Thread: 17hmr

Originally Posted by gimp

What level of precision are folks seeing with .17hmr (with ~10+ shot groups) ?

T1x 10 shots puts 8 into 20mm, but always a couple that take it out to 25-30 sometimes. Don't know if it's me, or ammo, but not worried about it. Still dead, just means it's shot in the eye instead of the ear.

Originally Posted by oraki

T1x 10 shots puts 8 into 20mm, but always a couple that take it out to 25-30 sometimes. Don't know if it's me, or ammo, but not worried about it. Still dead, just means it's shot in the eye instead of the ear.

Run your ammo over a concentricity gauge and it will shock you

Sort it and use the straightest ammo for long range, your 100 yard groups will shrink

Originally Posted by 7mmsaum

Run your ammo over a concentricity gauge and it will shock you

Sort it and use the straightest ammo for long range, your 100 yard groups will shrink

Ayyye???? Don't have one,........and don't really have any use for one. Are they a pricey investment?

I bought a CZ 452 off a feller on here 2 years ago. Took it to the range and it shot like this.


Have not done anything with it since but I pulled it out and scrubbed the heck out of the bore last weekend and might go shoot it Saturday with all the ammo types I can get locally.



E: clearly this is appalling precision, my Q above is looking to see if 10xrd 1.5 moa is a normal and realistic expectation, or is it 10xrd 3moa, to know when I've got it "sorted"

Originally Posted by gimp

I bought a CZ 452 off a feller on here 2 years ago. Took it to the range and it shot like this.


Have not done anything with it since but I pulled it out and scrubbed the heck out of the bore last weekend and might go shoot it Saturday with all the ammo types I can get locally.

Attachment 271897

Scope?? Had 22 that looked like that until i changed scope. Only reason i say that is theres no real pattern of spread, just drifting sideways

Nah the scope is a Leupold mk4, it's good.


I can only surmise fouling as the crown looks good and the bore looks OK as far as I can see, like not visibly gouged

The 17hmr can copper foul if not cleaned with boretech eliminator or other effective coooer remover

It needs to stain the patches blue with removed copper so you know when it’s clean

Originally Posted by gimp

I bought a CZ 452 off a feller on here 2 years ago. Took it to the range and it shot like this.


Have not done anything with it since but I pulled it out and scrubbed the heck out of the bore last weekend and might go shoot it Saturday with all the ammo types I can get locally.

Attachment 271897

I had a very similar result with a 455 .17HMR with multiple ammos and different good scopes.
Turned out to be the suppressor, it wasn't striking but must've had some weird harmonics because as soon as I tried a group minus the suppressor, it shot perfectly acceptable.

Originally Posted by 7mmsaum

The 17hmr can copper foul if not cleaned with boretech eliminator or other effective coooer remover

It needs to stain the patches blue with removed copper so you know when it’s clean

Yeah i dunno what the PO did for cleaning but I've scrubbed with boretech cu & c4 and also Iosso paste.

We shall see how it goes now

had a marlin heavy barrel, shot like a laser.
Too loud without a suppressor.

useless in anything above 5kmh cross winds. Calm evenings deadly out to 200m.
Too expensive to shoot when I could use my 223 with 50gr pills out to longer distances, reload and buck the wind.

Originally Posted by oraki

T1x 10 shots puts 8 into 20mm, but always a couple that take it out to 25-30 sometimes. Don't know if it's me, or ammo, but not worried about it. Still dead, just means it's shot in the eye instead of the ear.

Similar on the Rossi, seems to like the Horny 17gr vmax.

Originally Posted by vulcannz

Similar on the Rossi, seems to like the Horny 17gr vmax.

Your ammo that’s not concentric, ie bent, not assembled straight , will be the source of the random fliers

This problem surfaced in 2005 when the 504T was released , yes 20 years ago

They are still making 17hmr ammo today that gives you a giggle when rolled on a concentricity gauge, it’s the reason most went on to use a 223

The neck tension required to hold the projectile is ridiculously high and crimps the projectile, damaging it, and is also the reason they can’t anneal the necks, which results in split necks and causes velocity variations

The rifles are accurate, the ammo not so much

Iv had 3 Hmrs, an anschutz, a weihrauch and now a steyr. The Weihrauch was consistently the more accurate. The steyr is as good but a lot lighter so harder to shoot off the bench. These are 50yd 4 shot groups from the weihrauch. Overlayed they are under .5 inch and the third group I videoed for the prospective buyer fits in the same, so 12 shots hovering around MOA. Keeping in mind its a rim fire and slight wind will ruin a group at 100yds which is why Ill test at 50 unless its a rare dead calm day.

Originally Posted by vulcannz

Similar on the Rossi, seems to like the Horny 17gr vmax.

rossi bolt or semi ?

Originally Posted by 7mmsaum

Your ammo that’s not concentric, ie bent, not assembled straight , will be the source of the random fliers

This problem surfaced in 2005 when the 504T was released , yes 20 years ago

They are still making 17hmr ammo today that gives you a giggle when rolled on a concentricity gauge, it’s the reason most went on to use a 223

The neck tension required to hold the projectile is ridiculously high and crimps the projectile, damaging it, and is also the reason they can’t anneal the necks, which results in split necks and causes velocity variations

The rifles are accurate, the ammo not so much

Moving to a 223 with factory ammo would be a worse problem. My 17 would group an 1” at 100, I have deleted all the targets from my photos so cannot prove. A 12 gauge hull is good at 100.
Old ammo can be a problem, I always listen to the shot as I’ve had a couple fizz and leave the projectile in the barrel, split necks are common.
Just remembered I owned a 4th, it was Sako, but not made by Sako, didn’t own it long