New Semi-Auto 17 HMR Savage A17 Rifle is a Winner
Semi-auto 17 HMR — could this be the perfect light-recoiling fun gun and squirrel slayer? With its new A17, Savage has created a gun that should be hugely popular. If you like the Ruger 10/22, you’ll love the A17. It shoots a more powerful cartridge, and has a stronger action and a better trigger. With a beefy steel action that looks like it belongs on a centerfire, this gun is strong. With quality barrels (fitted, as you’d expect, with a barrel nut), the A17 is accurate. And with the capability to launch 17 HMR rounds as fast as you can pull the trigger this gun is a hoot to shoot. The ability to get a quick second shot (without disturbing the rifle by working the bolt) will be a game-changer in the varmint fields.
Watch Us Shoot the New A17 (Rapid-Fire at 1:50):
Star of the Show
Jason and I both felt that the star of this 2015 Industry Range Day was this modestly-priced little Savage A17 in 17 HMR. MSRP is $469.00 we were told. No one knows the “street price” yet but we expect that to be about $370.00. Both of us wanted to own one of these compact new rifles (Jason tried to buy one on the spot) — what does that tell you? With a strong steel action, the A17 is accurate, fun, and ultra-reliable.
Jason put the gun through three rapid fire drills — firing as fast as he could pull the trigger. We could not get the A17 to malfunction in any way. It just ripped through magazines like a sewing machine. Flawless operation. Bill Dermody of ATK says “this is one of the most thoroughly tested Savage rifles ever. We put over half a million test rounds through the rifle during development. That’s why it’s so reliable.”
The Magic Chicklet
Look below at the A17 bolt. The little black hardened metal piece (called a “chicklet” by the Savage engineers) is the secret ingredient. It works like a retracting lug, allowing the A17 to operate in delayed blow-back mode. That permits the A17 to function flawlessly with the energetic 17 HMR cartridge.
Optimized 17 HMR Ammo That’s 100 FPS Faster
CCI has developed new, higher-velocity 17 HMR ammo for the A17. Because Savage is now part of the ATK conglomerate, CCI is now Savage’s sister company. So, CCI and Savage cooperated during the development of the A17. CCI found a way to get more speed from the 17 HMR and Savage engineered an action and bolt that are strong enough to handle the new 17 HMR ammo, which runs 100 fps faster than other 17 HMR ammo on the market.
It is interesting that they did not go with the 17wsm.
Savage did their homework!
After the 3rd semi-auto 17 HMR blow-up on me I concluded the only way it would work is with a delayed blow back that no one had designed yet.
Have they tried leaving cleaning solvent in the chamber and then fired it?
What I would like to know is what will this specialize ammo cost and will it be readily available?
wow, highly edited post
Im at Shot now. I just held the rifle 30 mins ago. The trigger is very heavy for an accutrigger and I think its ugly as sin. The new 17 ammo looks promising.
Editor: The version we shot had a moderate trigger. Not like a benchrest match trigger of course, but certainly not heavy by any means. Perhaps it had smoothed with use. I’m not sure I’d want a lighter trigger in a carry varmint rifle that might be shot from a vehicle on occasion.
New ammo manufactured! And can’t keep up with current demand for rimfire ammo as it is. This just simply amazes me.
Did I miss the part where you tell us when they’ll find their way to a store near us?
ok, it’s a great rifle….. so WHEN do they make it to the stores??
WHEN are these available to purchase ???
Multiple clips posted on youtube said that A17 would be available on the market starting March.
I watched almost if not all the clips and read many posts on the web, but none of them showed an actual picture of the target/s shot. How acurate is this rifle?
So, just to clarify, this new Savage A17 isn’t just bound to the CCI A17 ammo, correct? It had better function reliably with any/all currently available 17HMR ammo from Hornady, Remington, Winchester, etc. or that’s not going to go over well with Buyers…
Will it function if the barrel is shorten to accommodate a suppressor?
