# Savage A 17 anyone?



## Habitat Hugger (Jan 19, 2005)

Anyone had or used one of these? The write ups are good,,but nothing beats personal experience. 
Also, I see Cabelas has special ammo loaded up for the A17, supposedly maybe a bit more pressure and MV!?! Anyone know much about this stuff?


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## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

You talking about the 17 RF or the 17CF?

Guys on another forum are all crazy for the Ruger 77 - 17 CF. they all seem to love it.

 Al


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## Habitat Hugger (Jan 19, 2005)

No, the Savage is the semiauto .17 HMR. It's relatively new from Savage. 
I'm not sure that Ruger has a semiauto yet, at least in the Savages price range anyway. Must be some problems designing a .17 HMR in an automatic or probably every manufacturer would have one. 
I think the Ruger 77 .17 is their fine bolt action they've had for years in .22 rim fire, but chambered in . 17 HMR. 
Thanks for the reply, Al. I bought a Savage just before we left last fall so should be harassing gophers when we get back. Ashamed to admit it, but I haven't even fired it yet. Mounted a s one on it, but haven't pulled the trigger yet! :eyeroll:


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## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

The Ruger 77 is their bolt action and the 17 CF is real popular.

 Al


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

Got to play with one yesterday, friend bought one and invited me out to help sight it in. Liked the gun, but it did have some cycle issues using standard ammo, but none with the hotter loads. We ran about 150 rounds through it, about 50 rounds or so the standard ammo was hanging up not fully cycling, he did a quick clean and it worked again for a while. Once it fouled he switched over to the hotter ammo and we ran 20 rounds through without a failure.

Might buy one of these, really liked the feel of the gun shooting it and while I am not a accutrigger fan for a small caliber limited range firearm that improved our distance accuracy a good deal!


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## Habitat Hugger (Jan 19, 2005)

Update on my SAVAGE A17! Was in Arizona this winter and only tried it out now. 
Bore sighted a Bushnell 3-10 scope with turrets designed for the .17. Out in the range, using sand bags, I found I was on paper at 25 yards and walked it into the bullseye with about a clip of the .17 ammo made for it. Went to the 100 yard range, on paper again so walked it into the center of the bullseye. 
Started to shoot a clip into a new bullseye, but what the heck? Seemed to be missing the entire target after the first shot!?! What happened? Checked the scope mounts, all OK, so fired a single shot at 9 o'clock on the target halfway out to the edge. Bullet went where it was aimed, so fed another clip shooting at the 9 o'clock bullet hole! This sounds like a fish story, but all that happened was the hole got slightly larger and ragged. WOW! Mind you, this was shooting off sand, no wind, concrete bench rest, etc. But I was impressed. I have several rifles that shoot under an inch with worked up hand loads, but this little gem will easily do so, and right out of the box with factory ammo!
Next, I tried out the scopes turrets, and moved down to the 200 yard range. Clicked the turret to 200, and found it dead on. I can only assume the intermediate range will also be on! The Bushnell optics were great, excellent for the price! Works as advertised!

Pros - extremely accurate, especially for an automatic. Not a single misfire, but I was using the higher pressure/power ammo. Haven't tried regular ammo like Ron Gilmore in his post reported, yet. Put about 250 rounds through it so far and haven't cleaned or lubed it yet! Hate to admit that!!!
Cons...maybe not reliable with regular HMR ammo. Also I found the clips a bit harder to load than standard vertical ones. The A17 has a rotary clip that has a bit of a learning curve to it and after a long shooting session leaves your finger a bit sore compared to a standard .22 or other .17 vertical magazines. One minor thing...the front of the magazine has a springy plastic arrangement to hold ther clip into the gun, and you have to slam it in firmly or check it or once in a while or the magazine won't seat properly and can fall out. Wouldn't want to lose the thing because of a bit of plastic.

Would I buy one again? Sure would! I hope MTM or some aftermarket gadget maker develops a quick load loader for it, like the one I have for the 10-22. Look out P dogs the .17 up to 200 yards, then the AR and 22-250 will take over from there!


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