One of the sweetest varmint and plinking rounds is the .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire. When the caliber was first introduced, I took a rifle to Africa and hunted the small deer-like antelope with great success. When groundhogs tried to take over our family farm, I piled up 17 in one week using the tiny magnum caliber.

The .17 HMR is an incredible varmint round offering excellent accuracy and  much higher velocity than the standard .22.
The .17 HMR is an incredible varmint round offering excellent accuracy and much higher velocity than the standard .22.

With a standard .22 cartridge, shot placement is very important on a wood chuck; only a head or shoulder hit will anchor one. Not so with the 17 HMR. Any hit in the upper half kills them instantly.

Finally, want to have a great time shooting with youngsters or newbies? Buy a case of cheap soda at your local supermarket and shoot them at the range. With virtually no recoil, modest report, and exploding targets, you’ll have a ball.

OK? You get the point that the 17HMR is one of my favorites. Now, imagine this cool cartridge in a Savage semi-automatic rifle, allowing you to pop a series of cans in quick succession. Now that’s fun! Here’s the lowdown on this cool new rifle.

Savage Arms continues its track record of innovation with the all-new A17, the first high-performance semi-automatic rimfire rifle specifically designed for the 17 HMR cartridge. Shipments of this rifle are currently being delivered to distributors. The A17’s unique delayed-blowback action performs to its peak with new A17 Varmint Tip ammunition, which CCI developed specifically for the rifle. The A17 also provides safe, reliable operation with standard 17 HMR loads. The hard chrome bolt, case-hardened receiver, 10-round rotary magazine and button-rifled barrel boost performance even further, while the user-adjustable AccuTrigger provides a crisp, light pull for the best possible accuracy.

Features & Benefits
• First semi-automatic rimfire specifically designed from the ground-up for the 17 HMR
• Delayed-blowback action ensures safe, reliable cycling
• Hard chrome bolt
• Case-hardened receiver
• Oversized bolt handle
• 10-round rotary magazine
• 22-inch button-rifled barrel
• User-adjustable AccuTrigger™
• For peak performance, pair with CCI A17 Varmint Tip ammunition

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