Recommendations on a .17 HMR?

[JW_Halverson]

A young woman I know has decided she wants to thin down the prairie dogs in her horse pasture.  She tried another friend's .223, but decided she didn't want that much gun for that little a problem. I think the little .17 rimfire HMR would be perfect, so I got her to read up on the caliber. She likes it.

What are your recommendations for inexpensive guns in this caliber that would be reliable and effective?  I would lean toward the H&R/New England break action single shot, but I think she might want a bolt action. 

Because she is a "horse person", she is perpetually broke. Horse people will understand this.  I am thinking of chipping in a few bucks and a few boxes of lead free ammo in exchange for her saving some of those Buddha rats, a hawk's gotta eat ya know. LOL

[lebhuntfish]

A 17HMR is a pretty good caliber for such a job.  You might consider the good ole 22 magnum as well.  You can get a little bigger bullet weight and its a little more forgiving on longer range than the 17. You could probably find either of the guns used.  I personally would compare the price of the ammo and the cost of the gun then go from there.  Remember that a good scope will be a bigger key to her success with prairy dogs than the caliber she is shooting. 

Patrick

[mullet]

I have a Mossberg .17 HMR that I've had since they first came out. They are cheap and with BSA's also cheap, Sweet.17 scope, very accurate. It will blow a squirrel to heck and back with those ballistic tips they sell so I went to the 20 grain solid bullet and now it just punches a small hole. You have the dial the scope to 200 yards instead of 100 yards because of the extra 3 grains, though.

I've dropped everything from tree rats to Hogs with mine, no deer, but gators included. I have night vision on it now using the same scope.

[lebhuntfish]

Hey Eddie,  I use to have one just about like that.  Your right about the balistic tips they can do some damage!  I used mine mainly for coyotes but I sold it and bought the center fire 17 remington fireball.  Man its flat shooting and it will absolutely distroy a yote at 400 yards. 

Patrick

[JEB]

CZ 452 Varmint is a good one.  I know you asked about 17 hmr but I have a Ruger #3,  22 hornet center fire that is a nail driver.

[bubby]

The savage with the accu trigger, u cant get better for the buck

[jeffhalfrack]

X2 ! On the savage!!!,,,,,,,I like to think of it as ammo friendly,,,,,,more Bulls-eyes than misses!,,,can not praise it enough! Jeffw

[Trapper Rob]

JW the H&R single shot is a good gun I have one with a bull barrel in a 204.

[S.C. hunter]

I have the Savage model 93. It is awesome in .17hmr.  There are enough different bullets available for just about any small game.  It will do a job on beavers too.  I later purchased an Axis in .223, another awesome gun.  I don't think you can beat these guns for the money.    I agree a good scope is vital. The accu trigger is another great feature for sure.
   Steve
   

[Hawkdancer]

Not familiar with the.17 rim fire, but I am in favor of center Fire - reload recycle the brass.  .223 is pretty good for most smaller game.  Them prairie rats just laugh at my .58 ball, whistle "Incoming" and duck !  I would go with something in the .22 cal family.
Hawkdancer

[chamookman]

Another vote for the Savage bolt action, I've had one for years. Came with a BSA Sweet .17 scope - thought I'll replace it when it took a crap (Heard bad things about BSA). Use it quite a bit and the scope still going strong. Shoot mostly Ground Hogs, but makes a GREAT Tree Rat piece also - easy Head shots out to 100 Yds. Very accurate and Fun to shoot ! Bob

[Stoker]

Friend has the savage.. It's a nice gun to shoot.. I'm a 22 hornet guy but I reload.. H&R hasn't been made for a few years finding one might be tough.. Also the prices have skyrocketed..
Hawkdancer - 58 no 32 yes... Like a 22mag
Thanks Leroy

[Morgan]

Marlin xt17 or the savage. Both are great guns. I prefer the marlin adjustable (profire?) trigger over the savage accutrigger personally but they are both really good triggers. I have a friend that owns both of the 17’s and both seem to shoot equally well. I own the same rifles only in 22LR and the marlin shoots more accurately with a wider range of ammo than the savage, but again both shoot great. Won’t go wrong with either of those.

[PEARL DRUMS]

I'm a big Marlin fan for any rim fire caliber. I have had my .22 mag bolt for 20 years and wouldn't trade it for any other plinker caliber. The bullets are almost twice the weight as a .17 and I prefer that for wind drift and power.

[JW_Halverson]

She and I were discussing the .22 mag vs .17 HMR question last nite late, so I called a friend that works at Cabelas.  He said he gave the advantage to the .17 strictly on two points. 1) .22 mag is more expensive these days 2) .17's do not have the availability issues like the .22.

I appreciate that people are saying good things about the Savage with the Accu-Trigger. A budy has a .223 with that and I LOVE the setup.  A new shooter has a lot of things to overcome that can be controlled by  things like sandbags/rests/good optics...but trigger control is something that has to be learned simply through shot after shot practice.  A better trigger can save you a lot of $$$ in spent ammo. And besides, who wants a crappy trigger?

I have a Mossberg .17 HMR that I've had since they first came out. They are cheap and with BSA's also cheap, Sweet.17 scope, very accurate.

Read up on that scope, sounds a little too good to be true when you consider the price. But I am ok with that!

JW the H&R single shot is a good gun I have one with a bull barrel in a 204.

I had the .223 in a bull barrel set up for varmints with some strange brand 8x18 power scope.  I added a Harris bi-pod that ScottS/stringman now has.  I took 17 antelope with 18 shots with that gun! (One needed a follow-up to the head when she showed signs of trying to stand up).  Other than the stupid amount of weight it accumulated with the heavy barrel, monster scope, and long legged bipod, a heck of a meat maker!

Marlin xt17 or the savage. Both are great guns. I prefer the marlin adjustable (profire?) trigger over the savage accutrigger personally but they are both really good triggers.

I'm a big Marlin fan for any rim fire caliber. I have had my .22 mag bolt for 20 years and wouldn't trade it for any other plinker caliber.

After getting and using this Marlin 336 in the 30-30, I am kinda turning into a fan of this manufacturer.  I looked at the XT-17 and read some reviews that say serious good things.  There is a thumbhole stock/pistol grip option available, and though they are nothing but gawd-awful ugly, I suspect the ergonomics might be helpful to a new shooter. 

Thanks for the recommendations, everyone.  Keep 'em coming!  I will continue to forward these to her since it appears she is getting serious about it now.