Looking for opinions on 17wsm cartridge and available rifles, I'm not concerned with ammo availability as I order bricks for most of my rim fire ammo needs. Mostly concerned with fouling and cleaning needs compared to 17hmr honestly, as I've heard from two people they foul rather quickly and accuracy suffers.
17wsm vs 17hmr opinions
- Thread starter scoprius
- Start date
Last year I brought in a few Savage BMag's (17WSM) Thumbhole's figuring I would personally take one.
I just couldn't get over the locking lugs being at the back of the bolt - so unless you have the bolt perfectly aligned you can't lock it up (and the handle doesn't run in a (track) the way every other Savage rimfire does. So if you are trying to quick cycle you really run the risk of not getting one down the spout because you have jammed the lugs - just a crappy design.
I believe Ruger also chambers in WSM but I have never seen it listed at either of my Ruger wholesalers. Winchester has one model as well, the 1885 low wall, but at about 2K wasn't willing to drop that much cash to try out the 17
The "hole" in the barrel is the same whether it's a WSM or HMR. The WSM is blowing more powder down the barrel, so if anything, it may foul worse (???) - at least that would be my guess.
Given the almost non-existent options of make/model, although I wanted one of these I opted for the HMR.
I just couldn't get over the locking lugs being at the back of the bolt - so unless you have the bolt perfectly aligned you can't lock it up (and the handle doesn't run in a (track) the way every other Savage rimfire does. So if you are trying to quick cycle you really run the risk of not getting one down the spout because you have jammed the lugs - just a crappy design.
I believe Ruger also chambers in WSM but I have never seen it listed at either of my Ruger wholesalers. Winchester has one model as well, the 1885 low wall, but at about 2K wasn't willing to drop that much cash to try out the 17
The "hole" in the barrel is the same whether it's a WSM or HMR. The WSM is blowing more powder down the barrel, so if anything, it may foul worse (???) - at least that would be my guess.
Given the almost non-existent options of make/model, although I wanted one of these I opted for the HMR.
Glock4ever
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- Edmonton, AB
I have had (4) 17 HMRs. Ruger, Sako and two Savages (one which I still have) I have not noticed higher amounts of fouling/decreased accuracy from any of them and I shoot lots of HMR. I didn't notice that I needed to clean more frequently with an HMR. These are jacketed bullets. When I am in high gophering season, I will frequently clean my 22LR more often than my 17HMR. The 22LR will get some lead residue on the crown of my rifle where my 17 HMR generally only has powder that is easily wiped off at the crown. I usually only clean the HMR at the end of the season before I put them away for the Winter.
Galamb thank you for the info about the locking lugs I have not handled a 17wsm personally yet I'll be sure to keep the lugs in mind when I get the chance to. I was looking through catalogs and rarely see even the bmags in stock, I would have figured there would be a bolt gun offering in addition to the falling block from winchester. Glock4ever I have shot 17hmr's before so I was wondering if the 17wsm's foul up more due more powder being burnt, and the long term use regarding overall expirience such as galamb has shared.
The potential for the 17 wsm is a good one; performance is there, ballastics are excellent, ammo cost is almost identical for HMR from what ive seen, but please, dont trouble yourself with a savage Bmag. Please.
Ive handled thousands of rifles, and Im not making this up, i dont believe I've ever handled a bigger peice of junk before in my lifetime. Im not knocking the Savage name; they do make some nice stuff and ive got two precision rifles to back that up, but when it came to this particular model, they failed hard.
Their synthetic stocks have always been cheap, but it seems like they saved on a few ounces of plastic on the Bmags, and its flimsy all around. the mags dont fit well, but that can be said across the entire rimfire line (93, Mark II). The largest fail is the action as previously mentioned. The rear locking design isnt a bad one; its used on many other brand names (CZ for example), but its execution is probably the worst piece of engineering the firearms industry has seen since the invention of the mosin Nagant. Its crude, rough, and difficult just to cycle the thing, and it doesnt make a difference which model of the Bmag you get, its all the same POS action laid down in different Furniture. the 100 year old mosins cycle better than the brand new factory Bmag crap being Produced today.
Havent personally handled the ruger version of this rifle yet, but from what ive seen, its not nearly as flimsy, but the action appears to be equally as crude.
If it were me spending your money, the only offer on the market worth buying right now would be the Volq, and thats only if you let me have 2k of your money. If i only had a budget of $500ish, id stick with any proven model of HMR and have fun for a few more years until either a better option comes out from manufacturers, or the round fizzles out entirely.
Ive handled thousands of rifles, and Im not making this up, i dont believe I've ever handled a bigger peice of junk before in my lifetime. Im not knocking the Savage name; they do make some nice stuff and ive got two precision rifles to back that up, but when it came to this particular model, they failed hard.
Their synthetic stocks have always been cheap, but it seems like they saved on a few ounces of plastic on the Bmags, and its flimsy all around. the mags dont fit well, but that can be said across the entire rimfire line (93, Mark II). The largest fail is the action as previously mentioned. The rear locking design isnt a bad one; its used on many other brand names (CZ for example), but its execution is probably the worst piece of engineering the firearms industry has seen since the invention of the mosin Nagant. Its crude, rough, and difficult just to cycle the thing, and it doesnt make a difference which model of the Bmag you get, its all the same POS action laid down in different Furniture. the 100 year old mosins cycle better than the brand new factory Bmag crap being Produced today.
Havent personally handled the ruger version of this rifle yet, but from what ive seen, its not nearly as flimsy, but the action appears to be equally as crude.
If it were me spending your money, the only offer on the market worth buying right now would be the Volq, and thats only if you let me have 2k of your money. If i only had a budget of $500ish, id stick with any proven model of HMR and have fun for a few more years until either a better option comes out from manufacturers, or the round fizzles out entirely.
