I hate ignorant people and their miss guidance of information, especially knowing someone out there will listen to this video which is in majority Bull Shit!! Those chrono numbers are typical for most any mass produced ammo not to mention the fact that chronographs are usually off and not always reliable! Try the same test with 17hmr etc and you’ll get the same results. At the time of this videos upload date I had already put over 1500 rounds through a bmag, I now own 3 in total! They are by far one of the most accurate factor rifle cartridge combos that I’ve shot out of the many many that I have over the years. But I agree the factory black synthetic stock on the B-Mag isn’t the best and I would recommend upgrading/customizing it, but it’s also just a 200+$ rifle!! Sure they can put a nice wood or laminate stock on one (which I have 2 of ) but then the price would be 500+ bucks then your ass would be whining about the price. I’d rather pay 200+$ for the rifle and upgrade the stock at my discretion! And here’s a FYI for ya! The bmag was produced with 2 different twist rates 1:8 & 1:9 which one shoots better? Hmm 🤔 Keep dwelling, but for the sake of accurate rifles get some accurate information next time!! And to anyone reading this, don’t hesitate to by a Bmag!! I’m a fan of anything and all 17 caliber rifles and long range varmint cartridges in general and the WSM are shooters, and nothing short of impressive! With a little stock tweaking they get even better, and like with every rifle made even more so with some barrel tuning.
Holy shit, aren't you just a whiny little bitch today. Before you make extended comments like this, you should check out some other content on your victims channel. In the case of the B-mag{and the A17, if you care to know} I have one that will shoot with the best of them and probably covered most of the things you babble on about. That wont change the fact that Savage put this piece of crap on the market less than completely developed and left the cash paying consumer to do the testing. You claim to have 3, only one in plastic?? If they shoot so good, why is there not one video on all of Y-Tube of some Bull Shit specialist like you punching little small groups with one?? They're like Big Foot, millions of trail cameras all over the world--but no pics. Do myself and all my viewers that have a clue a favor and take your horse shit to some channel where they don't know any better. You may have some credibility over there.
@@cavedweller1959 Sorry but no matter what I tried the Bmag doesn't group Savage B.MAG Varmint .17 WSM Bolt Action Rifle is for chit. On the other hand, the Savage in 17HMR is a tack driver.
Some of my thoughts about your observations... I have a B.Mag that did the same thing (3 shots good, 2 flyers). I noticed the split cases and advised Savage; sent the rifle back and they replaced the barrel. No more split cases and this pulled the flyers in closer. I also opened up the ridges in the forearm to free float the barrel. A little more improvement in the flyers. Third, I noticed the small diameter barrel got hot pretty quick. Allowing time between shots to let the barrel cool down made a big improvement. I'm looking forward to getting the new laminate heavy barrel in the next couple weeks for testing.
I have the 17 wsm with the boyds stock, discovered two issues, the action needs to be bedded to include the 3 grooves in the barrel. After bedding my 100 yard groups tightened up to sub MOA from about 2 moa. Also the 20 grain bullet is very sensitive to any wind. Flyers were minimized in my field test
Out of the box my B - mag's accuracy sucked big time. First I bought a Boyds hunting rifle stock, and then I epoxy bed the whole thing. Now it shoots less than 1 moa at 100 yards.
just looking at some videos on 17 wsm been shooting mine for a while truly enjoy it bought a boyd thumb hole stock floated the barrel bedded the stock shoots 3/8 moa all day long if you don't mine going through 200 plus round and weight them out the ammo is very inconsent but truly enjoy it
Hey CD, the cracked necks in the 17 cal casings is because all the brass is made by CCI and their production problems. When they put the primer compound in the case it's before they draw the neck of the case. Since the primer compound is put in before drawing the neck they cannot anneal the case. This is true of the 17 wsm and the 17 hmr. I had 2,000 rounds in 17 HMR, over 15% of the cases were pre cracked, this does not happen during firing, but rather before as the case is already cracked. Hornady replaced all my ammunition thankfully.
Saw this video after I had bought my Bmag. Lucky for me I bought the SS Bull barrel. I orderd a stock from Boyds and shot a group of 8 inside a quarter sized space at 100 yds. This gun should be a great Varmint gun. I shot 150 rounds no problems.
Thanks for the review, I've been holding off on picking up a 17 wsm to see how it markets and performs. Sure enough, your review is one of many outlining the issues with the bmag and 17 wsm. I'll stick to my 17 hmr
I really wish it wasn't this way and hope the .17 WSM survives the current market conditions with ammo the way it is. If there is a different rifle brought on the market that shoots the way they should I will no doubt own one. Thanks for watching.
Dylan May Let us know how it turns out for you, I think you will see an improvement with just the stock but I would bed it anyway. Accuracy will never be lost due to a good bedding job.
The 17wsm is awesome and shots like a laser.. And that's coming from a avid lover and shooter of the 17hmr which I never thought would be out done. I got quite a few fliers when the 17hmr was first released back in 2003-04 and they were still working the kinks out! Shooting came via a cz52 and a savage model 93f17 f (before the acu-trigger) and I would get fliers from every ammo that was out at the time more so from Remington and got several split cases from remington as well. And as time went on I got less and less fliers, and Now I VERY rarely get a flier! I'm loving the rimfire variety and hope for more. I'm a huge supporter and fan of the the more options the better theory!
