Help W .17 HMR

[E.D.P]

As far as your elbows are concerned, look up "DIY shooting bags" on YouTube. You don't need them for recoil, but they make shooting any rifle more comfortable, and make it easy to stay steady.

 

[Swifty Morgan]

I remembered that I have a Caldwell stand thing with a little bag on it. It's not a sled. I don't really understand sleds. I'm not sure what the point is, since the human being is so detached from the process. A bag sounds a little more user-friendly.

Am I right in guessing that a sled is for PREPARING a rifle and scope, not for SHOOTING them?

Here is a photo of my target. I still can't believe my buddy deliberately defaced it. I will have to make him pay. I was thrilled with this result. I would have been happy with 2 MOA. This is 5 shots, plus his intentional idiot shot, over to the right.

I am wondering if I should use this gun to train at longer ranges. I have read that people are shooting it at nearly 300 yards. It would save me a ton on ammunition, compared to a real rifle. The scope is 14.5x, so I am thinking I should be able to do better than 100 yards.

 

[E.D.P]

You can do a lot better than 100 yards. I shoot over 200 yards iron sights with my 30.06 through a peep sight. Just practice good breathing techniques and steadying your shot, you'll be able to reach out a lot farther with that rifle.

 

[Axis II]

I remembered that I have a Caldwell stand thing with a little bag on it. It's not a sled. I don't really understand sleds. I'm not sure what the point is, since the human being is so detached from the process. A bag sounds a little more user-friendly.

Am I right in guessing that a sled is for PREPARING a rifle and scope, not for SHOOTING them?

Here is a photo of my target. I still can't believe my buddy deliberately defaced it. I will have to make him pay. I was thrilled with this result. I would have been happy with 2 MOA. This is 5 shots, plus his intentional idiot shot, over to the right.

I am wondering if I should use this gun to train at longer ranges. I have read that people are shooting it at nearly 300 yards. It would save me a ton on ammunition, compared to a real rifle. The scope is 14.5x, so I am thinking I should be able to do better than 100 yards.

Now line that crosshair up on the target crosshair and dial the scope up until it touched those holes and you will be right in the center.

As far as shooting for cheaper buy a 223rem and start reloading for it and it will be cheaper than shooting that 17 all the time. I would pull my hair out shooting a 17 over 150yards with wind and elevation changes.

 

[Bfh_auto]

That is much better. Keep shooting it till you can confidently head shoot the squirrels you mentioned before. They taste great.

 

[Swifty Morgan]

I looked at bags at Rural King today. They sit REALLY low. I don't think I could use one while sitting. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I should try one and see before I judge.

The bipod is working okay for now. Don't know how it will do with a bigger gun at longer ranges.

 

[Axis II]

I looked at bags at Rural King today. They sit REALLY low. I don't think I could use one while sitting. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I should try one and see before I judge.

The bipod is working okay for now. Don't know how it will do with a bigger gun at longer ranges.

Caldwell bags get the green ones that comes with front and back. I'm 6ft6 and have no issues.

 

[morcey2]

If your rifle has the same stock that my dad's 93R17 has, it's not designed for use with a scope but for iron sights.... which the 93R17 doesn't have. There's no way to get a good cheek weld on it with a scope. We used one of the "comb raising" kits from Sportsman's Warehouse that has the neoprene sleeve and a bunch of pads of different thicknesses to go under it. After we got it fixed, it consistently shot sub-MOA instead of 2-3" groups. (I've done the same thing with random foam pieces and vet wrap for a more temporary fix.)

Matt

 

[morcey2]

Final thing: what's the best tool for measuring the distance to the target? I can do it with a tape measure if I have to, but I assume with all the gadgetry available these days, there is probably some reasonably cheap tool everyone else is already using, which I need to know about.

What I've used for a few years are spools of cheap twine that I've taken to the local high school football field and measured off 100 yard, 50 yard, 25 yard, and 10 yard lengths. That's high tech enough for me until I get a laser rangefinder.

Matt

 

[E.D.P]

Use the bags for your elbows, if you put them under your elbows on the table it will help with comfort and stability.

