Jump to content

.17WSM


squirrel shooter
 Share

Recommended Posts

2 hours ago, Walker570 said:

Will not do anything better thn the HMR.  The Hornet is a great little round but to be honest that will not do much better than the HMR either but being reloadable perhaps it is slightly cheaper if you reload.  

If i had the time to reload i would but i just sadly haven't. So it's between the the .17HMR or .17WSM

Link to comment
Share on other sites

52 minutes ago, squirrel shooter said:

If i had the time to reload i would but i just sadly haven't. So it's between the the .17HMR or .17WSM

At the moment, I'd be inclined to stay with the HMR. I got off to a bad start with mine with regards to split cases and accuracy as a result. However, once that batch of ammo was used up I had no problems subsequently using Remingtons which were deadly accurate in my Anschutz. I've just bought a WSM and initially because I've had trouble with my fingers because of arthritis I thought it was down to me. However, the treatment has kicked in and I'm now convinced that the problem with the far too frequent 'fliers' is not down to me but the ammunition. The Savage bolt cocks on closing so it requires a little effort. With the 'little effort' all is well but all too often it's more than a little and it is when this occurs that a flier results. I'm now convinced that it's the irregular sized ammo that is the problem. Currently, our choice is Hobson's which doesn't help. At the moment, that's as far as I've got and am trying to think of the way ahead. In all probability it's fine for fox out to the maximum range I envisage using it for that purpose, but for longer range rabbit and corvid use, it's very probably a no no.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/03/2019 at 08:20, Walker570 said:

Will not do anything better thn the HMR.  The Hornet is a great little round but to be honest that will not do much better than the HMR either but being reloadable perhaps it is slightly cheaper if you reload.  

extra 1000 fps and able to tune for es and accuracy . hornet is a big margin better than any hmr i have owned. 10.2 grains of powder means a tub of bit lasts a long time. don't mean to hmr bash but just my experience that the hornet is in a different league.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, zx10mike said:

extra 1000 fps and able to tune for es and accuracy . hornet is a big margin better than any hmr i have owned. 10.2 grains of powder means a tub of bit lasts a long time. don't mean to hmr bash but just my experience that the hornet is in a different league.

Totally agree.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, but if I have a situation where I need more reach than 170-190yrds then I will take the 17 Rem....in fact I will probably take the 17 Rem anyway if long distances are required. The 17HMR tends to be a sub 150 rifle for me.  Anything I can't do with the 17 Rem I upgrade to the 22 Bench Rest and a 50gr Barnes TTSX and very often I will have two rifles with me.

As said I believe the little 17 Hornet will do the job .... choices choices

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, squirrel shooter said:

The way to go with a .17hornet seems to be reloading. I've never done any before, any advice on where to start off at, what kit will I need to get started. Thanks in advance! 

the best place to spend a bit extra is scales .i use gem pro 250 that register each kernel and are + or_ one kernel accurate. the scales where about £200 but you can get some goon balance beam scales for sub £100. you will need a press ,a lee will do the job .keep an eye out for second hand.hornet dies are about 35 pounds very cheap.all my reloading gear i tend to buy the best but the gear i have said will do the job.if you put a shout out for someone local to show you the ropes in reloading i'm sure someone will.your welcome over to mine in leicester if you ever want to see how easy it is to build good ammo.the 2 pictures i post are the hornet loads i'm using.9.6 grn of n110 is giving me 3400 fps the 10.2 grains of n110 is 3610 fps .both charges are under a 5 pence with my chosen load of 10.2 with 20 grn v max in the .3's .i have not even tweaked seat depth (tuned the load ) because at that i know the gun will shoot under an inch at 300 yards and that is better than i can stear this tiny bullet in winds. it would just be a waste of barrel life in a hunting rifle.if it was a comp rifle or a rifle i intend to shoot much further i would tune more.if you sit watching a few reloading videos on you tube you will get the idea. it will all sound foreign but an hour of show and tell as such with a loader will make it all fall into place.reloading can be as much a pleasure as shooting once you get into it.

https://imgur.com/2ALLJbY

https://imgur.com/ALaqZBs

 

Edited by zx10mike
Link to comment
Share on other sites

:good:  nice.   You are absolutely right in that with smaller cases you have to be meticulous with powder measuring, even in the 17 Rem it can make a difference.