Regardless of the negative/positive comments to the bmag, I very much appreciate your work as I bought the ammo before the gun. My son and I picked up the polymer stock version and frankly due to the data you produced I am going to fit the rifle with the after market stock before I fire a single round, Thank you for your time and willingness to share.
I really like the ballistics of the .17WSM. I really dislike that only Savage make a bolt action rifle for it. The reason I dislike the BMag is because every "real person" review of this rifle says it can't shoot good groups and has intermittent flyers. People have blamed the stock. People have blamed the ammo. Has this problem been fixed with the HB Stainless Steel model? Can someone from Savage stand up and say "Yes there was a problem but it has now been fixed" and give us some confidence?
My brother had this kind of problem with his Remington 700 243win. Came with a cheap plastic stock and the rifle would put the first bullet perfectly straight on a normal shooting target, Next round would go somewhere and then the shots would land randomly on 1m by 1m target plate from 100m. A relative of ours offered to check the rifle out and after couple of weeks of fidling with the scope, Checking the barrel and pretty much everything but the stock he decided to take it off. It could bend almost 90 degrees from the back of the trigger hole to the end of the stock. He decided to give my brother a wooden stock from an old winchester that he had laying around and now the rifle shoots good groups up to 400m (haven't taken it further)
I agree with you 100% on this findings with the Bmag. I bought one thinking I was going to get a tack driver and boy was I wrong. Even at 25 yards there is no consistency. I have seen that Savage has put out 3 different models of the .17 WSM and I'm wondering if they made any much needed improvements. Thanks for a good video.
Thanks for the review and explanation ! I just bought a stainless one and I thought I was just jumping the trigger or something but I'll definitely take your advice and upgrade the stock !
A friend and I were considering the 17WSM. Thanks for your excellent, to-the-point, no-BS review. I wish more UA-cam reviewers actually knew what the heck they were talking about....
A lot more 17 WSM videos in the new build B-MAG rifle on my channel. This round has been on the market for about 3 years now & is working so good for myself and many others, I just can't believe more company's are not putting out rifles for it. How about a $500.00 Ruger American or a CZ 527.
We ran 100 rounds of Winchester 20 grain 17 WSM across my Crony F1 yesterday. The standard deviation was 12 fps. Most were within 5 fps of the average of 3040 fps. Since we were shooting with a 15 to 20 mile per hour wind from our back we did not test for accuracy. We used three Savage B-Mags, 2 pencil barrels and one heavy stainless barrel. Our goal was to zero the guns for 100 yards. Not one case resulted in a cracked neck.
+Larry Tomlinson This video is almost 2 years old and I would assume there have been improvements in both rifle & ammo. I also have a HB SS B-MAG glass bedded into a laminated stock that has proven to be very accurate with todays ammo. I also still have almost 1/2 box of each of the 20 & 25 grain from 2 years ago that was used in this video. So sometime this spring/summer I hope to have a new gun old ammo and a crony video for you all. Thanks for the input.
Glad I watched this video! Right now, I got 3 rifles that this is going on with. Decent groups but these ''flyers'' keep popping up. Time to do some bedding like you've shown on other videos. Of course it could be me flinching, but bedding the action can only help the whole deal. After watching your bedding videos, I'm ready to try it for myself. Thanks a bunch!
I have two Savage rifles chambered in .17 HMR. One with the factory synthetic stock, the other a factory laminated stock with thumb hole, and am very happy with both. Several months ago I purchased a Savage Bmag .17 wsm and use both the 20 and 25 grain rounds. Regardless of what anyone thinks, I am not ashamed to say, the Bmag has become my new go to rifle for coyote hunting. I have yet to have accuracy issues with it. I see a coyote, the Bmag drops it, that simple...and that my friends, is accurate enough for me. I just ordered a new stock from Boyds, and not for accuracy purposes but rather aesthetics. You name the gun, bullet or manufacturer, I'll find someone somewhere that will have something to say about it, good bad or indifferent. As for ammo, I have no issues of finding what I need and it is getting easier. And the price, around $20 for fifty rounds.....that's some pretty cheap coyote killers. Every now and then, I will grab one of my .223's and head out, but, mostly the Savage Bmag get's the call to action. Although I do not doubt variances in the accuracy between the 20 or 25 grain bullets, I will say I have seen this occur in more than just the .17wsm caliber. And here is a link to another viewpoint www.shootingtimes.com/hunting/savage-b-mag-review/
***** I have noticed a difference in accuracy between the .17WSM 20 and 25 grain bullets from Winchester. I have zeroed with the 20 grain and plan to stick with it over the 25. I also ordered and installed a new stock from Boyds (you are spot on about the factory Savage stock). I am very pleased with the new stock (even though I got caught up in the holiday lag when I placed my order, took a month and a half to get it). I am waiting for more offerings the likes of the Franklin Armory F17-L, for the semi auto benefit but mostly because I love the AR style platform. The F17-L is just too pricy for me at this time. One more note, I have used my .17HMR on coyotes with great success and will continue to use it. The hunt conditions determine which gun I head out with, i.e. .17WSM, .17HMR or .223. All of which, have not let me down. I have gone out with friends on coyote hunts and loaned them my .17HMR and by the end of the hunt, they had it on their list of guns they must buy. I let them try it, and let them be the judge if it was right for them, which, beats a review they read online, every time!
