I am considering a Savage .17 HMR with either a heavy barrel or a regular barrel. Is it worht the extra $60 for the heavy barrel, or not? Any help is appreciated.
Ok, I'll be the odd ball here. I say NO on the heavy barrel. I own a Marlin heavy stainless rifle and a Savage regular barrel. Sorry guys, but the Savage WILL shoot right with, if not better than the Marlin heavy. In fact I'm gonna sell the Marlin. I don't need to be packin that heavy thing around. Just my experiances. YMMV....
No don't get the Heavy Barrel. I have the heavy barrel savage and it is rediculous how heavy it is. Go look at one in HB before you order. The 17 hmr bore is so small that the sport contour is basiclly a heavy barrel. Especially if your gonna carry it squirrel hunting or etc. I have a heavy barrel and I would trade it for a light barrel in a heartbeat (but my buddy won't trade me).
You will probably notice little or no difference in the accuracy of either the heavy barreled gun or the light barreled gun. However, the heavy barreled gun will hold a bit steadier in the wind and resist the effects of heart beats a bit better. The downside is that it will be heavier to carry.
Personally, I would prefer the heavy barreled gun because it is only about 1lb heavier than the light barreled gun and if that one pound makes a difference in your ease of transporting it, you need to give up your cigarettes and get some exercise. LOL
I have the heavy barrel and I really like it. I am starting to like lighter guns the more I carry them but I still consider the 17hmr with a heavy barrel a pretty light gun. It has a good feel and is well ballanced. I'm sure a light barrel would still shoot really well though.
I own a savage laminated stainless 9317 in 17 hmr with the heavy barrel and it is still the lightest gun i own. I have shot both and the heavy barrel will hold steadier. Also the savage to marlin comparison is not fair. The savage will always outshoot the marlin even with the lighter barrel.
I just bought the Marlin 917VR heavy barrel. My brother in law just bought the Savage in HB. My rifle is lighter than his.
The heavy barrel does help steady the rifle when shooting off sticks or a rest. I believe it's important when making those long shots on a widdle squirrels... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
In my oppion dont go with the bull barrel. I was talking to a guy at the local pawn shop and he told me that his brother regular barrel shoots just as good groups as his bull barrel. I got one with the regular barrel because i was looking for a light weight gun with good accuracy. I just got to get over being sick and buy some more shells.
Bought mine without Accutrigger. Honed sear and shimmed trigger assembly and ended up with a real shooter. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
Mines the light barrel,,,I love it,,,my buddy got the heavy and I see no difference in the way they shoot, only the weight.
Go with what feels best to you,,,we're all gonna have different opinions,,,none of them are wrong,,,just different. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
mines the bbl I love it. I set up a .22 pistol target ment for 25 yrds. out to about 150-200 yards and ..... it never let me down 5 shots 4 of them bulz eyes 1 on the 50-50 line of 9 and 10. there was about a 5-10 mph cross wind no complaints here.I laugh when people tell me "the bullet is so small that it wont buck the wind like a 204 or a 223" so because of that theroy they wont get one they don't know what they are missing.
"If I'm lying I'm crying I aint shed a tear" (Larry The Cable Guy)
I have the Savage in both configurations, the heavy barrel has a thumbhold laminated stock and the Regular one a rynite stick. There is considerable difference in the weight but not enough to matter to most people. They shoot equal until the barrel heats up and them the heavy takes the prize.
Even with shoulder problems I perfer the heavy barrel for balance. $60 difference is a small price to pay if you are going to take care of the gun. If you are going to throw it behind the seat of the truck and let it bounce around till you need it go with the cheaper one.