Part of the problem with the popularity of the 17 WSM is a lot of average Joe recreational rimfire shooters still don't even know they exist or what exactly they are. You'd be surprised at how many people confuse the 17 WSM with A17 ammo and often don't realize they aren't one and the same.
Shortly after I bought my HB SS Bmag I took it sage rat hunting down in Oregon. When asked what I was shooting and I said a 17 WSM, two of the guys shooting on the same platform, including our guide, said oh isn't that the new 17 HMR ammo that shoots 100fps faster. When I explained the 17 WSM was a whole different cartridge and compared my ammo to their 17 HMR ammo they replied with, oh I just thought they were the same thing. I've been to my local Sportsman's Warehouse numerous times and heard the counter guy explaining the difference between the 17 WSM and 17 HMR because the customer didn't know what a 17 WSM was.
As has already been mentioned, the early skinny barrel Bmags certainly didn't establish a great deal of confidence in the 17WSM. Also, the Bmag is kind of an odd duck, mostly because of how the bolt functions and it turns a lot of people off. The Ruger has always been a very good looking rifle but their accuracy was just ehh ok at best and typically didn't match their price tag. But, both the Bmag, particularly the HB SS models, and the Ruger 17 WSM's have gotten much better and tend to shoot pretty well, or at least much better than the early models did.
I've dressed up my HB SS Bmag a little by putting it in Boyd's Pro Varmint stock, swapped out that fugly bolt handle with a glades bolt handle which was ridiculously large so I had it shortened and turned down smaller in diameter. It looks pretty respectable now and shoots really well. I have a couple 17 HMR's and can't even remember the last time I shot one of those because every time I reach for a rimfire, it's my 17 WSM.
Shortly after I bought my HB SS Bmag I took it sage rat hunting down in Oregon. When asked what I was shooting and I said a 17 WSM, two of the guys shooting on the same platform, including our guide, said oh isn't that the new 17 HMR ammo that shoots 100fps faster. When I explained the 17 WSM was a whole different cartridge and compared my ammo to their 17 HMR ammo they replied with, oh I just thought they were the same thing. I've been to my local Sportsman's Warehouse numerous times and heard the counter guy explaining the difference between the 17 WSM and 17 HMR because the customer didn't know what a 17 WSM was.
As has already been mentioned, the early skinny barrel Bmags certainly didn't establish a great deal of confidence in the 17WSM. Also, the Bmag is kind of an odd duck, mostly because of how the bolt functions and it turns a lot of people off. The Ruger has always been a very good looking rifle but their accuracy was just ehh ok at best and typically didn't match their price tag. But, both the Bmag, particularly the HB SS models, and the Ruger 17 WSM's have gotten much better and tend to shoot pretty well, or at least much better than the early models did.
I've dressed up my HB SS Bmag a little by putting it in Boyd's Pro Varmint stock, swapped out that fugly bolt handle with a glades bolt handle which was ridiculously large so I had it shortened and turned down smaller in diameter. It looks pretty respectable now and shoots really well. I have a couple 17 HMR's and can't even remember the last time I shot one of those because every time I reach for a rimfire, it's my 17 WSM.