17 hmr new gun advice

[CarbonMTN]

Would be used for plinking and varmint hunting.

CZ 457 Varmint or the 457 Lux because I do like iron sights.

Tikka T1X 17 hmr

Savage 93R17 TRR SR.

Browning T-bolt Target/Varmint

Which would you choose and why?

Still wish I could get my hands on the Sako Quad.........

 

[Frankr]

Sako quads are out there. (https://www.eurooptic.com/sako-quad-rifles.aspx)

If it was me

CZ 457 or Tikka

My FIL and BIL have the savages and I have the 457 (had the 455) and have a RAR and RPRR (Not in 17hmr on the last two). Grandpas buddy who hunts with us has a Browning t-bolt in 17hmr.

CZ has a ton of aftermarket support and all my complaints with the 455 are solved (Great trigger, 60* bolt throw, normal safety). Lots of barrel options and stocks options are getting more prevalent. Magazines are everywhere and mine have been super reliable even the plastic mags. Out of the box the stocks are better than the tikka imho

Tikka - tons and tons of stock options (t3x), great accuracy, 60* bolt lift, trigger can be swapped out with t3x.

Browning - Shoots nice and looks nice but really no aftermarket support (if you care about that). T-bolt action is a little weird at first but not bad once you get used to it.

Savage - They shoot well, cheap, seem to be reliable....... that's about all I can say that's good about them.

 

[Kisssofdeath]

I have three 17 HMR firearms, a Tikka, CZ453 and an Anschutz 17P. I know you wouldn't be interested in the Anschutz as it is a handgun. Between the Tikka and CZ the Tikka is the most accurate. I could show several groups with each but I'm on my laptop and the photos are not on this device.

 

[carbonbased]

I have a CZ rimfire .22 (Ultra Lux), but after reading about the Tikkas and fondling one at the store, I think I’d go Tikka. The bolt is silky.

Although…for 17hmr most every brand seems to be pretty accurate, even my (sold) piece of crap Savage A17 that wouldn’t cycle even after a trip back to Savage HQ.

My next .22 will be a Tikka, I think, unless the Vudoo bug bites.

 

[salks]

I bought a savage 93R17 that would consistently group somewhere around 5 inches at a 100yards. After trying everything I could think of sent it back to savage. They did such a hack job re pinning the barrel when I sent it back a second time they just sent me a new gun. The new gun shoots better but not what I think 17HMR is capable of. I was happy Savage stood buy the gun but would much rather have a gun that shoots well without all the hassle. If I were to buy again I would get the Tikka T1x or Ruger RPR.

 

[justin amateur]

One critical factor to remember, no matter which rifle you purchase,
there are only two manufacturers of 17hmr cartridges, CCI and Winchester.
Browning is relabeled Winchester.
Federal, Remington, Hornady and Norma are relabeled CCI.
Neither CCI or Winchester produce consistent quality cartridges.
I've had extreme variations in muzzle velocity and cartridge component/assembly quality.
Results on paper have ranged from amazing to horrible.
All ammo related, confirmed by visual inspection before chambering and chronograph results.
CCI and Winchester do not have the quality control in place to produce match grade cartridges.
It's hunting and plinking ammunition. Don't assume it's the rifle, or you, for those odd strays.

 

[carbonbased]

On the ammo note, you could also consider the 17 Hornet. I have a CZ 527. The ammo, by Hornady, has a great reputation, but is more expensive, as centerfire rounds are. Of the three manufacturers that produce guns for the Hornet that I know of (CZ, Ruger, and Savage), the CZ has the best reputation. Mine is still a bit of a work in progress, but it shoots accurately.

 

[MarkCZ]

I have a CZ 455 Varmint that shoots great with all ammo, but super with 20gr CCI Gamepoints and Hornaday 20gr XTP ( same ammo). I have a Tikka T1x in 22lr, it shoots great. Having both I would lean to the Tikka. In my area it would be what gun I could find first.