@@brianjager480 I have a wsm and can't find a thumb whole stock I got one from Boyd's didn't fit order it for a 17 savage B SUPER MAG bull barrel will not fit my action is short any help bobbie.causey5959@gmail.com tks
Finally got my redesigned B.Mag sporter back from Savage with the new 1:8 twist barrel and all the enhancements. Shell casings come out bright brass and accuracy is finally what I was hoping for with the cartridge and weapon. Savage took a while to get it right but they did get it right and now it shoots sub MOA 100 Yrds. Hope you've been working with Savage and they got you the redesigned gun under warranty. Cheers.
steve noe A new barrel and all the ENHANCEMENTS. I don't know about the rest of the viewers , but this is a new one for me. What are the new enhancements??? It's too bad that a very high % of the early guns were/are such failures, Also good to hear stories like yours about rifles that finally preform the way they should have from the start. Thanks For The Info.
cavedweller1959 The other two I had before they sent this new one had all kinds of problems. For one, they didn't fit the Boyd's stock correctly and the safety would not work. The magazine wouldn't fit in the magazine bay correctly. The bolt would not cock the rifle consistently. The new rifle I got back has NONE of those problems. The action fit perfectly in the Boyd's stock with all functions working correctly from the magazine to the safety. Neither one of the first two I had worked correctly. I'd say that's an enhancement. Now I'm seeing the stores fully stocked with 17WSM from winchester and federal. Also, Hornady is going to produce the cartridge too? It was hard and there were a lot of trial and error for early adopters but I'm glad It worked out. Too bad winchester dropped the SuperX round though.
did you ever get your rifle figured out? I've used mine many times and it is really great now that the new version came out and I was one of the first ones to get it with the new twist. I think I've seen a couple more of your videos out there. I guess you became "patient' and 'forgiving'?
Had my Bmag cut, threaded and crowned to prevent it tumbling when it leaves the barrel same problem with rounds moving that fast especially with 33k psi causing random flyers with rounds like 223 even the mystical 22 nosler and 20 Creedmoor
I have the stainless bull-barrel B-Mag, immediately replaced the cheap stock with a boyd's stock. It shoots great with the 20 Grain Ammo. I hate the bolt, but it is accurate, very accurate. I had great success varmint hunting last year. I replaced it this year with the Ruger 77/17 (pricy, I know) and it is amazingly accurate and totally worth it. Varmints out to about 250yds dont stand a chance (with a decent scope). I love the 17 Win Super Mag. It does have more wind drift than a 223, but not terrible. Nothing like the 17 HMR (also a great round). Also, you can get the ammo for under $13 a box online, and I see it a Wal Mart all the time now.
I agree with you on almost everything. I just bought an A17 and shot CCI A17 ammo. Unfortunately, I had to send the rifle back to Savage. I should have it back tomorrow. As for your deviation on the velocity, I have been shooting about 55 years and almost everything I shoot is under 2000 fps. At 1200 fps, I never complained about a 3%-4% deviation. You are still in that general range so I really isn't quite as bad as it sounds. Like I said, I sent mine back. I only shot 30 rounds and had 2 misfires so actually I got 28 rounds and had lots of problems. I never got a group that I felt was satisfactory but with a new gun I am a little more forgiving. I am hoping it shoots alright when I get it back.
Hi Cavedweller, I heard Savage has changed the twist from 1-9 to 1-8 on all the new Bmags. I have sent mine back to them for repair for accuracy and feed issues. Mine shot similar groups as yours did. We now have 3 choices of vendor for ammo. Winchester, Hornady, and American Eagle/Federal. Haven't shot anything but the Winchester though.
Feedback on my Savage 17wsm bull barrel @ 100 & 200 yards: 1) added a Boyd's stock and flyers now non-existent; 2) shot 20 grain rather than 25 grain resulting in fewer cracked cases... 25 out of 150 for 25 grain and 2 out of 150 for 20 grain; 3) groups now vary in and up and down pattern varying as much as 12 inches @ 100 yards (due to suspected bullet speed variance).
