Re-barreling a Ruger 77/22 Mag to 17HMR

Well if the op lived in my area at least he would have ammo to shoot haven't seen any 22wmr on the shelves for quite a while, seems like here at least there wasn't ever a shortage of 17hmr ammo
 
Originally Posted By: D_BellI am about to Re-barrel my Ruger 77/22 Mag to 17HMR. Has anyone done this before, and what barrel?

Did this to my dads 77/22mag with a drop in barrel from Lilja. It's very easy and straight forward, to swap barrels with these and the mag feeds the 17HMR just as smooth as the 22mag.

I can't remember the specifics but I recall there being something different about the way the barrel is gets locked into place on the older Ruger 77/22 versus the newer ones so make sure you know which version you have before you order a barrel for yours.

Also, if you haven't already looked into it to know the cost, they're not cheap like they are for the 10/22's but the one from Lilja is TOP quality just like their centerfire barrels. My dads will easily out shoot my Savage 93 HB SS.
 
I am converting to 17HMR since 22MAG ammo is almost impossible to get. All the local shops have 17HMR in stock, and is much cheaper than 22Mag.

I would love to afford a Lilja, but going with a Shilen barrel. Should be the same contour as the stock Ruger.
 
We did my fathers with a Green Mountain barrel. I think at the time it was a little over a hundred bucks and very easy to do. It shoot great for a rimfire, 5 shots under a quarter at 100 yards. Shot better than it did when it was a 22 mag.
 
Ammo wise, I'd have to agree. It's been a few years since I shot HMR, but I never had problems finding a couple cases of it even when I didn't see .22 for a couple years. The last year or so I bought a little rimfire when I came across it, but there was usually hmr on the shelves.
 
And 17HMR, if you watch for it, cost about half what I've seen WMR going for. MidSouth Shooters Supply had it for less than $10 a box last time I looked and that was for the Hornady labeled stuff.
 
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