Savage A17 - What's the latest word?

T

The Famous Grouse

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Looking for reports from RECENT buyers of the A17. Last 6-9 months, for example.

Have they ironed out the mag issues and the other issues that were fairly common with this gun in the early stages?

Is the accuracy what you expected?

I've been holding off on buying one because of the up/down quality and magazine issues that were causing misfeeds. If I'm going to have one up and running for spring varmints, now's the time to get going, but I don't want one if they are still having issues.

Grouse
 
i got mine last summer, so on the outside edge of your time window.

accuracy, like my bolt action 17hmr, is ammo lot dependant. That said i've seen performance pretty much on par with my 93 otherwise.

havent had any misfeed issues, my factory mag runs like a top. I even broke mine in with regular (non A17) ammo. no cycling issues or anything.

i did however, immediately out of the box, put it on a Boyds thumbhole stock as the factory stock is the most awful thing i think i've ever held attached to a firearm. whoever designed that faux-pistol-grip palmswell thing needs to be slapped. twice. lol

i dont shoot either of my 17's much these days, but i've wanted a semi 17hmr since about 50 rounds after i got my 93. i'd probably use it more if it had the barrel threaded so i could put my can on it, but i've got other projects before i tinker with that.

it also likely doesnt help that as a reloader my plinking 223 load (55gr vmax blems) is only a few cents more per round to load than HMR ammo is and i can shoot that suppressed.

hth
 
Thanks for the comments PO.

So my main need for a .17 HMR is I need a non-centerfire because many of the ranches I shoot P Dogs on only want rimfires used in dog towns that have grown up in corrals and near buildings.

The main thing I'm looking for is something quieter than a .223, but with legit hitting ability at 150+,

I won't say I don't "care" about ammo costs, but "cheaper" isn't the driving factor here. I need rimfire noise levels first and foremost.

So I take it you'd say "go for it" now?

Grouse
 
I think I bought mine in early Aug. it's the Target Sporter Laminate model and my experience has been about the same as Plant.One. Mine will shoot the same as my 93/17 bolt gun but I'll add that it is more fun to shoot than my 93/17 bolt gun, especially, when using the 25rnd mags from Butler Creek.

The trigger isn't the greatest out of the box but with a little work I was able to get it much better than it came from the factory. Tuning up the trigger made a completely different gun out of mine.

Have you considered getting a CZ 527 in 17 Hornet? They are minimally louder than a rimfire and are hands down a much better gun as well as they'll give you considerably more "pop" on those small critters.
 
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Originally Posted By: The Famous Grouse

So I take it you'd say "go for it" now?

Grouse


yes and no.

the no comes into play when you start to discuss 150+ yd work.

the HMR as a caliber falls on its nose about 150, so its not specifically an A17 issue. its a ballistics/caliber related issue.


that 17 gr vmax only expands down to 1600 fps, which it hits a few yds past 150 - and that's assuming you're getting a full 2550 MV out of it through a 26" barrel. with the 22" barrel that the a17 comes with, that MV is a bit lower (i haven't chrony'ed mine yet) so the effective range is decreased a bit more. Many folks find that expansion gets inconsistent anywhere past about 135 yds or so.

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it'll still punch holes in stuff at that distance, but it starts to act a lot like a FMJ and not an expanding varmint bullet as its intended.

plus once you get out to the 150 point - throw in a mild 5mph crosswind and you're 4 inches from your point of aim. and at 200 its almost 8". Get a bit more wind - lets say 10 mph - and you're looking at 8" and 15" respectively at those distances.


im not saying its not doable, but you're discussing pushing the 17hmr right out to the outer limits of its abilities and beyond.

its a great little rimfire offering, but like anything else you have to be willing to understand its limitations to be effective with it.

hth
 
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Is there a reason you ruled out the 17WSM. .17HMR is fine if you just want to kill them but the WSM is a little more effective and entertaining.
 
Originally Posted By: gethuntinIs there a reason you ruled out the 17WSM. .17HMR is fine if you just want to kill them but the WSM is a little more effective and entertaining.

I was going to suggest the 17 WSM but accuracy has been so hit or miss, although they seem to have gotten quite a bit better, I'm a little gunshy suggesting them. I have a HB SS Bmag in a Boyd's bedded stock that shoots extremely well, much better than my HMR's and definitely has more pop, especially past 100 yards. But, my 17 WSM doesn't compare to my 17 Hornet.

For high volume shooting the 17 WSM is a great option over the 17 HMR if you're looking for something with more energy upon impact and it's nice to not have to mess with saving brass. Also, 17 WSM ammo, if you order it online, can be bought for $12.25 per box of 50 which is only a little more than HMR and substantially less than 17 Hornet.

The nice thing about the 17 Hornet with it's speed advantage is it makes making hits on those small targets easier when you start stretching the distances.
 