What kind of groups did this rifle shoot before you added the stock? I would say cracked necks & a couple hundred FPS in the ammo are the least of your problems. This is a modern day manufactured rifle in a day and age where one inch+ groups are boring, but we are talking PATTERNS 12" at 100yrds, I can throw rocks almost that good. If that where my P.O.S. It would go back in the factory stock & box and to the place of purchase and shipped back to Savage, Best of luck to you and thanks for watching.
cavedweller1959 Not sure what your intended inquiry was about "patterns (aka, groups)", but permit me to clarify my prior message. First, the Boyd's stock rectified flyers. Subsequent to the stock replacement, my experience is: Consistent patterns do not exist with either the 20gr. rounds or the 25gr. rounds; both grain-patterns vary in shape from vertical to shot-gun patterns; barrel temperature does not seem to play a big part, though 25 fired rounds does heat up the bull barrel. The 20gr. had significantly fewer cracked cases (both fired and unfired) than the 25gr. (both fired and unfired). To me, the patterns indicate that the ammunition rather than the Savage bull-barrel rifle are at the center of inaccuracy.
cavedweller1959 UPDATE on my Savage 17wsm bull barrel: stock, ammunition and scope. Major positive influences noted on accuracy at 200-yards: 1) Boyds stock rather than the original Savage stock; 2) Winchester 20-grain ammunition rather than the 25-grain ammunition; 3) Leupold scope (VX-3 4.5-15x40mm) rather than a Nikon scope (M-223 3-12x42mm). Not all hits were super positive (due to heat waves distorting scope view). In one 3-shot group, the holes touched each other. Next improvement is a Leupold VX-3 scope with an AO. The aforementioned Nikon scope has been returned to Nikon for inspection. My major Nikon scope complaint was that I shot different GROUPS (flyer groups?... smile).
The B-Mag will be a shooter.I picked up a B-mag I put a 30+yr old 4x savage scope on it with garage sale rings (stuff I had laying in the basement). I shot a 2" group at 100yds with wind 20gr Winchester ammo. I went home and ordered a boyds stock. I plan on mounting better rings and scope. Ill check in after I get the stock.
Thanks for the video. I just saw this savage for $239 shipped and was about to buy it, thanks for saving me the frustration. I will stick with my 17hmr for rimfire needs..
I also have the B-Mag with thumhole stock and heavy stainless barrel. I have checked the barrel is free floating, which it is. I also bedded the front 3 rings area and the rear crappy plastic tang. I still had 5-6 shots with 1", sometimes just over. But those damn fliers still happen at least twice, sometimes 3 times in a full mag. I only have the option of Hornady 20 V-Max in the UK at the moment,, so i'm stuck with them! It doesn't help that i bought 800 rounds when i picked the gun up, just in case of ammo shortages... However, despite the fact you shouldn't need to do this, i weigh the rounds and batch them in the boxes of 50. This has helped a lot, bringing my 'non flyer groups to well under an inch, and with my flyers, it averages 1 1/2" groups at maximum. What really pisses me off is i love shooting the gun, and bar the plastic tang area, love the gun over all. Can't wait until the UK finally get some 'maybe' better ammo options...
Got the Savage B.Mag target and it's a keeper so far even though I only shot it at 50m. I got 5 shot groups under 3/4inch with 25gr Winchesters and I'm not the steadiest shooter around. I think Savage are on a winner with the target version. I'm happy and I'd recommend it.
Don't know about the 17 wsm but I have the Marlin 17 hmr the Winchester ammo split like crazy now the A17 and Vic ammo no problems. I had the issue with flyers until I stopped cleaning it with oil every time after shooting now I pull a good tight cloth through a couple times been hitting eggs at 100yrds every time, before cleaning with oil / wet patches it would take upwards of 40 rounds to get back true, I don't clean the barrel just pull dry cloth through and it stays true every time. My son purchased the 17 wsm today it's much lighter than my marlin 17 hmr.
I only use oil down the bore for long term storage, never on any of my shooters, for the very reason you describe. With center fire rounds, the first 5-10 on paper are just wasted.
You are right about the oil but I was use to cleaning my .22 marlin Simi auto (the squirrel one) and it didn't mind being cleaned regularly but the 17 hmr don't take to cleaning at all. So I figure each gun has a secret that needs to be found like ammo being one.
I have 2 Ruger 17 WSM rifles and they are the same way. You will always have fliers because the ammo manufacturers aren’t consistent with the loads. If you shoot 2 inch groups at 100 yards, feel lucky. Volquartsen makes top shooting rifles and they even decided to stop manufacturing the 17 WSM rifles because they can’t even get the ammo to shoot consistently from one box to the next. So you know there is a problem. Maybe there are a few rifles out there that don’t shoot half bad. But from what I hear most people are not satisfied with the groups.
Appreciate the info-> just assembled my B Mag with Boyd's stock-> GLASSED with JB WELD-> as per your vid. First time doing this myself. Pleased with results. Can't wait to shoot this weekend.
I own a Ruger 77/17 and a Savage A17 and I shot Hornady 17 grain V-Max in both rifles and CCI A17 in the Savage. Both rifles perform well out to 100 yards.
+Real Sharp Knives Glad to hear you have good luck with yours. This video is almost 2 years old. this past summer I picked up new model B-MAG, In a after market stock it is proving itself to be very, very accurate. Check it out & thanks for Watching..
try this it worked well for me. take off the stock,remove the trigger assembly and all it's parts. sand blast the dovetail top of the casting where it contacts the barrel,,also sandblast the same part of the barrel, now J-B weld the two together make sure you you clean off the the overflow before it gets too hard!! put all back together. NO MORE FLIERS!! THAT TRIGGER ASSEMBLY IS [ HALF OF] THE BARREL TO STOCK MOUNT AND IT DOES NOT FIT TIGHTLY TO THE BARREL.
