.17 Hmr recomendations

Baldman

Well-Known Member
Looking at possibly buying a .17Hmr ( have slot on ticket ) , any body recommend either of of the following Sako Quad , Browning T bolt or Issc Spa 17 . Your views would be appreciated

Thanks Dave
 
I have a Sako quad
rifle is very good, only suggestion would be perhaps look at all the other options before committing to hmr

ammo is fiercely expensive now
i don't use my hmr barrel much any more
wmr replaced it
 
had a andshoots ....... its shot ok but not as well as the price said it should.

had the sako quad and it shot the same but for less money

I have had 5 CZ hmrs and funny enough they shoot just as well as the others above.

I am now on my 6th CZ hmr and guess what .................. it shoots just the same as the £700 andshoots or the £600 sako,

and as mentioned the price of ammo is silly, I only use mine when I have too, the rest of the time I use my 20 tactical.

cracking little calibre but the price of ammo and the issues that some have had with the ammo has seen them fall far below every ones expectations and until they bring out a calibre that has the same results then we will have to pay these gready shops the price they ask for the ammo,

bob.

soap box back under the bed,
 
Not wanting to put you off but i got rid of my .17hmr setup..cz452 style and went for .223..i was just un happy about the ammo problems .... split necks etc.
 
If you're not a reloader there aren't many other options if the price of ammo bothers you. Rimfire wise, WMR a better choice if you're likely to encounter more than the occasional close range fox but I still rate the HMR as a bulk rabbit shooting round. Its an excellent stopper to 150 yards, accurate, the flattest and easiest rimfire to shoot. I've found my rifle needs a fairly exact cleaning routine - a thorough clean every 100 rounds. Stick to that and its extremely accurate and never changes zero or needs shooting in. Fortunately my rifle likes Winchester ammo and I've had no issues with dry fires and dud rounds.

If I was reloading I'd think seriously about changing to a .17 Hornet (or buying a newer replacement for my ageing and much loved .222). But I don't reload and I'm not keen on Savage or CZ rifles so as it is I'm happy the HMR.
 
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Hmr. The contentious calibre. My last lot of ammo was giving me 10% damp squibs. Drove me up the wall. Last batch of 500 bought has been faultless, not 1 issue. Long may it continue.

right. T-bolt. Heavy trigger and bullets can be ejected from the chamber when the safety is on. If it catches on your clothing for example. I had one, now I don't.
Positive things about it. Super 10 shot magazine that sits flush in the rifle and a spare in the stock. Great. However don't rest the rifle out a truck on the magazine or it will not reload.
it is also the lightest hmr out there. Decide yourself if that is good or bad.
Cant tell,you about the others as I'm left handed and replaced mine with a cz. Which is nicely accurate and indistructable and maybe be a bit agricultural and you can get 10 shot magazines for it.
 
Handle a few rifles and pick the one that suits you best. They'll all shoot well. I didn't know about the the loading and ejection issues with the T bolt. That would put me off, but I didn't like the feel of them anyway. Too small and slender for me.
I've got a Weihrauch HW60. Excellent rifle with high quality build and finish and one of the best triggers in the business. However customer service backup from Weihrauch is completely non-existent. If you haven't bought through the official UK importer and something breaks or is lost you are an untouchable and you're on your own. The factory will have nothing to do with you. I have had two magazines disintegrate and the ejector spring is too weak. You need to cycle the bolt vigorously or the empty cartridge will not be thrown clear and will just lie on top of the next round causing a jam. Apparently these problems are my fault for not buying through the official importer (I didn't know at the time that I hadn't.) But the rifle is still a Weihrauch, made in the same factory and is exactly the same as all the others. Its all very political and for this reason I wouldn't buy another Weihrauch. A pity, because apart from some minor niggles which ought to be easy fixes, they are terrific rifles.

CZs are accurate, tough and excellent value and justifiable popular. But they have an agricultural feel and the finish isn't particularly good IMO - though it has improved a lot in recent years.
Anshutz are great rifles but you pay a premium for the name. Sako likewise, but high quality guns if a little plain. A Sako would be my choice if I had my time again.
Don't know much about the Rugers but owners seem to like them.
 
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I have had an Anschutz 17/17 for several years now. Highly accurate and an all round brilliant rife. After several thousand round I had one "fizzer" but all was well. I don't think this model is imported any more as I understand most go to the States. However there was one of Guntrader a while back and if you ever got the chance of one I'd grab it.
 
