Help deciding on new bolt action (17hmr or 22lr)?

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mxk83

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Hey Guys,

I'm considering picking up a bolt action rifle that the wife will find a little more enjoyable to shoot, as she finds my sr22 too heavy and 30-06 bolt intimidating. That being said I want something for myself that is more affordable to shoot for some precise target/plinking fun.

I'm mostly leaning towards a bolt action savage as I like the accu-triggers in them, and might do a package type deal (rifle w/scope).

My dilemma is if its worth going to a 17hmr for that extra power and accuracy, or if sticking with the cheap 22lr version with high velocity ammo like cci stingers or velicitors is a good way to go?

The range I shoot at goes from 50yard to 100 yard targets, so I will mostly want to use for 100 yard target shooting, and I MIGHT do some gophers/etc at some point.

Anyways I just wanna get your guys opinion on if the 17hmr is worth the extra $$$ as far as ammo prices go, or if the 22lr is the way to go. ( I guess 22wmr is an option too, but I guess you guys can let me know if you think thats a good idea also).

PS. We sometimes like to put up penny's at 100yards and see who can hit them first, so I guess thats a consideration too :p
 
OH one other important question!

Is it worth going with the heavy barrel option for these rifles? Seems to be about a $50 price increase, and I'm trying to keep this as budget priced as possible. Is these a real noticeable difference in accuracy?
 
I was just in this same situation. I wanted something cheap to plink with, would help me work up to a 308 bolt gun and was good for my girlfriend to shoot.

I've done the 10/22 thing and I knew I wanted a bolt action this time around. I had not really looked much in 17 HMR as I always thought of it as a gopher round. I looked around and saw lots of different guns but nothing that struck my fancy, after looking around a bit I ended up picking up a Savage 93R17-TR.

I pay about $15 a box of 50 rounds for 17Gr VMAX. Will it be cheaper with a comparable 22LR round instead? Yes.

I've shot both the 20GR VMAX and the TNT FMJ rounds and I get the best groups with the 17Gr. There is lots of info on 17HMR vs 22LR or 22 WMR, but the higher velocity of the 17HMR with the flatter trajectory and the possibility of realistically reaching out to 150 or more on a calm day sold it for me.

I took the girlfriend out and she shot a half inch group at 40 yards here first time shooting with me. (Benched with a 5-15x40 Bushnell 3200 Tactical) (Here is my thread about the gun)

I'd say go for a heavy barrel if you have the option. Always a good investment in my mind.

I couldent be happier with my Savage. The trigger is great, the stock is what I wanted. The fluted barrel is nice and the bolt knob is a nice touch. I am into it about $1100 and its a gun I'll keep for a while.

Now if I only had someone here in Edmonton that would let me shoot gophers :)
 
I would highly recommend the 17. It is much more accurate than the 22 will be at 100-150 yards. 22's are great for target shooting out to 200 yards but you really need to be able to dope bullet drop, which is absolutely not an issue with the 17. I mainly shoot 22's at the range but for hunting gophers and accurate plinking the 17 is the goto gun every time. I don't believe a bull barrel is necessary for either rifle... Especially for the 17.
 
I have a 17hmr and a 22 both Savage bolt actions and both heavy barrel both BTVS, and we definitly use the 17hmr more at the range for 100yard,
there both great rifles and look identical but everyone myself included wants to shoot the 17 more and I think its still pretty cheap to feed but I guess its has more consistant groups (for me anyway)

We also have a Mark II FV and its a fun little accurate thing to shoot but I don't really like the small plastic stock
 
Can anyone tell me what tangible differences I might see with the bull barrels? Like are we talking 1/2moa difference for example, or just better accuracy after X amount of rounds fired, or something along those lines?
 
mxk83 said:
Can anyone tell me what tangible differences I might see with the bull barrels? Like are we talking 1/2moa difference for example, or just better accuracy after X amount of rounds fired, or something along those lines?
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I can't comment on Savage, but with a gun like the Cz452/453, both weight of barrels shoot equivalently.

I would make sure I have a 22LR in my collection before buying a 17hmr, for the sake of the cost of ammo.
 
If you've got about $500 you could buy em both. That'll get you a wood stock heavy barrel savage 93 17hmr with a scope and a nice starter semi 22 like a marlin 795 , also with a scope.
 
