Posted: 12/19/2008 5:17:37 AM EDT
hello all, new member with the same old questions!  im looking into getting myself a .17, but don't know to opt for the mach 2 or the HMR and was hoping for a little input. the 2 models i am currently looking at are the marlin 917m2s in the mach 2, or the 917vst in HMR. the gun will PRIMARILY be used for plinking/taking to the range, but i will also use it to whack some pesty squirrels at my birdfeeders. 
thanks in advance! |
I have the Marlin .17 HMR with the desert laminated stock. Gun is extremely accurate when you find what ammo it likes. I have a cheapy 6x24x50 varmint scope on it and it will consistantly shoot under MOA. At 50 yards I can hit the pushpins that I use to hold target to backer board.
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| Save some money and buy a good used 22lr especially if the most you're going to ask of it is to shoot squirrels and primarily target practice, you'll get a lot more shooting from a 22 for you're dollar. By the way head shots at long range 150 plus are quite makable if the wind isn't very strong in an accurate rifle. |
| The Savage 93 in .17HMR is a really nice rifle for the money. As others have said, you still can't beat the inexpensiveness of the .22LR, but you in the HMR you get a (max range) 300 yard rifle that's a whole lot of fun to shoot and a heck of a lot cheaper to feed than a centerfire. Mine was very accurate right out of the box. |
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Quoted:
The Savage 93 in .17HMR is a really nice rifle for the money. As others have said, you still can't beat the inexpensiveness of the .22LR, but you in the HMR you get a (max range) 300 yard rifle that's a whole lot of fun to shoot and a heck of a lot cheaper to feed than a centerfire. Mine was very accurate right out of the box. see my friend told me to look into savages, but i just don't like the feel of the action on the savages. im from a little town called dubois (don't know if you guysknow where its at) and was over at grices gun shop in clearfield just a little earlier and i cant seem to get over the gritty/sloppy feel of the slide. i like the triggers on them though...from what i have read, the trigger on the savages has a much nicer feel to it than the marlin, but the marlins action is superior. if i heard wrong,. let me know! its the only way to learn. thats the only other reason i was looking at a .17 was just for the little extra yardage it can reach out to. any other opinions, let me know! im going to make sure before i make a decision. thanks for the info and opinions guys! keep them coming if you got em!! |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
The Savage 93 in .17HMR is a really nice rifle for the money. As others have said, you still can't beat the inexpensiveness of the .22LR, but you in the HMR you get a (max range) 300 yard rifle that's a whole lot of fun to shoot and a heck of a lot cheaper to feed than a centerfire. Mine was very accurate right out of the box. see my friend told me to look into savages, but i just don't like the feel of the action on the savages. im from a little town called dubois (don't know if you guysknow where its at) and was over at grices gun shop in clearfield just a little earlier and i cant seem to get over the gritty/sloppy feel of the slide. i like the triggers on them though...from what i have read, the trigger on the savages has a much nicer feel to it than the marlin, but the marlins action is superior. if i heard wrong,. let me know! its the only way to learn. thats the only other reason i was looking at a .17 was just for the little extra yardage it can reach out to. any other opinions, let me know! im going to make sure before i make a decision. thanks for the info and opinions guys! keep them coming if you got em!! I know DuBois very well, I was just there in October for a few days. The DuBois mall sure has gotten a lot scarier since the last time I was in town, but there were a handful of hotties working at the movie theatre next door. I think you might have the info on the Savage and the Marlin mixed up. The Marlin doesn't feel as solid and the trigger is definitely lacking. I'd suggest checking on this one which should be right around $200-$250. Definitely feel out both of them if you can. I would suggest not getting the synthetic stock version of either rifle - feels like a toy and not as solid. |
| very good! good to meet someone online familiar with the area. i am thinking i want a thumb-through stock. This one i think might be a winner. |
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I would avoid the 17 Mach 2 myself. There were a number of problems with the 17 Mach 2 causing split necks and these also have not sold well so many ammo manufactures and gun manufactures are dropping the offering.
The 17 HMR on the other hand is very popular and I fully expect to see that round available perminatly. Now, you didn't say if you already have a 22lr and if you don't then I would get a good 22 first and then add the 17 HMR as the 17 HMR ammo is much loader and considerably more expensive then 22lr ammo. I am planning to buy a 17 HMR rifle myself as it is a dandy round and I already have a few 17 HMR revolvers I use on groundhogs in the summer. I would like to pick up one of the Ruger 77/17 HMRs with the laminate/stainless configuration but I hate to spend the money right now so I have been watching for a good deal on a used one. Good Luck, Ken |
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Quoted:
I would avoid the 17 Mach 2 myself. There were a number of problems with the 17 Mach 2 causing split necks and these also have not sold well so many ammo manufactures and gun manufactures are dropping the offering. This is a very valid point. The HM2 really doesn't fit into the mix well and shooters have not flocked to it like they did the HMR. Think about it this way; The .17 HMR fills the gap between the .22 WMR and a lower velocity .22 centerfire round like the .22 Hornet. The .17 HM2 really doesn't bring anything new to the table, or rather, doesn't bring anything THAT new to the table and has suffered for it. Given a decision to buy a .22 LR or a .17 HM2, the ammunition price/availability between the two is a no-brainer. I wouldn't be surprised if it got dropped entirely within a handful of years. |
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AR Junkie, I work in DuBois. I bought a Savage 93R17BTVS from L.B.Toney's Alamo Gunshop a year ago. I gotta tell ya, its a tack drivin' SOB! It doesn't like CCI ammo but with Winchester, Federal and Remington 17 gr bullets, I'm getting 3/8 inch groups at a hundred yards.
I don't know a thing about the .17 Mach 2, but everybody I know that has a .17 HMR loves them. |