My experience with the 17 WSM matches B23's. I have a HB SS Bmag, bedded in a Boyd's laminate thumbhole, and it shoots it's favorite ammo right at 1 MOA. I like mine for crow shooting, since crows can only be shot by shotgun, with the exception of property owners using rimfires for crows doing damage, in WI. I consider crows pooping on my grass, damage.
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It definitely shoots minute of crow, and has decent expansion out at 150 yards, given the cloud of feathers that fall occasionally. BUT, my experience with it in the Pdog fields of WY illustrate P.One's discussion on windage. WY winds blew those 20 and 25 grain bullets all over the place, even trying to keep shots under 150 yards. On larger varmint targets like crows and rabbits, I get enough of a good wind guess, and expansion, to get the job done, but on smaller targets like Pdogs, and gusting WY winds, I burn more ammo than flip Pdogs.

Squeeze
 
Originally Posted By: gethuntinIs there a reason you ruled out the 17WSM. .17HMR is fine if you just want to kill them but the WSM is a little more effective and entertaining.

Yes, the main reasons I've ruled out the WSM are:

1. More noise. I don't have decibel comparisons but my assumption is the 17 WMR is louder than the 17 HMR. Would you agree that that is the case?

The only real reason I have for getting a 17 rimfire is that it is necessary if I want to be allowed to shoot these target rich dog towns near buildings and stock corrals. The property owners want them shot, but only with rimfires because there are animals around.

2. I really want an autoloader. AFAIK, there are no 17 WSN autos.

3. The BMag. I handled one the first week they were available with the intention to buy it. It was so ugly, the fit and finish were so bad, the stock was warped, the trigger was badly machined and had a sharp burr on it. It was the ONLY guy I've ever ordered and the walked away from. Little did I know that I probably saved myself the BMag headaches...

Grouse
 
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#3 is it Grouse. As far as I'm concerned, the only good thing about the Bmag is the .17 WSM it's chambered in. Even the accutrigger on mine sucks, and that's saying a lot.
 
Well, if you think the trigger in the Bmag is bad, you really won't like the one in the A17. Both are fixable with tuning but my A17 took considerably more work to make acceptable than did my Bmag.
 
Normally accutriggers are nice, but the little shroud around this one came broken, which causes the trigger blade to hang up as it passes through. This binds the whole thing up, stops rearward travel, then all of a sudden...BANG, there she goes. I suspect Savage would fix it, and since I'm pretty sure this one is part of the recall, I'll probably send it back for a look at some point in the near future.
 
I'm planning on getting an a17 in the next week or two. I've already got a scope and ammo for it, so the commitment has been made. I have the bmag and love it. It shoots the AE 20 grainers the best out of a pencil barrel with a boyds stock.
 
Plant, I don't want to go the custom or AR route for this rifle, I'm looking for plug and play and costing less than a reasonable quality AR build.

For me this is a niche rifle covering a very specific situation. I basically want a "show up and shoot" rifle, I don't want to be fawning over this thing.

It killed me last summer to have to pass on this corral. The P-Dogs had moved in, so the horses had to be moved out. It was about a 5 acre corral, I'd say, with a pole shed on one side and then the ranch house was 150 yards away. The P-Dogs were SOOOOOO stupid because they were used to people coming and going all the time and no predators would come very close I'd guess, they'd just stand there even when you walked right through the middle of the corral. With careful shots and a quieter rifle, we could have had probably half a day of fun there and at relatively close range.

Grouse
 
Originally Posted By: The Famous Grouse
It killed me last summer to have to pass on this corral. The P-Dogs had moved in, so the horses had to be moved out. It was about a 5 acre corral, I'd say, with a pole shed on one side and then the ranch house was 150 yards away. The P-Dogs were SOOOOOO stupid because they were used to people coming and going all the time and no predators would come very close I'd guess, they'd just stand there even when you walked right through the middle of the corral. With careful shots and a quieter rifle, we could have had probably half a day of fun there and at relatively close range.

Grouse




You know I kind of think this will be a lot more trouble than it's worth to you soooo why don't you just PM me the property owners information and when the weather is right and the little buggers are all popped up from their long winters nap I'll slide on over and take care of them all for you. I shoot all my rimfires suppressed so noise certainly won't be an issue. I'd really hate to see you purchase a gun you may not completely be happy with.
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A buddy won a A17 in fall of 15, we took it to the range fall of 16.
We didn't have any feeding issues through 70-80 rounds. Various ammo as well didn't seem to matter.
The plastic stock leaves a lot to be desired, I would watch for a Boyd's stock to help it feel better in your hands.

I agree with B23, I can go to your site with a suppresssed 17hmr to relieve the tension it causes you.
Just my way of being helpful.
 
I have the a 17. Put a boyds thumb hole on it.. love that little rifle.. no mag issues.. haven't shot any p dogs but probably 500 gophers this summer. Longest kill was 240.

Wind certainly does add an eliminate to the shooting but that is half the fun..
Have also taken badgers, fox and coyote with that little rifle. And shooting Jack rabbits at night is about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.. bunnies at 200... 2 much fun..
Great little rifle and caliber.
 
You should look closely at a number of the PCP rifles available today. They are super quiet will kill pdogs out to hundred and if they are as dumb as you say you can just walk around the 5 acres and eliminate them. My buddy and I did that years ago and he still shoots hundreds every year and not just in corrals.
 
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