded with and shot next to several dozen guys with 17WSM’s. Some had made or tried to make them better. One gent did a pile of work to his low wall, we will say he spent more on it than it was worth. Then he switched ammo lots and gained more there than anything else.

With some of the results from those in this thread, maybe Winchester got their act together and fixed or addressed issues.

I saw where one fellows Bmag blew a rim out and pretty much trashed the gun. The B mag does not fully support the rim.
I really think Savage got in to big of a hurry when they came up with that action design. Maybe someone spilled coffee on the blue print at the last minute.

 

[Ccrider]

It shoots better than any other rimfire that I have owned. Great truck gun. I have owned two and they both shot 1moa or better. The first one was a pencil barrel and it would not shoot if you heated it up. The present one is the target model with the heavy barrel and laminated thumb hole stock. This gun will agg 1moa at one hundred and is a joy to shoot. With the heavy barrel, you can run it hard and it will hold point of aim. I don’t think you can beat it for it’s price. Mine is one that I will keep for sure.

 

[searcher]

I shoot with a few buddies who shoot the Savage WSM's in addition to all of us shooting Savage .17 Hornets (all heavy barrels). I'm waiting till I run down my huge stash of HMR ammo before buying a WSM. I watched one of my pals drop about 5 small ground squirrels in a row at 300 yards in some good wind. We have all whacked plenty at 300 yards with the HMR - but the WSM did it with much more authority and more consistently. Fantastic little round - and some of those Savages are crazy accurate.

 

[B23]

Owning/shooting a Savage Bmag is kinda like dating a fat girl or having a moped, they're a lot of fun to ride you just don't want your friends to know about it.

I've had my Bmag since they first came out with the HB SS version. I bought mine before they offered a HB SS Bmag in anything but the POS plastic stock but that was an easy fix with a swap out to a Boyd's Pro Varmint. I've done a few little things to mine and it seems to shoot pretty well. I've shot my Bmag quite a bit and even though it'll never win any design awards, quite the opposite actually, none of its oddities have been anything I couldn't get used to, even that flippy floppy bolt handle.

The 17 WSM is certainly no benchrest cartridge so if anyone buys any 17 WSM and expects that kind of accuracy, well, with the ammo that's available they are going to be disappointed but if minute of ground squirrel or minute of prairie dog is good enough for you then you'll be happy with the increased splat factor it delivers, especially, at distances past 125ish yards over the 17 HMR.

 

[snert]

That groundhog reminds me of the comedian, "I get no respect". Great popeye

 

[284winner]

My HMR is a tack driver. At 100 yards in zero wind it's a .5 moa rifle. Beyond that it doesn't maintain .5 simply due to the light bullets. Still at 200, it's easily a 2" gun or better. Really all I need. Considered getting the WSM but put that thought to rest only because I just don't use the HMR enough as it is. Heard good things from some people about the WSM vs HMR tho. Accuracy wasn't one of them but performance beyond HMR performance was.

 

[WindSurgeon]

I've had one from when they first came out. Pencil thin barrel, crap stock that I filled with epoxy heavy fill to stiffen it up. I used it in suburban hunts where you could only shoot rimfire to cull coyotes and it worked great. Out to 150 it would tack them down, and much better range than a shotgun or .22 mag.