Franklin F17 - WSM

[jweigel]

Curious if any of you have experience with either the original version Franklin Armory F17 from the 2014-18 period or there updated F17 that is available now? It is a lot of $$ and want to get feedback that accuracy (as best as can be expected from WSM ammo) and reliability are good.

Have been doing prairie dogs locally with an old 788 222. Great gun, great accuracy with 50g Blitzkings. But he 4 round mags and having to reload 100s of rounds often takes some of the fun out of it. No smooth follow up shot with the bolt....like you can with an auto.

We can typically limit shots to under 200 yards...so the WSM and an AR style 20 round mag intrigue me.

Any feedback greatly appreciated.

jjw
ND

 

[Quackshot]

I have not fired one. They sure look neat. A couple local guys bought them and have had nothing but trouble. They were sent back to the factory over and over again. One of the guys just received a new updated replacement that already has problems. Gas system doesn't work right. He's trying to fix it himself instead of sending it back. All of this info is second hand but from his close shooting buddy.

 

[jweigel]

Yikes....there is not alot of reveiws to read but this is about the worst I have read. I know the Gen 1 like lots of older ARs struggle when adding a supressor ect. The new one has an update gas block that fixes that....so they say.

Will have to keep reading.

Thanks for the info.

jjw

 

[K9TXS]

If 17 WSM ammunition was more reliable and available, it might be worth it to investigate it further.
I had a custom made ruger in 17 WSM and it was nothing but a problem. Taking it on the first hunt for ground squirrels was a disaster. Many, many failure to fire rounds. Fortunately, I had another rifle to use.

I would not make this type of investment on such a *** round. When it actually fires, it's great.

 

[Calvin45]

If 17 WSM ammunition was more reliable and available, it might be worth it to investigate it further.
I had a custom made ruger in 17 WSM and it was nothing but a problem. Taking it on the first hunt for ground squirrels was a disaster. Many, many failure to fire rounds. Fortunately, I had another rifle to use.

I would not make this type of investment on such a *** round. When it actually fires, it's great.

That sucks! Yeah I've long been intrigued by it but never pulled the trigger on one because of how many reports like this I've heard. Whether it's the fancy expensive Franklin or the basic savage bolt gun, it seems anything chambered in this thing has too many issues And the ammo itself as well.

Which is too bad. A 3000 fps rimfire is a great idea. But the other thing, and this is why I've never bothered with ANY rimfire besides .22LR, is price of ammo. Now that primers are insane this isn't as true anymore, but it's historically been the case that a person could easily whip up .22 hornet, .17 hornet, or even ultra light .223 loads for cheaper per shot than .22 win mag or .17 wsm, at least at the prices those rounds fetch around here (I'm in rural Canada, maybe they're cheaper elsewhere). Just didn't see the point.