Difference between a 917VS and a 917VR worth it?

[Userzero]

Hello,

I want to join a group of gopher "regulators" on their next sortie this spring, and they all shoot .17HMR. (No .17Mach2 and no .22 of any kind.) Distance is usually 100-125 yards on a reasonably hilly terrain so they never take very long shots. Local farmers even invite them over for a beer afterward.

Looking at what's available here, I decided I would go for the Marlin 917 HMR, with a Bushnell Elite 3200 3-9x 40mm, and a bipod.

Keeping in mind that I will shoot less than 500 rounds a year with this gun and I don't care about looks, is it really worth it to pay 50% more for a Stainless Steel barrel and a pretty stock? They both have heavy barrels by the way.

917VR : 230 $CAN
917VS : 353 $CAN
Bushnell Elite 3200 : 260 $CAN

Also, what bipod would you recommend? I assume that we want nothing to touch the barrel because we want to keep it free floating. So barrel mounted bipods are a big no-no, and only sling swivel mounted bipods are OK, right?

Outers 23" : 62 $CAN
Shooter's ridge 23" 98 $CAN

Any input appreciated.
George

 

[hksw]

Keeping in mind that I will shoot less than 500 rounds a year with this gun and I don't care about looks, is it really worth it to pay 50% more for a Stainless Steel barrel and a pretty stock?

IMO, for your criteria, the upgrade is not worth it. Stick with your original choice. Trigger might need some work if you are use to light and crisp but you can work in it yourself if you're up to it or you can drop in a Rifle Basix. Picked an excellent cartridge too.

Quite a number of sling swivel stud attachable bi-pods out there. Might even want to look into shooting sticks if you'll be doing any walking.

 

[Jackal]

Just so you know, a heavy barrel isn't even needed. My Marlin 25MN .22 mag has the light, sporter barrel and after I floated it and added a Rifle Basix trigger, it now shoots a full 7 round mag into quarter size groups at 50 yards with 3 different types of ammo. I would personally make sure your rifle has a wood stock however. Most of the low end plastic stocks are bendy, twisting crap.

 

[Sniper4Life]

Stick with the standard, You might need a trigger job, if you want a really good trigger you can just buy a savage .17hmr with the accu-trigger cheap and accurate. As for a bipod go with the shooters ridge, or walking sticks. $98 for a shooters ridge, look around on places like gunbroker or ebay thats way to much.

 

[JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone]

I'll second the Savage with Accutrigger. You can't go wrong there!

-Steve

 

[carterbeauford]

I'll 3rd the Savage 93R17, it's worth at least twice what I paid for it.

Invest in a good sling because the heavy barrel lives up to its name.

 

[rangerruck]

believe me , I am a huge marlin fan,everybody round here and on a couple of other sites know it, but for pdogging and gophering, i'd go with the savage, and accutrigger as well. otherwise , stick with the non stainless.

 

[Userzero]

Awww! I was set on buying the Marlin. Now I'm beginning to have doubts...

I tried to read as much as I can on the net and on many forums, and from what I read, I got the impression that the Marlin was very precise and a good buy except for the trigger which can be smoothed out or replaced with an aftermarket one, and the magazine which is kind of temperamental but can also be replaced with an aftermarket mag. As for the Savage, I read that it was a little rough with some stamped parts and a little short on finish on some parts, but with a great trigger and a good mag, maybe a little less precise out of the box, but also a good buy overall.

I had the same problem when I had to choose between the Mossberg 500 and the Remington 870. Guess when it's this close, you can't really go wrong?

Well, I don't have to place my order it right now. I'll simmer for one more week before ordering. Still 3 months left before the snow is completely gone.

Thanks for all the replies.
George

 

[gbran]

I have the 917vs. I had to spend an extra $65 for a riflebasix trigger assembly to replace the horrible factory trigger. I also own a couple Savage accutriggers. Trust me, they are worth it.

 

[Dr.Rob]

917VSS = Great rifle, crap-tastic factory trigger. I could cut my 100 yard groups way down with a better trigger.