.17 HMR accuracy ?

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JHRosier

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Nov 14, 2004
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I recently bought a Ruger single six 17 HMR blued in like new condition.
Firing it from a rest at 25 yards it keeps most of the shots in a 3" circle.
This is with Hornady ammo.
I'm not very impressed by this at all.

Am I expecting too much? My .22 single six hunter has shot 1" groups at 25 yards.
I've heard rifle shooters rave about the great accuracy of the 17 HMR.
It just seems like ammo that costs 30 cents a round should do a bit better.

I also shot a couple of 1 quart water bottles and got a neat little hole in and out but no sign of any expansion. Again, not very impressive.

Jack
 

Cholo

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If you're capable of better groups at 25 yds comparing apples to apples (scope vs scope/iron sights vs iron sights), I'd try different ammo. If you just can't get it to shoot up to your standards, get rid of it. Life's too short to waste it with a fun gun that doesn't shoot where it's pointed.

If you can shoot regular 1" groups with iron sights at 25 yds, care to give me some lessons?
 

JHRosier

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Cholo":3e8omww9 said:
...If you can shoot regular 1" groups with iron sights at 25 yds, care to give me some lessons?

I do all of my ammo/gun testing and initial sight adjustment from a rest.
My hand isn't as steady as it was 40 years ago. :wink:
Once I find what the gun can do, then I can shoot offhand and see what I can do with it. :D

In my younger days, I could shoot the tail feathers off a fly, one handed, walking a barbed wire fence barefoot, with a bobcat under one arm. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

With the cost of ammo, I am hoping that someone can comment on what I should be expecting from this peashooter.

I bought it mainly because it was the only caliber that Ruger chambered in a single action revolver that I did not have in my collection.
If it is likely that it is a waste of time and money to shoot it, it will just go into the back of the safe with the 44-40 Vaquero as a non shooter.

Jack
 

BearStopper

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I can only attest to the fact that the 17 HMR in inexpensive Marlin and Savage rifles is absolutely awsome in its accuracy and this is in six different rifles. It also destroys squirrels on impact often ripping them in half. So I got to believe that the accuracy problem is attributed to the revolver.
 

JHRosier

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Bearstopper,

I've seen and heard the same about the rifles.
I let this get my hopes up for the same sort of performance in the revolver.

Jack
 

Aggie01

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I haven't shot the 17 HMR in a revolver yet, but a young friend has one in a savage bolt action that I had to aim a 1/4" right with to make the 3 shot group open up enough so I could tell that all rounds were hitting the target at 100 yards with hornady factory ammo. (looked like one hole through a 9x scope)
 

COR

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I actually got rid of mine due to just the same accuracy issues. 2" was on a great day and their was not much consistency from lot to lot of ammo. Hornady did best but I finally gave up and sold it. No regrets on that one either. They all shot very well in my dad's rifle so the ammo was all good.
3" groups just looks so big with those little holes the .17makes....
 
Joined
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I found mine to be VERY ammo selective-- wouldn't shoot federal at all. Liked Hornady and shot way tighter groups-- haven't tried winchester or Remington yet-- waiting for less snow onna ground....
 

revhigh

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My $200 Savage 93R17 Rifle shoots 5/8 inch groups at 100 yards regularly if the wind isn't blowing :D.

If a revolver of any brand shoots 3 inch groups at best at 25 yards, either the revolver or the shooter is defective.

REV
 

clayflingythingy

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ky
1 3/4 to 2" groups are the norm ar 25 yards with mine. That's from a rest off the bench and about the best I can shoot any handgun with iron sights at that range.

Since CCI loads all 17 HMR ammo trying different brands may or may not help. If you find a brand that does better it is likely just because it is a different lot rather than any inherent difference in the "brand".
 

JHRosier

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clayflingythingy":1hre7rwe said:
1 3/4 to 2" groups are the norm ar 25 yards with mine. That's from a rest off the bench and about the best I can shoot any handgun with iron sights at that range.

Thanks. Now I have a standard for comparison.
That is about half the size of the groups that I was getting.

Since CCI loads all 17 HMR ammo trying different brands may or may not help......

At $15 per fifty, I don't want to waste time & money tilting at windmills.

I might try one more box and switch from the 17gr bullet to the 20 gr.
I don't know if the .17 is picky like the .22, but I guess that it is worth one more try.

Jack
 

tomiswho

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Feb 2, 2008
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This thread has made me feel very bad about my pistol-shooting abilities... I've been trying for 42 years.... Now those .17HMR stories, yeah, I CAN do that with my Marlin 917V.
 

StonewallRuger

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Arkansas
My dad has a Taurus Tracker chambered in .17HMR, and he just had a Bushnell red-dot put on it. He shot a coke bottle at around 30 yards and it exploded first shot. It is very accurate. Maybe it's just the particular gun you have. ???
 

DMZ

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E. Oregon
StonewallRuger":ur3oe06n said:
My dad has a Taurus Tracker chambered in .17HMR, and he just had a Bushnell red-dot put on it. He shot a coke bottle at around 30 yards and it exploded first shot. It is very accurate. Maybe it's just the particular gun you have. ???

I have a Taurus Model 17 w/5" barrel. With open sights I can print 1" groups at 25 yards using a good rest. It is the most accurate revolver I own. Hmmm....maybe I should look at a red dot sight.
 
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