I have one in the stainless version with a factory laminated thumbhole stock. Mine shoots great, 3/4 inch all day long. The flyers I am getting is due to ammo. Im seeing some high pressure problems. Mine seems to like the the Winchester ammo the best and it likes a clean barrel as well.
+67cgc Shoots 3/4" groups all day long, But the flyers are due to ammo??? 3/4" groups all day long do not involve flyers! High PSI problems with a rim fire, OK, I'll bite, Please explain in detail to the world of Y-TUBE. Likes a clean barrel, some are like that. Currently have the same rifle, Stainless in a Boyds stock, It does not like to be cleaned any more than need be. Some are like that also.Thanks for Watching
I own a new heavy barrel model with a standard stock. Seeing 1/2” groups at 100 yards with Winchester 20gr. Zero flyers. I mean it’s rimfire....I don’t expect perfection but I’m very impressed with the rifle and the ammo. Maybe they have improved things in the last few years. There are other videos of guys hitting pop cans at 200-300 yards. In my state this is the only reasonable choice for coyote hunting at night in rimfire only zones.
I have seen a crono spreads much worse. I if you find the spread to wide the 1st thing you should do is check the weight of each round. I bought some Mexican made 308 ammo. You know the brand. I found up to 4 grains difference. Crap ammo can effect crono readings big time.
have the 17hmr (93r17) looked at the 17wsm and 17 hornet ended up with the cz527 Varmint in 223 btw the 17hmr non-accutrigger model shoots very tight groups at 100 yards
cavedweller1959 I think I made a good choice in the CZ will probably start reloading once I start shooting it - I am considering putting on a RedField scope - the 17 Hornet I looked at was also a CZ the turkish walnut was very good quality.
I've had a bmag for 2 years and that thing is a tac driver at 150 yards dont think it's the gun or ammo sounds like the scope has some crosshair problem sounds like the cross hairs is walking inside.. mines dead on center 150 yards .. use it for coyotes havent missed yet and I've taken one at 238 yards
You should try the Savage B mag Target and use the Winchester 20 grain bullets I did have problems with the Hornady 25 grain bullets I did not like the accuracy on those at all but whenever I go out to the range I am always shooting 300 yards at a 2-inch Target and I hit it almost every single time the bullets do not seem to be bothered by wind too much out to 200 yards I have to get up into about 15 miles per hour before I have to start adjusting for wind
This video is about 5 years old and was shot using a borrowed, early manufactured B-Mag. I bought one as soon as the heavy SS barrel model hit the shelves. Shot like trash until I glassed it into a laminate after market stock, It shoots all 4 ammo choices inside 3/4"@100 yrds with a slight favor going to the Hornady round. The 25gr Winchester works best on dog towns. ua-cam.com/video/lVbYIcQTPXU/v-deo.html
Thank you for the information I'll have to try glass bedding mine I have the original thumbhole stock and I might have just had a bad batch of the Hornady rounds I was shooting over 1 in at a hundred yards
I've got not standard and bull barrel and haven't had this problem out of either. The bull barrel has a tighter group than the standard though. But still no flyers
You are the very first person I have ever heard to say that, Do make a video off of a 100 yard bench and show us the groups. There are a lot of us out here wanting to see this. Thanks for watching..
I had this experience. 2-3 shots close together, then 1-2 fliers. Took it from .4-.6", maybe 1" at 100y up to 2.4-2.5". Not sure if this is older ammo from earlier in the initial production of 17wsm? I have a small concern about the rifle but believe it might just be an ammo issue.
I know this is an older video...however I found a solution for the factory stock...I have the stainless heavy barrel. I took plastic wood filler and packed the forearm on the stock and then topped it off with a solid dose of JB weld. It shoots a ragged hole at 100yds.
I have thought about trying something like this off and on, Mount some basic 3x9 glass to make a OK shooting walking varminter for calling coyotes & fox. A summer dog rifle & a winter dog rifle in one. The calling rifle would not NEED the same accuracy as a longer range summer gun. Thanks a million for sharing this with all of us.
cavedweller1959 I did an 8rd group. I also believe this is one of the newer rifles...I however didn't shoot it before I messed with it. I bought the rifle and then researched it and seen all the issues the bmag was having. I pulled the stock and then packed the forearm with plastic wood filler . after letting the filler set it didn't produce the result I was looking for, that led to filling the remaining space with JB weld...this made the forearm more ridged ...then I also seen where few had used rubber hose to "float" the barrel. so I did that as well. the result was a free floated barrel with issues of the mag locking in. I still have the mag issue , it does lock fully just require a little effort.
my email is kennethhowell175@gmail....I can provide pictures and what not and you can probably improve on it if you wished...my filling and bedding isn't the prettiest lol
Cavedweller - Not to get too far off topic, but my Ruger American rimfire 17 HMR exhibits the same symptoms - tight 5-shot groups, 1/2 inch or even better, with one or two flyers per group taking it out to 2" or so, using either 17 or 20-grain CCI and Hornady ammo. The fore-end on this rifle is also light and flexible. . After viewing your video, I may not give up on the gun after all. I see that Boyd's now has laminate and walnut stocks for this gun.
