Anyone have one of these new Savage .17 HMR rifles ?

The appeal of a .17 HMR semi-auto is strong, probably because there's a ton of it on the shelves locally. I cannot say the same for .22 mag.

Any feedback would be appreciated, thanks.

Well, curiosity got the better of me once again.

I'll report on the shakedown range trip soon.

I was able to run a couple of hundred rounds through the A17 yesterday, and have declared this rifle a keeper.


After cleaning the gun thoroughly, as per the instructions, it got a light coat of grease on the sliding areas of the bolt. The Accu-Trigger was backed off to the lightest setting, about 4-5 lbs. A budget 4-16x scope was attached to the factory mounting points via Weaver rings, and we were ready to make some very small holes in stuff.


It took no more than ten rounds to sight in the scope, using the CCI A17-specific ammo. Sighted in at 100 yards, there was about 3/4 inch - or less - of drop at 150. The longest shot at about 165 showed this little round's laser-like trajectory. A 17gr Spitzer bullet, cruising along at almost 3000 fps is no joke ! Judging by what happen to a SPAM can, these tiny things would punch a fist-sized chunk of meat out of anything unfortunate to end up in the crosshairs.


At full 16x magnification, it was a hoot walking cans back, shot after shot, at 150yds plus. The ten-round mags provided reliable operation, as long as they were fully seated. The only failure of any kind I experienced out of 200 was one dud round. Since these are high-pressure rimfires, the dud was pitched rather than another attempt made at ignition. All subsequent rounds fired without issue.


I will be surprised if the aftermarket doesn't respond favorably to this little rifle. Price wise, it's a small step up from a 10/22, but the .17 HMR is so much more of a cartridge than the .22lr that it's worth it IMO.

Try one, you'll probably like it !

Wow, you waited two whole days from curiosity to range report!

Thanks for sharing, it got good reviews in the press too.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Thanks for the review. Read about this new one from Savage earlier this year in Shooting Times. Claims it will feed with the new A-17 rounds from CCI and also with the standard. Interesting on how the bolt works to ensure proper cycling. Nice to see a semi in this cartridge again. Would love to try one.

Yes, Thanks for the range report. Sounds like a fun
little rimfire. I intend to go and at least hold one in
my hands and see if it feels right.
I owned a CZ bolt gun in .17 HMR and that was an
impressive little rifle and chambering.
Mistakenly took it with me to the squirrel woods one
time. Let's just say that there wasn't much
(good meat) taken home that day. It's a rough
round on those small animals.


Chuck

__________________
They hold no Quarter

I've a Savage 17 HMR in bolt action and its a deadly accurate little rifle. Just ask the squirrels in my yard, well maybe not.

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Isaiah 41:10

It's nice to see a few folks who like the 17HMR here. I am a new cheerleader for the cartridge.


I'm definitely going to scour the scratch-and-dent aisle in the supermarket this week for some cheap canned veggies; we used up all of my out-of-date stuff this weekend. It's funny that there's no thought given to going through $$$ worth of ammo, but shooting up good food somehow crosses the line.

I assume the recoil is light enough to see the bullet impact the target in the scope. Can you elaborate on that?

The recoil is light enough to see the impact, but the hole is so small that you need to scoot the crosshairs over a bit to see it. On a high-contrast splatter target like a Dirty Bird (or similar) it would likely be easier.


At 150 yards, it was no problem picking which quarter-sized target to shoot, placed with a one inch separation between them. Most were center-punched.


The little Savage A17 is by far the most accurate rifle right out of the box that I've owned. This kind of performance from a Volquartsen $1500 rifle is impressive; from an affordable semi-auto it's astonishing !

Well, my godson has been trying to wear this little rifle out. He hasn't picked up his (very nicely kitted) 10/22 since I brought over the A17.


The CCI A17-specific ammo is definitely the preferred round for this rifle, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if it clocked in a bit faster than its claimed 2650 fps. All other premium varmint ammo we shoot hits 1.5 dots low on the scope at 200 yards, compared to the CCI, despite a claimed differential of only 100 fps on the other boxes.

The local LGS wants $60/200 for the CCI stuff; thank goodness the Walmart has it for $46, and they've had it in-stock too !


We extended our shooting range out to the max, about 250 yards, and you can really start to see the effect of wind on the wee 17-grain round. It's been a great lesson on watching the wind for my godson, and a great refresher for this old guy.


I'm still digging this thing.