and it doesn't make a difference which ammo I shoot.
That's because no matter what the label on the box says it's all the same ammo and made by Winchester. In fact, I think the others, Hornady and American Eagle, that were putting their name and head stamp on Winchester's 17 WSM ammo have both discontinued doing so and Winchester is the only label you can get in 17 WSM ammo anymore. I can't remember if they put any of it in Browning boxes but even if they did, it's all the same stuff made to the same specs on the same line of manufacturing.
I've been a big fan and supporter of the 17 WSM since shortly after it came out but Savage certainly didn't do the new cartridge any favors with the as jshks called it 3rd grade engineer designed Bmag and being an owner of a Savage Bmag, that's probably putting it nicely. BUT, even as poorly designed and cheaply made as my HB SS Bmag is, after altering a few things here and there and getting it tuned up a bit I can't complain with how mine shoots. Now, does Winchester have room to tighten up QC with their making of 17 WSM ammo, ohh hell yes, they have A LOT of room for improvement but in all fairness, Winchester has never really been known for making great ammo and at least their 17 WSM ammo isn't as bad as their 17 HMR ammo because that stuff is reallly not good, not good at all.
reb8600 said "I don’t see much need for the 17 WSM unless you cannot use a centerfire. If you have the HMR and Hornet there is no need. Hornet does what the WSM does but better and is reloadable.
I've heard that a lot over the years and it's not really that I disagree with that statement but as has been said before guns are kind of like tools, pick the best tool for the job. For me, I think Eric Mayer is largely of the same opinion, where the 17 WSM is the better tool is when you're using these things for shooting sage rats in the spring where you'll shoot thousands of rounds in a very short amount of time. For years all we used were our 22's then they came out with the 17 HMR and that stepped the game up quite a bit and allowed us to reach out quite a bit further and hit harder then our 22's would and the 17 HMR became my go to. Then, they came out with the 17 WSM and that stepped the game up from our HMR's a few more clicks and allowed us to reach out even further and more importantly the WSM hit considerably harder at distance then did the HMR and was still, at least back then, a relatively inexpensive rimfire cartridge and when you're volume shooting not only does it save you money over a centerfire but it saves you a lot of time in the loading room. I still have my 17 HMR rifles but they don't see much use in the rat fields and I only really take them along as a loaner or backup gun. I really like my little CZ 17 Hornets and quality of gun, for get about it, there's no comparison between them and my Bgag but come spring and the rats start popping up my poor ugly odd duck Bmag is the first one I reach for.
