I want a .17 HMR, which one is best?

[68lemans462]

My brother in law has a Marlin 17VS (stainless varmint rifle) made in early 2000's with a laminate stock. It is a fun gun and shoots great. I'd like to get the same gun or something similar (or better). What do you guys prefer with the 17? Any better options than the 17VS these days? I like a stainless bull barrel and the laminate stock is much better looking than the plain plastic ones. Adjustable trigger would also be very nice.

What's your favorite?

 

[NOchs8481]

I got a cheap marlin 17 HMR and love it. Shoots great and nice big bull barrel and it came with a scope. I later put one on myself but out the door combo was like $275 2 years ago? For that kinda price I can't complain one bit. Not the fanciest but I'm happy with it.

 

[WestKentucky]

My experience with 17hmr is that they just flat out work. I had an $119 mossberg international that would hit dimes at 75 yards consistently, pennies at 100. My buddies have had a cz, ruger, and a marlin...all shot very well. My cheapo was a no frills gun that got annoying with the flimsy stock, but saving 2-3 hundred bucks over its competition made it acceptable to me. If I were to buy one today, I would likely be looking at the cz, but would consider any and all, and would probably end up settling on a crickett.

 

[12many]

Savage or CZ.

 

[js8588]

2nd the Savage or CZ. I have the CZ, and will be purchasing the Savage. I also like the Browning T-bolt.

 

[Sniper66]

Since you didn't specify a price range, I will suggest Anschutz as my personal favorite; I have a 1517 MPR that is wicked accurate. I am searching for a Cooper at the moment, but have to save my lunch money to afford it.

 

[Blade First]

Savage 93R17...get the stainless bull-bbl. with composite stock if your budget allows. It's like shooting with BB-gun recoil, but extremely accurate. My best 5-shot group with match ammo at 100 yds. [on a dead calm day] I could cover with my smallest fingernail.

 

[Reyn]

I've had Savage and CZ. I like the CZ overall better.

 

[Dentite]

After looking and handling quite a few here's my opinion.

For shooting from a bench: I'd get a Savage heavy barrel with laminate stock. Heavy and good looking.

For a hunting rifle you are going to carry around and you want something cheap: Savage with cheap synthetic stock and sporter weight barrel. These are so small and light they feel almost like a toy. Would be awesome to carry around all day. But the stock makes them feel cheap. If that doesn't bother you, no problem.

For a hunting rifle you are going to carry around but you want something nicer: CZ 455 (an added bonus is you can swap barrels to .22LR and .22WMR, either bought as a kit or separately). Lots of metal and walnut and very classy looking.

For a hunting rifle you are going to carry around but you want something a little different: Browning T-bolt. Love the magazine system on these but wasn't sure if I would love the straight pull action. Nice and light weight but there is more plastic in this one than the CZ.

For a hunting rifle you are going to carry around and you want to spend some money: Anschutz, Sako, Cooper and the list goes on.

I only own one and I just bought it. Picked up the CZ455 with .17HMR and .22LR barrels.

 

[garyhan]

If you want the best, I'd get a Cooper. If money matters at all, the CZ's are great. The Browning T Bolt is very nice and something a little different. Fortunately, there are many good choices in this caliber. These are some of my favorites.

gary

 

[eyehatetofu]

I have the Marlin 17VS and love the thing. It is the most accurate firearm I own. The stock trigger is horrible though; the trigger pull was like 10 lbs. 25 cents for a new spring and 20 minutes of polishing took care of that though. Great rifle overall.

 

[win71]

Cooper and looking for a CZ

I am searching for a Cooper at the moment, but have to save my lunch money to afford it.

I saved lunch money, breakfast money and even, God forbid, drinking money and got a Cooper. The photo is a 100 yd shot by the way, it took 3 tries though. It was worth it. But they are heavy. Not something you want to pack around in the woods. Since I have three other CZ rifles and like them I will eventually get a standard weight barrel CZ in 17 HMR.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

if you got money to burn a Cooper or Anschutz, if you are a regular hard working guy on a budged that wants a quality .17....Savage 93 in one of its many models....cant beat them for the price, some come in combo packages and with non existent recoil, unless you again have money to burn, even a low budget scope will work...I got one of those cheapo Simmons that Midway USA has on "sale" year round....good scope for a small caliber like the .17hmr.

