Ok guys, help me out here..

[Soren]

I've been looking for a new rimfire rifle for varmint hunting for some time now, however I can't decide between these three (below), so help me out here guys which one should I buy ??

Czech built CZ 453 American in cal .17 HMR: Good looks, nice craftsmanship, very accurate and reasonable price (This is the one I'm leaning towards the most)


German built Anschütz 1517 MP R Multipurpose in cal .17 HMR: Great looks, excellent craftsmanship, extremely accurate but pretty expensive being sold to about twice the price of the CZ & Savage. (My dream of a rimfire rifle, but god it's expensive)


American built Savage 93R17 GV in cal. 17 HMR: Good looks, nice craftsmanship, very accurate and good price (This is an attractive rifle!)


And then there's the Sako Quad, Marlin rifles and Remington rifles.

Any good advice ??

[comiso90]

I'd say start with which round you want to do the damage. Looks like you have your mind set on a .17?

The reading i've done seems to point to a .223 cartridge. Why do you like the .17?

I think Anshuntz are the bst for target shooting.. expensive and heavy.
Personally, I like some of the synthetic stocks on the Remingtins for work in the bush.

Have you seen this?

17HMR.net Forums

[Soren]

I pretty much decided on the .17 HMR because of its effectiveness on small game (it litterally explodes when entering the target) and because of its better accuracy compared to the .22 WMR.

As for the .223, well it's abit more powerful than needed IMO.

[comiso90]

What kind of varmits?

In Central California, Varmits mean coyotes and ground squirrels. .

223 is a bit much for squirrels. For them I'd rather use a Ruger 10-22.

For Coyotes the .223 works well.

.

[Soren]

Exactly Comiso!

Here in Denmark the varmints are usually around the size of squirrels, although we do have foxes etc etc., but for these I either use my shotgun or my Sako 6.5x55mm. But we've got allot of water voles, for which I'll be using the rimfire rifle mostly.

The problem is there's a good 150 to 200 meters of open range before you can get to them, so I need something which can reach out accurately at that range, and the .17 HMR is regarded as very accurate at those ranges compared to the .22 WMR.

[Matt308]

If you don't like .223 then you won't like the penultimate .22-250. If you don't reload and you are shooting 150m or less, than .17HMR is probably okay for voles. But 150m is a stretch for .17HMR with any wind.

Are you looking to only buy your cartridges locally? Reload? These can quickly factor in. As Comiso said, .223 is cheap and accurate. If you think that is too much medicine, than I would question your 200m distances. That is a stretch for varmint hunting with anything less.

[Soren]

Well I can get within 150m without any problems, and at that range a squirrel litterally explodes when hit by a .17 HMR, so I don't expect water voles to fair any better.

Now as to wind, well this is a problem for any rimfire round, but less so for the .17 HMR both by virtue of its clean bullet design & velocity. Ofcourse if it's very windy I won't go at all.

As for purchase of ammunition, well I'll buy it locally (Or as close to as possible), I can't reload as they don't sell cal .17 HMR cartridges & bullets seperately here so..

Have you got any expereince with the .17 HMR Matt ? If so is it all its made up to be, or is it ineffective in a number of ways ?

[Matt308]

It is a perfectly good cartridge within its limitations. And I would stick to inside 150yds and on small varmints. Its a good round. I personally don't own one, but have friends who do. Its not a .222 or .223 power class, but it certainly is well within capabilities of taking squirrel and small voles at a little over 100yds.

What kind of scope, Soren? And I notice you are looking at oversize barrels. You intend to do a lot of shooting in a short time frame?

Buy American. The exchange rate is prime for a good deal. Take a look at Kimber, Ruger and Savage (from most to least expensive). But don't shun the Savage with the Accutrigger. It consistently gets high ratings.

Kimber - Continuing The Legacy

Ruger M77 Mark II Bolt ActionRifles

Savage Arms Model 12 Long Range Precision Varminter

[SoD Stitch]

Wow! I have obviously been out of circulation on the smaller calibre rifles for quite a while; I clearly don't know nearly as much as you guys do about effective small calibre rounds. In my day, a .22 long was what we used for "varmint" hunting; I remember it was a big deal when my father managed to get his hands on a second-generation AR-15 (this was circa 1972). He said it would literally blow squirrels and rabbits apart; not much good for eating after that. He had also planned (illegally) to convert it to full-auto (sounded cool back then, doesn't make much sense now; a three-round burst is fine for me, thank you very much).

