Almost Every .17hmr has a HEAVY barrel, why?

R

rollercam351

New member
Ok so im new to this forum and ive searched arournd the internet including this forum but no-one can answer my question, what the [beeep] does a .17hmr need a heavy barrel for?/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

1. too expensive to shoot a ton of, besides the fact that 99% of .17's are bolt action and have 5-10rd magazines.

2. low pressure (in contrast to larger rifles that dont have/need heavy barrels)

3. bullet diameter is so small even the wall thickness on a standard sporter barrel would be more than adequate.

4. practically zero barrel whip

personally i find that having a heavy barrel on a .17hmr pointless. is there something that i might be missing? it looks kinda cool but really thats it, maybe a little more stable at a bench rest, but who sits at a bench when there are perfectly good animals to kill? I belive this whole .17hmr heavy barrel thing to be a ploy by the firearm manufacturers to be able to jack the price up on a rifle that needn't have anything more than standard parts. "hey look at that heavy barrel, it must be expensive" yeah right.../ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif

Im not saying i dont love the .17hmr i have one and yes it has a heavy barrel, and yes it shoots little cloverleafs on paper and makes mincemeat out of small critters /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowingsmilie.gif but seriously people come on/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
Don't you know?That heavy barrel is what you use to finish the animal off with after you shoot it.Just chase it down and once over the head...No for real!!!!
 
I can't answer your question, but that is an interesting first post on this forum. I hope you haven't been stewing on that one for too long...

Welcome to PM!!!
 
Good question but I dont have an answer either.But I have a few guesses as to why they have heavy barrels.

1.To make it steadier when you aimin at something.Thats already been pointed out though.This round is pretty much made for shooting small varmints like prairie dogs,ground squirrels,ect so your probably going to be setting at a bench of some sort or resting the gun on somethin when your after these critters anyway.

2.You can see your target get hit through the scope.Its a rimfire to begin with so you would be able to see the hit without a heavy barrel but it kinda sounds like a good reason so I'll stick with it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif

Other than these two reasons I cant think of any more.I do know that its hard to beat the .17HMR when it comes to PD shootin though.
Welcome to PM!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
Essentially you are correct that you don't need a heavy barrel on a hummer. BUT...if you are not using it for a carry rifle the added front weight is advantages for shooting off rests like truck hoods and shooting benches and being able to maintain the sight picture. I use mine exclusively for PD shooting.

Here is mine: Over stocked, Over scoped, Fluted and Compensated.

Why? Because I like the looks and it rides the bags so well that I rarely take it off 25X. I can put the crosshair on the eyeball of PD at 100yds and kill him and all his visiting friends in about 3 seconds.

And yes I have heated up the barrel at times!

vq-L.jpg
 
I like the reasons stated above, here two more from me.

1. Cheaper to manufacture! No taper means they can just cut down the blank, crown, chamber and press fit. One less EXPENSIVE step. Easier to make stocks and fit barreled action to them.

2. Balance. With the tiny "pipe" bolt actions offered that extra weight makes the rifle feel good in the hands. Closer to the deer rifle you may be used to shooting. Plus the reasons stated above pertaining to balance.(No muzzle jump, steadier aiming)

Excellent question, and I too love my 17.

Thats my spin on it.
Adam
 
I have a CZ 452 Varmint in .17HMR..20.9" heavy barrel. Great shooter w/Brooks trigger kit and good looking wood.

Seems well balanced to me, see;

http://www.cz-usa.com/product_detail.php?id=2

17 gr Hornady VMAX has ruined the day for more than a few PDs at 200 yards on several trips but not many first shot hits/kills.

Personally I prefer short, heavy as opposed to long, slender barrels on all my firearms - handguns, rifles, shotguns and muzzleloaders..probably due to my advancing age..swing faster and wobble less..at least that's my story.
 
The answer is quite simple.

Because heavy barrels are a fad. In reality, just because a rifle has a heavy barrel doesn't mean it's any more accurate than any other rifle.
 
The 17 hmr needs a heavy barrel to "maintain the sight picture?" Come on, really!!! You're making me laugh!! Mine has a pencil barrel, and I can't think of a real good reason to have a heavy barrel. It's not like the gun is capable of shooting several hundred yards, so if you can't hold steady enough to kill anything and everything within reasonable distance, including but not limited to ..prairie dogs, gophers, coyotes, hogs, and deer, then you need to get a better rest, a heavier barrel ain't gonna help ya.
 
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The 17 hmr needs a heavy barrel to "maintain the sight picture?" Come on, really!!! You're making me laugh!! Mine has a pencil barrel, and I can't think of a real good reason to have a heavy barrel. It's not like the gun is capable of shooting several hundred yards, so if you can't hold steady enough to kill anything and everything within reasonable distance, including but not limited to ..prairie dogs, gophers, coyotes, hogs, and deer, then you need to get a better rest, a heavier barrel ain't gonna help ya.


Obviously you don't know what "maintaining a sight picture" means. It means being able to see your target in the scope after the shot not before./ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
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The answer is quite simple.

Because heavy barrels are a fad. In reality, just because a rifle has a heavy barrel doesn't mean it's any more accurate than any other rifle.


I have never seen a "pencil" barrel at a benchrest match. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
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I have never seen a "pencil" barrel at a benchrest match. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif



Prolly ain't seen many hummers there, either.......
 
I have a Savage 17HMR. Model 917 FNS,it is just a standard blued barrel, with synthetic stock, and sporter barrel. It shoots VERY accurately and was less $$ than a heavy barrel. It was one of the first ones around here with the accu-trigger, and I got it for $210 out the door. I agree with you about the heavy barrel, just extra weight I don't need to lug around.

kevlars
 
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I think he understands completely. Neither of us have trouble seeing hits.,........with skinny barrels, to boot.

I am impressed, offhand at that! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowingsmilie.gif
 
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