At the recent SHOT Show, Savage Arms announced a new semi-automatic rifle chambered for the .17 HMR round. The new Savage A17 rifle was specifically designed for the .17 HMR, so it is expected to avoid the problems that Remington experienced with the 597 rifles.
Let’s take a look at the new A17 rifles…
According to Savage, the company designed a unique delayed-blowback system to properly control and use the pressures and bolt velocity generated by the .17 HMR round. The 17 HMR has been particularly troublesome for some manufacturers to get right in an auto loader. See the “semi-auto problems” section below for more information.
These rifles use a polymer stock – black being the only color initially. I would expect some of the standard hunting camo patterns would be available later if the guns sell well.
The A17 uses a 10 round rotary magazine. The adjustable AccuTrigger is standard on these rifles. Take a look at the following video from IraqVeteran8888 about the A17 rifle:
New CCI A17 Ammo
Savage states the A17 rifle will safely and reliably work with any standard 17 HMR loads. However, Savage Arms worked with sister company CCI to develop a special load for this rifle. The new CCI A17 ammunition is said to be 100 fps faster at the muzzle than loads from other ammo companies.
Using a Varmint Tip bullet – a 17 grain polymer-tipped hollow point – this round generates 2,650 fps at the muzzle. Although it is still a bit out of reach, this does put the 17 HMR closer to the 3,000 fps generated by the 17 Winchester Super Magnum that uses a 20 grain polymer-tipped bullet.
Savage A17 Specifications
| Caliber | 17 HMR |
| Barrel Length | 22″ |
| Twist Rate | 1:9″ |
| Overall Length | 42″ |
| Weight | 5.41 lbs |
| Action | delayed blowback |
| Magazine Capacity | 10 rounds |
| Finish | high luster black with matte black stock |
| MSRP | $465 |
Semi-Auto Problems
Savage is not the first to bring a semi-automatic 17 HMR rifle to the market. Previously, Remington sold the semi-auto Model 597 in .17 HMR. Unfortunately, there were problems with this gun, and Remington recalled all of the rifles without any repair options. Likewise, rifles made by Magnum Research and others were pulled from the market.
The higher pressure and nature of the pressure curve generated by the 17 HMR is such that simply modifying existing .22 LR rifle designs have failed. Savage engineers redesigned the operation of the rifle to account for the pressure differences. This video explains the problem and how the company addressed it:
Currently, Volquartsen sells the semi-auto TF rifle in 17 HMR. According to the Volquartsen website, the rifle uses a counterweight system to handle the pressure and bolt velocity.
Alexander Arms also builds a semi-auto 17 HMR gun. The AAR-17 is an AR-style rifle that was built from the ground up around the cartridge.
The problem with both the Volquartsen and the Alexander Arms rifles is the price. The Volquartsen carries a retail price of $1,200 while AA is asking $1,210 for theirs. While both of these guns are exceptional rifles, most consumers will find the Savage Arms A17’s street price much more palatable: around $400.
Update
Just weeks before the 2016 SHOT Show, information about two new A17 rifles have leaked from Savage Arms. Both rifles have wood laminate stocks that are gray in color. One of the two is a thumbhole type stock, while the other is more traditional. As more details come out, I will make sure to update this page.
Last Update: October 17, 2022
52 replies on “Savage Arms A17: Semi-Auto 17 HMR Rifle”
Okay so I sprung for one of these A17’s this week. I didn’t previously have a .17HMR in my rimfire collection and with the price of this rifle I couldn’t pass it up. I bought the rifle on GunBroker and low and behold I found some of the A17 ammo at my local Wally World for about $50 per 200 rounds out the door. Kind of stiff if you ask me. I have not owned a Savage rifle before this one as I usually always pony up for something nicer in my centerfire hunting rifles. (Sako Finnbear in .270, Remington 700 in .308, a Howa in .308 and a Nosler .26 Patriot that I recently ordered) But this is going to be a plinkster and probably used for a bit of groundhog control too. I read an article where the writer swore by the Savage Accutrigger and said it’s inclusion on the A17 sealed the deal for him. Imagine my surprise when I got the rifle home and dry fired it for the first time! What a dreadful trigger it is. I don’t know how much polishing the trigger will help but I will probably do that at some point after I run a few hundred rounds through it. The rifle is so new it will likely be at least a year before we see any aftermarket trigger solutions. Right now you can’t even buy any spare magazines from Savage which is a pisser. You would think they would at least offer spare magazines for sale. I haven’t gotten a chance to shoot the gun yet as I just picked it up yesterday so I’ll reserve further judgement on it until I do. But I had to chime in on the trigger too. I just can’t believe that is a six lb. pull and adjusting it doesn’t seem to do anything. I don’t have a gauge either but this is going to prompt me to pick one up. I want to see what the actual pull weight is. On mine it seems like it’s at least 10lbs.
Did you get a chance to put a trigger pull gauge on that Savage? What did it measure?
I have no issue with the trigger since no matter what I do the mag falls out or double feeds bending the next live round. The only way to shoot my rifle is to hold the mag in the well tight while shooting. Of course sighting is out of the question. I have 3 new mags and all kinds of ammo and nothing works. Then you call Savage and the whole company in on vacation. It seems the design staff started vacation early and put out this crap. I took it to a gunsmith and he could not get it to shoot either. Vacation is over July 13 and I will be on the phone. I am very disappointed with this rifle. What were they really shooting at the shot show where everything worked just fine???? I want my rifle tuned in like the one at the shot show!!!
And of course nothing in response?????????????????????????????????
From whom are you looking for a response? Based on your earlier post, I assumed you would contact Savage on or about 13 July. What did they tell you?
Well I sent it back today. I was sent different mags and they were junk also. With this type of problem I should not have to call so many times. A lot of stall tactics being employed.
More and more crap and confusion from savage arms??? I was told my rifle was repaired and sent back. I was given a tracking number!! When it did not show up as shipped I called again and 2 hours later they called back and said the rifle was still in repairs. I bought this rifle 6 months ago and never fired it down range. Savage also refused to return it 2 day delivery? So when and if they ever get it done it will take 7 days shipping. Absolutely no customer service???????
Al, thanks for responding, I did not think a change of magazine was going to fix the problem, we changed several magazine and the problem persisted, the whole area where the magazine goes into shift and moves. Savage was riding high on their rifles been good, now I think they are getting sloppy and are going to their old ways of building substandard firearms.
Just a note , Savage said they have been having trigger issues also as well as mags falling out. They said they replaced my trigger assembly with a new version.