 

[Bushpilot]

It's my understanding that this gun is only accurate to something like 150

I would like to be able to use this rifle to kill the miserable squirrels that infest my farm

My CZ 17 HMR and my friend's Savage are accurate well beyond 150 yards. On calm days we get 1/2" 100 yard groups with regularity and about an 1 1/2" - 2" at 200 yards. We could probably do a little better at 200 yards if we had higher magnification scopes with finer cross hairs. The 17 HMR 's usually shoot great but the problem is they shoot well farther than they have the power to cleanly kill larger varmints. They just don't have the bullet weight. Killing squirrels shouldn't be an issue for you at all but for something the size of a wood chuck and especially for coyotes the problem is that you can easily hit them at a far greater distance then you can cleanly kill them. Oh, they will eventually die but not humanly or consistently enough and any marginal hit won't stop them for a follow up shot. If you ever decide to hunt other varmints with your 17 I'd limit chucks to about 100 yards and for coyotes to maybe 50 yards or better yet for coyotes I'd use something else. 17 HMR's are great little guns, extremely accurate, lots of fun and deadly on small varmints but as far as killing power is concerned they're no coyote gun and not in the same league as a .223 or even a 22 hornet.

 

[Swifty Morgan]

I read the suggestion about reloading .223, but I'm not sure it's really cheaper. I'm paying around 24 cents/round right now. It looks like components for 1 .223 round will run almost 30 cents, assuming I use each case 10 times. Then there is the rifle and scope, plus the reloading dies.

I have a .308 and lots of Radway Green, which, I am told, can't do better than maybe 3 MOA. When I bought it, the plan was to get a .260 barrel and reload, but I never got around to it. DPMS quit selling them.

I am not all that excited about the AR15, but I see Savage makes bolt actions.

 

[Bushpilot]

I would pull my hair out shooting a 17 over 150yards with wind and elevation changes.

The scope on my 17HMR is the only scope I have with a bullet drop compensator turret. It works great. I just dial in the yardage and hold dead on. It turned out to be far more repeatable and reliable then I thought it would.

 

[Sniper66]

To our OP.....for a novice you are shooting fine groups and there is some good advice in the responses you've received. Certainly you can shoot the 17HMR further than 100 yds, but it becomes less reliable. Can still be fun to try paper or gongs beyond a 100, but I wouldn't recommend it for shooting critters. I rarely shoot prairie dogs much beyond 100 yds with my 17HMR. My Anschutz 1517 MPR is quite capable of hitting p-dogs further, but I prefer the whack of my .204.

 

[doubleh]

I can understand about the elbows. Arthritis makes mine very tender. I can recommend Protektor's brick bags as an excellent elbow pad. I like the large for this. They are very well made and reasonably priced. I have no connection with the company what so ever.

I made my first elbow pad from a left over grout sponge from a kitchen remodel I did at the behest of my lovely wife. I glued a piece of toolbox drawer liner material to the bottom and a piece of elk skin to the top. It's quite satisfactory but I like the leather sandbag better.

 

[RainDodger]

I have a highly modified Savage 93R 17. Regarding the ammo... I discovered that my particular rifle simply does not do well with any ammo other than Federal Fusion, V-Shok, 17 grain. It doesn't like the 20 grain rounds. It's weird, but I go from maybe 2" groups with other ammo, to dime-sized groups, sometimes 5 rounds nearly touching, when I shoot that ammo. Everyone I have talked to has said that you have to find that one kind of ammo that YOUR rifle likes, when it comes to the .17HMR.

[ Some of the mods I had to do in order to get that accuracy - the action is glass bedded, then I found that the chamber was too big (in a brand new rifle!) and most cases were splitting, so I had the barrel re-lined with a match liner, and then re-crowned. I don't like the trigger leaf as it made my trigger inconsistent, so I removed it. I was feeling it sometimes, as it was kind of floppy and would scrape against the trigger sometimes. Then I lightened the trigger considerably, and replaced the flimsy floorplate with one from SavageGunsmithing.com. It's a bench-only rifle now, although still very safe. I ended up putting more into the rifle than it cost... and I would not do it again. ]

 

[Swifty Morgan]

I can't complain about the ammo at all. I suspect this thing would be shooting 0.5 MOA if I had it clamped in a sled. I'm shooting 1 MOA, and I'm not that good, so the gun must be capable of better performance.