Mark

 

[Kisssofdeath]

One critical factor to remember, no matter which rifle you purchase,
there are only two manufacturers of 17hmr cartridges, CCI and Winchester.
Browning is relabeled Winchester.
Federal, Remington, Hornady and Norma are relabeled CCI.
Neither CCI or Winchester produce consistent quality cartridges.
I've had extreme variations in muzzle velocity and cartridge component/assembly quality.
Results on paper have ranged from amazing to horrible.
All ammo related, confirmed by visual inspection before chambering and chronograph results.
CCI and Winchester do not have the quality control in place to produce match grade cartridges.
It's hunting and plinking ammunition. Don't assume it's the rifle, or you, for those odd strays.

I have a question, have you pulled bullets and inspected and weighed the powder for the CCI, Fed, Rem and Hornady that load the same bullets? I'm not disputing what you have said, just wondering if this has been done?

 

[Kisssofdeath]

Recently shot Tikka 17 HMR results at 55 yards. I was low on ammo on two. All shot with my Silencerco Sparrow except the 2nd group. I was comparing the Remington with and without the Sparrow. It was the only brand of ammo that I had enough of to this. What I am trying to show here is that the Tikka 17 HMR shoot pretty good. At least mine satisfies me.

 

[justin amateur]

KOD, I pull apart damaged cartridges.
Visible split necks, poorly crimped where the bullet moves into the brass when touched.
The visible difference inside the brass is not the powder amounts
it's the location and the quantity of primer applied.
Check the rated MV on the boxes and the difference
between different brands with the same bullet
is an insignificant percentage.
Labeling means little, results and chrony numbers tell the true story.

Looking at y'er results, that's not the rifle or you.
Those odd fliers are poorly assembled cartridges.
Canted seating, bent plastic tips, uneven seating depths, variations in oal.
Ammo quality is messing with your results.

 

[dntworry]

T1X 17HMR 20 shot group 50y federal 17gr tnt hp

 

[dntworry]

Tikka - tons and tons of stock options (t3x), great accuracy, 60* bolt lift, trigger can be swapped out with t3x.

Trigger is actually identical all it needs is a yodave trigger spring if you want to take it even lower. Only negative I have is the cheap included stock but that’s an easy fix.

 

[Kisssofdeath]

KOD, I pull apart damaged cartridges.
Visible split necks, poorly crimped where the bullet moves into the brass when touched.
The visible difference inside the brass is not the powder amounts
it's the location and the quantity of primer applied.
Check the rated MV on the boxes and the difference
between different brands with the same bullet
is an insignificant percentage.
Labeling means little, results and chrony numbers tell the true story.

Looking at y'er results, that's not the rifle or you.
Those odd fliers are poorly assembled cartridges.
Canted seating, bent plastic tips, uneven seating depths, variations in oal.
Ammo quality is messing with your results.

So the powder was the same type and the weight difference between brands was insignificant?

How would you know what the difference in primer amount is since it is contained in the rim?

These are not trick questions, just trying to learn what exactly you did so I may compare it to my results if I decide to pull a few and check the powder between CCI and all the others?

 

[justin amateur]

On the cartridges I pulled apart, primer location and amount varied.
Some had primer only on the bottom and rim.
Others had it predominantly to one side.
A few had filled the bottom and continued up the sides, a lot.
A few ftf had almost no primer at all.
Manual priming quality depends on the tech doing the job.
Punch plate and spreader for a half million rounds has to get old.

Video of CCI factory
Primer installation at 3:30 in the vid

 

[Krob95]

I have had a savage 93r17 and now a tikka t1x .17 and the tikka is the winner hands down. Trigger is phenomenal, bolt is nice and smooth (a little stiff to cock but should get better as it’s used), very accurate at 100yd, and you can put it in a bravo chassis lol my tikka also doesn’t have a bore snake in it as well. +1 for Tikka