Ruger RARR Predator 17HMR

[Sharkbite]

So, my buddy has gotten me into Praire dog shooting. Ive been using my surpressed bolt action in 22lr and having a blast.

The other day he brings out his 17HMR and is smoking em at 2x the range i am willing to attempt a shot.

This morning i ordered a Ruger American Rimfire in 17HMR, the Predator model. Anybody shoot one of these? Any insight into good scopes to pair with it? Ammo preferences?

This is my first foray into any rimfire other then 22lr.

 

[Rob228]

Even though all the ammo is rumored to be made by CCI, the actual CCI branded ammo shoots best in my .17 (Savage). It costs the same as the Hornady and Winchester, so its just a matter of finding it in stock. I've only shot the 17 grain ballistic tips, haven't tried the 20 grain FMJ rounds yet.

 

[upstate81]

Normally in most 17 hmrs the 17 grain vmax bullet is very very accurate and is the standard for these little rimfires. The 20 grain game point from cci generally does very good as well. Pick up some of both to try. The hornady 17 grain vmax specifically works great for me. From what i have seen and my personal preference as well is to have a scope with ample magnification on a 17. 2 scopes i would look at is the weaver V16 and for less money the mueller apv. Both are extensively used on rimfires and are a GREAT value. Do some research on rimfirecentral.com and see for yourself. You will love that round and the rifle as well i have heard nothing but good things about them. Good luck! Hope to see a range report soon.

 

[Mobuck]

I recently purchased a RAR Compact 17 HMR. It's not as accurate nor as easy to shoot as my 77/17 but it's cheap and won't cause as much consternation when it gets dinged up. I basically bought it because it has a threaded muzzle and I didn't want to butcher my 77/17 by having it threaded.
I mounted a used but functional 4x scope using the standard tip-off rings to test the rifle and haven't changed. If I decide to go to a heavier scope, I may switch to bases and Weaver type rings.
Ammo wise, I've found significant differences in production lots. My 77/17 was literally putting 3 shots in one hole with the Hornady ammo I had so I bought several 500 round cartons. They were a different lot and the 77/17 went from one hole to 1" groups. I haven't spent the time to test fire each lot trying to find that sweet group. Right now, that rifle shoots Winchester BT better than the Hornady. When I run out of those, I'll have to start testing again.
The RAR seems to shoot the Hornady good enough for my present needs. Probably going to muffle it for some yote calling soon and that may change how it shoots.

 

[SARuger]

I have the RARR standard model. Mine likes the A17 ammo and is very accurate. Stick a good scope on there and have fun!

 

[Sharkbite]

Thanks Guys,

The gun should be here Mon or so. Ive got 3 kinds of ammo to test for group. Whatever shoots tightest will be the stocked ammo. Ive heard good things about the Hornady 17gn stuff

 

[SARuger]

Mine did not like the Hornady or the Winchester. It likes the Remington but loves the A17.

 

[Sharkbite]

Update:

I picked up my Ruger American Rimfire Predator in 17HMR yesterday. Overall, its a good package.

Bolt fit is good and throw is smooth, metal fit and finish is good. The installed scope rail is torqued properly, magazine drops free and inserts without binding.

I give the gun 4 out of 5 stars on the Richard scale.

The only complaint is the stock. Ruger really went cheap and cheesy on the stock. From the action back, its nice. The changeable butt/cheek piece is a nice addition. Allowing someone to adjust LOP and comb hight without the expense of a moveable system is a good addition.

The problem is the Forend. Its about as stiff as a wet noodle. Right out of the box the left side and bottom of the stock was in contact with the barrel...not good. As i rested the gun on a sandbag rest that contact became worse.

Groups suffered as a result of this (uneven) contact. With a noticeable horizontal spread.

I understand Rugers thought was to keep the price down, by providing a "useable" stock at a good price point.

Unfortunately, the stock is NOT usable as is. A larger barrel channel is the only way i see to "fix" this stock. Mr. Dremel is not usually a guns friend, but im going to try to hog out the stock from the action forward to give me some barrel clearance.

Worst case is the removal of material makes the stock MORE flimsy and i have to order an aftermarket stock.

The options in aftermarket stocks is pretty limited right now. Im only finding 1 company that offers anything. Boyds makes a wood laminate for under $100. Id rather not spend $100 on a gun that cost under $300, but if the factory stock cant be brought into line, i dont see an option.

 

[Sharkbite]

Well, i hogged out the barrel channel. SUPER easy and now a thick business card will slide freely from action forward.

Heading back to the range tomorrow for more accuracy testing. Hopefully the stock modification fixed it and i'll get some good groups.

The last testing showed a preference for the CCI 17gn ballistic tips. That ammo clocked about 100fps faster then stated on the box (as measured with my Magneto-speed). Best group of all the ammo tested as well.

If that holds after this stock mod...ive found my load!!

 

[Sharkbite]

Update:

Got the rifle out yesterday. Only had a 25yd range to work with, but MAN oh MAN....does this rifle shoot now.

Slightly larger then caliber 3shot groups and 10 shots into under 1/4". Granted it was only at 25yds but still impressive considering what the groups where before free floating the barrel.

Took it out Praire dogging in the afternoon and it proved to be a VERY good shooter out to the limits of the ctg. Easily able to take headshots out to 100yds. Had about 7 of these guys just poking their heads out of the holes...the Ruger did its job, if i did mine

My buddy was shooting an identical gun in 22mag and the little 17 kept pace just fine. He was hitting with more authority at distance, but dead is dead.

If you are on the fence about getting a Ruger American Rimfire...DO IT!! The "predator" version is an awesome value, and with about 20 minutes of work getting the barrel free floated, its a SHOOTER

 

[FTG-05]

Sharkbite, I know I'm a little late to the party, but there is a very easy way to stiffen the stock of an RAR OEM forend. I used Bondo resin and two 10-24 threaded rods for my forend. I originally did this for my son's Rem. Model 7 in 7mm-08 way back in 1995 when I bought it for him.

Here, let's have pics tell the story:

Plus I added Bondo resin to the stock to stiffen it and add weight. I also added two 1/2" CPVC tubes for stiffness (not needed) and in case I wanted to add additional weight via lead shot and epoxy (also not needed).

The proof is in the pudding, 5 shots at 105 yards:

Plus, I've killed 5 does with this rifle since Nov. 18 this year, all but one were one shot DRTs.

 

[Olympus]

I have the same gun in 22 WMR and it's awesome. Look into the trigger mod over at Rimfire Central. It dropped my trigger to right at 1lb.

If I remember correctly, Ruger stopped making your model in 17HMR. Their website only shows the 22LR and 22WMR. I assume you're talking about the OD green stock version.

 

[Mobuck]

"If I remember correctly, Ruger stopped making your model in 17HMR. Their website only shows the 22LR and 22WMR."

Maybe due to the others like mine that fail to extract some brands/types of fired case reliably.
My RAR 17HMR will only function with one type of ammo with the suppressor mounted. CCI Green(non-lead) ammo seems to be slightly lower velocity and/or pressure and is the only ammo that will extract consistently. The RAR has a hokie, poorly designed extractor set-up that is problematic at best.