My Latest Long Range Outfit

[Len Backus]

This is my new fun gun. It is a Volquartsen Lightweight Model, .17 HMR rimfire semi-auto. The carbon fiber wrapped barrel is 16.5 inches long plus brake.

The scope is a Bushnell 4200, 6 to 24 power. At 24 power I can see the tiny .17 inch-sized bullet holes at 100 yards. No need for a spotting scope. The scope focuses and parallax corrects down to 10 yards! My Nightforce wouldn't work because it only focuses down to about 50 yards. Not quite close enough for some targets of opportunity.

The 17 HMR is a necked-down 22 Mag. My choice of ammunition is Hornady's 17 grain V Max with its plastic-tipped bullet. Velocity is 2,550. BC is all of .125!!! Wind drift in a 10 MPH wind is 5 (edited correction, it is 3 inches) inches at 100 yards...compared to around one-tenth of that for a typical hot center-fire round. The path of the bullet is never more than one-half inch high or low out to 120 yards when zeroed at 100 yards. Pretty flat for squirrels, black birds, etc.

Yesterday I mounted my scope and bipod and then sighted in at 100 yards. It took my a while to figure how to hold the stock and trigger. Best is a very hard push into the shoulder. My last two 5-shot groups (prone, bipod) were each .75 inches.

What a fun gun. No reloading, clean after 100 to 200 rounds. Weighs about 5 pounds 10 ounces plus scope. I have been popping black birds since yesterday. My longest was 61 yards with one minute of wind adjustment (2/3 inch). The feathers really fly! I haven't had this much fun since my Benjamin air rifle...a few years ago. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Fiftydriver]

Len,

A quality rimfire is always a great retreat from the high intensity center fire rounds. I find this with the small center fires as well like the K-Hornet and my favorite little 218 Mashburn Bee.

My brother has a Marlin 17 HMR that we tuned up a bit and is performing real well. For what they are designed for they are very impressive little rounds.

Have fun with that little vermin zapper. Have you tried the TNT loading yet?

Great looking rifle!

Kirby Allen(50)

 

[goodgrouper]

Excellent rifle Len! The 17 HMR is a great rifle and I would rate it in the top five funnest guns I have ever shot. My uncle and I bought one of the first Marlin heavy barreled models when it first hit stores several years ago. I have killed ten pound chucks with it just a tad over 240 yards on calm days! It is fun having a deadly little gun that spits cases out and you don't need to try and collect them for reloading.

Get yourself a rimfire thickness gauge and it will really help with those groups (not that your's are bad). I made a makeshift one from my caliper and a piece of aluminum and it has cut my groups at 100 yards several tenths.

 

[Len Backus]

50, Yes but not since I figured out the hold technique.

Grouper, thickness gauge....??? No thanks, that would be too serious of an approach, maybe take some of the more relaxed fun out of it. And I don't think the blackbirds would be impressed anyway. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[arthurj]

I just bought a cz452 varmint in 17HMR about 3 weeks ago. Those things are so much fun to shoot. I floated the barrel and replaced the trigger spring on mine and it will shoot half inch groups at 100, I can put every shot into a 3" target at 200yds with it! Good enough to take some crows out! The other day I was playing around with shoulder pressure and you are right, mine shoots the best with it pressed firmly into my shoulder.

 

[7Rumloader]

Nice looking hole puncher you got there Len!

 

[Sasquatch]

I like your bullet choice Len. My marlin prefers the Federal or hornady polymer tipped loads, but barely stays on the paper with the remington loads.

 

[1doug]

thats weird their is only two manufactures of 17 hmr now. Hornady and speer. The bullet selection is getting better with both producing 20 grainers now.

 

[Sasquatch]

I haven't tried the 20 grain bullets yet, but plan to after I use up the rest of my Federal V-shocks. I'm down to the last 50 rnd. box /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif They are a federal casing with the hornady v-max tip in them. If Remington did quit putting out their .17 hmr ammo, great. It wasn't worth the extra dollar a box.

 

[Len Backus]

My longest blackbird kill is now up to 99 yards. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Dave King]

Len

What was the size of that particular 99 yard kill "black bird"?? (Computer geeks are like this ya know /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif)

Small (Red-Wing Black Bird aka Agelaius phoeniceus (17 to 24 cm))
Medium (American Crow aka Corvus brachyrhynchos (39-49 cm))
Large (Common Raven aka Corvus corax (60 and 78cm) )

 

[3sixbits]

[ QUOTE ]
Len

What was the size of that particular 99 yard kill "black bird"?? (Computer geeks are like this ya know /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif)

Small (Red-Wing Black Bird aka Agelaius phoeniceus (17 to 24 cm))
Medium (American Crow aka Corvus brachyrhynchos (39-49 cm))
Large (Common Raven aka Corvus corax (60 and 78cm) )

[/ QUOTE ] Cried the Raven: "never more"? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Len Backus]

"small"

 

[Dave King]

LOL

I figured. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif