When the 17 WSM was introduced, there were mixed reviews about the accuracy of the rifles and/or cartridge. I've been told that current guns/ammo tend to be fairly accurate. Anyone here have any experience with the 17WSM?

I have two. One is a Winchester 1885 Low Wall single shot with a Swarovski Z-3 scope, and the other is a Ruger 77/17 bolt action with a Leupold Rifleman Scope. Both are accurate.

Thanks for the reply. What would you say the useful range of this cartridge is for stuff like ground squirrels?

I'm no expert, but those that claim to be gun experts state that it will kill ground squirrels out to 200 yards, when sighted in properly. Maybe farther depending on conditions.

You're more expert than I am! The wind probably blows those little slugs around pretty easily.

This is what one shooting expert and outdoor writer, Ron Spomer, had to say about the 17 WSM way back in 2013:

"For perspective, contrast the 17 Win Super Mag (no relation to the WSM centerfire cartridges) against the former rimfire velocity champ, the popular .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire. While the 17 HMR shoots delightfully flat, the 17 Win Super Mag shoots two times flatter and drifts only half as far in the wind . . . . Its 20-grain bullets retain more than twice as much downrange energy, and its 25-grain projectiles nearly triple the energy of the 17-grain V-Max in the HMR load. . ."

He goes on to say:

"Here are some attributes of the 17 Win Super Mag: 1. Almost no recoil. 2. Minimal noise. 3. Extremely flat shooting. 4. Accurate. 5. Less wind drift than any other rimfire. 6. Minimum ricochet danger. 7. Performance equal to 22 Hornet. 8. Cost equal to 17 HMR. 9. Perfect for varmints and target shooting in settled areas. 10. Effective for small game with head shots. 11. Powerful enough for coyotes. 12. Minimal potential pelt damage on small furbearers like fox, coyote. 13. Available in inexpensive (I’m guessing) rifles."

You know, Ron Spomer seems like a good guy from the posts I've read from him on various Forums, but he does seem to be in favor of folks buying guns he recommends! Shocking!

They all do. But, if a guy uses the gun and the ammo in an actual hunting/shooting experience, and has a positive experience with it, then it's either truth to your ears if you have the same or like experience, or you move on. Spomer is an actual hunter and I like his information, as I do others like Craig Boddington, whom I have met and talked with on a number of occasions, and who has more hunting experience in his little finger than I probably have in my whole body(as an example in one area: my 15 African Safaris to his 100+ African Safaris). So far, many of the things that Spomer said about the 17 WSM have been my own experience. So, I like the 17 WSM, but it's not the 'gold ring' for everyone. One thing that you might want to do is get on the Internet and see what others have said about their experience with the 17 WSM over the years. To tell you how fond I am of it, I think that I have over 5K rounds of ammo in that particular caliber.

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
I'm no expert, but those that claim to be gun experts state that it will kill ground squirrels out to 200 yards, when sighted in properly. Maybe farther depending on conditions.

Alan has a Ruger 77 in 17 HMR, and we use it for guinea fowl.

I discovered that it will not kill a bird with a body shot!!

Shot a couple that way, and both flew away.

Then I found hitting them at the base of the neck did the trick.

No more fly aways, and guinea fowl curry for dinner!

Our driver kept laughing at me when I shot at some and they flew off!

He said "my friend, one shot, one buffalo. three shots, no guinea fowl ! HAHAHAHA"

The darn AutoCorrect keeps changing Spomer to Spooner. I tried to fix that and accidentally deleted my post. I agree all gun writers do that to some extent. I enjoy his writing and read some of it now and again. Some of the early reviews of the cartridge and rifles were not all that positive, which is why I was seeking feedback from users such as yourself. I guess that shows they don’t always say nice things about products.

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
They all do. But, if a guy uses the gun and the ammo in an actual hunting/shooting experience, and has a positive experience with it, then it's either truth to your ears if you have the same or like experience, or you move on. Spomer is an actual hunter and I like his information, as I do others like Craig Boddington, whom I have met and talked with on a number of occasions, and who has more hunting experience in his little finger than I probably have in my whole body(as an example in one area: my 15 African Safaris to his 100+ African Safaris). So far, many of the things that Spomer said about the 17 WSM have been my own experience. So, I like the 17 WSM, but it's not the 'gold ring' for everyone. One thing that you might want to do is get on the Internet and see what others have said about their experience with the 17 WSM over the years. To tell you how fond I am of it, I think that I have over 5K rounds of ammo in that particular caliber.