[jhm]

personally I probably would go with the ruger 77-17 because at present I have the 77-22 and 77-22mag and have had great luck with both of them. Its still a little early for me to decide on what I would use it for. For the cost of the ammo to shoot it could get expensive to just plink with, and the other 2 rimfires in the 77 line-up cover the ranges of the 17 pretty close if I need anymore I will just go to a 223 or 22-250. JIM

 

[Dogshooter]

17 cal.

I have had the opportunity to shoot both the Marlin and the Ruger and would much rather have the Ruger. More expensive but it is a lot nicer. Both actually shot very good.

 

[mikepow]

17 cal.

[/color]I went to my local gun shop to order 17 savage $154 as the owner was calling his supplier I asked how much was the ammo $12.95 per box. In Conn. I told him to hang up I can get 22 lr for $.98 per box 22 mag for $3.80 a box and 223 for $2.50 a box to heavey for me.When the price comes down then i'll look. I have handled not shot a Mos. Savage and Ruger. Ruger is by far the better also $475
good luck let us know how you make out.


mikepow

 

[Dogshooter]

17 cal.

Yeah, the ammo is still way out of line. When they first started talking about this round they were saying the ammo would be very close to 22 mag ammo. I guess time will tell.

 

[redial]

17 cal.

I ran out the other day at lunch and bought a syn-stocked Savage for $160-something-and-change. Ammo's coming down, but slowly.

Even this rough-finished hardware store rifle shoots just over a minute and that's with a 4x Bushnell I found underneath something in the garage.

What I really like is that it gets close to the Hornet's trajectory with half as much powder - it's quiet. That's good when asking permission to hunt someone's pasture. Not much chance of ricochet or overpenetration either.

Something occurred to the old Jarhead in me concerning .17 bores. How many folks do you think have an appropriate sized cleaning rod in their rig? Wanna bet half these rifles NEVER get cleaned? Maybe I'm just bein persnickety...

Redial

 

[jhm]

cleaning the 17

redial after about 4 boxes of ammo thats when the bargains will start showing up in the for sale section of the sunday paper. :-D JIM

 

[redial]

17 cal.

Gotta believe you're right since I've already seen one advertised as "needs a good cleaning"

After a couple hundred rounds thru a less-than-match-grade barrel the waxy yellow buildup oughta play havoc on accuracy. I'll bet lots of folks think that since it's a rimfire, you treat 'em like .22's.

Oh well. Looking forward to the bargain "shot out" rifles. Got my skinny rod ready!

No, the other one!

Redial

 

[jhm]

cleaning the 17

I have the otis deluxe system it has the brush,cable,etc. to clean the 17 when the DIRTY little 77-17 shows up and believe me it will. :-D JIM

 

[dutch]

17 cal.

i have a ruger 77/17 and i clean it out of guilt not necessity. have a bore guide and dewey rods for it and it's still a fight to clean. cleans up better and quicker with the patchworm. no yellow waxy build up. i haven't put more than 50 thru with out cleaning, but again, only clean because of guilt. as for hunting, with proper shot placement it's adequate for groundhogs, but don't expect the bangflop of a centerfire varmint cartridge. good luck, dh

 

[redial]

17 cal.

Yup, cleaning a .17 is a learning experience.

I didn't mean to put anyone on the defensive with my comments above. It's been a plague of .17 shooters forever, having to find tiny cleaning rods, powder funnels, et al and I was guessing most new .17 HMR owners wouldn't bother.

I've found it very hard to push a brush down the bore and have resorted to the old military method of running a bare rod out the end THEN screwing the brush on and pulling it thru the bore. That spindly little rod just won't tolerate any pushing without getting a kink in it!

I may just get lazy altogther and use WipeOut foamy scrubber-in-a-can.

Cheers!

Redial

 

[TimW]

17 cal.

JHM....

I had a 77/22 mag collecting dust in the closet,so I sent off to Green mountain for a stainless fluted 17hmr barrel. Easy to swap and made a real fine shooter.Only punched paper so far but plan on trying it on groundhogs this spring. It is still breaking in so accuracy starts dropping off after about 20 rounds. Had to buy one of those skinny rods..lol. Found a little out of the way gunshop that sells the ammo for 7.50 a box.

Just my 02¢
TimW

 

[jh45gun]

17 cal.