The sako quad 17 hmrwill consistently shoot 1/2 moa with a standard barrel, a bull barrel will not do better. I have yet to see a 17 shoot bad, and have never seen a difference between barrel sizes. There is no reason to go will a bull barrel in a 17.
 
Buy a .22 CZ 452, put on a good scope and it will be extremely accurate at 100yds and very cheap to shoot.

Take care of it and it will last a lifetime.
 
Grizzlypeg said:
I can't comment on Savage, but with a gun like the Cz452/453, both weight of barrels shoot equivalently.

I would make sure I have a 22LR in my collection before buying a 17hmr, for the sake of the cost of ammo.
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nympher said:
If you've got about $500 you could buy em both. That'll get you a wood stock heavy barrel savage 93 17hmr with a scope and a nice starter semi 22 like a marlin 795 , also with a scope.
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I already have a 22lr, a Ruger SR22, just want a bolt action rimfire now as well.

Think I'm leaning towards the 17hmr for now though (but I have a feeling I will end up with both eventually anyways.)

Think I'm going to get a Savage package deal, just not sure if I want to go synthetic/blued or woodstock/bull barrel
 
Yep. A nice sporter barrel WMR would be my choice. If accuracy is of prime importance at 100 yds go with HMR. Still, i saw very nice 100m targets made by good LR also. Darn, i'm questionning myself also. Of course a nice LR will always have a place in your safe. I always had one. Dont have HMR's nor WMR anymore cause i went 22 HORNET and i'm very happy with my choice. Good luck.
 
I have several buddies with a 17hmr and all say there accurate but expensive to shoot compared to a 22lr. Other than that i can`t say much as i don`t own a 17hmr but have fired a few, good shooters. If a lot of shooting is contemplated i`d go the 22lr direction.
 
Scott Max Danger said:
The only down fall I see on shooting the 17 was the light bullet on a windy day really started to drift at longer distances.
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Right on the money! If you plain on shooting anything over 50yds, the light weight bullet really moves on a windy day. Far more than a 22lr. The .17 has the speed to shoot far but if you want to do that, please look at the 22 magnum. Read reviews and comparisons.
There is a ton of info if you google 22 vs 17 vs 22 wmr./
 
You can get something like CZ 455 with multiple barrels. I have one with both .22lr and .17hmr barrels. .22magnum barrel is on order aswell. Extremely accurate, very simple to change barrels, good looks. I got really lucky with the furniture aswell.... Search for my thread i started when i bought it if you wish...... I really recommend it.
 
I am not a fan of bull barrels on rimfires - I don't shoot fast enough to worry about the barrel heating up. I have a quad with the lightweight barrels and it shoots very well. I think for your situation a 22LR is plenty. I have an HMR and IMO it is a very specialized cartridge and much more expensive to shoot vs the LR. I have velocitors for hunting and T22/cheapie stuff for plinking.
 
A buddy of mine says it best; "If you want to kill stuff, get a 22mag. If you want to kill small stuff further away, get an HMR. If all you're doing is target, get a 22" EDIT~"stuff"=varmints

I think having at least one of everything is the best case scenario. :)

I think debating which rifle can shoot accurately out to 150 yards is a bit crazy unless the shooter has allot of trigger time. Small errors in technique will have a huge impact on accuracy, arguably, more than something like barrel weight. A .22 makes a whack of shooting a very affordable thing, and I think the value of that kind of practice can't be measured. All I seem to buy/long for ARE heavy-barreled rifles, yet my most accurate .22lr is an Anschutz field rifle that doesn't have one. :) I bought an HMR, then another one, then tried a .22mag and sold the 2 HMRs. So much hitting power when hunting small game/small varmints. Can't group as tightly as my HMRs could at 110 yards on paper, but devastating on BIG Ontario groundhogs. Don't seem to ever miss with this rifle. (Savage 93FV) On the flip side, my .22lrs get shot 12 months of the year, the .22WMR maybe 5 months of the year.
 
If you are talking bolt actions here...

I went over that same dilemna when I picked my rimfire savage and ended up with a 22lr BVTLSS.

It will do 1 inch groups all day with CCI blazers at 100m. I shoot almost only at the range.

CCI Stingers require some scope adjustment when going back and forth with blazers but they are an excellent option for gophers also.

If this would not have been a range rifle and gopher hunting or anything the likes would have been in the cards for me, I would probably have went 17hmr.
 
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