17 HMR Rifle

[Skylerbone]

I don't own a rifle in .17 but I do have rimfire rifles manufactured by Savage, Marlin, Mossberg, Ruger and CZ. Most were purchased without benefit of Internet research or much forethought beyond immediate use or need.

One notable exception was the CZ 452 which, like most every other brand had a loyal following from owners with the usual banter on outstanding accuracy, fit, finish and warranty. So many were the reports I relented and bought mine only to confirm what had been claimed.

Looking over the lot of my rimfires, that CZ stands out as the one rifle I'd keep above all others for accuracy, for balance and to pass down to my daughter some day. Too bad for my sons but there are other firearms set aside for them. You'd do well to consider adding a month or two to the wait and save for a CZ, not that a Savage or Marlin won't do the trick but then most guys I know dream of Corvettes, not daily drivers.

 

[Sour Kraut]

I was recently going through the same decision process as you and have decided to save a little extra and get the CZ 455 American combo with the 22 LR and 17 HMR barrels. The Savage shown by Rain Dodger is a really nice setup and I have fondled one at my local LGS. That would be an excellent choice as well......geeze, now I'm waffling again........Thanks a lot......

 

[Sour Kraut]

I have the Savage 93R BTVS. Admittedly, it is not all factory original. I sent it to a well known Savage 'smith (details available), and spent a bit to glass bed the action, lighten and smooth the action, lightly lap the bore, re-crown the muzzle, install a heavier than factory floor plate, and install the really nice scope base. That's what I remember off-hand. It really, really shoots well. If you're not going to do any additional work, I might not go for the Savage, as what I've heard, it needs a bit of work to really reach full potential. I can't speak for the other rifles, but if you put a little time or $$ into the Savage, it is quite a shooter.

Dodger: I really like your rig.....again!

 

[RainDodger]

Thanks. I originally bought it simply because it appealed to me and it felt good. Granted, it's not an expensive rifle to begin with and likely isn't the finish quality of a more expensive rifle. I spent a little money on it though and it's a tack driver and fun to shoot. The HUGE benefit is, the wife now calls it her rifle and I can set her on a bench and leave here there for a while to have fun. That's a good thing about .17HMR. No recoil, accurate, and pretty fun. I DO recommend spending as much as you can afford on a scope however. This Simmons on mine was my only foray into non-Leupold or Zeiss land.... never again. I figured for ~$109 on sale, I couldn't lose, so I gave it a shot, so to speak. Nope, not worth it! Spend as much on the scope as you have in the rifle and you'll be a lot happier.

 

[Sour Kraut]

Thanks. I originally bought it simply because it appealed to me and it felt good. Granted, it's not an expensive rifle to begin with and likely isn't the finish quality of a more expensive rifle. I spent a little money on it though and it's a tack driver and fun to shoot. The HUGE benefit is, the wife now calls it her rifle and I can set her on a bench and leave here there for a while to have fun. That's a good thing about .17HMR. No recoil, accurate, and pretty fun. I DO recommend spending as much as you can afford on a scope however. This Simmons on mine was my only foray into non-Leupold or Zeiss land.... never again. I figured for ~$109 on sale, I couldn't lose, so I gave it a shot, so to speak. Nope, not worth it! Spend as much on the scope as you have in the rifle and you'll be a lot happier.

By the way.....thank you for your service!

 

[d2wing]

I just read a thread like this on another forum where one guy says he likes the Marlin over the Savage because of the better stock, accuracy is a toss up , he has both. Some guys have trouble with the Savages but they are accurate. Some guys say to step up to a CZ.
I have .22lr s and really like the CZs but I want a.17 HMR. I almost bought a Savage a couple times, but am afraid of getting one that doesn't shoot well. I am still thinking about it. CZs are hard to find locally. Good luck.

 

[CHALK22]

FWIW I have a marlin 917 with a cheap BSA Sweet 17 scope that I bought off one of my old employees. I have had headshots on gophers at 125 yards, and it sighted in at a .47" group. Great gun for what I paid for it. That being said, I just bought my first CZ 550 American in .30-06, and I am in love. I will probably get one in .17 when the Marlin moves along....

 

[richie]

Here's my Savage 93R BTVS,

 

[PJSprog]

I have a 93 in .22WMR, and it's a fine shooter, especially for the price. I think you can't go wrong with these rifles.

 

[Bullseye]

I have this one and bought the Mueller APV 4.5-14x 40mm Adjustable Objective APV Reticle Matte Finish Rifle Scope for it since it has no recoil. Shoots pretty nice.

I was at the gun shop a couple weeks ago and they had a Henry in 17 hmr for under 500.00 and it was hard to put it back on the rack. An extremely nice rifle. I don't think anyone mentioned these yet in this thread. I am not sure if I would rather one of those over my savage. I got the savage tho for ground hogs and would probably do better with it. Oh well, whats another rifle gonna hurt?

View attachment 694119

 

[CH47gunner]

I have the Savage 93R17-BV and the CZ452 Varmint, both in .17HMR, both are heavy barrel varmint rifles. Both are a blast to shoot, both are deadly on ground squirrels & crows.
The Savage is adequate - I needed to completely redo the mounts & rings and replaced the Accutrigger with a Rifle Basix trigger. The CZ452 Varmint is excellent and after purchasing rings & scope, was good to go out of the box.
I like both rifles but, I consider the Savage to have been a "project" gun while the quality of the CZ would be tough to beat. The Savage is my loaner rifle and would be sold but, I don't want to share the CZ.

Bruce

Savage 93R17-BV w/ Tasco 6-24x42AO & Dednutz mount/rings.



CZ452 Varmint w/ Nikon Buckmaster 6-18x40SF & Warne 7.3 rings.

 

[45crittergitter]

If you get the Savage, make darn sure you get the AccuTrigger. Mine had a standard trigger which required 2 fingers to pull.

 

[TimboKhan]

The one thing about my savage that doesn't feel cheap is that trigger. I reread my last post in this thread and maybe didn't highlight that point enough.