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Got the itch for a hotter rimfire than my "Mountie"
Wild Turkey
Member Posts: 2,425 ✭✭✭✭
.22LR was fine back when I had young eyes and lots of Jack Rabbits to shoot.
But now I'm wondering if a .17 with a good scope would be fun.
Question is "Which one?"
First problem is ammo availability. I remember the 5mm that died because ammo wasn't affordable/available. Is one of the rimfire .17's popular enough that this won't be a problem?
I read the reason they used the "industrial" cartridge for the .17 WSM was a good supply of raw brass to form for the .17.
So which one is best bet?
If somebody offered a .17WSM in a lever action there'd be no question but I'm still wondering.
What do youse guys think?
Comments
I have the 5mm and the 17hmr. The 5mm is the better of the two. They make ammo now but I had about twenty boxes of the old stuff. I also have the 22 mag and it is good also. Don
17 HMR seems to be the most common. Several manufacturers make it in different weights.
17 WSM looks like a winchester only thing, Haven't seen anyone else making it.
17 Mach II might be making a comeback, but supply looks to be limited at this time.
I like the .22mag also. Are some good shooting Bolt actions new and used available.
I bought a used Savage B-Mag in 17 Win. Super Magnum here on GB some years back. The quality of the rifle is not great, but it is accurate enough for me. I have Federal 20 gr. ammo listed at 3000 fps and Win. 25 gr. ammo at 2600. I have fired over 1000 rounds in the past few weeks and the Federal averages 3050 fps and the Win. 2675 fps. At 25 yards both bullets blow up in a 2 liter water bottle and don't make a mark on the backside. As far as ammo, a quick check shows sold ammo prices all over the place, but mostly from 35 to 65 cents per round. 17 HMR ammo is cheaper but also 500 fps slower.
How about 5.7X28? If you got an AR you don't need to buy another rig. But if you're stuck on "rim fire" I'd get one that has a conversion kit for the AR.
I'd stick with a bolt action unless you're really stuck on semi-auto. Early 17HMR's had OOB discharge issues. I had a 22WMR H&R semi-auto decades back and it suffered a similar problem.
Currently, I have 3 Ruger bolt actions in 17HMR---2x 77/17 and a American Rimfire. Depending on the ammo, shooter, and conditions(maybe the moon sign, too) accuracy varies from amazing to adequate for the purpose. Amazing is a 100 yard 3 shot cloverleaf and adequate is minute of coyote @ 150 yards.
There's a wider variety of ammo for the 17HMR than for the other options. Since you take what's on the shelf, this is IMPORTANT since some of these rifles are or can be very picky. If you want 2500-2600 fps, get a 5.7x28 since most of the 17WSM ammo is either/or(either you can find some on a store shelf and it shoots well in your rifle OR you're SOL).
I like the 22 magnum. But from what I have read and talked with other folks, the 5mm would be better than the 22 magnum or the 17 hmr. I wish the 17 WSM had been produced in 22 cal.
JMO.
Myself and 3 other buddies all ordered Ruger 77/17's in 17 WSM. All of the guns shot terrible with all different kinds of ammo, none shot under 2" at 50 yards. For us, the whole purpose was to have a rimfire that shot good enough at 150 yards to kill small critters. We all went down the road of bolt shims and other tricks that we thought would improve the accuracy. In the end, we all got rid of them. The nice part was that we all paid $750, and ended up selling them here on gb for over $1100 each. Not a bad chambering, just didn't seem to work in those guns.
I have heard that about the rulers. Have a friend with a savage bolt action and it is MOA with all ammo.brands.
Has taken Pos at 300 yrs plus. Wind is a problem though.