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Typical 17HMR accuracy

36K views 125 replies 47 participants last post by  tbates66 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
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#99 · (Edited)
Without defining the use for the rifle it's pretty open to anything you want.
So, decide what do you want to shoot and at what distances.

My 17HMR has an Athlon 3-12x and is perfect for ground squirrels out to 175 yards. Amazon for under $150.
Good glass and a 3rd turret. It's not a $500 model, but I don't need to make 400 yards shots with it either.
 
#100 ·
My scope choice...

I have a Ruger .17 HMR with a Leupold A.O. 4-12 power scope and it is the last in a number of scopes I have had on the rifle. I think it is the best compromise of power range and size, at least for me. Overall appearance does matter in my decisions concerning guns. I have been please with Leupold as a company and a product over many years, you won't go wrong choosing one.
 
#102 ·
Its hard to beat Leupold or Burris, lifetime warranty receipt or not. Am especially fond of scopes in 4.5-14 magnification range. My favorite for hunting, from 5yards to 200yards. Pick your magnification range, pick the reticle you want, clarity is a must, then look at brands that meet your want / need list. To me money comes last on list, quality costs. If you are not gonna cheap on gun, ammo or experiences, then don't cheap on scope either. Go to local gun stores and shows, look through every scope you can and then make up your mind.
 
#104 ·
I'm convinced that our rifles are better than the ammo we're fed. When I bought my Sav. Btvs some years ago, I bought 10 boxes of Remington. This stuff was fantastic. 100 yd gps.un.5 was normal. Some way under. I bought a brick of Hornady, and it too was great. The ammo hasn't been nearly as good since no matter the brand.
Bob
 
#105 ·
Neither CCI or Winchester manufacture rimfire ammo for precision shooting.
As they are the only makers of 17hmr and for it's intended use as a small game
or varminting cartridge, they are adequate. Some batches are better than others
and your results depend on the ammo assembly line lottery. Do you feel lucky? ;)
 
#106 ·
I shot my G2 Contender with the 17HMR barrel some this morning. The conditions weren't great. I was shooting to the west and the wind over my left shoulder was making my eyes water it was so hard.

My scope is a 6x24x50 and I had it set on 24x at 50 yards. I have no way to post pictures so you will have to take my word for the results. I shot CCI 17 grain and Winchester 17 grain. My groups with the CCI ran 1/2" to 1". I blame a lot of it on the stiff, gusty wind and felt lucky on the smaller groups. The Winchester was much worse. The smallest group was about 1 1/2" and I didn't bother to measure them as they weren't worth the trouble. I'm glad I only bought two boxes of it. I will use it up shooting gongs (large ones) and that's all for Winchester.
 
#107 ·
Arrowhead,
Is the G2 barrel new? Probably no relation but when I first shot my Anschutz 17 LP it was rather disappointing also. The more I shot it the better it shot. This is the first firearm I ever recall actually, noticeably shooting better the more I shot it. IDK, just a thought.
 
#108 ·
Yes, is is. I gave it a seriously good cleaning this afternoon. I thought I had it pretty clean before going to the range but took a lot to get clean patches this time. I'll get back in a few days and see if that made any improvement. I'm not really disappointed with what it did with the CCI considering how the wind was kicking up. After reading some posts about the Winchester ammo I wasn't expecting much from it and that's what I got, not much. The weatherguesser lied to me. He said calm early and then 5-10 mph wind from the southeast. It was calm for a bit while I was sighting in a couple of 22's but the norther hit while I was working on the third 22 and it wasn't pleasant at all by the time I got to the !7.
 
#110 ·
It's a rifle. 23" heavy barrel. The first time I had it out and sighted it in it was a much nicer day. I used the CCI 17 grain. I was getting four shots all touching and a flyer in every group at 50 yards and only a couple were my fault. There was another person there shooting a 17 also and when he finished shooting he walked over and we talked about the caliber for a bit. I told him I intended to try some 20 grain bullets but found I didn't have any in my supply. He gave me a box of them and wouldn't let me pay him for them. I shot a couple of groups and had no flyers. I now have to find a source for 20 grain loads that doesn't have killer shipping costs as I can find none locally. Plenty of 17, no 20.
 
#111 ·
I see. When I think of Contenders and G2 I think of handguns. I guess that's embedded in me from my IHMSA days. I believe I might have bought my last batch of 17 HMR from buds guns. Seems like they had decent shipping charges.

Aren't those flyers just fantesticle? :rolleyes:
 
#118 · (Edited)
The quality of 17 hmr ammunition production varies greatly.
Even though there are only two manufacturers,
neither attempts to offer anything but hunting ammo.
Some batches come off the line capable of submoa at 200 yards.
Others show 4 moa at 50 yards, caused by poor assembly
and component defects. Neck splits, sloppy primer amounts, tilted bullet seating
are not uncommon from both CCI and Winchester.

All the other brands out there do not make 17 hmr ammo.
It's relabeled CCI and Winchester.
 
#123 ·
Am I seriously hampering myself with a scope that has a max 7X magnification at 100 yards with 17 HMR? Shooting at a 1" target dot. Shooting a Savage 93R17 FV, can shoot sub-MOA 3 shot groups ( yes, I know 5 is better but I`m limited on time I can spend at the range and also trying to stretch ammo supply some ) with the preferred loads, but not every time. Just wondering if a higher magnification would allow me to expect better accuracy and precision.
 
#124 ·
If you want to test accuracy, don't shoot groups.
Groups lie to you and hide problems.
The purpose of a firearm is to hit what you aim at.
To determine accuracy with a cartridge, shoot for score.
The better the score, the better the ammunition.
Groups let you pretend y'er doing better than you actually are.
So does averaging. :sneaky:
 
#126 ·
I've shot every iteration of 17gr 17HMR except NTX. It has almost always shot the same..10-shot groups at 100 yds out of 5 different rifles, 3 Anschutz, 1 Sako, and 1 Bergara. 8 shots covered with a nickle and two shots just outside that circle. I take this to indicate the same inconsistency in all 17HMR ammo. I've killed many 100s of prairie dogs with it. The 20gr has been less accurate by about 10%.
 
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