We will see about the novelty stage Steve! and not to pick on the 17 alone either this year and this coming year the ammo companies are coming out with lots of new cartridges that have yet to prove their potential for longevity. The short Magnums come to mind as some examples it seems like every popular round is comming out with a short magnum. The 17 looks interesting but with only one company making ammo and places coming up short with ammo I will wait and see. I may be wrong but I feel it may be another 5 mm situation. That is why I bought a 22 mag instead of the 17. Jim

 

[CGSteve]

Hope you got yourself a 77/22 Mag!

Then you can get that new barrel chambered for the HMR and do some shootin'! :twisted:

The latest news is that Remington will be making/releasing ammunition this year. As for the backorder business, Sinclair has it on the shelf at $8.60 a box. I figure that the cost is not too bad considering that quality is very high with this new round.

I just wish that everyone would give this thing a fair shake. Shoot it side by side with the WMR and then make a decision, just don't be a parrot. As an added note....I'm not trying to start a flame war and I'm not trying to insult, question experience, or push my opinions on anyone.

One more thing...any opinions on the Howa M-1500 Varminter? I've got a bead on one for $500 NIB locally and was curious about experiences. I know wrong forum, but I had to throw it out there! :lol:

Steve

 

[jh45gun]

17 cal.

I'm not trying to start a war either but I do have some concearns with the round. There is the wind problem, lack of different loads and lack companies making the round now. There may be more in the future and some may have said they will make it but untill I see it I will be content to use my 22 mag. Another point if it does go under and quit being made like the 5mm being a rimfire you are screwed as far as ammo if it was at least centerfire you could reload for it. I suppose if you had to you could pull the bullets and form 22 mag brass to reload if it ever came to that but that seems like a lot of work and effort. If you have one and like it fine go for it I am not trying to discourage you or any one from getting one and shooting it but for me I'll stick with my 22 mag, the fastest bullets for that is 2200 so tht is not that much difference from 2500. Jim

 

[D Pete]

17 cal.

I bought one purely for the fun of it,If I want to shoot a couple hundred rounds I'll shoot my. 22's and use the .17 for varmints.CZ 452 American w/ Bushnell 4x12 dawn to dusk.D.P.

 

[Terry1]

17 cal.

CCI is also coming out with ammo for the .17HMR. As of now the ammo is hard to come by, bringing the price up. I expect with more companies making ammo, it will be more readily available and prive will come down. Just my $.02 :grin:

 

[savageT]

.17 Hornady Ammo

Hey,
I just received my latest "Cheaper Than Dirt" March 2003 catalog and they are selling Hornady .17 Rimfire, 17 grain V-Max polymer tipped 50/box AMM-017 $14.97, page 6. 1-800-421-8047.

Jim

 

[wilded]

17 cal.

There are now over 10 companies making firearms for this round. 3 companies have committed to make ammo and more will be online. If you do a side by side comparsion as I did in the field, I think you will become a hummer fan. I am not going to sell my 22mag but the 17hmr is now my favorite rimfire. I am presently putting together a custom GM bull barrel on a ruger action and putting some high power glass on it. This cartridge is here to stay. ET

 

[jh45gun]

17 cal.

I am glad for you guys that have the 17 RF that things are comming together. My self I feel the 17 is just too close to the 22 mag to justify buying a other gun what the 17 does my 22 mag will do, it might be a bit slower and I might have to adjust for elevation but then if you are a rifle shooter that should be taken in stride. To me it is like the 308 / 7mm08 debate the 7mm might be faster and flatter shooting than the parent cartridge but both get the job done. Since I all ready have 2 guns in 308 a rifle and a pistol I feel no need for a 7mm08 since my 308's will do all I ask of them and more. This is the same I feel about the 17 for those that have them and like them great I am glad you do and wish the cartridge well, yet my 22 LR and 22 mag will do everything I need to do with a rimfire and get it done more economically to boot also. I would not plan on seeing a drastic change in the price of 17 ammo I would guess in the near future because if it is like everything else we buy if they can get the money out of you the price will stay high for as long as they can hold it at that price. but for you that have them and are enjoying them great!! If we all shot the same thing life would be boring would'nt it. I guess I am a fan of the bigger bullet even if the speed is slower. this goes for all cartridges I own. I just shot the SSS 60 grain in my 22LR and I am impressed I am going to buy a brick as soon as they get some more in. Jim

 

[stuporman]

60 gr Aguila bullet...

http://www.22ammo.com

Has the 60 grain Aguila bullet cheap and in stock.

FYI

Looking at .17s, trying to find someone with one I can try.

I dont want to make an assumption from research without feeling it.

my 2 bits

8)