low end .17 centerfire rifles?

G

geode

New member
Are there any? Something similar to the axis? I'm just looking for something to plink with and don't want to break the bank. As far as I can tell the savage model 25 in .17HH is about as low as they get. Is there anything in the .17rem or fireball?
 
Outside the Savage 25 there aren't much available in .17. The Model 11 and Axis could be rebarreled to .17 pretty cheaply. Buy ax Axis in .223 and screw on a 17 Fireball barrel for a cheap entry. Of Course a barrel for the Contender/ Encore/ Apex would work too.
 
Low end centerfire 17's ? Like you said the Savage 25 in 17 Hornet is about it, Heck it's hard to find a mid to upper range one anymore.

Plinking ? 17 centerfires was made for kill'n.
grin.gif
 
A friend of mine bought a new in box Rem model 7 predator in .17 Fireball for $500 bucks last year. Should be some deals out there and some low round used ones too.
 
Originally Posted By: Displayed Name A friend of mine bought a new in box Rem model 7 predator in .17 Fireball for $500 bucks last year. Should be some deals out there and some low round used ones too.

I would be tickled to death to find one of those at that price now.
I low price 17 Rem. is a thing of the past. It wasn't that long ago that a 17 Rem. was looked down upon. To anemic to kill anything but Prairie Dogs and now its a very popular caliber with the fur savers.
Some of us should have kept our mouth shut.
scared.gif
We should have kept the myth going about how after 10 rounds the barrels were fouled out. Or how easy a slight breeze blew the bullets around. Geesh!!! We should have kept our mouths shut.
rolleyes.gif


But back on topic the best bang out there would be a CZ in 17 Rem.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: lhitchcoxOutside the Savage 25 there aren't much available in .17. The Model 11 and Axis could be rebarreled to .17 pretty cheaply. Buy ax Axis in .223 and screw on a 17 Fireball barrel for a cheap entry. Of Course a barrel for the Contender/ Encore/ Apex would work too.

new to this kind of stuff. how does one "screw on a .17 fireball barrel"? does this mean you have two barrels and could interchange between the two calibers? where do I find a barrel to screw on and how much do they cost?
thanks
 
The Savage rifles use a barrel nut to set headspace. That means that the owner can swap barrels himself with a couple of tools. I use an action wrench and a barrel nut wrench to break the nut loose. Then spin it off and spin on the other. The only thing to worry about is getting the headspace right. For that I use a go gage. Put the gage in the chamber and close the bolt. Turn in the barrel until it snugs up to the gage and then tighten the barrel nut locking everything in place.

Right now I don't know of any cheap .17 barrels. A shaw could probably be had for a bit over $200. Custom barrels are about $300 and up.
 
Last edited:
I paid $500 for my CZ Varmint in 17Rem a few years ago and consider myself dang lucky to have found it, there was a guy in the local gun classifieds a few weeks ago that had a older BDL but I think he was 600 or a little better on it.
 
The short answer is no. Perhaps you can scrounge around for a used one, but you are very limited to new production. The Hornady Hornets and CZ .17 rem are the only ones produced to my knowledge. My preference would be a CZ in hornet or rem. My question to you is do you reload. It is difficult to "plink" with a .17 if you don't reload.
 
I do reload. not a tremendous amount but i have the equipment and reload for .223 rem and .243 win. next question. if i'm basically looking to shoot paper, with the possibility of the occasional coyote/fox/bobcat hunt, what is more FUN to shoot, a .17 hornet or the .22 hornet or does it really matter?
 
I have both a 22 and .17 HH. The 17 HH in my opinion is way more fun to shoot. The rifle is a Savage 25 Walking Varminter. The 22 Hornet I have is a CZ American and it shoots really well, and is better looking and smoother to operate. But that Savage is probably the most accurate rifle I own right now. I shot it last Sunday 2-5 mph wind and at 150 yrds it produced a 10 shot group you could cover with a dime. I love the round and who doesn't like a .17 caliber anyways.
 
I m a 17 caliber fan. I use 17 HM2, 17 HMR RF, 17 Fireball, 17 Rem and will have a 17 Hornet CF within a few weeks. I got my first rifle in 1949 and over the years I have found to not purchase low end $$ firearms. I wait until I save up $$ to get the better quality most of which has increased in value. When target shooting its not much fun shooting an inaccurate rifle.
 
Originally Posted By: bracerI m a 17 caliber fan. I use 17 HM2, 17 HMR RF, 17 Fireball, 17 Rem and will have a 17 Hornet CF within a few weeks. I got my first rifle in 1949 and over the years I have found to not purchase low end $$ firearms. I wait until I save up $$ to get the better quality most of which has increased in value. When target shooting its not much fun shooting an inaccurate rifle. agree! they last a long , long time. also for me the rifle is the least expensive part of the hunt. comparesd to gas, tags , vehicles, boots , snowshoes, calls ect. if you ever want to sell you get 90 to 100 % back. the rest is just sunk cost.
 
Originally Posted By: bracerOver the years I have found to not purchase low end $$ firearms. I wait until I save up $$ to get the better quality most of which has increased in value. When target shooting its not much fun shooting an inaccurate rifle.

Truer words never spoken. I cannot afford to buy cheap guns or cheap scopes for that matter. Who wants to hold Roseanne Barr in your arms when you could have Jennifer Anniston for a few dollars more?
 
Back
Top