17HMR questions

I use my Savage model 93 .17hmr with 20 grain hunting tips all the time, take out big pigs with ear shots, even heart/lung shots at 100 yards, the internal damage this little round does is amazing. got too many hogs to waste high dollar centerfire calibers on them, deal coyotes death at 100 yards plus also. great little rifle to carry in my pickup.

.17HMR is amazing for targets. It'll easily outshoot almost any .22lr or .22WMR there is.

I haven't used my .17 in any matches, but it's easily a sub-MOA rifle with the right ammo.

You've wasted no money. Congrats on your new laser

Got the same Savage posted by the OP and a CZ 452 American in 17 hmr.

Never hunted with either one but the CZ beats the Savage from the bench all day long. 17 hmrs are just like any rimfire. You have to find the right ammo for your rifle. Accuracy in my Savage is what I would call ok so far. The CZ is outstanding. Sub MOA.

To answer the OP no I don't think you wasted your money on a 17. It's an amazing round. You'll realize this after your first group. Wind can effect it even at 100 yards but IMO no other rimfire can match it for accuracy consistently at distance. I've never competed with either rifle but I do like seeing those tiny groups. Plus, it's about he only ammo you can find on the shelves around here these days.

I have one like yours, and it is vary accurate, you won't be dissapointed.

The .17HMR has a lot of very accurate options. I will be looking very hard at winchesters new .17 rimfire if the price falls anywhere near .17HMR per box.

i love 17hmr and just picked up another. I have owned several 17HMR's in the past and the favorite of the bunch was a marlin 917V that I restocked with a boyds laminate thumbhole. only thing i didnt like was the trigger and i spent a lot of time working on it until i got it just right.

anyway, i saw they had some savage 93's in 17hmr with heavy barrel, synthetic stock and a cheap scope. was not too happy with the last 93 i had so took a pass on it, even though it was a good price.. then i saw a heavy barreled marlin with a laminate stock and was blued... i asked to see it and turned out to be an XT-17 with their new trigger. the gun was perfect! heavy blued barrel (i dislike stainless) and had a nice heavy laminate stock and not the cheap birch that my old 917V came with.... also the new trigger from marlin is real nice and dare i say better than the accutrigger. also these guns come with a 4rd and 7rd mag (savage only comes with 1 mag) .. plus mags are plentiful and cheap for these guns.

on thursday and friday i spent the day trying to find this gun in the marlin catalog and was at a loss, only heavy barreled laminate stocked guns were in stainless with the exception of one with a thumbhole (mine has standard benchrest style stock not a thumbhole)....

i went back to dicks and asked to see the rifle again... box said XT-17v, but the manual on the inside of the box had an XT-17VL sticker/barcode on the back...

i am assuming these are some special run guns only for certain stores and will call marlin on monday to confirm.

still searching for a scope for this, last few had swift premier's or bushnell banner 6-24's , but i might put a vortex crossfire on it...

anyway, out the door price with 2 boxes of ammo was $284 and i got a $25 coupon to use next weekend for other items (probably gonna pick up more ammo for it or put towards a nikon scope for my new encore barrel).

here is my new 17hmr from marlin

Savage wouldnt be my first choice but the .17 HMR is alot of fun.

Like any rimfire you will need to try every single load available to you and see what shoots best in your rifle. CCI makes the 17 HMR cartridge for most companies so it might have a red,black or gold tip but it will likely shoot differently. I have been successful in comps using CCI 20gr FMJ's myself.

Nice Info!
Looking at a 17 myself...
I can afford the ammo and like a flat shooter.
Still gathering data-

I started rifle shooting with 17HMR. It really shines at 100 yards. You will easily outshoot 22lr between 50-100 yards. However, the really good benchrest 22lr guns will outshoot you up to 50 yards because the ammo for the 17HMR is all made by CCI and relabeled. The 22lr guys can buy the top-end Eley and Lapua stuff and that will outshoot you at 50 yards.

Here's what my Savage 93R17 did at 100 yards:

IMHO, .17 HMR is awesome. I got an older Savage just to tinker with and had no high expectations. I did my tinkering and experimented with ammo. I was blown away how well it shoots. So much so that I put a 4.5 x 14 scope on it that cost more than twice what the rifle cost. That rifle will shoot into a quarter inch at 100 yards on a calm day if I do my part on the bench - and I stocked up on the ammo it likes.

I purchased one of the savage model 93s with heavy barrel and synthetic stock. Bought a Sweet 17 3-12x40 scope (had to use extra tall rings for mounting). The savage is nice in that it has weaver mounts already installed. Just need the rings.
Been to the range twice. Shot a box each time. Really like shooting it. Wanted a CZ myself, but did not want to spend $700 that it was selling for at one of our local shops. So the $250 for the savage was my option (I have a 10/22 coming in next week).
Rifle and scope are definitely more accurate than I am right now at 100 yards.
But the .17 HMR round is a joy to shoot. And personally, I don't think the Savage Model 93 is all that bad. But I am in it for fun and not necessarily a competitive sort.

I can easily shoot nickel sized groups with mine at 100 yards.

I have that very savage pictured...sweet shooting tack driver!!!

hmmm maybe the Savage would be a fine alternative to the marlin,
not afraid to spend a few extra dollars to get a better platform, then
massage it to near comp specs. My son (USMC Top Shooter) likes my
Savage Model 110 in 270W caliber. Had it dialed in with 4-5 rounds!
Cheap Scope on there too. He likes it a LOT. So IMO (does this make sense?)
a Savage 17 HMR is likely a good purchase? Or what can I get for up to or
around $400 in a 17 HMR?

I started rifle shooting with 17HMR. It really shines at 100 yards. You will easily outshoot 22lr between 50-100 yards. However, the really good benchrest 22lr guns will outshoot you up to 50 yards because the ammo for the 17HMR is all made by CCI and relabeled. The 22lr guys can buy the top-end Eley and Lapua stuff and that will outshoot you at 50 yards.

Click to expand...

What he said, target out to 75 yards 22lr, beyond 75 yards out to 175, 17hmr
for target & small varmints.

The Savage with Accu-trigger is a fine rifle, better trigger than the comparable Marlin.

tuj said:

The Savage with Accu-trigger is a fine rifle, better trigger than the comparable Marlin.

Click to expand...

thx TUJ!

i highly disagree.

i own several of the savage 93's with the accu trigger and the marlin is identical and possibly a little better.

plus the marlins are easier to load the mags into the gun and the mag release is much better.

here is my xt-17vl and my xt-22l

undeRGRound wrote:

Or what can I get for up to or
around $400 in a 17 HMR?

Click to expand...

see this article from a few years back ... the marlin now has the new trigger

http://www.chuckhawks.com/compared_17HMR_varmint_rifles.htm

here is the article comparing the various triggers

http://www.chuckhawks.com/hunting_rifle_triggers.htm

UniversalFrost said:

i highly disagree.

i own several of the savage 93's with the accu trigger and the marlin is identical and possibly a little better.

plus the marlins are easier to load the mags into the gun and the mag release is much better.

here is my xt-17vl and my xt-22l

Click to expand...

Very Nice! With these prices, I can eventually get a Marlin and a Savage.
My USMC Son wants to shoot one too, even before he has tried it LOL!