Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires The 17 WSM..

Is it "coming" or is it "going"? Ammo availability? Opinions on Rifles.

I like my 17 wsm , it's a Savage b mag in a Boyd's stock . I usually order ammo online but it's still available in the local shops.

It's not dead yet, but it's on life support, and the battery is fading on the power supply.

Savage and Ruger are really the only gunmakers (aside from the Winchester 1885 Low Wall), and the Ruger is discontinued (as are all the 77/22s, 77/.357, .77/17 Hornets, etc.)

Maybe I'm completely wrong, but that tends to make me think they're on the way down the drain.

It's not dead yet, but it's on life support, and the battery is fading on the power supply.

Savage and Ruger are really the only gunmakers (aside from the Winchester 1885 Low Wall), and the Ruger is discontinued (as are all the 77/22s, 77/.357, .77/17 Hornets, etc.)

Maybe I'm completely wrong, but that tends to make me think they're on the way down the drain.

It's about the best rimfire to come along in decades, but nobody seems to care right now.

I think it will fade a bit and then come back around again. It's too good to die, for a rimfire.

I think it would be great it in a lever action.

IF I didn't have an accurate Hornet, I'd be tempted, but I do. From the limited reviews I've seen, the Hummer is more accurate and is a great round for plinking and targets, and is so popular that it'll be around forever, so it's likely I'll get one of those someday. The WSM, in a rifle that appeals to me, is just too big a financial risk, with no easy escape path if it goes under.

It's the best you can get in a varmint cal. without going centerfire.

Frankln i Armory AR platform with the release trigger is sweet.

I believe Volquartson packages the AR in .17 WSM also.

Among others.

I was really hoping this would fly since Ruger was getting into the game. Now I am not so sure. The Ruger 17wsm looked good but who knows now. Still wish I had bought the Ruger when available. Oh well, I thought the 5mm was making a comeback also. These guns are like some of my favorite football teams, just a little short to make the big time!!!

It is going the way of the 17HM2 - there may be a bit of it out there but before long it will be premium priced when it can be found.

In my limited experience of two rifles the accuracy was only so-so. Even early on ammo was a little hard to find.
Like someone else posted - if you want a 17 rimfire go with the 17HMR, it is not as fast as the 17WSM but it seems to give good accuracy in most guns and there is a lot of ammo available for the HMR.

drover

If Ruger were to chamber the 17WSM in their American Rifle I could see it having a future.

I think that it is a good cartridge, as most are, and it opens its own market niche, but it needs a reasonably price accurate rifle to get some traction and forward momentum. The Savage B-Mags don't have a very good reputation and the Rugers are expensive. I think that Ruger would make a killing if they made the American Rifle in 17 WSM and were able to see it for $400 or less at retail.

If Winchester or Remington made a rifle, it would do better. I'm not a Savage fan (modern gun) ,but I bought a b mag . I had my expectations curbed for the gun, but really like the cartridge.

Those two hardly represent affordable options. JB reports that the A17 Hummer ammo comes very close to WSM performance, and there are scads of rifles at all price levels that can use that.

What's A17 hummer?

Video of 17 HMR vs 17 wsm on cantaloupe.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EbsgWFsDoSU

What is the advantage of the 17WSM with 25gr bullets at 3000 over the 223 with 50gr bullets at 3000, almost the same BC and absolutely better availability of everything across the board.

Sounds like a great topic for a NEW thread.

Not sure.

Ammo is available.

Been covered.

Like comparing the HMR to the WSM.....GMAFB

Ruger American in 17 WSM, would be perfect. And they would sell oodles

As for me, 17 fireball is still the uber

That's the ammo specially designed to ensure function in the Savage autolaoder. Runs about 100fps faster than standard. CCI makes it.

Had Winchester went .20 cal I'd be onboard. An even faster .17 does nothing for me.

I think the WSM will suffer the same fate as the .17 mach2. Not enough rifles chambered for it, ammo supply dried up for lack of sales. When you CAN find some Mach 2 it costs more than .17HMR or .22 Magnum. If Ruger doesn't chamber it's American for the .17 WSM, it's fate is sealed. A slow lingering death. JMO

I don't get it. Winchester makes the fastest 17 rim fire,but doesn't make an affordable rifle chambered for it. There is however one for $1200 (Winchester low wall on gunbroker).

