my favorite 17hmr was a marlin 917v which shot under an inch with almost everything I fed it. That rifle just wanted to hit ground hogs! I made a couple of lucky shots early on with it and so my confidence in the rifle was high, probably why I did so well with it. Marksmanship is 90% mental?
Then got the itch for a Savage BTVS.
Who said never get rid of an accurate rifle? At least the 917v stayed in the family with my brother.
The BTVS is a good rifle too but more choosy about ammo. Feed it what it likes though and it shoots well too. And I am not a fan of the thumbhole stock for a walking rifle after using one, although off the bench and once set up to sit with a bibod the thumbhole is tough to beat.
An earlier post made mention of the 4 shot magazine for the marlin, my take is the 7 shot magazine is another thing I like better than the savage. Take an extra magazine along and I have 14 shots held neatly in my pocket, which is usually more than enough for a quick ground hog hunt in the evening.
That's what I do with my marlin 25m 22 mag. personal style though I guess
CZ's sound great but i have no personal experience with them.
The guy who knocking the 17HMR needs to shoot one in a good rifle. Yes I shoot a 17-223, and even a 30-06 for the long shot groundhogs. But my go- to rifles for groundhogs are the 17hmr and the 22mag for anything under 150 yds, and some farther! They are just fun! Low noise, and they work. I've been using the 22mag for 20 years and the 17 for 3.
He might have a point in pistols, I am testing a 14" contender now, unbelievable accuracy , but the 2 groundhogs I shot with it did not die as quickly as I'd like, the testing will continue.....
