The RimX actions should be available sometime in March from what I have heard. I contacted VuDu several months ago asking if they were planing on releasing an action that could support the 17 WSM. I love the 17 WSM but the Savage Bmag is a colossal turd that has not even been polished.... VuDu told me they had no plans on making one.
Now that Zermatt is coming out with one I am fully going to jump on this. I can get a 22 LR barrel and a 17 WSM and live the good life.... Zermatt will release the 17 WSM bolt head most likely after the sales of the 22 LR, 22 Mag and 17 HMR sales level off......
I was planning on getting a new Defiance action for a build this year but looks like I may change to a TL3 as I like to support companies that think outside the box. Like their new rimfire action allowing 4 rimfire cartridges to be fired off the action.
I posted this on Snipers Hide but will share it here as well. There’s a reason Vudoo won’t be offering a 17WSM. Please let me know if you have questions, etc.
Since SHOT Show is upon us I've been asked quite a lot recently about the 17WSM and if Vudoo has any plans of doing one. I figured I would post here what my responses have been as this thread has been a great place to impart useful information amongst a community that just "gets it."
I have quite a bit of experience with the 17WSM and due to the parent case, a .27 Caliber Nail Gun Blank, I steer very clear of offering it as a platform from Vudoo. The properties of the brass fall pretty far outside those found in properties common to the firearms industry and this forces undesirable changes to the mechanics of the action. Anyone not favoring an excessively hard bolt lift, heavy triggers, poor accuracy and feeding issues would be frustrated with such a platform. I just don't know what they were thinking when this thing was dreamed up.
The few rifles currently in production display all the things I mention above and I know for a fact one rifle in particular has the highest production fallout of all other platforms under that brand. So, while reading the specs of the 17WSM may represent a ballistic advantage, the properties required to offer a high quality, reliable and functional platform simply aren't there.
As mentioned here recently, we're introducing the V-22M at SHOT that chambers the 17HMR and 22WMR and believe me, if it was possible to put the 17WSM in this action and tell you guys it would be everything that the other Vudoo's are, I'd do it. But honesty and integrity are too important to us to take the chance and we simply won't "play-up-to" the community like that.
Thanks Guys, I hope this answers all the questions and stay tuned for more info on the other things I've not mentioned here yet.
MB
