New Marlin XT-17 first impressions

Sbarkowski

Sbarkowski

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I received my Marlin XT-17SR (stainless synthetic with open sights) from Epps today and gave it a good looking over. With all the posts out there regarding Marlin/Remington's quality control I went over the whole gun to see if there were any issues of concern. So far, none. The machining is clean, no tooling marks gouges or rough surfaces. Fit and finish are excellent. Everything seems to function as it should and the sights are on straight.

I've always been and still am a Savage fan when it comes to rimfires but Savage does not offer a .17hmr with open sights. I've been waiting a long time for this version of the XT-17 to become available so when I saw it on Epps website I took a chance and bought it without handling one first. This is my first Marlin so I wasn't too sure what to expect. But from reading the boards most people with them seem to like them and I read far more positive reviews than negative ones.

A few thing's I've noticed in comparison to the Savage 93 series is the stock on the Marlin is much nicer as far as ergonomics and size. The synthetic stocks on the Savages always felt too small for my hands. The Marlin feels like an adult sized rifle. It's still plastic and the butt plate closes off the end of the stock in a weird way and it has swivel studs molded into the sock opposed to actual studs but it's definitely a better fit for me compared to the Savage. I'll probably get a Boyds stock down the road anyways. The sporter weight barrel on the Marlin has a significantly heavier profile than the sporter weight of the Savage and also has a recessed crown. Bolt operation is pretty much the same but the extractor on the Savages looks to be much more robust. The extractor/ejector assembly on the Marlin looks to be made of spring steel that clips around the bolt. If something is going to break I think this would be it. Time will tell how well it holds up. The Pro-Fire trigger on the Marlin is a knock off of Savages Accutrigger and Savage did it better. It's not bad, but not great. There's some creep, but it breaks clean. The sights are ok, pretty much what is to be expected. A little nicer than what comes on a Savage MKII but I'll probably change them out for Fire Sights. The Marlin also came with 2 mags, a definite bonus.

Feeding, extraction, accuracy and overall function will have to wait until I get a chance to shoot it this weekend but out of the box impression is quite good. So far no regrets. Hopefully it performs as well as it looks.
 
I've had 3 xt22's (2x 22lr and 22mag) and still have 2. The only issue I've had is on one of them it would occasionally not extract a round. I contacted marlin warranty center and they sent me a new extractor (no charge) and the problem is solved. They both run great and are very accurate. I'm tempted to get another one in .17 but since I already have the 22mag and with the lighter 22mag ammo out now there's almost no point. Anyway, I'm quite pleased with my marlins and would certainly buy another.
(I feel like a broken record but you can get that trigger down to a safe 1.5 lbs by swapping out 1 spring if you so desire)

I also have a remlin model 60 and it runs like a top.
 
Thanks, I havn't had a chance to play with the trigger yet. It's going to be used for hunting so it doesn't need to be very light. The extractor is the only part that has me concerned, it looks pretty light.
 
Sbarkowski said:
Thanks, I havn't had a chance to play with the trigger yet. It's going to be used for hunting so it doesn't need to be very light. The extractor is the only part that has me concerned, it looks pretty light.
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Congrats on the gun, looking forward to hearing how it shoots! I've had an XT17 VR in my hands a few times and have been pretty tempted. Even started a thread here some time ago asking for impressions, they hadn't been around long though. Curious, what are your hunting plans for the rifle?
 
Thanks. The gun shoots great, very accurate with Hornady vmax 17gr. My main purpose for the gun is for grouse hunting. Not much meat on them to begin with so I hate wasting it by filling it full of shot. And using the .17 keeps things exciting and challenging and really extends your range compared to a shotgun. Head shots only, so its either dead or a clean miss. Long shots with the .17 on a target the size of a Loonie are very gratifying. 19 birds last season and not a single piece of wasted breast meat. I used a Savage heavy barrel thumbhole version before but it was too heavy and bulky to spend hours walking through the bush with. Replaced it with another Savage with synthetic stock and sporter weight barrel last year but the wife claimed that one for herself. I really wanted something with open sights and Savage doesn't offer a .17 with open sights. So when I saw Marlin came out with the XT-17SR it looked perfect for my intended use.
 
Grouse with an HMR~very interesting. I shotgun them (20ga.) but even then...ordered a spare barrel and had it cut to 22", =no choke. Finally opened-up the pattern enough to limit the number of pellets to 1-3 in the breast. More forgiving, and gives me a fighting chance with the birds that decide to take-off instead of sitting there waiting to be shot. :) If you didn't have as much experience as you do, I'd have said there is a (undesirable) middle ground between dead and clean miss, but if you're an experienced hunter...you know that already. Jealous, too, that you can see them far enough away to make an HMR a viable option. Here in Ontario, I hunt them in the near north in thick bush...where you might see one 15'-30' away...that's it. Any you see from further away on right on the roads =no shot opportunity. At least in my experience.
 
With the vmax a hit anywhere in the head puts them down. Most times when I miss they either sit there or just take a few steps and stop again. If I miss with the shotgun they take off flying. All my other .17's were scoped, the Marlin is keeping its open sights. I'd like a better style though, Firesights maybe? I wont be able to shoot as far as before but the bush gets pretty thick where the grouse live so long shots arn't too common unless their out sunning themselves on the trail. I hunt in North Bay.
 
I believe you. The only HMR'd birds I've shot were big pigeons that farmer friend wanted out of his barn. So yes...I know 17gr. works. :) Wish I had my .22 with some CB longs that day instead.
 
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