This small buyer’s guide looks at a spread of some of the best .17 HMR rifle options on the market.
The .17 HMR is a relatively new cartridge in the grand scheme of things, but its attributes made it an instant success upon its introduction. While it still may be somewhat of a niche cartridge mostly appreciated by small game hunters, it has secured its place in the rimfire market and isn’t going away anytime soon. Short for “Hornady Magnum Rimfire”, .17 HMR is really just .22 WMR necked-down to a .17-caliber projectile. The result is a very small bullet with a high velocity and very good accuracy. As a velocity-dependent cartridge, its benefits are best exploited out of something with a rifle-length barrel, but there are a few different kinds available.
How We Made Our Picks:
We took a look at the .17 HMR rifles on the market and compared each of their features, prices and overall utility to determine which would best serve most shooters. There are other great models out there, but based on our time behind these guns and rimfire rifles in general, these are our top five picks of the currently available options.
Top 5 .17 HMR Rifles:
Best Bolt-Action .17 HMR Rifle: Ruger Precision Rimfire
Specs
Action: Bolt
Barrel Length: 18 Inches
Weight: 6.8 Pounds
Capacity: 15
MSRP: $619
Website: ruger.com
Pros
- Very accurate, ideal for precision shooting and varmint control
- Highly-adjustable chassis
- Threaded muzzle
Cons
- On the heavy side, not the best field gun
- Expensive
The majority of available .17 HMR rifle options are bolt-actions, so this category had the stiffest competition. There are many good bolt-action .17 HMR rifles made by many different manufacturers, but at the end of the day, we feel as though the Ruger Precision Rimfire was the best all-around option. It’s reasonably priced compared to other similar quality bolt-actions in this caliber, but also has some features that most of its competitors are missing. Besides being well-established as a solid, reliable and accurate rifle, Ruger’s precision model includes several features that should be appreciated by hunters, plinkers and competitors alike. The Ruger’s chassis comes with an adjustable precision-style stock that should provide better ergonomics than any of the traditional stock models out there. It also has an adjustable trigger, a free-floated handguard, a threaded barrel and includes a 15-round magazine. For the price, this is one solid, feature-rich .17 HMR rifle.
Best Autoloader .17 HMR Rifle: Savage A17
Specs
Action: Semi-auto
Barrel Length: 22 Inches
Weight: 5.63 Pounds
Capacity: 10
MSRP: $559
Website: savagearms.com
Pros
- Affordable semi-auto
- Reliable
Cons
- Lacking in features
There aren’t too many semi-auto .17 HMR rifle options to begin with, so this choice wasn’t as difficult to make. One of .17 HMR’s original shortcomings upon its introduction was that it was notoriously unreliable out of autoloaders, so when Savage succeeded in making the first reliable model with the A17, it was regarded as a big deal. The A17’s best trait is its reliability, but it is otherwise a mostly standard sporting rifle. It feeds from a 10-round rotary magazine and also includes an adjustable trigger.
Best Lever Action .17 HMR Rifle: Henry Varmint Express
Specs
Action: Lever action
Barrel Length: 19.25 Inches
Weight: 5.75 Pounds
Capacity: 11
MSRP: $667
Website: henryusa.com
Pros
- Your only lever-action option
- Good middle ground on speed between bolt-actions and semi-autos
- Accepts scopes and has fiber optic sights
Cons
- No threaded muzzle
- Wood stock is handsome but not as durable as polymer
Other companies have made .17 HMR lever-actions in the past, but as far as I know, Henry is the only company that has any still in production. While that makes them somewhat of the de facto winner in this case, it doesn’t mean the Henry Varmint Express is a bad rifle. Henry is well-regarded for their rimfire lever-actions, and their .17 HMR models are no different. These certainly won’t be the most practical option for hunting or competing, but they probably will be the most fun to shoot and look the coolest while doing it. Henry has a few variants available depending on your style and budget, but they should all be solid shooters that add some historical charm to this relatively new cartridge. It also has a leg up in terms of capacity and speed compared to most bolt-actions available.