The 17s are all accurate shooters. I had the pleasure of shooting a 17 Mach IV when over in the USA in 1986 and that was when I ordered my first 17 Remington..

The only enemies are the wind and your own ability.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The 17WSM got off to a rather unsteady start, hailed the new saviour there were issues in the US and it took forever to get to the UK,

There are still very few in the UK and ammunition availability/selection is far from good.

I don't have any gaps in my rifles that scream 17WSM at the moment, but it is possible my HMR and WMR could go if the WSM takes off, works, and has a decent supply of sensibly priced ammo.

Until then I'm more than happy to sit on the side lines and see what happens!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, zx10mike said:

the best place to spend a bit extra is scales .i use gem pro 250 that register each kernel and are + or_ one kernel accurate. the scales where about £200 but you can get some goon balance beam scales for sub £100. you will need a press ,a lee will do the job .keep an eye out for second hand.hornet dies are about 35 pounds very cheap.all my reloading gear i tend to buy the best but the gear i have said will do the job.if you put a shout out for someone local to show you the ropes in reloading i'm sure someone will.your welcome over to mine in leicester if you ever want to see how easy it is to build good ammo.the 2 pictures i post are the hornet loads i'm using.9.6 grn of n110 is giving me 3400 fps the 10.2 grains of n110 is 3610 fps .both charges are under a 5 pence with my chosen load of 10.2 with 20 grn v max in the .3's .i have not even tweaked seat depth (tuned the load ) because at that i know the gun will shoot under an inch at 300 yards and that is better than i can stear this tiny bullet in winds. it would just be a waste of barrel life in a hunting rifle.if it was a comp rifle or a rifle i intend to shoot much further i would tune more.if you sit watching a few reloading videos on you tube you will get the idea. it will all sound foreign but an hour of show and tell as such with a loader will make it all fall into place.reloading can be as much a pleasure as shooting once you get into it.

https://imgur.com/2ALLJbY

https://imgur.com/ALaqZBs

 

That's a very kind offer, unfortunaly I'm too far away from you. I got some reading up to do on reloading! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...

I agonised over purchasing this WSM, reports from America were off putting with ammo problems, but, there's always a but!

 American ammo prices are so much better than British prices, do we pay extra? Or are our dealers too greedy? 

 Lavin Guns in County Antrim, Northern Ireland are selling me Hornady HMR 17, for £12 per 50, August 2020, this is the second time they have done this, everyone else is £18 plus!

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have the Savage Bmag with heavy SS barrel and Boyds stock. I use it for night shooting. It is very accurate and the 8 rounds capacity is handy. Bolt cocking can be a problem as ammo rim thickness is not consistent. The build quality of the magazine is poor and I intend to buy a spare in anticipation of the original falling apart. It is better than the HMR in the wind and definitely hits harder. Great wee calibre, average rifle. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

don't waste ya time on wsm get the hornet reloading gear. you can prob reload cheaper than buying factory .17wsm if ya have cases allready

i reload below for my .17AH 

cci br primer 7p

20gr vmax 25p

11.6grn reloader 7 pffft about 5-10p

  so less than 40p i use these well over 150yrds or if walking with a chance of fox

if ya want plinking n cheap crow smashing i reload below

cci br primer 7p

17grn cranks bullets 6p

and 10.6grn reloader 7 5-10p

so around 20p a round 

i reload 1grain less so i dont have to change zero on rifle from one to the next.

both are running 3700fps ish. 

 

my hmr had become an ornament due to this rifle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got in touch with them over t' pond who promptly referred me back to Belgium. No response initially so out of the cot went the toys but politely. Apparently, other than the Hornady that we have now and because the calibre is not popular here we can forget any further ammo choices. I thought it would be a waste of time pointing out that it was because of the lack of ammo choice that made the calibre unpopular so I didn't bother.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...