[Soren]

Originally Posted by Matt308

It is a perfectly good cartridge within its limitations. And I would stick to inside 150yds and on small varmints. Its a good round. I personally don't own one, but have friends who do. Its not a .222 or .223 power class, but it certainly is well within capabilities of taking squirrel and small voles at a little over 100yds.

Sounds good, and it certainly looks as though its pretty darn effective.

Here's a video from youtube of a ground squirrel taking on a .17 HMR (Warning: Graphic!):
YouTube - 17HMR Rifle Causes Exploding Squirrel

Looks pretty effective

What kind of scope, Soren?

Oh can't remember the name of it, not very expensive but its got great & very clear optics and is equipped with parallax adjustment.

And I notice you are looking at oversize barrels. You intend to do a lot of shooting in a short time frame?

Well I dunno, the CZ American has a medium heavy barrel, while the two others feature heavy barrels.

Buy American. The exchange rate is prime for a good deal. Take a look at Kimber, Ruger and Savage (from most to least expensive). But don't shun the Savage with the Accutrigger. It consistently gets high ratings.

Do you mean buy American as in buy the CZ American, or just buy American ?

The CZ American costs as much as the Savage. The only ones which are cheaper are Marlin & Remington, but quality isn't very good.

My options are:
Anschütz = Highest quality craftsmanship & precision, but bloody expensive!
Sako = Great craftsmanship & precision, but again on the expensive side.
CZ = Very good craftsmanship & precision, and a very reasonabe price.
Savage = Very good craftsmanship & precision, and again very nice price.
Remington = Average craftsmanship but very good precision (I've heard), price on the high side for what you get.
Marlin = What can I say, looks rather cheap, although I'm sure it shoots nice enough.
And then there's some japanese brand but the craftsmanship is just awful on those..

That's what available to me..

Would've liked to see what Ruger could offer but they don't seem to sell them anywhere here in Denmark, will go look when I get back to Aussie land

[Soren]

Hmmm... think I've made my choice, I'm going for the CZ 452:



The scope I'm getting is bigger and with parallex adjustment.

Ever had a rifle from CZ Matt ??

[drgondog]

Originally Posted by Soren

Hmmm... think I've made my choice, I'm going for the CZ 452:



The scope I'm getting is bigger and with parallex adjustment.

Ever had a rifle from CZ Matt ??

Too bad the 10-22 isn't available there. I have a 10-22 Bull barrel (factory - not match) that I have had for a long time that shoots 5 shot groups with Eley Match into 3/4" at 100 yards and sometimes 1/2. Most high velocity stuff is in the 2" or less groups at 150 yards.

I am not afraid to take a head shot at a Coyote at that range but careful beyond that to not take the shot.

This website has info about match barrel and clock for .17cal Mach II conversion kit and this rifle has an amazing secondary market for match triggers, stocks, match barrels, etc.

17 Mach 2 Ruger 10/22 Information Post - 17 HM2 comments, rumors, and shooting results.

CZ is a fine mfr. - but I have no experience with their small bore stuff

[Soren]

The .17 HM2 isn't good enough for the 100y shots or more IMO, I need abit more power to be sure the animal doesn't just get seriously wounded. I think the .17 HMR is the best choice.

I've also considered the .22 WMR because of its better penetration at close ranges, going straight thrugh bone while the .17 HMR ballistic tip just explodes on contact. But I've heard that a FMJ .17 HMR round is soon to be launched, which would solve the that problem.


Now here's an idiot that doesn't understand what size animals the .17 HMR ballistic tip is meant for (Watch how he tries to break the neck of the one still alive - wtf is he doing ??):
YouTube - .17HMR Goose Shoot

[drgondog]

I agree the difference between the two .17s - either conversion kit is available.

I agree 22 mag better choice for say, rabbit size varmints or game.

I have killed about 15 Coyotes on the ranch in the past six years at 75-150 with 22LR - all easy controlled and steady rest - all one shot to head.

Anything I say about the .17 is speculative and what I read.

Having said all that I love the Ruger 10-22. I also have a Kimber and the Ruger 77/22 and the old Browning stock fed/take down .22 with iron sights only. It is in my survival kit.

[Soren]

To the head there's no doubt you can take down a Coyotee with the .22 LR, but anywhere else and there's a great chance it just runs off. (But I see you use a semi auto rifle, which means you should be able to quickly take it down incase you make an unlucky hit) The .17 HMR & .22 WMR should ensure deadly damage if the torso is hit. But then again I wont be hunting foxes, which would be Denmark's equal to coyotes.

Here's some info on the .17 HMR I found on the net, a good read and I think anyone thinking about buying a new rimfire rifle should read it:
Untitled Document