Marlin 917 any good?

[Jackal]

Hi everybody!! I am in the market for one of those little, tack driving .17 rifles and was wondering what the general consensus was about the Marlin 917. The one im looking at is blued, has the bull barrel and a synthetic stock. Are they accurate? Do they have a good trigger? What do you think? Also, can the .17 hmr fire the smaller .17 mach2 ?

 

[NailGun]

17 Hmmmrrrr

Jackyl, the Marlin 917 is a fine gun. The one I have consistantly shoots 1.2 to .8 groups at 100m depending on the brand of ammo used. I got one with a wooden stock so that I could file, sand, restain and refinish it to my likes. Wood just feels better.... The trigger on these guns kind of...well....they are ok... I WISH the 917 had the same wonderful trigger as their 39A ...but that ain't the case. You CAN NOT fire the .17 Mach2 through the .17 HMR barrel! Bad things may result. The .17 Mach2 is a necked down .22 long rifle round. It has a smaller case diameter than a .17 HMR, which is a necked down .22 WMR. Most likely the .17 Mach2 case would split upon firing, possibly causing damage to your firearm and you... Not cool. There are lots of good .17 HMR launching platforms available, in a wide range of prices. I feel that my Marlin is a good shooter and a very good value for the price. Good Luck. NailGun

 

[hksw]

When I went on a binge late last year and bought a few .17 HMR chambered rifles (already had a Ruger 10/22M converted to .17 HMR and was very impressed with the accuracy prompting my to try out other platforms), one was a Marlin 917V (along with a CZ 452 Varmint, Anschütz 1717D and 1517 MPR). The Marlin is a very good gun and pretty accurate. Mine, however, does stay under 1" at 50 yds but has some trouble staying below ½". The others have no problem staying on the 0.5's regularly. (The Ruger still shoots the best.) As noted, the trigger is not that great, but an easy fix with a Rifle Basix trigger. The Marlin is built like a Russian tank. Not very pretty inside or out but very durable and gets the job done.

IMO, if you are looking for slightly better accuracy and build quality without breaking the bank, get a CZ452 (have not tried the 453). It'll be a little more than the Marlin but, IMO, is worth it.

 

[OpFlash]

I would also consider the Savage accutrigger models, I've heard they can be very accurate and they are inexpensive.

OT subject but Jackal how do you like your 25MN? I have one and that little thing is a tack driver, well for a lite 22mag carbine that is.

 

[gbran]

I bought a 917 stainless. The trigger was horrible. After a Rifle Basix trigger assy and a good scope, it turned out to be a very accurate rifle. If I had to make the same choice again, I too would look to the Savage with the accutrigger. I also have a Thompson G2 rifle, which I also had a trigger job on Now this puppy is far more accurate and consistent than the Marlin.

 

[Dr.Rob]

The trigger is the only weak point, with a better trigger you could really cut those groups down to size.

My range report:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=186289

 

[gbran]

 

[Jackal]

My Marlin 25mn just doesnt seem to work for me. I've tried all the ammo i can get my hands on, and still cant get any decent accuracy out of it. Of course, the trigger is the worst ive ever felt on a rifle. Trigger breaks at about 9 pounds and feels like notchy-sand paper (makes my yugo sks feel like a match rifle). That said, i refuse to modify it. It is the only heirloom i have from my late grandfather. I guess i could probably smooth the 917's trigger myself. Yes, i am handy at those sort of things.

 

[rangerruck]

it is a great rifle, and easy to mod the trigger. bring the pull weight donw to 3 lbs or so. you cannto fire a 17m2 in a 17hmr. you can however fire a 17 pmc or 17aguila in a 17m2. Which is why im getting a 17m2.

 

[Lebben-B]

My 917V is a great little gun, but I concur with the others that the trigger needs improvement.

 

[poncaguy]

I have 2 Savage 93's, the latest a bull barrel with the accu-trigger, very accurate and a blast to shoot.........don't like the looks of the Marlin, but from what I've read, very accurate too.........

 

[OpFlash]

My Marlin 25mn just doesnt seem to work for me. I've tried all the ammo i can get my hands on, and still cant get any decent accuracy out of it. Of course, the trigger is the worst ive ever felt on a rifle. Trigger breaks at about 9 pounds and feels like notchy-sand paper (makes my yugo sks feel like a match rifle).

Sorry to hear that mine's not like that at all, I was knocking the center out of 3" clays at 100M the other day with no trouble using a rest and CCI maximags. I bought mine used but in excellent condition, maybe the PO did some trigger work. I don't think your grandpa would mind at all if you gave the tigger on his rifle a litle TLC. In fact he'd probably llike the idea.

My 25MN is on one the bottom:

 

[Jackal]

Opflash: Funny you should mention that. Today i just got the itch to do some tinkering. I decided to polish the trigger a little bit. I ended up with about a 4# pull and crisp let off. Not too shabby, at least i dont break a sweat pulling the trigger anymore. I hate sentimental feelings, they just get in the way.

 

[zmopar1]

I dont want to steer you wrong I have a 25MN and it is a fantastic tool and it's about as acurate as they come. However as for the quality of Savage rifles I had two and dumped them on an auction they are just not built as good as other brands. Mine had the worst job done on the stocks I had ever seen one even had a run in it and it jammed up constantly.

 

[Dbar111]

I have been shooting the 917V for about a year and I can consistently hit a penny at a hundred yards. In fact, its getting a little too easy...I might switch to cheerios.

 

[john917v]

Jackal, I don't think he'd mind, either. I think that he would want you to make it the best rifle you could, in order to have the most fun, and to honor him. It's not like you're replacing anything, just making the most of what the rifle already has.

I love the 917v!! The trigger is not that great, but it breaks somewhat cleanly, I'd say, with little overtravel. You can also change out the trigger spring for a bic/pen spring for very little change!