I don't have a 17HMR. Therefore, I think you need one. If you like it, one will lead to...many.

 

I have exactly one .17HM2 and one .17HMR. and no regrets. .17HMR Was my first rifle to shoot 1/2 MOA bone stock out of the box. .17HMR 917V.

 

They tend to multiply like anything else. I started nailing groundhogs with anschutz 1717D. Then it got rained on one afternoon. I wasn't having it. I blame another member, who will remain anonymous, who claimed the tikka was a good choice. I bought one and it was. Then I wondered if a bergara would work? It does work very well. I saw a steyr zephyr2 17hmr and thought I wonder how that one works, you get the idea....

 

I bought a Anschutz 1502 in 17m2 a decade, or so back, and I have really enjoyed the little round. You won't regret it, if you decide to branch out.

 

BoilerJack22 - I have ( Me, Myself, & I ) discussions all the time. I only have to get (2 of 3) for a decision, but I prefer a unanimous agreement if possible. The 17 HMR is an interesting caliber and I must admit that I do not shoot the (3) rifles that I have since I did rather extensive testing back in 2018 trying to determine a pattern for split cases. My biggest frustration with the 17 HMR is that the ammo is so consistently, inconsistent . . . with the split cases and upwards of 400 fps extreme spreads from the same box of 50. I also do not hunt critters & varmints much anymore so the need for the caliber is greatly reduced and I have CZ 527s in 17 Hornet & 204 Ruger plus a battery of 22 WMRs if needed.

We wish you well in your decision to add the 17 HMR to your collection.

 

Boilerjack22 don't let them take you to the dark side.

 

In a moment of weakness, I bought a Savage 93R17 BV at my local PSA store. MSRP was $349, but it was on sale for $249, and Savage was offering a $50 rebate. How could I resist?

I bought it on a whim, and I have zero regrets. It had a 21" barrel, unthreaded. I had it cut to 18" and threaded, and it hosts a Dead Air Mask suppressor, along with a Leupold VX-2 6-18x40 scope.

It is a very accurate rifle, and the squirrels absolutely hate it.

 

I had a CZ in .22 mag and it shot just under an inch consistently at 100 yds. Then I purchased a .17 HMR barrel on here and put that on my 457. Shot it at 100 yds. and it put 4 of 5 rounds into 0.5". One round was low by an inch. Why? Who knows.

 

My recalled Rem 597-17HMR semi has to be cleaned more often than a stick shift or risk kabooms and wearing an early Nikon Buckmaster. I stripped the barrel bluing off for the looks.
It was the first gun I bought after RFC reeled me in.

 

No not for you. You shoot short distance with iron sights. The Hmr , a necked down wmr is made for long distances and imho a scope so you can see the critter at 100 + yards. Its 30 cents a round, so thats the cost of 4/5 ro7nds of 22 lr .
And they are a pia to clean compared to a 22 lr. The bore is tight and the patches are tiny.

Not saying you wouldnt have fun with it, it is interesting, but …
Have you looked at hm2? Basically the ultimate Stinger. And it uses 22 magazines 👍

 

And they are a pia to clean compared to a 22 lr. The bore is tight and the patches are tiny.

And this is something to take into account as well as needing to buy a new cleaning rod and jags to add to the cost of the new caliber, and a good coated cleaning rod cost a couple of dollars!

I thought about one a few years ago but I have had a love affair with the .22 mag for decades and I have a Marlin 25mn that will consistently shoot about 1" at 100 yards so since with the higher cost of the .22mag ammo I do not normally just do a lot of target shooting with it.

The .17 would be the same way, it may shoot a better group at 100 yards than my .22mag but again with the cost of the ammo I would not shoot it often and the .22 mag I think will do just fine for the critters it is ample size for.

Also my same cleaning equipment that I have for my .22lr works con the .22 mag.

Thats my story and I am sticking to it!
I actually have a new .22 mag lever gun coming to scratch my get something new itch as I write this!

 

Like anything else, they frequently multiply. My recalled Rem 597-17HMR semi requires more cleaning than a stick shift does.

 

I`ve enjoyed my Savage 93R17, take it to the range every time I go. I`m not a great rifle shot, mind, but find it much more difficult to shoot sub-MOA groups at 100 yards with it than with my .223 ( Savage 110 ). Lots of ammo variability, apparently to go along with my lack of marksmanship ability. It`s still a lot of fun to shoot and serves to occupy time while my .223 cools between groups.

 

Well I have one 17hmr. It started as a Walmart special savage then got a Boyd's stock and a trigger kit. It consistently shoots sub moa at 100yrd. If I had to choose one cartridge for small game hunting it would be 17hmr. That said it's loud and more expensive to shoot than 22lr. There again I think HV 22lr is too loud.

 

I wouldn't trade it for groundhogs. The only time I haven't clapped a headshot was on me. Consistent 1 shot kills. The old guy next door has taken to calling me hickok. Makes me chuckle a little. They do crack. Still patiently(not really) waiting for my suppressor to clear.

 

I love mine had one for a long time, I say one but at times I have had 3 or 4. On a still day I have killed PDs at 225yds without many misses. After my 204 it would be my last gun to leave my gun safe.

