Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 17 HMR rifles

This is my 17 HMR. I bought a new CZ 452 American a few years ago and started modifying it. A friend offered me a really good chunk of walnut and this is what I ended up with. I've been shooting it in a few local rimfire matches recently with good results. Being an old benchrest competitor I made a tuner for it. It helps getting good groups.

This image is from Imgur. It's easy to use. I've been using PB but... $400.00... forget it.

I will stop at Jay's and see if they have A17's. If so, I will get a box and try them. The tuner helps a lot when I change ammo.

FWIW this is the CZ 17 HMR shortly after I got it. Note the small tuner on the end of the barrel. This was taken in my front yard. Fall is very nice up here.

At the time I was writing for Precision Shooting. I took this pic hoping to get it on the cover. Alas, they went out of business before I could get it in to the editor.

Another Imgur image... I'm starting to like them.

Nice photos, Dick! And very nice walnut as well.

I might have to add a tuner to my 452, even though it's shot accurately enough for 200-yard rodents since day one.

very very nice!
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beautiful rifle!

John,

Have you done anything with the trigger? I used a Yo Dave kit and have it down to a dependable few oz. Since you get four shims and four springs (for twenty bucks) and only use one each I, then, did a couple of my buddy's guns.

Dick

I replaced mine with a Timney, which has a superb 2-pound pull. I sometimes use mine in the winter, when I prefer more pull-weight than on summer-only varmint rifles.

That is a beautiful piece of wood! During our hot/humid summers better quality blued CM firearms stay home in the climate control, while RAR-Ps and SS handguns and rifles get the nod when I go afield.

Don't tell anyone, but I sold off my Savage rimfires in recent years and replaced them with CZ 452's - a Lux in 22LR and an American in 17 HMR (apparently us lefties aren't worthy of the 455's yet). I also picked up one of the newer Browning T-Bolt Target/Varmint models in 22LR which is another great little rifle, and if they weren't so darn spendy I would probably grab one in .17 HMR as well.

I keep thinking about getting a .17 but I already have a good .22 mag so that's all the further it gets.

I've got a Ruger 77/17 that I've had ever since they first made them. It's been my truck-tractor-ATV-UTV rifle, and I've killed a bunch of stuff with it, including a number of coyotes. But, it's always had accuracy issues, with a lot of flyers. Still, I like it a lot.

I stopped at Jay's yesterday. They had a big box of A17 for about $70.00+. I didn't buy it. I want one box to see how it shoots in my gun before I spend more money. I bought one brand that shot 1" groups at 50 yds. I didn't even bother to try to adjust the tuner. Same brand, different bullet shot fine.

Most ammo will shoot 1/2" at 50 yds. and I can use the tuner to make some of them shoot half that size or better.

How do we feel about a 17HMR on a coyote at a max of 40-50 yards?

I've seen some very dead coyotes taken by the .17HMR at that range. A couple big time winter coyote hunters I know swear by it for their winter calling rifle. I've been tempted many times but my .22mag does fine for me. p

Dick,
that is just a beautiful job on the stock. Really makes that rifle stand out.
Not to send this off in another direction, but I just checked a PB hosted photo post I did in 2009. Its still up?
Any one send me to a link to whats going on with them. Have been thinking about Smug Mug as a pay option.

Warm and fuzzy.

I like that.

How big a box of A17 was it?

The only size boxes of A17 that I've seen are 50 count boxes, but only at Cabela's, and 200 count boxes everywhere else.

AFAICS, the primary advantage that the A17 ammo offers a shooter is the flatter trajectory due to the higher than advertised velocity. A useful advantage if the A17 shoots good groups in your rifle. Since it shoots good groups in my Marlin 917s, Savage-Anschutz 141M parts gun, and Savage 93R17BVSS, the increased velocity is useful to me.

From what I've seen the A17 ammo varies widely in price, even at stores in the same relatively small town. In our nearest "big" town, 30,000 or so, have seen the 200-round boxes at anything from $45 to $70 in the past months. Several carry both the 50 and 200-round boxes.

Years ago when the 17 HMR first came out I picked up a CZ452 Trainer in .17 HMR to compliment my .22 LR. I have used it extensively on PD in CO and WY. I found myself using it far more than my .223's even in and around Chugwater where the wind blows hard!

The funny thing is that the last several years when you couldn't find .22 LR or WMR, you could always find 17 HMR. Too bad it is too much for Rabbit and Squirrel.

Not too much if you shoot those rabbits and squirrels in the head.