Its the HMR ammo that varies more than the make of rifle you buy. I've found WMR to be slightly less fussy but for accuracy, my 22LR firing subs is consistently the most accurate of the 3 to 100 yds. For serious longer distance work vermin control duties, a .22 Hornet, or a .223 would be a better choice imho. For sub 100m, a 22LR every day of the week for me.

Personally, I like the Savage HMR models as despite being reasonable value, they have one of the best triggers available in the Accutrigger (2 stage) and their thumbhole laminated stock version is a joy to use. Bolt action is well made and smooth too. To my mind, blowing a lot on the higher end HMRs is a complete waste of money as the ammunition simply isn't up to it consistency wise. Get a good batch and you'll enjoy sub MOA from most makes of HMR calibre. Get a bad batch and you'll struggle to better 6 inch groups at 100yds. My advice if you decide on an HMR is to buy ammo in small amounts (one box at a time), shoot that box and if you get good consistent groups, stock up on that batch of ammo, if not, find another batch (and likely another seller). I've fallen into the trap of buying lots at one time only to find out that a 12 bore groups better with some batches! When you do get a decent batch and shoot in still conditions, then it's an amazing little rimfire round out to 150yds for crow or rabbits, and for fun I sometimes plink at targets (spinng disc etc) out to 300yds.
 
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I've got a CZ455 in .17HMR, and a Finnfire 2 in .22(but avail in .17). Finnfire uses some Quad components and is an excellent rifle. Trigger is good and easily adjustable and the rifle was very accurate straight from the box. It's a nice carrying rifle if you know what I mean. But interestingly a pal has just got an ISSC Spa with wooden stock and he put the first rounds through it on Saturday. It was a .22 but the same rifle as .17 of course. Three of us tried it and it was pretty good! The straight pull action was naturally stiff to start with but was easing off nicely with just a little use. The stock was well thought out and is man sized and pleasant to use. The rifle was accurate immediately from the box. The straight pull of course is the big feature and I was impressed. It's easy to operate with the rifle in your shoulder and is very positive and would enable very rapid shooting off the shoulder. Trigger was fine but heavy for me but I'd imagine is adjustable. If I was in the market I'd definately look at this having seen and used one - but I think that's the problem, there doesn't seem to be many around to look at and the local dealer couldn't source a wood one so my friend went a long way to find his. You didn't mention CZ but it's fine, but you need a trigger kit (cheap from Rimfire Magic) and the bolt lift is high so you need highish mounts to keep the scope clear. I put a Boyds stock on mine and bedded it and now it's fine.
I think HMR is a great calibre, there have been ammo issues but as someone said above the latest batches of ammo seem spot on.
 
There have been several mentions of alternatives to the 17HMR, 22Hornet, 17 Hornet etc. If like myself you need a lot of rabbits then apart from the 22LR and FAC rated air rifles. The 17 is the one that does the job. I have a Hornet and I love it for certain jobs but rabbits shot with one are not resaleable, same with the 17Hornet. Excellent rifle but it demolishes rabbits.
You can chest shoot with the 17 and the rabbits are not badly damaged. I know there are those who will say "well head shoot them" That all well and good in theory but when you are after large numbers at night it just doesn't happen.
 
There have been several mentions of alternatives to the 17HMR, 22Hornet, 17 Hornet etc. If like myself you need a lot of rabbits then apart from the 22LR and FAC rated air rifles. The 17 is the one that does the job. I have a Hornet and I love it for certain jobs but rabbits shot with one are not resaleable, same with the 17Hornet. Excellent rifle but it demolishes rabbits.
You can chest shoot with the 17 and the rabbits are not badly damaged. I know there are those who will say "well head shoot them" That all well and good in theory but when you are after large numbers at night it just doesn't happen.

I agree. I use a .222 on rabbits in a few awkward places where I can't safely get within rimfire range or when they're thin on the ground and I need a bit more reach to cover a wider area. A rabbit shot square in the shoulder with the HMR is usable, a rabbit hit pretty much anywhere with the triple is mince. Even head shots can leave a lot of heavy bruising to the shoulders and chest. OK for mopping up small numbers but not ideal for volume shooting.
That's another reason I've resisted changing the HMR for something bigger. If you have to keep your rabbit population nailed you can't afford to cherry pick head shots all the time. Where there's a lot to shoot you can sit and snipe from cover with the HMR over a useful sized area and come away with a large number of usable carcases. With most centre fires you'll be left with a barrow full ferret food or a lot of fox bait to get rid of.
 
