17 hmr bolt gun? Marlin or Savage

C

cowpoke

New member
I am considering getting either a Marlin or Savage bolt gun in 17 hmr for the purpose of shooting small varmints.. (feral ditch tigers, skunks etc.) in areas I would rather not uncork on them with a centerfire.

So which of the two (Marlin or Savage) has a better track record for being accurate and trouble free, reasonable decent quality for the money?

Thanks
 
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I haven't shot a Marlin but I do have a Savage 93 in .17HMR that is a real tack-driver. My Savage prefers Hornady 20 gr. V-Max over 17 gr. bullets and shoots best when dirty. Others that I know have found this model to be finicky too so you may have to try different bullet weights and manufacturers to get the best results but I would bet you'd be extremely happy with it once you found the best factory load. I replaced the tupperware stock on mine with a wood stock.
 
cowpoke,
Given the choice, I'd take a Savage every time.
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Having said that, I used to own a Marlin (with the heavy barrel) and it was incredibly accurate. I sold it to a guy I work with and he wins bets at the rifle range by shooting the brass casing off of the back stop, at 100 yards.

Good luck with your choices!
Bowhunter57
 
You may want to consider waiting a bit for the Ruger American 17HMR that coming soon. I have it in .22mag and have not shot my savages since spring. 9 shot Rotary Mag is great!
 
I have a Savage 93 BRJ. Heavy barrel, spiral flutes, Vertical grip Boyd's stock. It's my only Indian head, it does well. I think I am going to replace the trigger with a rifle basix. I'm not too keen on the trigger blade thingy...

Anyways, clay pigeons at 200 are boringly easy with this rifle...
 
I have both with heavy barrels.The Marlin is more accurate,it shoots the 17 grain Hornady so well that it is boring at 100 yards.The Savage is almost as accurate and I really like the accu-trigger and thumbhole stock.You can't go wrong with one or the other.I would hate to choose if I had to get rid of one.
 
I have the Savage, my Brother-In-Law has the Marlin. Mine is more accurate, but you have to shoot pretty far (for a rimfire at least) to be able to tell the difference.

Trigger on the Savage is better. His is a cheap, crappy Tupperware, my Savage is a laminate stock, so it's not fair to compare.
 
To be honest, I'm not sure I've seen too many 17HMR's that weren't pretty accurate with their favorite ammo for a stock rimfire. I've been around Rugers, Coopers, CZ's, Savages, and own a Marlin. Find the one that fits you best and has the features you like most. I went Marlin because I didn't like Accu-triggers and couldn't afford a Cooper or Annie. Some don't like the Marlin mags (I agree and use a Savage in mine), some don't like CZ safeties, or Cooper prices or a Ruger trigger. Pick what feels and fits best and go for it.
 
Boringly accurate, lights out, scarey accurate, tack driver, shoots better than I can and not one mention of "all day long if I do my part" anywhere.

I'm kinda disappointed.
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Scarey accurate? LMAO
 
I have one of the first year Marlins. It was cheap and looks that way too. After some trigger work and smoothing up the bolt , it's one heck of a shooter. I had to spend another $1300. on a Cooper to get another 1/8"-3/16" better shooter. They are worlds apart besides in the $ department.

For a beater /farm/ truck gun....Marlin.
 
No complaints with my stainless Marlin heavy barrel. I worked on the trigger and got it to 3.5#, installed a trigger over travel screw, mounted a 3-9 Leupold and it is my favorite small game gun. It is not too heavy to carry all day, but has enough weight to be steady when head shooting squirrel.

I have a Ruger 77/22 and a CZ452 that are in the safe, but 95% of the time, I grab the Marlin. The Marlin is the cheapest gun of the 3 but it is my favorite. Go Figure.

Best advise, regardless of which gun you choose, is to put good glass on it. If you can't clearly see the target, your accuracy is going to suffer.
 
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