I have had lots to say about the Savage 17WSM on this site... actually threw the rifle away. Last month (June 2015) I purchased Target version (dumb, huh?) with the thumbhole stock (only stock option available other than the plastic stock). WARNING: KEEP THE ORIGINAL STOCK FOR WARRANTY PURPOSES. The Target version with the thumb hold stock is shooting 1/2" @ 100 yards (no cross wind). I'll have to wait to see if this turnaround in accuracy will last. I am still using the Winchester ammo: 20 gr. @ 3000 ft./sec. I intend to acquire some Hornady for comparison.
hotsunrising I also bough a HB SS plastic stock B-MAG a couple weeks back. Had it out once and it shot WAY BETTER than the 3 from last year. Hornady, Fed & Win 25 gr. all shot 4 rounds 1/2 ---3/4 inch with the 5th going out to 1-11/4 inch. My left over Winchester ammo from last year I gave to a co-worker to use on the dog towns, but he never got a rifle, that ammo is now back in my cave. That may be interesting!
cavedweller1959 I have compared the Hornady and the Winchester 17wsm/20gr.@3000ft./sec. Each exhibited the same 1/2in. groups @ 100yds. (no cross wind). Each brand had to have a "hot" to the touch barrel to shoot 1/2in. groups (20 rounds within 10 minutes to heat the bull barrel on my 17wsm Savage). My 17hmr Savage bolt action/bull barrel with Hornady ammo cannot compete for accuracy if the slightest cross wind exists.
I own the b mag target with a heavy barrle ive shot all grains of bullets offered . Ive found that the heaviest 25 grain bullets dont shoot well through it and had the same velocity problems with it .But when i switxhed to the lighter bullets my velocities stabilized and it really pulled in well .i live in nv out in the sticks and have a great time shoitimg 3 inch groumd squirls and it's very very easy to do head shots at 100yrds .the ammo has gotten really consistent and i love this gun so try it and see if ut works better for you
I came up with a 250 fps max spread. The thing you don't know if it's because of blow by in the chamber or if it's the ammo case. Now you need to weigh the ammo before you fire it. Make sure they all weight the same grain. Do your groups again with consistent ammo. I bought a Boyd's Rimfire hunter and worked with their dye maker to get the fit right for the bmag (later serial number). It did NOTHING for the "flyers" with a full float barrel. I've come to the conclusion that it's a combination of: a) the ammo load is very inconsistent b) the chamber allows blow by. I sent my gun back to Savage. Luckily Savage is a stand up company and are working on the issue. Their gunsmith looked at my gun and decided not to fix it. I'm waiting for the replacement.
I have the ruger precision in 17hmr man it shoots good but only with heavy bullets like 20 grains if I get light bullets is all over the place ,try heavy bullets
Have you done a follow up to this video with a newer/better stock? What was causing the variance in velocity??? Have you tried diff ammunition to see if the results are similar with velocity and having the "flyers"? Thanks and great videos!! Keep em coming!
michealshaw1 I said to another viewer some time back I would never pay full price for a item so poorly built and I can't find someone to sacrifice one for a project. As for variance in the velocity, It's rimfire, you take what you get, you have no control like you would on your own reloading bench. As far as different ammo, I have heard Hornady is loading for it but I don't know anyone who has seen it. If and when is shows up, I may have to borrow another rifle . THANKS
Cave d, have you tried removing the copper from the bore? I just purchased a Bmag yesterday. It shot 4 bug hole shots on the 50 yard line then start spraying out the 8" groups. Light cleaning revealed massive copper fowling from the factory. I'm using bore tech eliminator to clean. I'm going to give it a good scrub to see if things improve.
Bob Washere 4 bug hole shots, 8" groups, Massive copper fouling from the FACTORY!!!!Do you really need to cut down the trees to see the forest?? Thanks for watching.
Cavedweller... after all my prior comments, I now bow to your wisdom. The Bmag was a waste of my money and time. Without further itemizing all my trials with the Bmag, permit me to speak about the straw that broke the camel's back: After cleaning the rifle, I picked it up by it's barrel... and noted the barrel twist in the receiver. Previously, Savage had replaced a malfunctioning trigger and polished the chamber shortly after I purchased the rifle on 5/14 (split Winchester ammo cases). That means that Savage loosened the 3 receiver setscrews that hold the correct headspace to polish the chamber. The setscrews were not blued... resulting in loose set screws (and one head of one allen screw stripped. Enough!!! This week, I disposed of the rifle via a legal avenue. Obviously, Savage is off my list for acceptable cheap products (the Bmag did not meet my expectations for even "cheap" manufacturing).
hotsunrising And the good news is, at the 2015 shot show Ruger was showing a prototype of a M77 in 17WSM. If it's priced like the other's in the M77 line, it will retail around $850.00
cavedweller1959 I do hope it is better made than the 22 Hornet I purchased from Ruger.. it took another $200 bucks to get that rifle right.. I shouldn't have to spend more money to get a rifle to shoot acceptable from the factory..
