THE 17??

[Tusker]

What is the take on this somewhat new 17 RIMFIRE??? I admit, I have been very tempted, but wondering if it would be worth my time?? Can't help but think about that 5MM rimfire that a lot of people got stuck with guns they cannot find ammo for--$75.00 a box at best-- So what is the poop here?? THANKS!!! if you do like it, what gun?? S&W, RUGER SS or What??

[Scotty]

i tried an hmr and wasnt too impressed, im the one oddball out of 10000 though

as far as the $75 a box discontinued ammo thing goes, i suggest you forget about that! IT AINT GONNA HAPPEN

go get one and youll probably love it, and if the price doesnt bother ya now, just be happy cause there'll be plenty of it for a long long time

just one crazy guys opinion, of course, but youre gonna get a lot of answers and i think most of em will say dont worry about the ammo !

scotty

[Jim H]

my .02 is the .17 hmr is here to stay, the jury's out with me on the .17 mach2. don't ask me why, it just seems to me that the hmr has a much larger following. folks get giddy when they can shoot dome size groups at 100 yds even if you are limited in size of the vermin you can dispatch with it.

[grandparem]

I have an opinion on the .17s... lets see if anyone else has come to the same conclusion ....

1. They seem to be pretty accurate.
2. They are really effected by the wind.
3. If you are going to get one, get a bolt action, not a semi-auto.

The ones I have been around and shot (I don't own one yet) were very accurate, but I have only shot a couple of .17HMRs, not am HM2.
From the problems I have heard about semi-autos, they need to be kept very clean or they will get a build-up at the front of the chamber and next thing you know you will have a "fire out of battery" condition which is not a good thing. Because they are rimfires, a lot of people try to treat them like a .22 and don't keep them clean. They need to be treated more like a centerfire and cleaned more regular. Also, centerfire semi-autos are gas operated so the bolt stays locked while the cartridge is firing and doesn't open until the pressure has started to drop off. A blowback semi-auto starts back almost instantly and leaves burnt powder and residue where the bottleneck is. Another thing that causes the problem is that it is very hard to design a blowback semi-auto that can not be fired with the bolt slightly open. I measured my .22LR 597 and the hammer can hit the firing pin with the bolt approx. .070-.075" open and most s/autos can do the same to varying degrees. A gas operated s/a can be designed for the bolt to be locked before it will fire.

These are the conclusions I came to... maybe I'm off base, but in looking at some of the rifles and seeing the problems they have had, that's what I came up with.

The 5mm Remington was only available in the 591/2 rifles and they were dropped and the ammunition has never been reproduced in part because of the cleaning problem. If they were not kept clean they would develop a high pressure situation. I called Old Western Scrounger many years ago because I had heard rumors about them having the ammo reproduced and he told me of the pressure problem, so he dropped his plans to have some made... did not want a liability problem.

[Jon]

My opinion is that the HMR is a fine cartridge, if you like the WMR you will definitely like the HMR.

In my hunting combo I use a savage HMR with 20 grain hornady XTP's. It is a flat out deadly combo for late season squirrels.

Although my 22mag is usually the first gun I grab from the safe I appreciate the accuracy, and "put a squirrel down in it's tracks right now" fragmentation the ammo provides.

I'd like the HMR alot better if I got another CZ, just love how they handle in the woods.

'Course any magnum is a good magnum to me.

[sheffieldshootr]

Ahh, did I here 5mm? 592M and 25 precious rds.

[Jon]

sheffieldshootr said:

Ahh, did I here 5mm? 592M and 25 precious rds.

Sheffieldshootr,

You ought to check out varminter.com or speak with Eric Mayer on RFC, he is big into the 5mm and has written a few articles on the subject. Good reads.

[grandparem]

I have a 592 and have 2 bolt faces for it.... the original, in case someone does decide to make a run of 5mm Mag., and one that is modified for 5mm Craig. I bought the extra bolt piece back when Mike Craig was handling it himself about 7 or 8 years ago. Now Eagle View Research Center is handling it for him.

www.5mmcraig.com/

I tried a few different loads when I first got it and it wasn't all that accurate. Now with all the .204 bullets that are available because of the .204 Ruger, some people have found some pretty good reloads. Maybe one of these days..........................

[macc]

I've got a couple: a Cooper and a now highly modified Marlin. Both shoot c. .5-.65 at 100yds which IS fun...but are very wind sensitive. Great guns for protecting my 300+ newly planted trees from the rabbits bent on eating them. A lot of my friends use them seriously for PD hunting with good results, but I usually opt for a 223.

As for the 17HM2 I prep'd a Richards stock for a Savage BVSS and it is a VERY nicely balanced gun and feels great offhand. Does basically anthing a 22lr does for me with a flat trajectory out to a little over 100yds. Haven't tried it for groups at 100, but shoots around .33" at 50 consistantly. Shot a jackrabbit in the shoulder at 100yds and was VERY disappointed with the results...jack ran about 50 yds and shot it at 155 with a 17HMR with an instant kill. I will not use it on jacks again, unless it's a sure thing head shot. As with anything YMMV.

For rimfire shooting of jacks, I prefer a 22 mag, but have had very effective results with headshots and the HMR's.

[9x19]

Mine are both semis... an early (single extractor) Ruger 10/22M with a 96/17 barrel and a Remington 597M... haven't had a moment's trouble with either, and they are both way more accurate than I can hold offhand.

Good guns, and a good cartridge, IMO.

[sheffieldshootr]

grandparem said:

I have a 592 and have 2 bolt faces for it.... the original, in case someone does decide to make a run of 5mm Mag., and one that is modified for 5mm Craig. I bought the extra bolt piece back when Mike Craig was handling it himself about 7 or 8 years ago. Now Eagle View Research Center is handling it for him.

www.5mmcraig.com/

I tried a few different loads when I first got it and it wasn't all that accurate. Now with all the .204 bullets that are available because of the .204 Ruger, some people have found some pretty good reloads. Maybe one of these days..........................

Yes, I have read some on this. I might jump in there and get a centerfire kit also. Does the centerfire boltface use the same big goofy extractor - please say "no"?

Sorry folks. If this 5mm stuff goes much further, we will move it to another thread.

Its all good though, right?

[Tusker]

THANKS for all the input -- I was thinking that the 17 would not be at it's best in a handgun. ?? So far, it would seem that is the case. But??

[macc]

Tusker,

It's been awhile since I looked at the ballistics in an HMR handgun. But, IIRC, the 17HMR velocity was actually quite a bit better proportionally than the 22WMR in a handgun length barrel. Again, IIRC, it had to do with the quicker burning of the powder used in the HMR vs. the WMR. But, I am getting old and I stand in front of an open refrigerator having no clue as to what I'm doing there.

[Scotty]

well i lke a 22wmr best of all, and dont have ANY trouble with why i go to the fridge ;D

sometimes cant remember from where i came to get there though ;D

scotty & daisey

ps, thanks for the thumb Annie

[Unruely]

billyo said:

I'd like the HMR alot better if I got another CZ, just love how they handle in the woods.

CZ 452 Varmint 17HMR.

I have a total of 3 17HMR's at this time and am always looking for more.. I have found that they don't seem to be quite as accurate at closer ranges -50yds, than a nice 22lr with target ammo. They do hold up to the wind much better than a 22, near half the amount of drift. At longer ranges they are great. I can consistently hit an apple at 250yds from a prone shooting position. At that range they seem to still pack a wallop, and will penatrate 2 layers of an old heavy farm gate metal.

Martin