SmallCaliberCentral

We got some Savage B Mag rifles and 17 WSM ammo in the store I work at. I was so disappointed! The rifle has a too light plastic stock and has a terrible bolt. It sticks about half way back and is not smooth at all. The ammo is selling for 17.99 for the 25 grain bullet. We have only had 3 or 4 boxes of ammo in so far. I am a big Savage fan but not this one. I read that two other manufacturers are going to make rifles in this caliber but have not found out who?? Has anyone heard of other rifle manufacturers?

1885 Browning

Glen wrote:1885 Browning

???

Winchester 1885 Low Wall.

I checked out the Winchester 1885 Low Wall on their Site....$1,469.00 for it in a Single Shot! Yikes!!!!

I'm gonna Gamble and I have a Savage .17 WSM on order,already picked up several boxes of the 25 grain ammo!

GTO: If you snagged one in the 1885 Winchester/Browning configuration, here's what it would look like:



They are sweet rifles for sure, but this one is chambered in 22 K-Hornet and works as advertised.....as those rockchucks will attest. They're saying that these rifles do indeed cause brain damage. Good luck with the new rig when it arrives....be sure to give us the whole skinny.

I handled one of the Savage B-Mags and also wasnt impressed. Cocking when opening the bolt seems too stiff and clunky. Feels cheap. I've seen ammo as low as $15, but I'm gonna stay with the HMR. If I want over 3000 fps, I' shoot the reloadable 17hh. We'll see if a market ever develops for this round. Bad timing for release with the whole ammo shortage thing too.

Personally, I think this was a marketing blunder by Winchester in launch rifle (NOT a Savage!) timing and caliber. If they really wanted something different and useful, then they should have made it the .20 WSM and used 26gr - 32gr bullets and used a decent, nice rifle for launch.

Let's hope at least Ruger and CZ are paying attention......(Life is too short to hunt with ugly rifles!)

I have talked to multiple Savage 17 WSM owners. They have been reporting poor accuracy, like 2 inch groups at 100 yards. One guy told me that the cases in the heavier bullets have been splitting in his rifle. The bolts in the newer Savages have improved some in that they are smoother to work but they lock down hard and sometime spring back open if not completely forced all the way down. My boss told me that Volquartsen will be taking orders this spring for them.

Contender will chamber it if you want to go that route as well.

Hi, I have several .204 rifles and love 'em. Including a .224 Ruger I built. It's a .222 Mag AI based on the .204 Ruger.....
I also have more Savage rifles than the LGS, mostly Axis models, and just love them. I have built many wildcats using the Axis, the last was a McGowan bbl Axis in 6.5 TCU. Excellent.

However, the BMag was (is) a huge disappointment. Lots of BMag owners blame the horrible plastic stock. Yes, it is bad, but the basic problem is in the ctg and rifle. Even the new wood stocks will not help the accuracy. I have tried several stock mods and the different ammo and it's still bad. The bolt handle is a joke. I bought an aftermarket replacement and it made access to the trigger even worse!

IMHO, Savage should have used a different platform for the .17 WSM.

Personally, I'll take the Savage Model 25 .17 Hornet....... I love that round/rifle.

ron

RIO......that Winchester is one Sweet looking Rifle!

My Savage .17 WSM (B-mag) finally came in a little after Christmas then it was 2 months before I finally got a warm nice day to sight it in.I ended up getting it on the Caldwell Leadsled and going to about 60-70 yards and had it hitting decent groups within 1-2 inches.I still plan on taking it to a better Official Shooting Range and getting it sighted in at 50 Yards then out to the 100 yard mark!

Since I had it sighted in I took it out a few times Coyote Hunting in the Big Woods hoping to see what it would do on a Predator but didn't have anything come in so only time will tell before it proves itself?

As Several mentioned the Savage .17 WSM is pretty light weight and cheaply made....luckily I got a later made a Rifle that is shooting pretty good and I was smart enough to load up on ammo while waiting for the Rifle to come in!The .17 WSM fills a void where it is a faster bullet than the .22 WMR and the .17 HMR rim fires and it works well in the States that require Hunters to use a Rim Fire Rifle for smaller Game.

Oh yeah.....Boyd is making Stocks for the Savage .17 WSM

I too found the rifle disappointing, and I'm a Savage fan. A bit of good news though, Volquartsen is chambering a rifle for it.

Edit: As already noted by Sidewinder...

Ruger is finally seeing the light, too.....

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2015 ... pe-17-wsm/

About the only critter I shoot is prairie dogs. What not to like about a cartridge which 20 grain bullet that still has 155 ft/lb of energy at 250 yards and when sited 1.5 inches high at 100 yards is only 5.3 inches low at 250 yards ? Prairie dog pups that I weighted were between 6 and 8 Oz with the back to brisket lung area 2 inches. To hit them at 250 yards I wont a rifle that will shoot 3/4 inch groups or less at 100 yards. For me a 17 WSM rifle that shoots 1 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards is not as good as my Cooper 17 HMR to shoot p dog pups at 150 yards. Because of the number pore reports Iv read about the Savage B Mag I ll pass on getting one. Could be that Ruger will make a 17 WSM rifle that is accurate. MY Ruger Target Varmint .204 rifle shot sub 1/2 inch 100 yard groups with Hornady ammo new out of the box. But I like lower muzzle blast rifles for spring p dog pup shooting.