Hi, i`ve had my 17hmr for awhile now and i`ve took it hunting a couple of times. Mostly for pasture grizzly`s (woodchucks) and i can`t help but feel that it needs a heavier duty bullet to take them out of commision better. Granted, well placed shots always leveled the hog`s,i thought it would perform slightly better. Perhap`s a soft point would add to it`s deadliness? I`ve also expierenced problems with keeping the rifle at zero. I`ve had 2 scopes on it , and i get it shot in easy enough, but after awhile it wonders off zero? Maybe it was the scopes,maybe it was the rifle? The last scope was a Leupold. Anybody else had these expirences? The rifle itself is a Ruger 77/17

Does your rifle have the wood stock? If so, you might need to free float the barrel. The Ruger I have is the HB lam stock stainless. I free floated the barrel and glass bedded the action and it has held zero perfectly. I have not taken game yet with mine, but I agree from past experiences with pasture poodles and the .22-250 that the .17 HMR might be a little light for them. The new 20 gr. bullet Hornady is coming out with may make a bit of difference, but I still think the .17 HMR is limited to rabbit sized game and smaller.

I have a Savage model 93 in 17 hummer with about 1,000 rounds through it. Other than a poor trigger, ( now modified) it has been a great gun to shoot and one of the most accurate rifles that I have owned. It makes a black mist out of crows. I would would shoot a coyote with it if that was all that I was packing but I don't see it as a 'yote' gun. It will tear up the metal swinging targets that are disigned for a 22 LG; punches holes right through them. It is by far one of the most fun guns that I have.

One of the better ballistics trades...compared to the 34gr. .22mag. loads, the 17hrm gave up 50% of the bullet weight to gain 25% more vel. Having it all ready to go, several rifles immediatly announced and at least some ammo arriving at the same time, was at least one lesson the makers have learned (at least) about marketing. They under-guessed the responce, and ammo supply was a bit short for a time...but they caught up fast.

Pretty neat...been a long time (1959?)...but here is a brand new round, and rifles to chamber it, offered quickly after it's introduction that didn't cost an arm or a leg to buy.

Back when the 17 centerfires got popular, were lots of tales (written in the gun rags of the day) of deer and hog hunts with the little round...at least one bear hunt. Thinkgs calmed down after a time and the centerfire round got place in more appropriatly as a varmint round.

Think some of the same hype is at work...the thrill of the new...and as such it gets tried out on things out of it's weight calss.

Does fill need that has been overlooked...are a lot more areas where a low noise short range varmint rifle can be put to good use than a big cased centerfire.

...Does fill need that has been overlooked...are a lot more areas where a low noise short range varmint rifle can be put to good use than a big cased centerfire.

I agree; many of the areas near where I live you can hunt, but are rimfire-only. This little round opens up a few more possibilities than my 22lr, and isn't a whole lot noisier. Plus, it's a lot of fun to shoot. I'm hoping the ammo will come down in price as the hype settles down. $8 for a box of 50 seems a bit high when I can get Winchesters at $12 for a box of 40 for my 223.

My uncle has one and I'll agree that it's a nifty little cartridge & rifle. Like you, he has the Ruger 77/17.

I guess that it has its place but I wouldn't trade my 22LR for it. My biggest complaint would be the price of the ammo.

My uncle has one and I'll agree that it's a nifty little cartridge & rifle. Like you, he has the Ruger 77/17.

I guess that it has its place but I wouldn't trade my 22LR for it. My biggest complaint would be the price of the ammo.

IF you were to reload, could beat the 17HRM costs...but that would pretty much void the whole idea of the .17HRM.

Had the use of one for a few weeks, and got to shoot it side by side with a .22mag., and a 22Hornet. Accuracy it has...amazing power it doesn't (except in comparison to the .22LR). At the range, could make smaller groupes (not by a whole bunch) at 100yards with the little 17...at 150yards, the Hornet was ahead. Past 125-150yards, expansion with the 17 and the .22mag. was getting a little bit "iffy". The .22hornet was running out of sure fire expasnion by 200yards.

Have heard the stories about the .17HRM dropping bigger critters at 200 and 250yards. The .17HRM isn't "magic", still follows the rules of ballistics...bullets shape, weight, and remaining velocity don't suddenly make exceptions to the rules becasue it's a rim-fire.

I have a Marlin 17VS and haven't experienced any problems regarding the rifle holding center (Leupold scope). The accuracy is unbelievable. However, I do have one complaint. Actually two. The price of ammo and I bought it to shoot groundhogs. No quick kills except for head shots. I find myself getting my 243 out of the locker and using it over the 17. I get tempted to trade it in on a 223. Maybe I shouldn't have bought into the media marketing in the beginning.

Have a Ruger 77/22 that had a .22 Mag barrel on it. When the .17 HMR came out it intrigued me enough to want one. Green Mountain came out with a swap barrel for the 77/22 in a heavy fluted model. Ordered one and routed out the channel in the stock to accept it (Ruger wanted $215 for a replacement stock). Had just bought a BSA Platinum scope (8x34x44) so mounted it on the rifle and headed to the range with a pocket full of ammo. It shot outstandingly.

