Folks,
My favorite gun shop has .17 caliber rifles by Savage and Marlin on sale and I set a .17 Mach II Marlin back until payday. Seems sales are dismal and much worse than flat. The shop cannot move these rifles and is taking a loss to get rid of them. I sure hope the .17 Mach II does not go the route of the 5mm Remington. I may have to pass on this rifle. All the best...
Gil

I have and love my .17 HMR but to be honest, I didnt really understand the MachII buzz. Ammo is just too pricy to get the semi auto guns in that caliber.

How is the .17HMR selling?



-DallanC

DallanC,
The shop has about 300-400 guns on display and is one of the largest dealers in the area. The manager told me he is well-stocked with .17 HMR and .17 Mach II ammo and is stuck with it. His distributors are in the same situation. Once he runs down his .17 ammo inventory he will not keep much on hand. The price of ammo seems to be the problem. All the best...
Gil

My nephew and a buddy both have a .17 HMR and love them for poppin jack rabbits and fox within a 100 yards, but they don't do much "plinking' due to ammo cost.

That .17 Mach 2...never really saw a need for it.

I was in the same gun shop today and saw a whole rack of .17 caliber rifles that did not move in the annual sales event. The store has 1,000 guns on display, but the .17s are not moving. The Mach 2 rifle are marked down even more. I looked them over and walked away with a 16 gauge Ithaca 37. All the best...
Gil

It seems like the .17's are way too little bang for the buck.

I first saw the Mark II at the shot show, it came out of the pocket of an Aguila salesman. It was then, the 17 Aguila, just put together, pre production. The very first thing I told the guy was you gotta come in low, you can not get over 4.00 a box. He laughed and I thought, well guys you are about to re-invent the 5mm wheel. Then the design was "borrowed" so I figured whatever the "new inventor" gets, they deserve.

Moral to the story: If you can not compete with the big dog, the 22 LR, ya better stay on the porch.
Ed

Swampfox,

You really hit the nail on the head. If the price of ammo was closer to that of .22, the .17's might gain more acceptance as a fine small varmit rifle.

I too love my 17HMR.... A Marlin 17V.....buy the marlin you can't go wrong !

I also love my Marlin heavey barrel 17hmr. I just installed a new 6-24x42 scope on it and am eager to go try it out this weekend.

That new scope made a big difference. With a good rest I am now able to shoot a 5 shot 100 yrd group that you can cover with a nickle. The work I did on the trigger and the new scope have really paid off.

While the Mach II will probably share the fate of the WSSM, the 8mm Rem Mag, the Rem SAUMs, the 5mm Mag, the 256 Mag, the ill fated 325 WSM, the 45 GAP and others, it is nonetheless a fun little cartridge. I don't agree that it is the cost of ammo that will relegate it to the obsolete catagory as much as it's narrow spectrum usefulness.

Mine came by way of a desperation sale and is in the form of a Remington 504, a nicely made rifle and very accurate. I just can't figure out a niche for using it. Unless, of course, I am shooting prairie dogs in a field surrounded by subdivisions where frangible bullets and low report is needed.

Ammo costs? I don't find 12 cents a round to be a budget buster when put in perspective of the cost of other items needed to care and maintain the little bugger. Good 17 caliber cleaning rods and brushes (which don't last more than one good useage), and the mere cost of traveling anywhere to shoot put ammo costs into a reasonable perspective. I pay 10 cents a round for good quality 22 ammo.

On the positive side, I find 1/2" grounds at 50 yards to be the norm. I just wish there was some way to moderate the recoil. lol

The 17Aguila is not the same cartridge as the 17Mach2. They are 2 different chamberings.

R#3, you can shoot the 17Aquila in the 17Mach2, but not the other way around.

I love my 17HMR.....I just hate spending 10 bucks for 50 rounds.......I am going to got a 204 Ruger so I can atleast reload for it.