Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires 17 WSM

Anybody shooting this cartridge on prairie dogs? I got a Ruger 77 this spring and just returned from a three day shoot in Eastern MT. I took 600 rounds of ammo. 200 rounds each of the three major brands.All shot well in rifle. Had a non AO 4.5-14 scope with windplex reticle that really helped with wind allowances. Going to switch to an AO model with the same reticle since I could shoot it to slightly over 300 yards even in strong winds and could not adjust for parallax. Had to dial down power to clear up image at longer ranges. I did not realize it was that accurate at those ranges when I put that scope on it. Seemed to almost equal the 17 Hornet which I did not shoot nearly as much as I thought because of the WSM. Tried a few shots out to 350 in calmer winds but drop started to be a bigger issue than wind at those ranges so I quit and kept shots under 300 with surprising success. The two Hornets got shot when I ran out of WSM ammo but with not much longer effective ranges. Did not even shoot the 223 at all.

Interested in others experiences with the 17 WSM.

I have no experienc with the WSM ,but lots with the HMR. I have been hesitant to give it a go due to the reports of poor accuracy. IMHO if they are not solid sub MOA guns then not much point sniping at PDs with one past 200 yards no matter how fast they are.
Sounds like your Ruger is an accurate one and you enjoyed it.
Thanks for the report!

I have no experience with the WSM ,but lots with the HMR. I have been hesitant to give it a go due to the reports of poor accuracy. IMHO if they are not solid sub MOA guns then not much point sniping at PDs with one past 200 yards no matter how fast they are.
Sounds like your Ruger is an accurate one and you enjoyed it.
Thanks for the report!

Rflshtr: I have hosted five Varmint Hunters so far this year that brought along Rifles in caliber 17 WSM.
I tell you what, they really WHOP the Ground Squirrels!
One Badger was killt with the 17 WSM this spring as well.
No ammo failures to date but 3 of my friends bought these AR-15 looking Rifles in caliber 17 WSM - I forget the brand name but all were the same and they were NOT cheap!
All three "broke down" to the point they were unusable rather quickly!
The other two 17 WSM's were the heavy barrel Ruger 77/17 WSM V/T's - they functioned fine and were very accurate.
I got to take several Ground Squirrels with each of the five Rifles myself.
I like the caliber - flat shooting, accurate and plenty of pop on the smaller Varmints!
I wish I would have purchased one of the Ruger 77/17 WSM V/T's when Ruger was still offering them.
Never did find a deal on one.
I concur with your decision to go with the adjustable objective for your Colony Varmint Rifle in 17 WSM.
Keep up the good work.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Jk16: I am just aghast at your contention/inference that the 17 HMR is NOT capable of outstanding accuracy!
I will give you a first hand "REPORT" regarding accuracy and the 17 HMR.
14 and one half years ago (January of 1993) I purchased my first Rifle in caliber 17 HMR.
I strapped a Weaver V-16 (4 to 16 power variable) with fine crosshairs and fine dot reticle on it.
I took the only ammunition available back then (17 grain Hornady V-Max) and headed for the range with my then all stock Rifle (I have since added a Volquartsen trigger spring and sear kit to it) and headed for the range.
According to my loading log that first day I shot one of the smallest groups I had ever fired with a rimfire Rifle of any caliber!
That group (five shots at 100 yards) measured .502"!
I fired 3 other groups (five shots each at 100 yards) well under one "MOA" that day.
Since that day I have purchased and shot NUMEROUS other Rifles in 17 HMR and every one of them has impressed me with the accuracy that is easily obtained with them!
These Rifles included brand names of Volquartsen, Marlin, savage, H&R, Anschutz, numerous models of CZ, Winchester, Magnum Research and several models of Ruger.
Again ALL of them impressed ME with their accuracy - and I am not easily impressed.
I also have an impressively accurate Smith & Wesson revolver in caliber 17 HMR.
I simply must disagree with your contention/inference based on "reports" of the 17 HMR accuracy.
Strap some scope power (10+ powers) on any heavy barrel 17 HMR Rifle, with a nice trigger then choose a calm day and prove to yourself the accuracy potential of the 17 HMR!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Varmintguy,

I " inferred " no such thing about the 17 HMR. Go back a READ my post again.

I said I was hesitant to try the 17 WSM which was the topic this thread. And YES I DO have lots experience with the 17 HMR and yes the 17 WSM accuracy reports ARE poor compared the the great accuracy I have seen from the 17 HMRs I have worked with since 2002.

So ,you got your panties in a twist over naught...once again..:)

I think both the 17 WSM ammo and rifles have improved a bit since the round was first introduced. The most recent reviews are better, but across the board ,the 17 WSM dies not seem to have the accuracy to take advantage of its superior velocity past 200 yards.

We will see if it gets better as time goes by. I hope so.

Maybe I just got lucky with my rifle. I bought it new this late winter while they were still available through a local store. I had a target sear put in and a quick release magazine lever installed and was very impressed with accuracy and velocity to 300 yards. Just do not see much written about it like the 17 HMR or 17 Hornets. I have two Hornets and three HMR's and really was impressed with the 17 WSM.

I've been intrigued by 17 WSM but never played with one. Seems like the cartridge is fine rifles sketchy.

I secretly hope they make a 20 or 22 version

I have a early thin barrel Savage 17wsm and it took alot work to make it just a fair shooter. There were lots of issues with accuracy and early production ammo. The stocks are really cheap and adding a Boyds was the very first thing I did. I bedded it and it went from a horrible shooter to a fair shooter. The later heavy barrel models with laminate stocks are getting much better reviews and they seem to have fixed the ammo issue. It's a great caliber but if you go with a Savage Bmag get a new one instead of taking a chance with getting a older dud model. The heavy barrel units are getting much better reviews than the thin barrel models. I head shoot hogs with mines since the landowner will only allow me to use rimfire rifles on this place.

Exactly my thoughts - seemed like some ammo issues early on. Maybe things have been ironed out and it may be worth another look.

Im a 17 Cal fan. and have The Cooper 57M LVT 17 HM2, 17 HMR, Ruger 77 17WSM, CZ Varmint 17 Hornet, Rem 700 17 Fireball and Sako 17 Rem have ben used for shooting prairie dogs..The Ruger 17WSM action was glass bedded, and a target sear installed to get smaller groups. The 17 WSM is a fine round for P Dog shooting when the rifle is accurate.