I've only shot paper with it so far. Studying the ballistics, I'd have to agree it shouldn't be expected to do much damage past 150 yds, and even at that, nothing really larger than a jackrabbit.

The only observation of a critical nature is that it is very susceptible to wind drift. It has to be a nice calm day before I take it to the range.

The newly announced Ruger .204 may be the answer for longer chuck kills without going up-gun too much. My Ruger 77MkII V/T in .223 Rem will suffice for my needs, but the new round might be of interest to those who don't own one of the fast .22 centerfires.

I have just fell in love with the 17HRM. I have a Savage model 93R17 with a Simmons 44MAG scope, it is 6.5X20X44. At 100 yards I get sub MOA groups. I have never had any problems with impact change. :D

I started out by buying a barrel for my Contender as my first .17hrm. After having it for the last year, and enjoying some longrange handgunning, I decided to start looking at .17hrm rifles. After shooting a few that friends own, and looking at evry brand from the cheapest, to the highest (Anschutz!) I ended up buying the CZ 452 American yesterday. Haven't gotten to the range yet, to test it, but it sure has a great feeling trigger, and is a real good looking gun!
I love the fact that I don't have to reload for the .17hrm. It's what has always attracted me to my little .22 rimfires. I reload for about 20 some calibers, and I really don't need another gun to reload for! The ammo is finally quite available here, and prices are under $7 a box now, so that's encouraging!

I started out by buying a barrel for my Contender as my first .17hrm. After having it for the last year, and enjoying some longrange handgunning, I decided to start looking at .17hrm rifles. After shooting a few that friends own, and looking at evry brand from the cheapest, to the highest (Anschutz!) I ended up buying the CZ 452 American yesterday. Haven't gotten to the range yet, to test it, but it sure has a great feeling trigger, and is a real good looking gun!
I love the fact that I don't have to reload for the .17hrm. It's what has always attracted me to my little .22 rimfires. I reload for about 20 some calibers, and I really don't need another gun to reload for! The ammo is finally quite available here, and prices are under $7 a box now, so that's encouraging!

marlinman,
I bought a CZ452 last year and I love this gun!! It always shoots about 1" at 100 yrds. Everything you said about your gun is a ditto, right down to not having to reload for another caliber.
I'm thinking real seriously about buying a handgun in this caliber as the squirrels are out now and I'm having a time with my 9 year-old blasting them! Not sure what brand I'll go with on that one.
kl

marlinman,
I bought a CZ452 last year and I love this gun!! It always shoots about 1" at 100 yrds. Everything you said about your gun is a ditto, right down to not having to reload for another caliber.
I'm thinking real seriously about buying a handgun in this caliber as the squirrels are out now and I'm having a time with my 9 year-old blasting them! Not sure what brand I'll go with on that one.
kl

I own this piece and shoot it frequently. It generally outshoots my Valquartsen .17 HMR! I did touch up the trigger to about 2.5# but otherwise it is out-of-box. I have a BSA 6-24X40 on it, and it is tough on most anything of fox size and smaller out to 150 yards, and rabbits, etc. out to 250 yds. I also own a CZ527 in 223, in the full length stock, with the single set trigger. It shoots .5 to .75 at 100 yds consistantly, with a Leopold 3-12X. Out of the box, CZ is the best bang for your buck that I know. You done good.

PcolaJack

Hi, i`ve had my 17hmr for awhile now and i`ve took it hunting a couple of times. Mostly for pasture grizzly`s (woodchucks) and i can`t help but feel that it needs a heavier duty bullet to take them out of commision better. Granted, well placed shots always leveled the hog`s,i thought it would perform slightly better. Perhap`s a soft point would add to it`s deadliness? I`ve also expierenced problems with keeping the rifle at zero. I`ve had 2 scopes on it , and i get it shot in easy enough, but after awhile it wonders off zero? Maybe it was the scopes,maybe it was the rifle? The last scope was a Leupold. Anybody else had these expirences? The rifle itself is a Ruger 77/17

You may want to check the barrel bedding. Sounds like a warped stock. Ruger uses a barrel pressure point, as I remember - correct me if I am wrong. If the stock is moving with changes in temp and humidity, then it will never zero unless you float it or stiffen it and rebed the pressure point with JB Weld or something. I like to use Sorbathane pads cut from shoe insoles.

I finaly got a chance to shoot my .17 HMR G2 Contender, yesterday. It kep to around an inch at 100y, untill the wind picked up. I noticed that a 6-10mph will drift the POI only about 4 in. I found chrony info saying that a "14 barrel shoots less than 100f.p.s. less than a 22" barrel. I know of people who shoot woodchucks out to 150y-250y. Some people have even taken yotes with their rifles. Makes me wish I had more than a 8x pistol scope. I still have to try this out in the field. I imagin it would be a chalange to shoot game over 100y, without the aid of a stock.
marlinman93
Do you know if their is replacement grips for a G2? I would like a padded grip for deerhunting, and a rifle stock grip.

