My 17HMR and thoughts!

[Scott7m]

Last winter I purchased a Marlin 917 with a laminate stock and nickel barrel. I topped this lil guy with a leupold 4-12X scope. I used it to make over 200 kills last winter and it was a blast to shoot. I upgraded the trigger to a rifle basix trigger and then did a bit of adjusting on it, and it breaks around 12oz.

I do not have a vise and usually shoot off of sand bags, my tightest groups with the factory trigger were around .750 inch at 100 yards, after I installed my trigger I have shot groups well under 1/2 inch. I used it to shoot crows, squirrels, a few fox, and an old coyote. My longest successful shot was at 325 yards on a crow.

I saw on another post where people were really bragging up the savage line. I have used 2 savage rifles that belong to a friend of mine and neither will shoot near my marlin, and one of them was returned to the factory as well. Both had accutriggers and heavy barrels.

The rifle that was returned was absolutely horrible, a 2 inch group at 50 yards was it! Group would expand to probably 6 inches at 100 yards. The other shoots much better, and it will hold groups around 0.80 - 1.00 at 100 yards...

The rifle that was returned had 3 differnt high quality scopes on it, numerous proper cleanings, and this gun would simply not shoot out of the box.

Overall I love my Marlin 917, and it is a real threat out to 200 yards, after that you have to allow for drop and the game gets harder.

 

[rangerruck]

most savages, if they are in a synth stock, have to be shimmed or bedded, and also they seem to prefer the 20 grainers.

 

[snipersteve]

i have a savage stainless heavy barrel synthetic with a 3-9x40 on it. i have only had it for a few days now and im really impressed. with the federal 17grain ammo, it can group three shots into a 1/4" @ 100 yards. i think that the scope's paralax hurts the accuracy because if i look through the scope from slightly different angles, it throws the shot in that direction,,it groups 1/4" @100 yds if i look through it the same everytime) is there anything you might suggest to make it more accurate?

 

[jb77]

Scott I have a pre accu-trigger Savage and my son has one with the accutrigger both are heavy barrel with synthetic stocks. I have added a Rifle Basix trigger to mine and i prefer it to my sons accutrigger as his has a little creep in it.

Both guns will shoot into half an inch at 100yds. My rifle definitely prefers the 20 gr pills and my sons shoots the 17s and 20s about the same. Neither of the little rifles are bedded or shimmed.

A buddy of mine has a Marlin 917 with the laminated stock and stainless finish and his rifle is nice to look at and it is also a tack driver.He had to bed his and add the rifle basix trigger to get it where it is though. Fit and finish on his gun is very good. I would say that both the Marlins and the Savages are great buys for the money.

The 17hmr is an amazing little cartridge, every shooter that I know either has one or has it on their wish list. Our local gun dealer told me he has sold more 17HMR's since they were introduced than any other caliber. His customers seem to prefer the Savages but that is probably a price thing as he lists them quite a bit cheaper than the Marlins.

We used to do most of our casual shooting and plinking with 223's but with the price and availibility of 223 getting up there we almost always reach for the 17's now.

 

[Scott7m]

shot my best group with my 17hmr yesterday, it measured 0.283 at 100 yards..

5 shots

 

[jb77]

Scott that is an outstanding group. Are you sorting your cartridges by bullet runout. Was it 3 shots 5?

Paul had a post about sorting 17hm2 by bullet runout and demonstrated that groups could be shrunk significantly using this method. Was just wondering if it would apply with the 17HMR.

What model Leupold do you have on your Marlin? I have a sweet 17 on mine, I bought it and installed before i knew what the rifle was capable of) and i am most certainly not getting everything out of the rifle with this piece of glass. Thanks John.

 

[M700]

Just bought a .17 HMR, a CZ varminter, for my 16 year old son for Christmas. Am putting a 3-9x Leupold on it - nice scope for $200 - and he already has a Harris bipod on another rifle. He's likely to be terrorizing the local rodent population next spring and summer...

 

[CAT977]

I have heard all of this before, alot if not all guns are ammo specific, but I have seen guns that wont hit the broad side of a barn no matter what you do, my savage likes the Remington 17gn and my base mount screws came loose

 

[Zermoid]

I agree with you CAT977, all guns seem to like one load better than another, I have a 22LR which exemplifies that point. With it's liked ammo it will shoot single holes to cloverleafs at 50yds all day, other than that I'm lucky to get under an inch. Also had a Winchester 30-30 that loved 110 grain Speer Varminter loads, cloverleafing them at 100yds, any "deer" type bullets I was lucky to see under 4 inches at the same range. Was fun shooting groundhogs with it, especially the looks you get pulling out a 30-30 levergun when everyone else is using bolts in the 223 area of calibers!
Other than that it was pretty useless, sold it and got a Marlin I can actually hunt deer with.