Ruger Forum

robertscheib · April 8th, 2009, 11:47 AM

Shot a relatives brand new RUGER Model 96 .17HMR last weekend. This was my first exposure to the .17HMR cartridge and must say that I'm quite impressed - accurate, hard hitting, and definitely more fizz than my .22's!! The lever action took abit of getting used to as I shoot mostly semi-auto but all in all I enjoyed it very much.

hutchman · April 20th, 2009, 08:52 PM

I know a guy who has one of those and really likes it. I was hoping to find one, but alas, someone got the last one in this area just before I got there.....

Relay225 · September 16th, 2009, 01:15 PM

I have one of the Model 96's & is very much fun, as it is just a hoot to plunk with.....The .17HMR's both the rifle & the 6 shooters are just plain fun to have....I secured a stainless non-shot (as a safe maid)...... then another Stainless & one of the blued ones to plunk away.....all are just a great tools to learn the art of shooting the hand guns....

sidecarr · September 23rd, 2009, 06:36 PM

I have a henry 22 love shooting it ,was wondering how hard it is to find a model 96

Relay225 · September 25th, 2009, 12:43 PM

It took me about 6 months to locate the one I have.....The Ladies that work the Sporting goods part of a membership type store kept looking for me......These West Coast stores are called Bi-Mart's & they do have a very good supply of guns & things we need for our feedings......I picked up my model 96's in .17HMR & 22 WIN. MAG, plus the
Model 77 in .204 & the .22 Hornet ......Priced competive to all the other sporting goods stores we have locally.....So I would say yes it was definetly worth the wait time....

Peace to you all!
Relay225

dolfin · February 14th, 2010, 06:01 AM

I have a Model 96 in 17HMR it shoots great. Great to small game hunt with. I few of my friends have tried it out and love it also. They are tring to locate one for themselfs.

madmxx22277 · March 7th, 2010, 06:38 PM

I've had my 96/17 for a couple of years now, love it... Has anybody ever found anyplace to customize this rifle, I would love to put a hogue stock on it. Took it up shooting today, usually dead on, found out that my cheap scope died on me, and was shooting about 2 feet to the left, very funny...

Tracer · March 24th, 2010, 08:56 AM

I looked all over for a lever rifle in the .17HMR caliber but NO DICE!

I ended up brining a Savage bolt gun home and I was beginning to doubt my choice right off the bat. I had to relieve the stock from the barrel first thing. Then make a couple other adjustments too.

Now that rifle shoots less than .325 - MOA! YES folks, it is the most accurate rifle or gun I have in my vault or safe. However, I hit a fox the other day, square in the front chest and it dropped like a 6-lb hammer hit it in the head. Then it got up and ran off some 3 minutes later, leaving a large pool of blood. I also hit a coon later that night twice in 30 minutes and it too made it back under the barn 40 yards away.

I just don't believe the .17HMR does as good a job on larger varmint like Fox & Coon like the .22mag does.Yes it is much faster at 2600 fps but that 20 grain bullet verses that 40 grain bullet of the .22mag counts for something.

bigweatherby · April 1st, 2010, 04:29 PM

I would like to get a 17 sometime, but I prefer the 22 HMR for the reasons Tracer just described. If the 17 is truly going 2600, then it isn't much faster then some of the 30 grain loads from the 22.

Tracer · April 4th, 2010, 05:20 PM

The most accurate ammo I found while using that Savage model 93 in .17HMR, was the Winchester ammo, it is the cheapest by the way and it is also the slowest too. We got 2375-fps on the chrony for that little 20 grain bullet going down range. CCI had theirs listed at 2600-fps but the groups were 1 inch in size. The Winchester printed .380 or better several times while at the bench. I wish this cal. had a 30 grain bullet behind it and perhaps it would smack em harder.........don't really know.