.17 HMR shooters--look

['74 UA FJ]

Any of you guys shot this Henry lever action .17 HMR?

Henry Repeating Arms Rifles

I'm going to be buying a .17 HMR soon and was wondering how much of a loss in accuracy I would see from a lever action versus a bolt action .17.

Any experience?

[greyface]

Tough one. Well, in analyzing the mechanics that could affect accuracy, your typical lever action has the following:

- bolt that locks at the rear; most bolt action bolts lock at the front
- two piece stock; bolt actions usually have a one piece stock
- barrel band that secures the barrel at the forearm of the stock; bolt action barrels are typically free floating

In contrasting shootability, the action of the lever is faster and more natural and, if using iron sights instead of a scope, target acquisition will be faster as well.

I suppose a question to ask yourself is how you'd be using the rifle. Are you going to be using it as a field gun where you'll have to get on target quickly and let off a bunch of shots from the shoulder (or the one and only shot you'll get), or will you be firing it as a bench rifle where you can sit there, take your time, breathe, & squeeze...

[Fast Eddy]

I haven't fired one, but I held it in a store. It is very small. The brass one is pretty though.



With such a small cartridge, I can't imagine you could detect an accuracy difference unless it was clamped in a vice. It's not like it's some made-in-china POS.

[84CRUISER]

I have a Remington 597 semiauto, in a .17hmr. bull barrel.
I can shoot hole in hole to dime sized groups at 100yds, and autoloaders are the least accurate actions between the 3.