I agree a Ruger American in 17 wsm would be awesome. Maybe it's in the works since they discontinued the 77 rimfires.

Speed kills!

Doesn't "do anything " for me either, I just wanted the fastest rimfire

The poor ammo Winchester shipped in their initial shipments sure didn't help things, either, but the lack of good, affordable rifles have pretty much killed it, in my mind. I have two HMRs and a .17 Hornet, so it's appeal was lost on me from the git-go, but I followed things pretty closely, and it's not looking good, from my point of view.

Looks like the savages basically suck. Multiple posters at rimfire central are talking about their replacements from Savage. Mine hasn't broken. Some over there also said the ruger Americans cannot withstand the round due to pressure. I doubt Ruger is going to make a "ground up" design for just the 17 wsm round.

The .17 WSM got off to a bad start. Rifles and ammo both had issues.

I don't see much 25Gr. ammo, but I have been buying 20 Gr. less than .22Mag.
Just 1 more rifle in the pile.

I will not own a Ruger, however.

The problem all 17 rimfires is the low cost of 22LR and 223, and trying find a niche between them.

They dumped 17M2 at less than the cost of the 17Vmax bullet in it, and I bought many bricks. Those prices did not stay at 7 cents a shot.

In the long run, it is hard to squeeze between the 22LR and 223.

The Fail Boat has left port.

It's not coming back.





Clark

If they had an ounce of sense they'd go 22 cal and load the 35gr. Hornady.




Dave

Yep - already sailed over the horizon, IMHO...

FWIW, I was in dicks sporting goods looking for a ruger American . I struck out,but noticed 3 Savage 17 wsm on the rack and they had a Safariman load of Winchester and federal ammo for them.

I sold the scope on my Savage b-mag. Today I mounted and sighted in a vari x iii 3.5 -10x40 that didn't have a home. Shot it at 25,50 and 100 yards with the original Winchester 25 grain ammo. At 100 yards it was not real tight groups (2 shots at 2" apart). I'm going to try the 20 grain in federal or hornady. I will update with some kill photos.

no thank you.......call me the frugal shooter.......

32 cents a shot.........ouch

I'll shoot my 20VT...20PT even my 223AI cheaper than that


http://www.targetsportsusa.com/17-wsm-ammo-c-988.aspx

Perfect example of 'more' is not better. I find the .17HMR to be about perfect for rock chucks and jack rabbits. Have been doing my part to keep Hornady in the .17HMR business as I have launched over 6 boxes of .17HMR's at Jack rabbits so far this winter.

The problem with centerfires is the noise. I can shoot with rimfires and nobody notices/cares - as soon as a centerfire goes boom, different story. Finding places remote enough to safely shoot a centerfire is getting difficult even here in sparsely populated Southern Idaho.

FWIW: The last couple bricks of .17HMR have been running me about $11/ box or $0.22 per round. Not cheap but such an improvement over .22lr it's worth it to me.

my rimfire 17 is the 17M2......

my quiet one...just because thats the rifle I have....

along with a stash of ammo......

Albeit a brilliant round, I'm afraid that one is even closer to extinction than the WSM.......

I figure if I shoot my M2 500 rds a year......

my ammo stash will last 10 yrs.....

thats alot of dead p/dogs........and feral cats

Some states limit public lands to rimfire only. We can only use centerfire on private land her.

I've found that the WSM drops coyotes a heckavu lot harder than the HMR out to 150 yards, and I don't have to reload for the darn thing. I too would like to see it offered in the American rifle.

I sighted in my 77 .17WSM today. Super accurate rifle...touching at 50yds and doesn't drop much at all at 150. Ammo is everywhere at my location. It has it's place in my collection and I don't plan to unload it anytime soon.
That and my Win 75 Sporter 22LR are my go to ground squirrel and rockchuck rifles.
Also...17WSM 25gr travels @2500; 20 gr is 3000fps.