@@cavedweller1959 I ck out your video can you help me find a thumb whole stock I have a savage 17 B SUPER MAG and no luck with Boyd's recommendation gave all information but stock was too long to fit .the actual action is shorter than what they sent any help would be appreciated tks Bobby
17 wsm is an awesome rimfire. Its a shame more rifle builders don't have an offering for this cartridge. Winchester, why did you produce this "nail-gun" super wonder only to offer one, lame single shot rifle? Savage bmag rifle is garbage at best which leaves a Ruger M77 (decent, but lacking) and an over priced Volquartsen semi auto. Slim Pickens. Is it too much to ask for a decent bolt action, stock, trigger and suppressor ready offering? Awesome work as always Cave Dweller!
Have a look at the video "SavageB.Mag Heavy Barrel Stainless in 17WSM Review and Hunting Report part two) from Varminter Magazine. I think it has the answer for you and a nice stock too. I liked your video ,but perhaps the faster twist of 1 in 8 is better in the newer offering from Savage will iron out the accuracy problems. Good luck.
I bought a savage 308 and it had accuracy issues and it was the stock!. I will not buy anything from savage anymore.Stock was crooked and had to be replaced.Pissed.
I am confused: 1. you show the big different in speed, what must be because of the variation in the powder weight, and I thought that was the reason for bad accurancy. Then You show the awful stock. Is it a combination? You made me good follower to day, Your direct style and knowledge is top, keep on the good work
This video was shot using a borrowed rifle. As soon as Savage introduced the bull barrel, I bought one. It did not shoot as well as this one. I glassed it into a ridged stock and it is now a awesome shooter. Videos are on my channel. Thanks for Watching.
Just came back from my 4th trip at the range with my new b-mag target model topped with a new 6x24 bushnell. I tried winchester , hornady and american eagle ammo all with the same results . SHit ! This rifle is embarrassing at best , 4 inch groups at 100 ( 1/2 inch with my tikka 243 ) What the hell is wrong with this thing ?
+mmaarrttyyyy Watch my video Savage A-17 Not looking good Try what I did at the end, If it shoots OK, Watch my video on glass bedding your B-MAG. Good luck and thanks for watching..
+mmaarrttyyyy my bmag sucks EPICLY, warped stock hits the barrel, mag doesn't seem to be made for the round jams frequently, bolt so stiff the handle worked loose after a box of rounds, accuracy is non existent had a 1" group at 25yds (my ruger does 1/2" at 100yds useing the same scope n rings) and to top it off the trigger was cracked. that's top notch quality right there. i should've just pushed for a refund but sent it in for repair, 5 weeks later all new gun (redo backround check) new crapy scope included this time and it's been pretested and sent with a little test target with 3 holes n says .80" (no range or what ammo) the gun overall is better but still sucks(new stock was warped). after 5 weeks of testing my groups are 2" at 50yds and i'm out 200$ in ammo the gun still SUCKS and needs to be sent back AGAIN. 3 months later (would have been 2 but they lost my number) new barrel but now it's winter and i may not get a good range day until spring(about 5 months from now). i really feel like never getting another savage rifle ever again. also feel like chopping the gun in half , sending it back and telling them where to put it.
+bringerovdeath Sorry to hear you got screwed too . Sent my b-mag back to savage and just got it back a few days ago, took it out and test fired it today and it still sucks . still not centered in the stock and 2 1/2 inch groups at 100. The 25"s do a little better , but there goes your 3000 fps out the window. Now i'm going to glass bed this thing and if that don't work this thing is gone ! Don't know about you but this is my last savage. This is not the first lemon i've got from them. but it is the last.
+mmaarrttyyyy had some good weather today and a little time. fed 20gr got 1" groups at 30yds, mostly up down spread. trying to get a chrony to test bullets veloctiy but 1" at 30yds would be epic speed diffrence for super sonic rounds. cci .22lr stingers (1600fps) vs cci standard .22lr (1060fps) only have 1/4" drop diffrence at 25yds useing my ruger.still have winchester 20gr and 25gr to try.
+bringerovdeath yes it sounds like a ammo problem , If you want 1 moa at a 100 you need to do alot better then 1 inch at 30. that will get you about 3 inch or so a 100.
I am stumped why anyone would buy a rim fire when every time an ammo shortage comes the first to get hoarded are the rim fire ammo. In 17 cal centerfire rifles comes in 17 Hornet / 17 fire ball / 17 Remington. I have an AR 15 in 17 Remington that the accuracy is not more than 1/4 inch groups @ 100 yards. The 17 Remington is absolute the perfect match for the AR 15 because the 17 Remington case is steep tapered assisting in much easier case extraction after firing .
Great video and very informative. I was looking and did not see if you had an update with a stock change? If so, I'd like to see it. I have one and just shot it to sight it in - did not do the detailed target work that you did but seemed to get a couple grouped right together - almost touching at 50 yards - then another an inch or so away.
