What do we know ahout the 17WSM so far.

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TaylorJW

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I am usually happy with my .22s and my .22 mag, once had a 452 hmr an regret selling it but..... Anyway, what experience do you have with the WSM and do you think it's a keeper and here to stay?
 
I bought a BMAG with the standard barrel and ditched the plastic stock for a Boyds. By and large I like the gun. Mine prefers the 20 gr over the 25 gr Winchester but shows the tendency to throw one in 5 rd. either high or low at 100 yd.
I've only shot the Winchester ammo in mine.
I don't view it as a target rifle but as a field gun and think it's a good alternative for small bore varminters who don't reload.
I hope it stays.
 
People love them, people hate them. Mine shoots slightly better with 25 grain, but I like the velocity of the 20's and shoot mostly the lighter stuff.

I enjoy mine for shooting gophers, but it's a bit more money to feed, I'll bring it for mid range that would be more challenging with the .22, and the .22 for short range shots.

Only thing is, a good day for gopher shooting is a hot day, and hot weather around here usually stirs up a bit of wind, windy shots over 100 yards with a small gopher sized target and small light projectiles aren't easy either... In other words there are some days where the 17wsm doesn't seem like there are any advantages, but when you make shots well over 100 it is pretty sweet too.

I guess in terms of is it good or bad, I think the question is really, does it have value? I think it will come down to if your really dedicated to gopher or varmint shooting.


The tangfolio appeal in .22wmr is more interesting to me at the moment, I may sell my 17wsm and go that route eventually.
 
I've got the Sporter barrel model as well and really like it. I'm planning on ordering a Boyd's stock as well. It was accurate enough, but I thought it could be better so I bedded it jb weld 2 part epoxy and it made a huge difference. I have only taken 3 shot groups cause I find with the Sporter barrel it heats up fairly quickly, and the 4th shot groups open up (not much patience for waiting to cool between shots lol) . But 3 shots are under 1/2" at 50 yds with American eagle 20 gr. Haven't tried 25 great yet.
Like 303 said, their not a target rifle by any means but for hunting and me shooting varmints and pests around the farm I think it's a great little caliber. I've shot quite a few crows anywhere from 40 to my longest killshot so far on 1 at around 225 yds and works great.
Not sure if anyone had noticed this or not, but I found I really had to clean during break in alot. I had never had to break a new rifle in the way suggested in different articles I had read before, but with the wsm I had to. Accuracy was good the first 8-10 shots and then dropped off badly. I ended up cleaning after every 3 shots for the first box, and then every 5 up till 100 rds. I had honestly never seen that much copper build up so quickly in a rifle. I have about 175 rds through it now and haven't cleaned in around 60 or so rounds and accuracy is still good.
 
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cody c said:
People love them, people hate them. Mine shoots slightly better with 25 grain, but I like the velocity of the 20's and shoot mostly the lighter stuff.

I enjoy mine for shooting gophers, but it's a bit more money to feed, I'll bring it for mid range that would be more challenging with the .22, and the .22 for short range shots.

Only thing is, a good day for gopher shooting is a hot day, and hot weather around here usually stirs up a bit of wind, windy shots over 100 yards with a small gopher sized target and small light projectiles aren't easy either... In other words there are some days where the 17wsm doesn't seem like there are any advantages, but when you make shots well over 100 it is pretty sweet too.

I guess in terms of is it good or bad, I think the question is really, does it have value? I think it will come down to if your really dedicated to gopher or varmint shooting.


The tangfolio appeal in .22wmr is more interesting to me at the moment, I may sell my 17wsm and go that route eventually.
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AS a passionate, traveling gopher slayer...I've been told that if I shoot a 17WSM...I'll want one! But, as long as the name "Winchester" is on the box of rimfire ammo I have to buy for it, the chances of it ever being a temptation to me is very low. I did consider it very recently though, and opted for a CZ in 17 Hornet instead. Since I haven't shot that rifle OR 17WSM, I certainly can't comment on which is better or why, except that factory ammo for 17H is supposed to be so good that many reloaders don't even bother loading for this caliber. There are other reasons, I'm not fond of the BMAG rifle AND have always wanted a 527 Varmint. Everything kind of came together for me and this decision.

