My first experience with 17's was my brothers 17Rem T/C Pistol. We were not impressed, he sold the barrel and later bought a 17HMR barrel for it.
When the 17HMR was introduced we each bought Marlin 17VS’s. I could not believe the accuracy out of the box, less than 1in @100 yds and there were virtually no ricochets. We added Rifle Basix’s triggers and tightened both groups to less that ¾ in. I found it a very safe and accurate round. It has taken many rabbits, squirrels and black birds cleanly, quickly, and easily out to 150yds. Headshots are a certainty and the game is free from bullet fragments. However, while it has taken woodchucks and feral cats, it is not reliable for these or coyote. I had a clean 75 yd shot on a Coyote that we saw again a few months later.
After reading Todd Kindlers articles we decided to build a pair 17Mach 4’s, we used Zastava actions and Shilen barrels. 1in groups at 200 yds and quick kills on tougher game. It's another great round - Thanks Todd!!
Since we fell in love with the 17’s We had to have a 17HM2. Using old 10/22’s we built a pair with the EABCO conversion kit in stainless. We bedded both stocks (his is wood – mine plastic) to the balance point of the barreled receiver. We both used VOLQUARTSEN hammer kits. The light trigger spring made them spontaneously fire and we put the factory spring back in. We used the hammer spring and followed the directions to the last detail. I had to do a lot of finishing on my hammer, which was significantly different than the one my brother got, even though both were VOLQUARTSEN. Mine had a terrible pull that felt like the sear dragging across a file. Finally he ended up with a nice 30oz pull and mine is an OK 36oz. I just put 10 shots in a ¾ in group twice at 50 yds. I was impressed with it, especially since it was a semi-auto, but I think I am going to get the Power Custom hammer and sear kit to get the trigger right.
It has worked nice on rabbits and squirrels out to 75 yds. It gets a little weak after that but still nails Blackbirds at 100yds. I would not consider using it for anything tougher than rabbits. It is also much quieter than the 17HMR or 22LRs, which is a very nice feature.
Using the RCBS Load software with a 1-inch target dia., the POINT BLANK ranges for the 3 cartridges are
Cartridge ..Bullet ... Muz Vel PB Range KE @ PB rng
17MachIV 20g VMax 4000 ... 194yds .. 364.4
17HMR ... 17g VMax 2550 ... 122yds .. 118.8
17HM2 ... 17g VMax 2100 ... 102yds ... 87.4
Shooting that flat they are my guns of choice for varmint control around the farm and because of the copper bullet, a lot easier to keep clean.
I will keep my other 22 rimfires for plinking and just plain shooting practice because of the inexpensive ammo. But, with most of my shots within 75 yds, I find myself reaching for the Deuce, as we call the 17HM2, when the shot has to count.