 

17 HMR are great for their purpose,small game.I have a 455 Stainless All American,it has mostly been used for groundhogs.
It is not a rifle I would sit down/stand and shoot 3>400 rounds thru in a setting like you do with your ,22s. Cost alone would put it out of contention.

 

I had some reservations as well. Then I saw some targets at the range and I got a Tikka T1X and after it settled down after sight in, it is my most accurate rifle.

 

I've only got one 17HMR, a CZ457 American, WAY FUN rifle to shoot. You need at least one!

 

I bought this on a whim several years ago and it is more accurate then I can shoot it.
Savage 93R LH

 

My little lefty Savage shoots circles around my lefty T bolt. Both great guns though.

 

They are fun, and just the thing for crows and other small varmints out to past 150 yards. With a suppressor they're about like a .22 LR HV but hard to locate the shooter past 30 yards or so. Without, they really wake up the woods... they have a CRACK! Too powerful for squirrels within 75 yards IMO... I think the .17 HM2 is the best late season squirrel cartridge, when the leaves are down and the squirrels are skittish. I know folks use them for coyotes but the 20 gr bullets are IMO mandatory and maybe out to 100 yards. Bullet placement is everything on larger quarry.

I have limited experience (2 rifles, CZ 452 and 455), but my HMRs are very accurate... under 1" at 100 yards.

 

Well...BoilerJack....At this point I cannot imagine hunting/shooting life without a 17HMR. I started out with a Ruger 77/17HMR with a sporter barrel and have since owned 5 others; a Sako, 3 Anschutz, and a Bergara. I've killed many 100s of prairie dogs with them. The thin barrel of the Ruger couldn't hold up to high volume shooting in a busy p-dog town. The over heated barrel ruined accuracy. The Sako had a gritty bolt that even my gunsmith polishing couldn't cure, so I sold it....very accurate though. First time out in a p-dog town, I killed 18 with the first 20 shots, but I got tired of to gritty bolt. My 3 Anschutz, two 1517MPRs and a 1517D are wicked accurate and smooth as silk. The Bergara B-14R is suppressed and I'm still breaking it in. They tell me that it shoots better after 200-300 rnds. It is good, but the Annies are better so far.
OK...to convince you further. My fellow p-dog whacker had a Marlin that delivered for him, but he had it for many years and wanted something new and more accurate. He bought a target grade barrel from his buddy in the CZ company and put it in a chassis style stock along with a great trigger and scope. Now he whacks p-dogs with annoying consistency up to 200 yds. Further, another buddy just ordered his 2nd CZ 17HMR, this one a 457 with interchangeable barrels. There are many options out there. The 17HMR is here to stay, but the 17WSM and the Mach2 will likely disappear. I had an Anschutz 1502 Mach2, but sold it...the 17HMR is just much better for my use.
NOW......START SHOPPING

 

I bought a Tikka T1x MTR and I love it. Pretty nice trigger and very accurate. It doesn’t seem really picky about ammo either. Go ahead if you have the money for it and a quality scope.

 

BJ DONT DO SCOPES🤯 And he prefers Plastic stocks. Im 100% sure he has his eye on a Savage FV in 17 HMR.
Otherwise he could have this

 

I've almost stopped shooting 22 lr in favor of shooting the hmr. It's the preferred round for our yearly Sage Rat shoot in eastern Oregon. The 22 lr doesn't offer the range and it ricochets way to easy.

 

I wouldn't go back to my Kimber 22 lr to shoot ground squirrels, unless my 17 HMR's quit working. The flat shooting of the 17 hmr makes it a MUCH better round for ground squirrels! I haven't used a 22 in 4 years for ground squirrels. I currently have two 17's. One is an Anshutz 1517 and my main gun is a CZ 455Varmint. The Anshutz is a fine gun, but it has only a 4 round magazine. On my last squirrel hunt in Oregon I shot 1200 rounds in 9 hours. Reloading a 4 round magazine that many times is out of the question! The CZ 10 rounders reload so much easier and I've never ever had a miss feed. This is typical for our squirrel hunts - 2000 to 2500 dead squirrels in a day and a half. I wore out my 452 at about 17,000 rounds. It was starting to group around 12", so I bought the 455. I bought the Annie thinking it would be a great addition, but the 4 round clip is a detriment. It will soon be going away to get a 457. All this to say, that if the 17 is sighted in at 50 yards, it is still sighted in at 100 yds, virtually no drop. Most of our squirrel shots are from 50 to 130 yds. At 130 yds I hold about an inch high and at 150 plus about 2" high. Show me a 22 that can do that. Some pundits say "the wind really affects the bullet out past 100 yds" which is true, but the wind affects every bullet, that's part of learning to shoot your gun. Get over it I say. Buy a 17 hmr and enjoy every minute of shooting it. (I wouldn't buy a Savage). Of course, this is only one man's opinion, but i have 25000+ rounds shot to back it up.

 

I had this marlin too. Put macarbo spring in 1.7# trigger scope etc. Buddy wanted it badly. I did some horse trading and it's in his mitts now. All my 17hmr shoot lights out. 5 was a bit of overkill, no pun intended. Weave pattern is somewhat rare.