Christmas came early...

[Podunkadunk]

No, I didn't get a new tractor or implements

My wife bought me a new armadillo rifle. I'd been whacking them with my AR-15, but ammo has gotten so expensive, I wanted something cheaper to shoot. She picked me up a Marlin (my first), model 917V .17HMR, in bolt action. As a bonus, she went ahead and bought me a Nikon ProStaff 4x32 (fixed power) scope for it and 2 boxes of Federal ammo! It has the wood stock and heavy barrel in black.

I've installed the scope and plan on zeroing it this evening.

Any comments, stories or feedback? Thanks!

Podunk

 

[ToadHill]

The .17 is a good load for smaller pests. I hunt woodchucks with a .222 sako, ammo is more expensive but I've already shot most of them on my land. The ammo is about $.70 per shot. I believe you will do a lot better than that.

 

[scott_vt]

Mornin Podunk,
Thats a great caliber, my Uncle Dave has that caliber in a Ruger Model #77. What a great gun for smaller varmints, it will reach out there real quick and get the job done ! Congrats and enjoy !

 

[Wayne County Hose]

The .17 is a good load for smaller pests. I hunt woodchucks with a .222 sako, ammo is more expensive but I've already shot most of them on my land. The ammo is about $.70 per shot. I believe you will do a lot better than that.

If you ever want to get rid of that gun, let me know. My family had one when I was a teen and I could hit anything with it. I've shot woodchucks and deer over 200 yards with that gun. I have a .243 Sako now, my brother ended up with the .222 and ruined it. The .243 won't hit anything, I don't know if it's the new leupold scope, the ammo, or the gun. I'll figure it out in the spring.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Congrats on the Christmas gift. Does your wife shoot or did you give her a Christmas list so she new how to set up your gun for you? Or did she as the gun dealer for his advice?

I had wanted a .17 for quite some time and my dad won one in a contest. It was a Remington (can't remember the model as it didn't matter because he won it). Anyway, the third round we went to fire blew up. It destroyed the clip and broke the gun. Well we didn't get around to taking it to anyone and just put it in the cabinet till we thought about it. Anyway, a friend of ours opened a gun shop and we took it to him. He told us that Remington had a problem where some of the actions wouldn't close properly which is what caused the gun to explode. So Remington sent us a new one and it sits in the cabinet now having never been fired since I have not had the time (was fixed during the summer). I am hoping to sight it in this spring as well as the unfired Browning 270 Mark II we have sitting in the cabinet next to it

 

[Podunkadunk]

Congrats on the Christmas gift. Does your wife shoot or did you give her a Christmas list so she new how to set up your gun for you? Or did she as the gun dealer for his advice?

She knew that I wanted it because every time we were in Wallymart, I would be back there looking at it. (Geesh, she FINALLY got the hint)

I asked her the same thing about the set-up, she said the GIRL behind the counter informed her it didn't have iron sights and that it needed a scope and of course, for me to be able to zero it, ammo

Score!

Podunk

 

[texbaylea]

Podunk

That is a nice little rifle and I have looked at it with lust-but I have too many rifles to justify another. Most of my targets are less than 75 yards so I use my Winchester Model 65 218 Bee - bolt mounted peep which I do alright with in moderate light but with my weakening sight I don't hunt in dim light. Any varmints get a free ride then.

Vernon

 

[smfcpacfp]

I have varmints here that I kill (squirels, chipmunks and mice). I didn't know that armadillo's were pests. What do they do?

 

[Podunkadunk]

I have varmints here that I kill (squirels, chipmunks and mice). I didn't know that armadillo's were pests. What do they do?

Well, in their quest for things that crawl, fly or slither they tear holes in my yard. I whack'em at any opportunity. To my knowledge, they have no natural enemies here in the south, except good ole boys and cars.

On another note, I got it zero'd in this evening. First I boresighted it with a piece of paper and a laser pointer through the barrel at about 30 feet. That got me on paper with the first shot. 6 shots later I'm shooting 3/4" Sub-MOA at 100 yards consistently. Man I love this thing...almost shoots as tight as my .308, but a heck of a lot easier on the shoulder . I am convinced that my groupings being more than 1/2" was due to the scope. A 4x32 fixed power doesn't have the fine tuning of a finer scope, but it will do just fine!

I truly recommend it for anyone. Awesome weapon!

Podunk

 

[Podunkadunk]

Podunk

That is a nice little rifle and I have looked at it with lust-but I have too many rifles to justify another. Most of my targets are less than 75 yards so I use my Winchester Model 65 218 Bee - bolt mounted peep which I do alright with in moderate light but with my weakening sight I don't hunt in dim light. Any varmints get a free ride then.

Vernon

Tex,
That's a fine weapon you have there. Don't know if you know too much about what you have there, but the Model 65 was a very low production Winchester. It was made in .218 Bee, .25-20, and .32-20. Only about 5500 or so were made between 1933-1947. and because of that fact, it's a nice collector's item!! The .218 Bee was introduced in 1939, and while .25-20 is the rarest, the .218 Bee has the most demand.

Blue Book value:

95% - $4k and up...easily

70% - $3k +/-

Podunk