Is the new Savage .17 auto as accurate as the Savage bolt action .17? I know that the delayed blow back system, but I’m not sure that it would be as accurate.
Well, had the opportunity to buy the A17 this evening. The salesguy tells me that you _have_ to use the CCI ammo, and of course, they have none. So, between the no ammo, and the fact that the last new rifle Savage put out was a POS until it went back to the factory, I passed. The question I have is, CAN I USE MY HORNADY 17gr AMMO that I have tons of???? If so, I might risk the ‘first generation’ problems.
Editor: The new CCI ammo was optimized for the rifle, meaning that it is faster than other 17 HMR ammo. None of the Savage or CCI reps we talked to said anything about the rifle being restricted to the CCI brand ammo. Suggest you call Savage, and also consult the manual that comes with the rifle.
Purchased mine today. Looks great. Going to shoot tomorrow. It will shoot any .17 hmr ammo says for optimal performance to shoot the new ammo but what better way to market the new ammo. $429.00 for the gun. Hoping it performs better then the bmag.
Leo, What did you think about the feel of the rifle? What was your impression on the barrel? Usually savage put the thin, cheaply feel, barrel on their rifle. Their bull barrel are exceptions.
Would you post your shots here to show the accuracy? Thank you.
I looked at one today at Scheels All Sports in Appleton, WI. It felt good, not too heavy. The barrel was gloss matte, medium contour. It had the quality feel and build. I have to have one. I am going back tomorrow to get it, but having a little problem with MR. Green.
Just received my A17 cleaned it and set the trigger pull…topped it with a prostaff mildot scope loaded it with Remington Gold and shot a .6″ 3 shot group at 100 yds. I shot the next 7 as fast as I could and you could cover the group with a quarter. The chronograph clocked the Remington bullets at 2709 fps. Checked the mildots at 150, 200 & 300 yds…compensating for the wind the A17 is a WINNER. Hornady 17 shells group a little bigger .8″. Hopefully when the new CCI shells come in they will shoot as well…but I’m happy with what it’s doing with what I have.
I just purchased one and the trigger is crap. Extremely heavy and rough. The adjustment seems to not make any difference. Is this normal or do I have A bad unit?
Editor: The unit we shot at Media day had a decent trigger. Not gritty or rough at all. Suggest you ask your retailer for an exchange or contact Savage. The pull weight is pretty high, but it should not be rough. Do you have a trigger pull weight gauge?
We got to test the gun out today one of the first ones in Canada. It’s is very accurate but seemed to jam a lot. We think it was jamming because of the cheep clip and u have to make sure the shells are pushed all the way back in the clip. Sometimes it would eject the shell but not load the next one
Can the Gun be Taken down and cleaned with the scope still mounted?
My bud and I picked up a couple of the A17 rifles.
I right off found you really have to seat the mag or it will pop out when rifle fired.
Trigger… It leaves a lot to be desired.
Adjusting this acc-trigger does nothing to affect the trigger weight! I bet the pull is over 6 lbs!
Since no one is making an aftermarket trigger as of yet I will attempt to polish it to see if that helps.
Getting 3/4″ groups at 50 yds and this would improve greatly with a better trigger.
I have found that the rifle cannot be taken down without removing the scope.
According to this VDO, scope is not touched when taken down for cleaning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjrKwwW_TMo
Where in Canada can the a.17 be bought?
I’m very dissapointed in my Savage A17 so far. So far, mine has three problems. The trigger, jamming, and the magazine. When loading the first round into the gun, for some reason the trigger pull is much higher than the subsequent rounds, and as a result is usually 4 to 6 inches off target. Not good. Also, my A17 has been consistently jamming before I can get through a 10 round clip. Once I clear the jam, then I’m back to loading the first round into the gun and have the trigger accuracy problem all over again. Lastly, every once in a while the clip falls straight out of the bottom of the gun as the bolt cycles a new round. All three of those issues combined = piece of JUNK! I’m very disappointed and am perplexed how poorly this rifle has operated after all the positive comments and reviews at the shot show. FYI I’ve been shooting Hornady and Remington rounds. New CCI ammo not available.