I have found that the CCI hollow points work better on whistle pigs than do the Hornady Vmax

Hav'nt read all the replies to the thread starter, so I'll just agree that most,[if not all Mod. 77s] respond to free floating/relief. That little upward "bump" in fore end channel I never could understand. In my opinion, w/out even firing the rifle, I'd remove that as a matter of course..'cause after all, replacing it would be as easy as pie. As far as blaming scope or mounts, I'd be looking at the scope 'cause Ruger's mount system is usually Rock Solid. There are different rings supplied for large objectives vs small and different heights too-Maybe your problem?
Greystoke

marlinman,
I bought a CZ452 last year and I love this gun!! It always shoots about 1" at 100 yrds. Everything you said about your gun is a ditto, right down to not having to reload for another caliber.
I'm thinking real seriously about buying a handgun in this caliber as the squirrels are out now and I'm having a time with my 9 year-old blasting them! Not sure what brand I'll go with on that one.
kl
Just wait until you try the single set....wondeful

I s'pose that I may be one of the very few dissenters on this
topic, but I currently don't see much need for this cartridge.
granted, it DOES look very promising on paper. I currently
don't own one, so you could say that I am not fair & unbiased.
I DO have a Ruger 77/22 in 22 Mag, and it will also shoot
1" groups @100 yds with CCI Maxi hollowpoints or TMJ easily
with a relatively low end Simmons 22 MAG scope. Those
are 5 shot groups, too, not 3 shots. I actually shot a 1.7
inch 10-shot group with it last week at the range @ 100 yds.
Granted the 22 Mag isn't the ultimate rifle round for little
varmints and small game, but I think it can do anything
that the 17 HMR can do, and in certains cases, perhaps
even better due to the heavier projectile. It is a bit less
laser-straight in trajectory beyond 150 yards than the 17,
but I don't think that one would realistically be dropping
animals beyond that range with either of these rounds,
at least, I don't intend to. I'd certainly upgrade to a
centerfire cartridge at 200 yards !

I am open to being educated on the reasons for the
17 rimfire, but for me at least, I don't that that I have
any practical need for one, 'cept it is always fun to buy a
new firearm and punch paper !

oldyankee

Old yankee2; I can only offer my opinion/s, that, for people who up till now only owned .22 rimfires, aquiring a .17 HMR almost puts them in "centerfire land" as far as velocity goes [nevermind the inherent
accuracy MOST have shown]. The fact of better constructed bullets as well as a non reloadable feature [for those who don't reload; and there's a ton who don't] makes the hummer a alternative to
buying a .22 mag RF; 'cause really, the latter was/is
a fickle cartridge, that at most, was/is slightly better than the old .22 WRF and a poor second to the .22 Hornet [which by the way is, if you reload, cheaper to shoot!] which the 'Hummer' approaches in velocity.
And anyway you slice it , all cartridges mentioned are marginal in my opinion for large 'chucks', coyotes, ostriches, 'The Undead' and such, unless precise bullet placement is acheived.
Happy Halloween Everybody!
Greystoke [Von Helsing]

the 17hmr is pretty deadly trust me but i dont think a soft point would do better the v max its pretty awesome but we mainly shoot sage rats and they are smaller

I have the Ruger 77/17 as well, the Target Grey Model. I have Leopold scope on it. I haven't taken it hunting yet, but for accuracy I'm very satisfied. At 100 yards, I can frequently put five grouped about nickel size. No problem keeping it to zero. Seems to stay there through a couple hundred rounds, anyway. They only thing I might do is get an after-market trigger for it. --Mykal Banta

I ten to agree with oldyankee; the .17 HMR is obviously wanted by many, but it's not for me.

I already have a .22 LR and a .22 mag that I'm perfectly happy with. Why would I go out and buy another rimfire?

Drifter

The 17HMR round is a fine round for prairie dogs out to 180 Yds. but you have to hold into the wind with it. I have not shot any thing larger than P dogs with it. Sofare this year have shot about 1,500 P dogs with a Cooper LVT rifle -Burris 4.5-14X Scope. The rifle will shoot 3/4 inch groups at 100 Yds using 17 Gr. Hornady V-MAX bullets.

I have shot the 17HMR. It is nice. I can't get excited about it. Yes, it is fast. And accurate. But that is what I bought my 243 for. I like rimfires. I better, either that or I have too many for someone who doesn't like them.

I just don't get the 17 HMR. It's not you, it's me...
We just don't belong together.

The 17 HMR round is a fine for prairie out to about 180 Yds using the 17 Gr. V-MAX bullet. Free floating the barrel and glass bedding the front reciver may help the 77/17, it did on a77/22 that I gve to my son.