There have been several mentions of alternatives to the 17HMR, 22Hornet, 17 Hornet etc. If like myself you need a lot of rabbits then apart from the 22LR and FAC rated air rifles. The 17 is the one that does the job. I have a Hornet and I love it for certain jobs but rabbits shot with one are not resaleable, same with the 17Hornet. Excellent rifle but it demolishes rabbits.
You can chest shoot with the 17 and the rabbits are not badly damaged. I know there are those who will say "well head shoot them" That all well and good in theory but when you are after large numbers at night it just doesn't happen.

Agreed. There is nothing else that fits the bill quite like it in terms of performance and cost. 222/223/22 Hornet are a very expensive way to evaporate a rabbit, not to mention a lot of constabularies may only authorise them for foxes.

as to the question, I picked up a Annie 1517 S/H for CZ money. Provided it is kept perfectly clean it is the most accurate rimfire I have used, and beautifully made.
 
Agreed. There is nothing else that fits the bill quite like it in terms of performance and cost. 222/223/22 Hornet are a very expensive way to evaporate a rabbit, not to mention a lot of constabularies may only authorise them for foxes.

as to the question, I picked up a Annie 1517 S/H for CZ money. Provided it is kept perfectly clean it is the most accurate rimfire I have used, and beautifully made.

0.17/0.22H is acceptable as a combined fox / ground game rifle under the latest guidance, if you load for it once you've paid off the loading kit (400 rds for me) then its a couple of pence more a pop than HMR with a lot more legs and other benefits, to be fair if I load hollow / soft points then I'm loading 0.223 at the moment for 35p which ain't far off HMR either. As for rabbits shot with the 0.22 / 0.17 CFs not being saleable, agreed if you body shoot them but then exactly the same applied to the HMR if you use 17 gr ballistic tips.

If I shot more than a couple of hundred rabbits a year which would make loading the hornet a pain then I'd go WMR over the HMR, locally ammo is cheaper and no issues with split necks etc, not quite as flat but not loopy either.

One benefit of the HMR is that because of all the bad press the round seems to be falling out favour (just look how many threads mention ''i've changed my HMR for (insert 0.17/0.2/0.22CF calibre)" which means you can pick up a 17 for very good money at the moment!
 
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0.17/0.22H is acceptable as a combined fox / ground game rifle under the latest guidance, if you load for it once you've paid off the loading kit (400 rds for me) then its a couple of pence more a pop than HMR with a lot more legs and other benefits, to be fair if I load hollow / soft points then I'm loading 0.223 at the moment for 35p which ain't far off HMR either. As for rabbits shot with the 0.22 / 0.17 CFs not being saleable, agreed if you body shoot them but then exactly the same applied to the HMR if you use 17 gr ballistic tips.

If I shot more than a couple of hundred rabbits a year which would make loading the hornet a pain then I'd go WMR over the HMR, locally ammo is cheaper and no issues with split necks etc, not quite as flat but not loopy either.

One benefit of the HMR is that because of all the bad press the round seems to be falling out favour (just look how many threads mention ''i've changed my HMR for (insert 0.17/0.2/0.22CF calibre)" which means you can pick up a 17 for very good money at the moment!

Would it be even cheaper to use milsurp ammo? Probably not as accurate I'd expect though.
 
Boydy47; If I shot more than a couple of hundred rabbits a year which would make loading the hornet a pain then I'd go WMR over the HMR said:
That's the thing. If you're shooting 500 + rabbits a year there's an awful lot to be said for a disposable rimfire cartridge. No calibre, no rifle - as we know - is ever perfect. There's always pros and cons and grab-it-and-go convenience is a major point in the HMR's favour.
 
Would it be even cheaper to use milsurp ammo? Probably not as accurate I'd expect though.

Possibly, if I shopped around as the only place locally is 55p a round for GGG, I'm loading 69gr Tipped SMKs for 35.5p a pop and they're shooting <1/2 MOA at 100 yards so they're likely much more accurate and probably still cheaper if I take my time into account, just.

That's the thing. If you're shooting 500 + rabbits a year there's an awful lot to be said for a disposable rimfire cartridge. No calibre, no rifle - as we know - is ever perfect. There's always pros and cons and grab-it-and-go convenience is a major point in the HMR's favour.

Exactly which is why I added that to above, I load 50 hornet rounds and it will last me a couple of months, if I had lots of rabbits to deal with I'd go for a self loading WMR :D
 
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