Anyhow, 17WSM is still an interesting caliber to me...but it won't be something I look at seriously until there are other rifle/ammo options to consider.
 
.22LRGUY said:
AS a passionate, traveling gopher slayer...I've been told that if I shoot a 17WSM...I'll want one! But, as long as the name "Winchester" is on the box of rimfire ammo I have to buy for it, the chances of it ever being a temptation to me is very low. I did consider it very recently though, and opted for a CZ in 17 Hornet instead. Since I haven't shot that rifle OR 17WSM, I certainly can't comment on which is better or why, except that factory ammo for 17H is supposed to be so good that many reloaders don't even bother loading for this caliber. There are other reasons, I'm not fond of the BMAG rifle AND have always wanted a 527 Varmint. Everything kind of came together for me and this decision.

Anyhow, 17WSM is still an interesting caliber to me...but it won't be something I look at seriously until there are other rifle/ammo options to consider.
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There are other manufacturers of 17 wsm, some cheaper than winchesters stuff. I have some 20 grain stuff that shoots slightly better than the win stuff.
 
I’ve got the Bmag with the light barrel. I bought it strictly for close range coyote shooting in populated areas, for that it’s accurate enough. Mine consistently groups 5 rounds into 2” at 100 yards with either weight of ammo.

My 9 year old son started accompanying me on coyote hunts this year and he’s been shooting the 17 at all the dogs that come in close. It’s perfect for him, but the stock is a bit long so I may just cut a couple inches off it and order a Boyd’s stock for myself.
 
cody c said:
There are other manufacturers of 17 wsm, some cheaper than winchesters stuff. I have some 20 grain stuff that shoots slightly better than the win stuff.
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I have a couple boxes of Winchester 20 gr but haven't got into yet. The American eagle shoots quite well out of mine and haven't picked up any Hornady yet. Do you find much difference between the different brand names in accuracy?
 
I have had one of the light barrels since the year they came out. Have well over 500 rounds down time the pipe. For the first 100 of so rounds I was slightly disapointed, but now I love it. Have tried all three brands of ammo, Winchester, Hornaday and American Eagle, and really don't see any difference. I am told that they are all made by Winchester. The newer ammo is much more consistent than the original couple of years production, and unfortunatley, that is what gave the 17WSM the bad reputation. I can vaporize gophers out to 200+ yards with it, and that is good enough for me. It is NOT a target rifle, and I don't want to reload ammo. The 17WSM is exactly what I was looking for and I love it. I have seen lots of negative comments about the 17WSM, but most by "experts" that have not owned or even shot one. This round is here to stay, so anybody that has a hate on for it, all I can say is "get over it and try one".
 
Interesting, seems positive but the HM2 also started strong but kinda faded away. I suppose if one bought the WSM and found a bullet it liked then bought a couple thousand rounds it may make sense but ammo availability with a new cartridge is always a concern.
 
TaylorJW said:
Interesting, seems positive but the HM2 also started strong but kinda faded away. I suppose if one bought the WSM and found a bullet it liked then bought a couple thousand rounds it may make sense but ammo availability with a new cartridge is always a concern.
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That was 1 thing that kinda kept me on the fence whether to give it a try. I'm glad I did get one cause it's a wicked caliber. In the beginning I had read that savage blamed their accuracy issues on the 1-8" twist that they put in their earlier production rifles. They have since went to a 1-9". I've read as well like extmc mentioned that earlier ammo was very inconsistent. I've only had mine since this past spring so I can't give any comments on that, but can't honestly say enough good about mine, other than the flimsy Tupperware stock but that's gonna be replaced with a Boyd's prarie hunter laminate stock soon, and hopefully it is a caliber that sticks around.
 
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