 

[bamajoey]

CZ, hands down

 

[RainDodger]

I've got a Savage, but I ended up putting as much money into it as the rifle cost in the first place. I was experiencing occasional flyers and the consistency just wasn't there. So... I sent it to Scott at SavageGunsmithing.com and got a complete accuracy job done. It is an amazing tack driver, especially since replacing this cheap Simmons scope with a new Leupold. The Savages are nice guns and fun to play with. The best part is, they're not too expensive. The CZs may be nicer quality to begin with though; I don't know.

 

[Bullet Bob]

Love my Cooper, it's very accurate. But sometimes I wish I had gotten it in .22 magnum, the .17 hole just seems so small!



Whatever you decide, a good quality scope is very important, it's not a good place to save money. You don't have to buy the most expensive one available, just a good medium priced one.

 

[Coyote3855]

We have two at our house. DRT on ground squirrels. I have a NEF Sportster single shot that cost me less than $100 used. Put a $350 Leupold scope on it. Shoots better than I can hold. My wife has a CZ American, also with Leupold glass. She likes it a lot. I suppose I'd endorse the CZ because that and the NEF are the only .17s I have shot.

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

I'd tend to stay away from the Mikoru/Browning T-bolt. Unless, of course, they've done something with their weird-Alice trigger group. I have one in .22 magnum, and have had the fun of trying to get an acceptable trigger. Which I'm not saying can't be done, but I'd rather drop bricks on my foot.

I don't have a CZ in .17 either, but I've got several of 'em in other calibers. Far as I'm concerned they're excellent guns for the money, you can do worse, but very hard to do better without paying through the nose.

900F

 

[12many]

Do any of you notice a difference in accuracy between the 17 grn and 20 grn rounds?

BTW, I want a Cooper. That wood is gorgeous.

 

[Furncliff]

When I was testing ammo for my then new CZ452 American in the laminate thumbhole stock I found the 17 gr was more accurate for me

 

[RainDodger]

Exactly the opposite for me with the Savage. I found the 20 grain HPs to be the most accurate. Not the straight FMJs, but the HPs. I think they're knows as "XTPs".

I concur on the glass. I cheaped out on a scope for the first time in my life and it made the rifle miserable to shoot. Now I happen to have a very nice (but expensive) Leupold Mark 4 that I can move between rifles... it makes the .17 ridiculously accurate, and fun to shoot.

Edit: yep, that Cooper is gorgeous!

Edit #2: I did neglect to mention that on my Savage I think the way the magazines fit into the receiver is incredibly poorly designed. They slide in (the magazines have "rails" on the back) on a piece of sheet metal. They work, but I don't care for them at all.

 

[dubbleA]

I run a couple of Anschutz's and a Cooper in 17 HMR with Zeiss optics. They are beautiful as well as super accurate and highly recommend them. They are in a class by themselves.

My other 2 hummers are a Ruger with Leupold glass and a NEF sportster with a BSA. The NEF is a nice rifle for cheap. The Cooper probably gets the most use out of my .17's.

A CZ 455 would be good choice to bridge the gap as they offer a good bang for the buck and good fit and finish.

 

[cat_IT_guy]

Not sure about "best" but Im very happy with my 9317 TR. More accurate than me. Trigger is pretty good (ok its good until you compare it to a Timney or Kidd). Only thing that I'd eve consider knocking it for is the semi-loose fitting magazines.

 

[Radagast]

I have the CZ452. Accuracy is excellent, literally a tack driver - I put a copper tack in a piece of cardboard at 100 meters and shot it out with my first group.
A friend has an Anschutz, he's culled a couple of thousand rabbits with it.

 

[nissantech]

I have a Savage that is the early model with no accu trigger. I placed a new trigger in it and now love it. My best freind has a cz and I will tell you that if I could do it all over again I would have gotten the cz. I don't think they are that much more than the Savage. Went shooting the other day doing some load development on my 3006, well by the end I had shoot 50 rds of 17hmr, makes it nice not being beat up all the time. Love it being a tack driver.