17 WSM - opinions, please

[Bill K]

[
And as my gunsmith often tells me, there's a lot worse things you could spend your money on.[/quote]

Your smith has that correct, many vises that are worse. Bill K

[Hog Patrol]

Originally Posted by Bill K

This beings to mind a question. When I see comments regarding not having to worry about brass, by using the rimfires, do you fellows pick up your empties or leave them lying around the property owners pivots/fields ?
I know, when I stop shooting in the areas I pick up my rimfire
brass so it is not picked up and bail when they cut and bail. Bill K

Whether it's in the field or on the range, if I can find it, all of my rimfire brass goes in the scrap bucket. When I get enough of it and range brass, off to the scrapyard I go.

[Bayou City Boy]

I pick up all of the brass that I can find too. It just hurts a bit more when it's re-loadable CF brass that I can't find.........

-BCB

[GLWenzl]

I ALWAYS say that the ONLY reason I like rimfires is because I don’t have to worry about the brass. That’s a fact jack but that doesn’t mean I don’t police brass. I’m the same way, I save all my RF brass I can.

However seeing a piece of my 17 Rem brass or 20 Practical or a 223 brass fly out of my AR-15 and bounce down a PD hole OR just can’t find it. Not finding a piece of RF brass doesn’t bother me nearly so much.

Back to the OT... despite not really being a RF guy I personally am totally happy and found of the 17 WSM.

First of its very close in case capacity as the most fun 17 I had ever owned, a 17 CCM. I actually purchased a bmag from a guy here on Saubier as a known poor shooter (just what I was looking for).

After much fiddling around I finally got it to shoot the 25 gr vmax to where it wasn’t great but it was respectable. I’m the guy who has never enjoyed shooting 25s from my 17 AH, so I darn sure wasn’t excited about this.

Decided to purchase a Boyd’s stock. Put it together and it just sat there...

It was about this time the 25 gr vmax was like extinct and all I could find was 20s to which I was already over stocked with. And the 15.5NTX went on sale so like an idiot, I purchase a 1,000 rounds of it.... so now I have a rifle that doesn’t care for lighter bullets and have a lot of lighter bullets.

You guessed it the only option was to purchase a new rifle. A friend sold me his, a later model with some alpha letter in the SN that was an indication that it would probably shoot the lighter bullets.

Not exactly sure what I had going on back then but it just sat there never shot it.... until one day a guy here has a 22 TCM to trade. Thinking I could trade the early model off on a 22 TCM sounded great in the Theory however he took the newer one and the TCM well it went down the road and I only have the pistol now.

So now a friend at work is asking me for rimfire advice. I said the 17 WSM and offered him mine to try warning him it might not shoot and all I had left was 20gr vmax.

He comes to work next week with a smile on his face and said, “I thought you said it wouldn’t shoot the 20s”

To make this long story come to an end.. that early model cheap nasty cock on close POS shoots good enough that I’ve had a lot of fun with it making the 17 WSM my favorite RF except for one thing... it’s a bolt action. Had it been an auto loader then it’d be no doubt my absolute favorite. Currently the Savage A17 and this bmag ate tied depending on what I’m doing with it.

I’ve got into the 22 mags big time here lately and have a lot of 17HM2s/HMRs and they are great but I do like the additional punch in the 17 wsm, lower noise than my 17 Hornets and like I said, not too worried if I loose a piece of brass.

But currently, the most fun is the newest one... Got me a 17 Hornady Hornet. It’s my first one (another long story). But am excited about it... Pacnor barrel, Talley rings and it might be going in a pretty stock that I made from a local cut tree.

[Bill K]

That is great to hear that some do actually pick up their rimfire brass, as much as possible. I know we all lose some, they seem to hide on us very well sometimes.
But I also know that many don't, seems like every week when up into pivots around the fields in Alturas/Cedarville area, I find numerous pieces left flung around, so I load those up into a container and like mention by one, they go once or twice a year to the recycle dealer.. Both I and my old shooting partner picked up many a piece left behind by other shooters. Mostly it has been 17 HMR and 17 WSM, with the occasional 22lr or 22mag. Bill K

[Eric Mayer]

I own 7 different 17WSMs.

