Which .17 Hmr?

[Tremo 138]

I have the best idea ................ don't bother with the HMR, just buy my .22-250.

[jacknife 2,005]

If it's any help I know someone with a Browning A Bolt in .22-250, and she swears buy it both for accuracy and reliability. In fact her husband has a .243, forget what make but a good one, and he says the accuracy of the Browning puts his rifle to shame.

 

No experience with it myself.

Its not the whole Browning range I have an x bolt rifle in CF

 

For me it was just T bolt...when i decided to get an HMR I had set my mind on the T bolt and went to the dealer to have a look at one

 

Straight away the lad said...i bet you don't like it and he was right

[dixyhmr 62]

I personally really dislike the action on the t bolts. I find you loose your sight picture when cycling , and end up pulling and pushing the whole rifle on roof of truck . Cycling the action makes a racket I also found as you can't work the action slowly as with a normal bolt. The triggers aren't easily adjustable to a light pull, very creepy and just not nice in general.

I do however like the magazine system as its flush fitting and never had any issues with jams. I've not used the wood stock version but the plastic stocked models felt like something you'd buy from toys are us .

I haven't tried a few different models so this is just my experience of one t bolt so whether they are all like this I can't say.

I've used one a fair bit this last year or two shooting rabbits ( mate owns one ) and my personal preference is definately the cz's.

[David Aiken 253]

I personally really dislike the action on the t bolts. I find you loose your sight picture when cycling , and end up pulling and pushing the whole rifle on roof of truck . Cycling the action makes a racket I also found as you can't work the action slowly as with a normal bolt. The triggers aren't easily adjustable to a light pull, very creepy and just not nice in general.

I do however like the magazine system as its flush fitting and never had any issues with jams. I've not used the wood stock version but the plastic stocked models felt like something you'd buy from toys are us .

I haven't tried a few different models so this is just my experience of one t bolt so whether they are all like this I can't say.

I've used one a fair bit this last year or two shooting rabbits ( mate owns one ) and my personal preference is definately the cz's.

The latest version as per my pic felt far better than the composite version. The 't' bolt being able to be cocked with the thumb of the trigger hand impressed me. When shooting prone I tend to shift to much when taking my hand off the gun to cock a normal bolt (due to age related back issues) The standard sportster didn't impress, the stock style was to bland where as the target/vermin 16.5" version did.

[mad4it 694]

I have got an A bolt in .222 and if I was after a .17hmr it would be a bolt

[Alsone 789]

Just handled the Browning .17 hmr target/vermin 16.5 in walnut. Defently my cup of tea, and I found it easy to chamber/rechamber the round with one hand! The guy in the gun shop has one and he said he can use any .17 hmr and chooses the Browning.image.png

 

Hope you like it, should be a good choice and it looks nice.

 

As I said, I've no experience of handling Browning rifles personally, but in shotguns, I wouldn't buy almost anything else outside of the Browning group's products, at least at reasonable price. Their shotguns are superbly engineered and more to the point superbly balanced. I've yet to hear a bad word about their rifles, T bolt aside, which seems in any event to be down to the design rather than quality, which is very much marmite. Personally the T bolt doesn't do it for me, but it doesn't matter when there's the A bolt and X bolt in the range. My friends A bolt did get subject to the recall, but she had nothing wrong with hers before the recall. She actually skipped the recall and put a different trigger unit independently. Either way she continues to praise it.

[IanB 0]

The Browning T bolt is a bag of wank to be honest. Every person I know with one is not happy with them and either wants rid or have got rid. The trigger is really bad.. The CZ 452 stick a trigger kit in buy a carbine verson your not going to get much better at just doing its job, and the triggers are much much better. As far as I know the t bolt adjustment, still leaves the trigger stiff as hell, and there are no kits for them.

[David Aiken 253]

The Browning T bolt is a bag of wank to be honest. Every person I know with one is not happy with them and either wants rid or have got rid. The trigger is really bad.. The CZ 452 stick a trigger kit in buy a carbine verson your not going to get much better at just doing its job, and the triggers are much much better. As far as I know the t bolt adjustment, still leaves the trigger stiff as hell, and there are no kits for them.

 

I wonder if they all had the same version? All the reviews and owners of the 16.5" Target/Vermin seam to love then. There are some bad reports on the 20"?

 

Shooting UK give the thumbs up:

http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/reviews/shotgun/browning-t-bolt-targetvarmint-17hmr

 

Gun Mart seam to like it:

http://www.gunmart.net/gun_review/browning_t_bolt

 

Mark @ Tom on the Farm likes it:

 

I can find a fair number of thumbs up videos and reviews, You say "The Browning T bolt is a bag of wank to be honest. Every person I know with one is not happy with them and either wants rid or have got rid" I can't find these reviews or videos for the Target/Varmint 16.5" Do you have web links or bad reviews you can post so I can get these opinions as well as the good?

[IanB 0]

David just many years experience of using guns for a purpose. Ask yourself when was the last time you EVER read a bad review in any publication, it doesn't happen does it, why? There all either getting freebies, advert revenue, etc they are totally biased. That video is horrendous, your going by that donkeys opinions...FFS, Go and buy one , why ask peoples opinion, seems like your minds made up

[dixyhmr 62]

David just many years experience of using guns for a purpose. Ask yourself when was the last time you EVER read a bad review in any publication, it doesn't happen does it, why? There all either getting freebies, advert revenue, etc they are totally biased. That video is horrendous, your going by that donkeys opinions...FFS, Go and buy one , why ask peoples opinion, seems like your minds made up

Well said sir,

Have you watched the shooting show or field sports Britain lately ? Like an advert for browning guns, gecko ammunition and zeiss scopes with a bit of shooting thrown in for good measure !!!

[IanB 0]

The best way is to ask "real" people who use them, and asking on a forum like you have is probably your best bet, but saying that some of the comments I have read on certain facebook groups, well it just makes my whole theory a lie, theres a LOT that talk total crap, but you just need to weed through them.

[delswal 3,819]

Buy a T-bolt and regret it or by a CZ`and just get on with the job

[Alsone 789]

Go and buy one , why ask peoples opinion, seems like your minds made up :laugh:I

 

I think there's a little confusion here. On the previous page David said he was buying an A Bolt now not a T bolt.

[jacknife 2,005]

Don't think there is an Hmr A bolt

[Alsone 789]

Don't think there is an Hmr A bolt

 

You're right. It's only CF.