Editor: Sorry to hear about these issues. We suggest you return the rifle to Savage for Warranty work. When we tested the rifle it worked flawlessly, even pulling the trigger as fast as we can. We did notice you have to make sure the magazine is snapped in HARD so it is seated 100%. I suspect there may be a mag-lock issue on your gun. Savage, now part of Vista Outdoors, stands behind its product. I would suggest, though, before you pack up the gun, inspect the mag well and make sure there is no interference (say from a little bit of oversized plastic).
I purchased the A17 and the new A17 ammo. With the preferred ammo my A17 will not cycle. The trigger is sloppy and the magazine falls periodically. (JUNK)
DISAPPOINTED. The magazine is way to hard to seat. Uncalled for. The accutrigger is unlike any accutrigger I have. Hard pull on first round after reloading, REAL bad trigger pull. Savage should have refined these issues first before a very highly anticipated release. I will let them know and if it is not fixed it will be my last savage.
When I got mine the trigger was horrible, and wouldn’t adjust. I took the gun apart and cleaned the trigger group extensively. It seemed to fix my problem, it lost the grittiness and would adjust. The adjustment is very fine, and was difficult to get where I wanted it. Seems that the shipping lube may be the problem. I am very happy with mine, but wish it was a little shorter.
I was going to buy the A17, but after reading some of the thoughts here, I think I will stick to my good ol 1964 Nylon 66 lol. That mag issue sounds maddening…can’t have that…
Bought one yesterday and put a redfield scope on shot hornady vmax and it cloverleafed at 50 yards
Winner is relative term, and in this case it has to be because there is no competition (in the price range). And let’s face it, when’s the last time you read a review from a gun writer that stated anything negative?
I bought the first A17 I saw. Shot around 300 rounds through it. Trigger was very poor, certainly not the accu-trigger quality found in other savages. The mag worked fine, but I question the life expectancy with plastic retainer. Cycling was certainly not perfect, but did get better after a couple hundred rounds and cleaning a few times. I would state that accuracy was about what I would expect from a $400 semi-auto, not stellar. I sold it because I couldn’t stand the trigger.
The magazine pops out of my a17 after every shot, am I missing something here or is my gun defective?
Take your trigger assembly apart and have a good look at it. It’s not a real accutrigger, its a junky look alike with no adjustment at all. The manual that comes with it has instructions for adjustment but if you take it apart you can see that all your doing is turning a spring, your not changing the tension at all. I’m very disappointed to say the least.
Wow. I’ve been a major Savage advocate for the past three decades, but what the heck? This thing has a truly horrible trigger, it’s like trying to break a #2 pencil with one finger & nothing you do changes the poundage. I am an amateur gunsmith & I have not figured out a fix yet. Also, why would anybody put a plastic shroud on a rifle? Please, somebody, give me a logical reason.
However, if you can stabilize it good enough to overcome the 7+ pound trigger, it is accurate. It is truly insane to compare it to a Ruger 10/22, but when do you expect the truth from any published gun reviews?
Editor: Billy, both this Editor and Jason Baney shot the Savage 17 A17 at the Media Day. I’ll I can say was that the trigger was a little heavy, but really not that bad at all, and otherwise easy to use, with a crisp break. Not a problem. I am wondering if there is a quality control issue with the early production. I say this because I don’t think the reviewers are withholding the truth based on what they actually experienced with guns they actually shot.
I purchase the rifle and almost immediately it began to drop the magazine, I made sure that it was fitted properly, I was totally disappointed, the trigger is one on the worst triggers in a rifle. The rifle has plastic in parts in what should have been metal, there have been numerous complaints about the rifle dropping the magazines and about the horrible trigger yet I have not seen Savage acknowledge the problems with the rifle, does any one know if they fixed this problems?
