Volquartsen 17hmr semi-auto

Hi all,

Does anyone have experience with the semi-auto 17hmr from Volquartsen? Or any semi-auto 17's??

Any info I find is outdated safety stuff on the ones that blew up (Remington etc). I really like the idea of one, but cannot for the life of me find any current info. Volquartsen are still selling them, but did not even reply to a customer service email I sent asking about the safety of them a month ago. All ammo manufacturers advise checking with firearm manufacturer before using their ammo in them. Any reviews of the rifles I find are good, but seem to not mention anything about safety, or are maybe before any recalls.

They are costly too (NZ$ 2k - 4k), vs their cheap price in the US. But I'm really tempted, if it wouldn't kill me (financially and literally).

I guess they need to be cleaned from the muzzle end? Is a boresnake / pull through really enough for HMR's?

I know (from American forums) some people have kept their Remington 597's that still function well. Not many comments on the Volquartsen there, though.

In short: does anyone have a Volquartsen semi-auto 17HMR, and can they recommend it? I already have a Marlin bolt action, but a semi could just be fun - until it blows up in my face, which I wanna check out first. I'm pretty sure Reloaders shop in Auckland wont let me try before I buy - they just say 'yes, it's safe'. I think they are the only place that can get them in the country?


Cheers,

Len.

I was thinking the same a while ago, but decided fuck that and brought an AR. Probably cheaper in all aspects, better resale and more fun.
17hmr semi pretty sweet though

Used a friends Volquartsen the other year, nice to use, very accurate, would never buy one.
Picking up the brass more than 50% had a bulge in the back of them.

I remember the volquartsen in a magazine recently, and they said the issues didn't effect them. I think the new to market semis are ok in general. but id like to think a shop would be honest.
my savage bolt gun often has empty cases with split necks. good rabbit gun though.

there was a Volquartsen .17 on trademe a couple of weeks back, the owner indicated it had fired out of battery and blown the magazine out at least once. it seems the issues are with all .17 semi's. I have had a couple in bolt action,bloody neat little round

Thanks everyone for the replies. It does seem then that they are generally a concern. I will stick with my bolt rifle then :-)
A suppressed AR would be great...
I'm aware of plenty discussions on this forum for the legal changes on the way... and worry associated with A-cat AR's,but what type of AR's do you guys like? Genuine bushmasters vs guncity chinese ar vs stag arms? others? etc. I will search the forum again for this?

Cheers,
Len

general consensus is stay away from the chinese stuff.

Have both VQ 17HMR & recently AR15. Not had much time with the AR, but can say they are very very different. The VQ is light, so easy to use, accurate & does everything out of the box. Only $'s left to spend is on ammo. This is the problem. If you reload, the AR is cheaper to run. I have not had any problems with the VQ in use. I have not closely inspected the cases though as has Barefoot. So far, the AR has cost much more than the VQ. Needed decent trigger, gas block, optics mount among other bits. Apparently in AR circles, AR is acronym for 'Another Receipt'. The VQ is superb for small game / pest control. However, if you are shooting small game for the table, make sure it's a head shot, otherwise there will only be half an animal left to eat!

I wanted a .17HMR from the moment I saw them and I did a ton of research. I also wanted one in semi-auto but in the end settled on a bolt action. I'm no ballistics expert but my research basically said that there is something about the .17HMR that just beats the crap out of a semi action. Over time, the reliability falls away and the statistics are not good when looking at reasonable use over 5+ years. Volquartsen is a really good brand and if you did want to semi then definitely put theirs on the top of the list. The question to ask Volquartsen is "Out of all your supported caliber's - which one gives you the most grief?" Seriously look at a bolt action ... you only need 1 shot - make it count. ATB ... gunzrrr

I know people who have made 17HMR semi's from ruger semi 22magnums, and they swear by them and won't part with 'em ! Apparently the ruger 22 mag action is much stronger than the standard 10/22, so don't try it with one of them ! ;)