Best Budget .17 HMR Rifle: Mossberg 817
Specs
Action: Bolt
Barrel Length: 21 Inches
Weight: 4.5 Pounds
Capacity: 5
MSRP: $269
Website: mossberg.com
Pros
- Affordable
- Lightweight
Cons
- Plain design
If you want the least expensive .17 HMR rifle you can find, you’d be hard-pressed to do better than the Mossberg 817. This is a very basic bolt-action rifle, but the word on the street is it can still perform where it counts. Its plastic stock likely isn’t the most durable, but it certainly is lightweight. The action isn’t the smoothest out there, but it cycles and is accurate enough for .17 HMR to be appreciated when fired out of it. It feeds from 5-round mags and has provisions for mounting a scope, so if you need the cheapest varmint-slayer you can find the Mossberg 817 can still be a very decent option to look at.
Best Non-Budget .17 HMR Rifle: Alexander Arms Tactical
Specs
Action: Semi-auto
Barrel Length: 18 Inches
Weight: 7.5 Pounds
Capacity: 10
MSRP: $1,696.95
Website: alexanderarms.com
Pros
- AR-15 manual of arms
- Compatible with Mil-Spec parts
Cons
- Expensive
- Heavy
This is another one of the few semi-auto .17 HMR guns out there, and it’s simply too expensive to be our pick for the best semi-auto .17 HMR rifle category. For those whose rimfire budgets accommodate this rifle, however, it is still worth considering. The Alexander Arms Tactical’s biggest draw is its AR-15 manual of arms and modularity. As the only AR-based rifle in .17 HMR, those who want to fire this zippy rimfire in the most tactical way possible are limited to this model. Capable of accepting most standard AR-15 furniture and accessories, this rifle could be configured in several different ways. Its biggest downside is it’s pretty damn expensive for a rimfire that won’t be any more accurate or reliable than many of the other options on this list. For those dedicated to the AR platform who want to clear their property of varmints in style, the Alexander Arms Tactical in .17 HMR is probably the best tool to do it with.
MODEL | ACTION | BBL LENGTH (In.) | WEIGHT (lbs.) | CAPACITY | MSRP |
Ruger Precision Rimfire | Bolt | 18 | 6.8 | 15 | $619 |
Savage A17 | Semi-auto | 22 | 5.63 | 10 | $559 |
Henry Varmint Express | Lever Action | 19.25 | 5.75 | 11 | $667 |
Mossberg 817 | Bolt | 21 | 4.5 | 5 | $269 |
Alexander Arms Tactical | Semi-auto | 18 | 7.5 | 10 | $1,696.95 |
More On .17 HMR:
- The Evolution Of .17 HMR
- Cartridge Debate: .17 HMR vs. .17 WSM
- Gun Review: Alexander Arms .17 HMR
- The Savage A17 Semiauto .17 HMR Rifle
- .17 HMR Pistols: Are There Really Any Options?
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Should have mentioned, Rock River Arms is offering a complete upper kit for $700 and full guns for $1200.
Found their .17 HMR upper kit to be super easy on the swich out with any 556 upper.
I was able to make that swich out in under 2 minutes. Now able to spend less money and more time at the range.
I notice you did not include the Rock River Arms fully locked gas impingment .17HMR (also on the AR-15 platform) in evaluation of your top 5 pics for 2024. It was officially introduced to market at Shot Show in Las Vegas January 2024. Nick named “The Rock Chucker”
The proprietary firing system uses balls to lock the bolt/firing system into the frame of the gun, preventing ANY internal movement until the bullet has left the barrel. Thus providing the convience of semi-auto with the same accuracy of any self actioning firing system.
Safty is big plus with this bolt, as this system will not fire until the round is fully locked in battery.
Volquartsen is the best 17 HMR I’ve shot.
You also forgot the Sako Quad in this survey, one of the best choices for .17HM2, .17HMR, .22LR and .22WMR.
A really great rifle!
And fortunately Taurus does not offer a rifle in .17HMR (yet?) because it would have as bad as their Tracker 17, or even worse…
“And fortunately Taurus does not offer a rifle in .17HMR (yet?) because it would have as bad as their Tracker 17, or even worse…”
Needs to be: “And fortunately Taurus does not offer a rifle in .17HMR (yet?) because it would have been as bad as their Tracker 17, or even worse…”
Sorry for the correction!
Don’t want to be that guy but the Tikka T1X would outshoot all of these.