 

[Sniper66]

I can't complain about the ammo at all. I suspect this thing would be shooting 0.5 MOA if I had it clamped in a sled. I'm shooting 1 MOA, and I'm not that good, so the gun must be capable of better performance.

Don't be too quick to blame yourself. Rimfire ammo can be inconsistent. It's not infrequent that you can shoot 4 shots you can cover with a dime then shoot a "flyer" that lands an inch away. With experience, you'll be better able to tell the difference between a blown shot and bad ammo.

 

[dh1633pm]

My dad and I made a wooden bench. We made it upside down and used cement to give it some heft. We then used a tractor to flip it rightside up. Made for a nice table that could be moved as needed.

 

[doubleh]

Don't be too quick to blame yourself. Rimfire ammo can be inconsistent. It's not infrequent that you can shoot 4 shots you can cover with a dime then shoot a "flyer" that lands an inch away. With experience, you'll be better able to tell the difference between a blown shot and bad ammo.

I find that to quite common with 22lr and the lower priced ammunition. I have never had this happen with my 17 HMR. Not saying I haven't had a flyer with it but every one of them has been my fault.

 

[Swifty Morgan]

Looking at a Boyd's stock. The factory stock on the Savage is atrocious. Is the adjustable comb option worth the money? The model I like is the Pro Varmint.

I looked at the Boyd's length of pull adjustment video. I tried it, and I got results that vary about half an inch. I decided to go with the standard (free) LOP figure, since it's more or less in the middle of the range I got.

 

[dh1633pm]

I have the Savage. I then purchased a Steyr. It is a better shooter but not for much. The Savage does need a better stock so I agree with others who have indicated that problem.

 

[quest4perfection]

Just skimming the thread what caught my eye was "Second thing: I feel like my elbows are not stable when I shoot. I was using a plastic folding table, and it's slippery, so I thought too much about my elbows, disturbing my concentration. I can put a rubber mat or something on it, but then if I shoot a bigger gun, the recoil will rub my elbows raw. I assume other people must have had this problem and come up with a solution. Should I be using elbow pads or something?".

Don't rest your anything on the table. If you don't have sandbags, store-bought rests, etc, take a range bag, gym bag, garbage bag etc, stuff a little firm but not brick hard with clothes, etc.

If you're sitting in a chair, the height of the rifle resting on top of the bag needs to be comfortably aligned for you. Have the bag positioned on the table where it's nearest you.

If you're punching paper and going for accuracy, just let either the forestock or barrel rest atop the bag. If setting it up for a hunt, grasp the forestock simulating your hunting hold and if length allows, let the barrel rest atop the bag or if not, rest your hand atop the bag.

Now of course the "operators" will cringe when reading this but just do as I say.

"let either the forestock or barrel rest atop the bag." Free recoil? Yes. I think that is what you are saying. Always worth a try.

"just do as I say" -"That's funny...I don't care who ya'ar.

 

[quest4perfection]

Today I went outside and shot a few rounds from a .17 HMR Savage bolt-action rifle with a Burris Fullfield II scope. I was shooting at about 100 yards. It's my understanding that this gun is only accurate to something like 150, and I'm not a great shot anyway, so I didn't push it. I don't have any training, so I need some help.

First of all, does anyone here know how well this rifle will shoot with Hornady factory ammunition, at its best? I can't tell how well I'm doing until I know how well the equipment will perform if someone shoots it perfectly. The rounds from my first 5.5" target all went into (or bordered) the center ring, which I suppose is around 2". That's a good performance by my dubious standards, but for all I know, the gun will shoot 1/2 MOA.

Second thing: I feel like my elbows are not stable when I shoot. I was using a plastic folding table, and it's slippery, so I thought too much about my elbows, disturbing my concentration. I can put a rubber mat or something on it, but then if I shoot a bigger gun, the recoil will rub my elbows raw. I assume other people must have had this problem and come up with a solution. Should I be using elbow pads or something?

Final thing: what's the best tool for measuring the distance to the target? I can do it with a tape measure if I have to, but I assume with all the gadgetry available these days, there is probably some reasonably cheap tool everyone else is already using, which I need to know about.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Shot Hornady .17HMR in Henry at 100. Best group was ~1.5". For me, Hornady lower calibers have done at least as good as variants. Not that it relates, but I shot Hornday off the shelf .204's and was hard pressed to improve groups.