17 HMR bolt action rifles what can you tell me

4058 Views 12 Replies 9 Participants Last post by GoPackman, Apr 1, 2013

MrBuckwheat

Discussion Starter · Mar 14, 2013

I noticed all ammo stores have .17 HMR ammo in stock and always on the shelves. I decided to pick up a Savage 93 ( .17 HMR ) brand new $214.99 needs a scope. Has mounts.
It is a light little bolt action rifle with a detachable mag. Looks to be fun to shoot. I guess the bullets fly pretty flat and about 2500 FPS. The bullets are 17 or 20 grain. They are necked down 22 mag.
The rifle has the acu trigger which I am not sure about.
Anybody with experience with these caliber. I figure I am shoot it at the range, and on my property 200 yards and less. Shoot up some rabbits, and other varmints.

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MrBuckwheat

Discussion Starter · #2 · Mar 14, 2013

One more question?

Read thru the owners manual and did not say anything about dry firing. Can you dry fire this rifle? ( Savage 93R17 )

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Bmoliv66

· #3 · Mar 14, 2013

No experience with your particular rifle but I have a NEF single shot that is one of my favorite rifles to shoot. Great little round. Mine shot OK with all ammo I tried but really loved the Hornady rounds (groups about 1/3 inch at 50 yds on a calm day). This round is been devastating anywhere from 25-120 yards for me with squirrels, foxes, groundhogs and crows. I've got a dirt cheap Simmons scope on it but with better optics you could definitely stretch that out.

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Bmoliv66

· #4 · Mar 14, 2013

And if I recall correctly dry firing with rimfires is a no-no? Don't quote me on that though

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Dandyone

· #5 · Mar 14, 2013

Shoots fast and flat... Packs a punch for a tiny caliber. The only downside, IMHO, is that the cost of ammo is significant for a rimfire. You will soon discover that the 17 HMR fired out of a Savage with an accutrigger is a boatload of fun... So the cost of the ammo may mean more after you fall in lust, but it is already too late, since you own the rig now!

With the right ammo, I can shoot the same groups with the Savage as with an Anschutz, but that is 22lr. No matter, the trigger is the same and I understand the 17 is a more consistently accurate round.

Congrats!

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

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MrBuckwheat

Discussion Starter · #6 · Mar 15, 2013

It sounds like it is not a good idea to practice dry fire this rifle. I understand you can dry fire the Marlin model but not the Savage. On other forums they use drywall anchors as snap caps. sounds like the yellow ones even fit in the magazine.
they say as a general rule not to dryfire any rim fire.

pictures to follow on this project.

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Rattlehead

· #7 · Mar 15, 2013

BSA Sweet 17 scope works pretty well (assuming you're not a glass snob). The elevation drum is marked off for bullet drop out to 300m, and the markings are pretty accurate out of my Marlin. One of the nice parts of its performance is that it can move from 25m to 100m with minimal adjustment of the sights (as opposed to 22LR, where you have to do some math to even get the round on paper at 100).

IMO, the 17 is one of the most underrated rounds out there.

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MrBuckwheat

Discussion Starter · #8 · Mar 15, 2013

Rattlehead said:
BSA Sweet 17 scope works pretty well.

That is a good rim fire scope, you just gotta watch where you get them. Some places discount more than others. My LGS did not have one in stock but quoted a good price the other larger chain stores have in stock but want $40 bucks more or retail.

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Lotus222

· #9 · Mar 15, 2013

It is a great little gun. I have the marlin model, but I am jealous of the savage trigger. The manual says not to dry fire my marlin. I would assume the savage would be similar. The gun is a little tack driver and is great for small game/predator hunting. The v-max (ballistic tip) rounds are great for squirrels and smaller. The TNT and xtp rounds are great for larger animals. The TNT does too much damage to a squirrel. The xtp will over-penetrate. Any rounds will work for target practice. Heck, I even stocked up on some FMJ's for emergency defensive purposes.

The only downside of the .17 HMR since I bought one several years ago - is that ammo prices have literally doubled. I was initially getting boxes for $7.50 for v-max. Now they seem to be in the $13-$15.00 range.

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DontTreadOnI

· #10 · Mar 15, 2013

A buddy has a Savage 17 HMR with the AccuTrigger and man, it shoots like butter. Put some VMax through it and you can be killing groundhogs all day!

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hoghunter84

· #11 · Mar 15, 2013

You can still find HMR for around $9.99 but "HM2" is closer to that $7 mark and it's a totally different round. $13-$15 is average for HMR.

I love my HMR. I have a NAA revolver and a Savage rifle. Great caliber and I have bagged quite a few hogs, turkeys and yotes with them. Nice thing about it is it's not loud at all in the rifle and no kick. I take it deer hunting as a back up so if a yote comes along I don't need to wake the entire woods up with my 30.06.

I dry fire mine and I've never had an issue with it. I don't make it a habit but I do it occasionally. Anything over done is a bad thing.

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Gary T

· #12 · Apr 1, 2013

MrBuckwheat,
Last summer I bought the same as you for a gift to my son. We took it on a ground squirrel hunt last summer and had a grand time. The 17 HMR is a blast to shoot, as long as there's NO wind; the slightest of wind will open your groups significantly. Most all the ammo we shot in his 17 were pretty accurate, although some moreso than others. Buy a box of 2 or 3 different rounds and see which works best for YOUR gun. Strangely, all 17 HMR sold in the US is made by CCI. All the ammo I've seen shot in a 17 HMR is too destructive for tree squirrels. Having said that, I planned on trying some FMJ rounds this past squirrel season, but......well......you know what happened to ammo availability in December.... I've read about the BSA Sweet 17 scope, but don't have one. I put Mueller's on my son's 17 HMR and my 17 Mach 2. I've been VERY happy w/ the Mueller scopes. Buy you some extra mags. The Savage magazines for the 17 HMR and the 22 Mag are the same. I also bought a 10 round mag off the 'net (NOT made by Savage) for my son's gun. It worked fine. I can't remember the address, but you should be able to find it w/ google. I hope you can find sufficient ammo to play w/ your new gun. Around here, 17 HMR is just beginning to show up on the shelves again.

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GoPackman

· #13 · Apr 1, 2013

Hello, Buckwheat. I have a Savage bolt action in .17 HMR as well. One thing to bear in mind is that the wind will affect the 17 grain bullets much more than the 20 grainers. That said, with either one and with low-wind conditions, say less than 10mph, I can shoot 1/2" 5 shot groups at 100 yds. repeatedly as can my son.

I have a Simmons Pro Target 3-12x40 scope on mine. It has target turrets calibrated for bullet drop, side focus. The clarity is amazingly good for the price.

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