Reminiscent of the Remington 5mm! Unfortunately!
Yea. It was doomed from the start. As soon as they decided to chase max velocity, they shot the cartridge in the foot.
Lifespan of the original WSMs was about 10 years, overall. The WSSMs lived an even shorter life.
I expect .17 WSM to fall into the same category, "obsolete, out of production," before we land on the moon again.
I still believe it should have been .20 caliber. Though, that does bring it even more into the realm of 5mm Rem.
Heavier bullets, still good velocity, and different enough from .17 HMR and .17 Hornet to stand out just a little more.
Partnering with Savage and pairing it with the B.mag didn't do it any favors, either. Flimsy stocks; bad barrels; and an action aimed at youth, that was clock-on-close and so stiff that many adults could not close the bolt easily, let alone children.
My opinions aside, there is one thing to keep in mind:
This is Hornady.
1. They don't manufacture rimfire ammo. They contract with Olin (Winchester) and Vista Outdoors (CCI) for it. They may not have been able to negotiate a good contract for it, there may not have been time in the production schedule, or it might actually just not sell well enough for them to care any more.
2.They often don't list things as "seasonal" any more. If it isn't in 'constant' production, it just gets listed as "discontinued".
Rather than using the term that Olin used to use, "occasional," Hornady just goes to the deathly sound of "discontinued".
Case in point: The .430" 265 gr FP Interlock. Hornady produces the bullet every year, sometimes multiple times a year. But it has been listed as discontinued for about 8 years, now. (As well as from 2008 to 2012-ish.)
Rather than "seasonal" or "occasional", it just shows as "discontinued", even though they do still make it. It isn't even on their website any more, except in the Superformance loaded ammunition. But they still kick several hundred thousand out the door every year (and the loaded ammo).