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January 19th, 2013

17 Win Super Mag Rimfire from Winchester — Field Report

17 Winchester Super Magnum Win Super Mag Rimfire

At Media Day we test-fired the new 3000 FPS rimfire ammunition from Winchester. Shooting the new 17 Win Super Mag ammo from a pre-production Savage B.MAG rifle (more on that later) and a Browning m1885 falling block, we were able to shoot sub-minute-of-angle groups with a pretty primitive front rest and lumpy rear bag. So far, then, it appears the ammo is pretty darn accurate for a mass-produced rimfire cartridge. Savage has promised to send us a B.MAG rifle for further testing. Watch the video below for more details on this new cartridge.

.17 Winchester Super Magnum RimfireNew 3000 FPS Rimfire Round
Winchester has announced a new, high-velocity 17-caliber rimfire cartridge, the .17 Winchester Super Magnum (aka .17 Win Super Mag). The .17 Win Super Mag will initially be offered in three bullet types: 20gr plastic tip (Varmint HV), 25gr plastic tip (Varmint HE), and a 20gr JHP (Super-X). The 20-grain varieties boast a 3000 FPS muzzle velocity, earning honors as the fastest Rimfire ammo ever made.

.17 Winchester Super Mag Specifications
Symbol Sub Brand Bullet Weight Muzzle Velocity
S17W20 Varmint HV 20-gr Plastic Tip 3,000 fps
S17W25 Varmint HE 25-gr Plastic Tip 2,600 fps
X17W20 Super-X 20-gr JHP 3,000 fps

Winchester claims that all .17 Win Super Mag ammo types shoot much flatter than the .22 Win Mag and .17 HMR, while delivering more than 150 percent more energy than both. In addition, the .17 Win Super Mag “bucks the wind” better than any other rimfire ammo — exhibiting significant less horizontal drift at extended ranges. The ammunition should be available at Winchester dealers by April 2013.

17 Winchester Super Magnum Win Super Mag Rimfire

.17 Winchester Super Magnum Rimfire

Click Boxes to View Larger Charts

Permalink Bullets, Brass, Ammo, Hunting/Varminting, New Product 3 Comments »
December 17th, 2011

Alexander Arms Introduces AR15 Rifles Chambered in 17 HMR

Alexander Arms is now shipping production 17 HMR AR15 rifles and 17 HMR upper receiver kits. The complete rifles are the only semi-auto rifles specifically designed to reliably shoot the 17 HMR cartridge. Alexander Arm’s 17 HMR rifle does not employ a reworked .22LR rimfire action. Instead the gun features a new bolt assembly design purpose-built built to work with the 17 HMR cartridge. This is good news for varmint hunters who want semi-auto capability for fast follow-up shots in the varmint fields.

Alexander Arms 17hmr AR15

Alexander Arms 17 HMR AR Tech Specifications | 17 HMR AR Frequently Asked Questions

The complete rifle comes standard with a straight fluted 18″ stainless barrel, A1 flash-hider, free-floating composite hand guard and two molded-plastic 10-round magazines. Options include a spiral-fluted barrel and MK3 railed upper receiver. Alexander Arms’ 17 HMR ARs will be offered in both fixed stock and collapsible-stock versions. The upper receiver kit includes all the ancillary items needed to convert existing AR15 lowers to work with the 17 HMR cartridge.

Alexander Arms 17hmr AR1517 HMR Basics
If you are not familiar with the 17 HMR, it is a popular varmint cartridge effective out to 200 yards or so. With typical muzzle velocities of 2550-2650 fps, the little 17 HMR packs much more punch than a .22LR, while bucking the wind much better. CLICK HERE for Varmint Al’s 17 HMR webpage, which provides a comprehensive analysis of 17 HMR ballistics, kinetic enegy, and effectiveness on small varmints.

Video Showing Alexander Arms 17HMR Bolt Cycling in Slo-Mo

On its website, Alexander Arms reports: “Our initial production run will be 500 units. We are extremely pleased with this [17 HMR] caliber. With help from Hornady, this unit has been extensively tested and has proven itself to be very capable in the field. At the recent Big 3 Event, we ran two rifles out to ranges of 400 yards and despite windy conditions… the guns performed well. While running guns at the Big 3 we had an opportunity to run one of the rifles with the excellent magnum rimfire silencer from Thunderbeast Arms Corp. The rifle exhibited a slight shift in zero and ran without a hitch for the two days of the event. This unscheduled test provided a quick insight into the flexibility of the rifle and everyone agreed that this combination would serve well for any varminting purposes.”

For more info contact visit AlexanderArms.com or call at (540) 639-8356. You can also download the Alexander Arms’ 17 HMR Rifle Owners Manual as a PDF file.

Permalink - Videos, Gunsmithing, New Product 1 Comment »
February 19th, 2011

Mid-Winter Shooting Report from Thunder Bay

It may be winter, but that didn’t prevent Forum member James F. (and his girlfriend Siiri) from firing up their snowmobiles and heading out for a fun day of shooting. Now that’s dedication! James, who hails from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, offers this report….

A Sunny Day for Shooting in Thunder Bay
It was almost +10° C today and sunny so my girlfriend and I went shooting. Just thought I would share some photos. I’m in the process of breaking in my Savage model 12 LRPV in .204 Ruger. About a 15-minute snowmobile ride from our houses, we have our own private 900-yard range, with zero elevation change (it’s a lake in summer time). And I got to play with my new toy. My girlfriend Siiri bought me a Kestrel 3500 weather station.

Below is my Savage 17HMR, which has a Vortex Viper 3-9X40mm. Siiri also shoots a Savage 17HMR.

And this is my new Savage model 12 chambered in .204 Ruger. This has a Vortex Viper 6.5-20X50 on Burris extreme tactical rings, with a Ken Farrell 20 MOA base. The rings I bought ended up being way too high. I didn’t realize how tall a Farrell base was. I ordered rings that are 1/2″ lower. So for now I used rubber bands and a towel to make the stock taller. Very high-tech, as you can see:

Savage Shines with Factory .204 Ammo
Today ended up being a very good day. I decided to try shooting at 200 yards to see how my .204 would group. I ended up shocking myself — I shot a 0.231″, 3-shot group. (0.435-0.204=0.231″). That is with Hornady 32gr factory ammo. Can’t complain with those results! I think we are going shooting again soon. But the weather is supposed to be -10° C so it’s not going to be as nice. But I made a gong and I need to try it out. I’m also going to test some loads in the model 12.

Permalink - Articles 3 Comments »