Teach me about .17 cal guns!

[Bumpy]

If I could keep only one rifle out of my collection it would be my Savage .17 with accu-trigger. Unbelievable tack driver with no recoil to speak of. I have the BSA Sweet 17 scope on mine.
Bumpy

 

[Hrethgir]

For plinking, they seem expensive maybe.
For sage rats, it's the .22 magnum by a nose.

More expensive than a .22lr, but less than my only gun at the moment, a 9mm. Probably more versatile than a .22 rifle too, it sounds like. I do plan on picking up a .22 pistol at some point too, and am just starting the process of building an AR-15 also, but that definitely wont be cheap to plink with, lol!

 

[notchman]

I have a Marlin 717 (17HM2) and my wife has a Marlin 17VS and a Savage 22LR bolt (don't remember the model). She loves to shoot her 17HMR at 200yds since that rifle is a tack driver. My Marlin 717 is a blast to shoot, especially since I put a BSA Sweet17 on it. If you buy ammo online you can get some decent prices by buying in bulk.

 

[Jester316]

I'm going shooting today actually, and the only guns I'm taking are my SigPro 2022 and my .17HMR.

5.56 is expensive and hard to find right now.
BiMart has been out of .22LR for a week (or at least when I go every Friday on my way home from work)
Can't find any local place for 7.62x54R
My old Savage 187M .22LR is finally kaput


BiMart always seems to have stock of .17HMR which means it's the gun that will get shot the most now. I have no issue with shooting it as it's a tiny bullet that makes a tiny hole at a target considerably further out than I would shoot my .22LR.


Buy one, shoot it. Love it, cuddle it.

 

[clambo]

It's probably not a good deer killer. A .22 magnum is much better for that. Something to consider for hard times when regulations and ethics don't apply. Also, as soon as the government figures out that you can fire it out of a handgun and it will penetrate a good bit of steel with FMJ....plan on it being added to a ban list at some time. Winchester is releasing a new .17 rimfire that is pushing a 20 gr. bullet at about 3000 fps. Kevlar shouldn't be much of a problem. I'm seeing a potential problem in the current panic attack much like there was with the 5.7x28.

 

[FortunateSon]

Appreciate this post.....

I was considering starting a similar post because I wanted to find out more about 17.

A lot of good info here - keep it coming!

 

[MilitantBEEMER]

Real good info. I was curious as well.

 

[just dan]

i always wondered about the sales figures of .17HMR rifles & handguns. i don't think i know a lot of people with them, but damned if .17HMR isn't on the shelf of every single gun shop i go to, every bi-mart, etc. It can't be so popular that it sells out fast when there's a scare... yet can't be so unpopular that they stop producing it or major stores stop carrying it.

it's one of my favorite all-around rounds. a little pricy for plinking, but only compared to .22lr. it's also a lot more fun for me, than .22lr.

 

[FarmerTed1971]

What handguns are chambered for .17HMR?

 

[just dan]

What handguns are chambered for .17HMR?

Ruger Single Six
Taurus Tracker
S&W makes (or made) a .17HMR revolver
Excel Arms made a semi-auto, think they had bad reviews or something... know next to nothing about 'em
maybe others? dunno...

 

[Oregonhunter5]

Man this is a great idea!
Forget the 5.7 and build a solid semi auto .17 handgun

 

[Izzy]

I'd like to see the "Kel-Tec PMR-30" as a 17 HMR!

 

[clambo]

I think it's a pretty good idea too ! Especially with the just released new Winchester .17 round. Sure, it will lose quite a bit out of a handgun but I'm in favor of anything that scares the government.

 

[just dan]

i remember reading something about the .17HMR ammo manufacturers specifically recommending against semi auto use... dont remember if it was just semi-auto handgun or if it rifle, too...

shooting out of anything with a short barrel; you'd be surprised at the muzzle blast. LOTS of powder!

 

[Izzy]

i remember reading something about the .17HMR ammo manufacturers specifically recommending against semi auto use... dont remember if it was just semi-auto handgun or if it rifle, too...

There was allot of feeding issues & some firing out of battery!

 

[just dan]

oh, good... that's a nice cozy feeling: i might take that rabbit over there... or might blow case and hot gases all over the place immediately in front of my body... guns for the betting man

 

[Izzy]

For the gun nerds!

 

[Hrethgir]

Nice charts, Izzy, thanks! Surprised by the wind drift one, looks like the. 17 HMR had the least drift, figured it would have the most, being so much lighter. Guess the slimmer profile added to the high velocity keeps it straighter. Love charts like this!

 

[just dan]

the only time i've personally found the .17hmr to be less accurate than .22lr is in the rain or brush. deflects easily. otherwise it's flat and i don't have to adjust much for wind.

one more added benefit to the .17hmr; doesn't ricochet nearly as much as .22lr, particularly in rocky areas.

 

[IXFE]

I was in the market for a 22LR for my son's first rifle (11 years old). I didn't want semi-auto for his first, so it was either going to be a bolt or lever gun...

On Black Friday I saw a Savage 93R17 at By Mart for $169. While I've shot 22LR in the past, I don't own one; therefore, I feel no romance towards them. The 17HMR shoots faster and more accurate, and there seemed to be no $ penalty on the gun. Sure the ammo is a little more expensive, but still seems cheap compared to 223, and we don't shoot that much anyway.

I bought Federal ballistic tip for $8/box of 50. Then added a UTG bipod and a cheap 3-9x40 scope.

Here are few pics of his new setup next to mine (he was over the moon on Christmas morning)...