I was very excited when A17 was about to hit the market. However, after reading many actual owners’ reviews, I decided to wait. One thing I can say for sure after checking at one local gun stores for the last six months, it has a problem selling the ones it has. One rifle that I marked on the sales tag six months ago is still sitting on the shelve. Thank you.
I have had the A17 for a few months and am happy but disappointed. The metal parts of the gun are beautiful but the stock is a disaster. BUT IT WORKS indeed with the 17 HMR caliber every time. NO issues with the magazine so long as it is properly seated. TRIGGER IS A DISASTER. Yes I know this is a semi auto gun but the pull is way too heavy and has lots of creep. For anyone who has done single-action trigger jobs on AR15 type rifles, this trigger works the same way. Take the thing apart. I suggest using your phone or a camera to take pictures of how it goes together since Savage has NO diagram to show this. The hammer has a sear notch[.] Hopefully, one or more of the trigger people like Volquartsen or Timney come up with a replacement trigger. Crisp is more important than weight.
Piece of junk. Clip consistently falls out. Jams at least once per 10 round clip. Most disappointing is that Savage will not reply to my emails on resolving the problem.
I received a A17 Savage for my birthday over the weekend. Very light, quick aim, great smooth shooter. Runs shell through it like a breeze. Took a coyote out at 145 yards with 1 head shot. Very accurate and long shooting. I read a lot of reviews and the biggest problem everyone complained about was the magazine but I put it in until it clicks and have no problems with it. I can see if you don’t hear a click it is not all the way seated and could fall out. The stock and the bluing seems very durable so far and ver impressed with the gun. The only other gun I have that was as accurate right out of the box was my Henry 44. This ranks right up there. Great job Savage for making a great gun.
I’m on the fence right now. I looked at the A17 at my local gun store today. First thing I did was remove and insert the magazine several times. this one had a very audible click when it was completely seated. I bounced it up and down on my hand, and it seems to stay seated. The trigger pull on this one was not too bad. A little long, and then surprise it would release. So I’m going to go back and look at it again on Thursday. I was able to shoot a marlin .17 this last weekend. I think this will be a very popular round, like shooting a 22 bullet on steroids.
I bought the A17 , I have shot 20 rounds and it has jammed after every shot, took it home and tried to run some ammo thru it manually but still jams , I have sent Savage ( 6 ) emails with no response Do not know what to do next I own in excess 0f 75 firearms and this is my only savage and will be my last ( Savage ) , I can understand having problems with a new gun ( Not Really ) but with no customer service is unacceptable.
Editor: Did you call Savage on the telephone? We have found the company to be very responsive. Question — Virtually every issue we have heard regarding the A17 involves shooters who fail to seat the magazine all the way home. You really have to push it in HARD and make sure it clicks in place. Savage has made a slight modification that will make the magazine seat more positively. Just give the factory a call and I be thehy will give you an RMA. But before you send the rifle back I suggest you give it s second try.
Just bought the A17 and the after about 20 rounds it jammed about 1 out of every 4 shots. Emailed the factory and they got back to be after about 2 days and told me to send it back to the factory for repairs. Good response but expected better quality.
Editor: In our experience, 90% of the problems with the A17 have been if the magazine isn’t seated home very firmly. The mag can give a “false catch” but you really have to snap it home tight and flush. A small design change in late production should eliminate this issue. The A17s we tested worked absolutely flawlessly… like sewing machines in rapid fire.
This gun is amazing, I purchased it with thumbhole varmint stock because black stock looked cheap. The gun is very accurate. I will say there isn’t a better 17 hmr on market especially for price. Savage hit a home run with this gun. I’ve shot over 5oo rounds now and the gun just gets better and better.
Hello all, I bought an A17 several months ago. I like the rifle, but have found that the clips besides not locking also can be skewed to the right or left even when a click is heard. The original clip needs work.. come on savage.
So I bought several Buttler Creek 25 round mags from Midway.. this mag solved the ” clip ” problem for me, so I just wanted to pass that on to the A17 owners out there.
Am considering buying an A17 with laminated stock; have all of initial problems with this rifle been solved by now?
Thank you