1) Savage B.MAG - Original thin barrel
2) Thompson Contender Carbine - MGM Barrel
3) Savage B.MAG - Heavy Barrel Stainless
4) Franklin Armory F17L build - Heavy Twist Fluted Barrel
5) Franklin Armory F17-SPR - Special Purpose Rifle (8.9lbs with optic)
6) Franklin Armory F17L build - 1:8 twist
7) Ruger 77/17 - Jard Trigger, shimmed bolt

I've Also Shot the Following Extensively:
1) Volquartsen 17WSM
2) Winchester 1885 17WSM

Most accurate (20 grain load):
1) Franklin Armory F17L Build - Heavy Twist Fluted Barrel - (20 grain load)
2) Thompson Contender Carbine - MGM Barrel - (20 grain load)
3) Franklin Armory F17-SPR - Special Purpose Rifle (8.9lbs with optic)

Most accurate (15 grain lead free load):
--- Savage B.MAG - Heavy Barrel Stainless - (15 grain lead free)

Farthest Shots (top three - separate rifles):
1) 511 Yards - Ruger 77/17 - Prairie Dog
2) 489 Yards - Franklin Armory F7L Build - Heavy Twist Fluted Barrel - Prairie Dog
3) 389 Yards - Savage B.MAG Heavy Barrel Stainless - Prairie Dog

Farthest Shot on Predator:
--- 154 yards - Coyote - Thompson Contender Carbine - MGM Barrel - (20 grain load)

I've also shot all 4 of the ammunition offerings (one never really made it to market).

We do our best to pick-up all our brass.

Originally Posted by rick w.

Nothing about guns is referenced to money for me. It is how it makes me feel to try something new or build something new myself. I call it fire, some call it passion; who really cares; it is the real driving force.

Perfect quote!

[GLWenzl]

Yes, I do pickup others brass (or sometimes on my shooting range a piece or two that couldn’t be found turn up down the road all tarnished up..

GREAT post Eric! Well.... Thete is but one issue with it.... however being the great guy I am; I’m here to help.

Way to many F/As for one guy... As bad as I hate to say this, iI’ll make room for one of them tonight and be looking for it in the mail... oh don’t worry... I won’t charge you much for storage

[Eric Mayer]

Originally Posted by GLWenzl

Yes, I do pickup others brass (or sometimes on my shooting range a piece or two that couldn’t be found turn up down the road all tarnished up..

GREAT post Eric! Well.... Thete is but one issue with it.... however being the great guy I am; I’m here to help.

Way to many F/As for one guy... As bad as I hate to say this, iI’ll make room for one of them tonight and be looking for it in the mail... oh don’t worry... I won’t charge you much for storage

Unfortunately, under Nebraska Bill LR13, you would not be able to own a Franklin Armory F17 in NE.

I had it all packaged up and ready to go. Sorry Gary!

[B23]

Originally Posted by GLWenzl

Yes, I do pickup others brass (or sometimes on my shooting range a piece or two that couldn’t be found turn up down the road all tarnished up..

GREAT post Eric! Well.... Thete is but one issue with it.... however being the great guy I am; I’m here to help.

Way to many F/As for one guy... As bad as I hate to say this, iI’ll make room for one of them tonight and be looking for it in the mail... oh don’t worry... I won’t charge you much for storage

Ha! You clearly aren't aware of just how much Eric loves his F/A 17 WSM's are you?!

I used to accuse him of sleeping with the dam things until I saw a super secret video where he actually has a special bedroom, almost like a babies nursery, in his house so he can tuck them all in every night.

[Eric Mayer]

Haha! You remember that video? It's on my Instagram page :

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPJulkEg...d=q1y7maigdphn