A while back, I said my Savage 93R in .17 HMR would shoot sub-MOA consistently, and since then, like a lot of people who have made similar claims, I have put my own claim to the test and had some embarrassing results.
To add to the story, I got some advice on cleaning .17 HMR rifles here, and I put it to work. I was told that powder residue builds up on the ends of .17 HMR rifles, forming a crust that endangers accuracy. I found that my rifle had this problem, and I removed the crud with Bore Tech Eliminator. I didn't use metal tools or anything that could damage the crown.
After I cleaned the gun, I went out and shot 17-grain Hornady V-max at 100 yards. I like to shoot 4-bullseye targets because they're cheap. I always start on the southwest bullseye, go clockwise, and end up shooting at the little cross in the center of the target. I shoot 5 rounds per bullseye, including the cross.
On the day I shot, the wind was 5 mph or less from my right.
My first shot missed the target entirely. That was a new one on me; I didn't know it was possible to miss that badly. I guess there was some Eliminator in the barrel. I shot my next round at the bottom edge of the paper, figuring that was the best way to test the gun while endangering people on nearby properties the least. The round went exactly where I aimed it. After that, I shot 9 more groups. Three were 1 MOA or less. Some were around 1.5", and some were right around 2". I'm including flyers.
The whole experience made me wonder where I had gotten the idea that the gun would shoot sub-MOA, so I looked up photos of recent targets, and I found that in August, I had shot a target with 3 sub-MOA groups and one group right at 1 MOA, using 20 grain ammo. This must have been where I got my rosy expectations.
I shot that target with a barrel that had never had the crud removed from the muzzle. Go figure.
It's kind of hard to believe that a gun that shoots 20 consecutive rounds at or below 1 MOA is not a sub-MOA gun, but 2" groups don't lie.
What should I take away from this? One guy here seems sure .17 HMR won't break 1 MOA consistently because the people who make the ammo are lazy jerks. Other people seem to think it works if you do things right. I notice that I shot my lousy target with 17-grain ammo and my better one with 20-grain. Maybe 17-grain just isn't going to work, except for hunting.
Also, if cleaning the muzzle is a big deal, how did I do so well with a muzzle that was ringed by stalagmites of powder residue? It seems like probability would rule that out if muzzle crud made a big difference. Unless crud helps!
To add to the story, I got some advice on cleaning .17 HMR rifles here, and I put it to work. I was told that powder residue builds up on the ends of .17 HMR rifles, forming a crust that endangers accuracy. I found that my rifle had this problem, and I removed the crud with Bore Tech Eliminator. I didn't use metal tools or anything that could damage the crown.
After I cleaned the gun, I went out and shot 17-grain Hornady V-max at 100 yards. I like to shoot 4-bullseye targets because they're cheap. I always start on the southwest bullseye, go clockwise, and end up shooting at the little cross in the center of the target. I shoot 5 rounds per bullseye, including the cross.
On the day I shot, the wind was 5 mph or less from my right.
My first shot missed the target entirely. That was a new one on me; I didn't know it was possible to miss that badly. I guess there was some Eliminator in the barrel. I shot my next round at the bottom edge of the paper, figuring that was the best way to test the gun while endangering people on nearby properties the least. The round went exactly where I aimed it. After that, I shot 9 more groups. Three were 1 MOA or less. Some were around 1.5", and some were right around 2". I'm including flyers.
The whole experience made me wonder where I had gotten the idea that the gun would shoot sub-MOA, so I looked up photos of recent targets, and I found that in August, I had shot a target with 3 sub-MOA groups and one group right at 1 MOA, using 20 grain ammo. This must have been where I got my rosy expectations.
I shot that target with a barrel that had never had the crud removed from the muzzle. Go figure.
It's kind of hard to believe that a gun that shoots 20 consecutive rounds at or below 1 MOA is not a sub-MOA gun, but 2" groups don't lie.
What should I take away from this? One guy here seems sure .17 HMR won't break 1 MOA consistently because the people who make the ammo are lazy jerks. Other people seem to think it works if you do things right. I notice that I shot my lousy target with 17-grain ammo and my better one with 20-grain. Maybe 17-grain just isn't going to work, except for hunting.
Also, if cleaning the muzzle is a big deal, how did I do so well with a muzzle that was ringed by stalagmites of powder residue? It seems like probability would rule that out if muzzle crud made a big difference. Unless crud helps!