+GunLearning Broke down and bough a B-MAG awhile back Heavy, SS, plastic stock. also a Boyds thumb hole stock. Been hard to find time lately, but it's coming. Thanks for Watching.
The first rifle I had would only shoot 5-6 inch groups at best. I sent it back to Savage and got back a different rifle. It shoots about like your examples. One thing you didn't mention is how the bolt turns down before it is in battery. For me this is difficult to shot in a rapid fire situation because the bolt handles turns down before the round is chambered. I had a shot at a running coyote a couple nights ago and had that happen. I have never seen a rifle that you can turn the bolt handle down before it is in battery. you can have the bolt all the way back it turn down, that is an engineering marvel right there! Who ever deigned this rifle should be working for Daisy, not Savage.
That is another wonderful attribute of this fine firearm isn't it. I replied to another viewer sometime back that if you look at the big picture, The overall design & quality of this work of art, I can't even force myself to want one. And it's already been said that RUGER was showing off a prototype at the shot show. I will gladly wait . Thanks For Watching.
cavedweller1959 I will be ditching this rifle ASAP, and wait until Ruger, Marlin, CZ, or someone else comes out with a rifle. My buddy and I got rifles at the same time. His ejector broke on the first shot and he had to send his rifle back also. as soon as he got it back he dumped the rifle. I was expecting the quality of my Mark II, and 93 series rifles. the B mag isn't even close.. I hope we are both shooting better rifles in the near future!!
i use some copper i cut from 1.5 inch copper pipe. heated red ,dropped in a bucket cool water, that makes the copper dead soft. just close the vice on the copper and hammer it around the jaws. that will protect your barrel. i believe i can make a dog out of it yet.
I got rid of my standard barrel B Mag and bought the stainless steel bull barrel model. It looks and feels better but the stock is still cheap. I am assuming but do not know if I'm right, but wouldn't the heavy barrel compensate for the poor stock? I have been swamped in work and landscaping the house so this new gun is still...well, unfortunately NEW!!! Haven't shot it yet to test it out!
I got my heavy barrel stainless B Mag out today for the 1st time! I was only able to shoot at 40 yards today off of a decent rest. I will deep clean it and soon be shooting off a lead sled at 100 yards when the 1st calm day happens. My shooting today had a 3 shot group about 3/16" to 1/4". I believe it will be a good shooter for a stock rifle. I plan on doing the Boyd's thumbhole stock upgrade and the Boyd's Armory tactical bolt handle to finish it off. I liked the stock trigger setting. Looking forward to a 100 yard shoot soon and then I will let you know what I got. Using 25 grain as well.
That's very discouraging. I had mine out a few days ago in less than desirable conditions due to invariable wind gusts on top of a significant sustained wind. It was shooting GREAT at 50 yards with 2 shots in the same hole and the 3rd shot right there close to touching. I went to 100 yards and had a horizontal string of bullet impacts. What are we going to do? Blame the gun? Blame the ammo? I have split cases at Winchester now being studied and more waiting to be sent.
bkpugsley I sent a copy of this video to Savage customer service and explained mine was doing the same thing and asked for a some type of product refund or credit to help pay for a Boyd replacement stock.
I own one of these and I had two scopes on the gun and tried three types of ammo being Winchester hv 20gr and he 25 gr along with hornaday v max 20gr and couldn't get three even close to a quarter on either scope
I'll have to let you know how mine shoots after I'm done with the finish. I got about a month or so left then I can hit the range. Fortunately I was able to leave more wood in the magazine well then there is plastic on the factory stock. It is definitely stiffer then the plastic and much heavier. I think I'll probably bed it to about 1.5 inches in front of the forward scope mount and the little area behind the accu trigger adjustment wheel. What do you think about weighing the rounds and only shooting the ones that have similar weights? That might help tighten up the group a little. I was really hoping this gun could shoot around an inch at 100 yards...
I 've been waiting for your next video. What did your rifle group like in the savage stock? I weigh everything when loading center fire rounds but never though about it on rimfire, but I just did. Empty cases had a 3/10th grain spread and new unfired had a 9/10th grain spread, I think 6/10th of a grain on this little cartridge is HUGE and this was just a very small sampling.
cavedweller1959 well I never shot mine before I started with the wood stock, I just knew it was crap from the start and I'd have to make something. My buddies shoots exactly like yours we line up 12oz. Cans at 100 yards and about every 4th one we miss I presume is the flyers we a both fairly good shots. Sorry I didn't get out the next video I didn't work on it over the last two weeks, I'll try to put something up by the end of this week. I'm almost done with shaping and will then move to sanding and finishing. I think I'm going to weigh my bullets and put all the ones that are the same together in boxes by weight.
Any news on if/when Savage is going to put the B-Mag in one of the laminated wood stocks they currently use for the 17 HMR? It seems like that would do a lot to reduce or eliminate the "flyers".
cavedweller1959 Ok, well then I guess my next question would be if you have heard if any of the other major arms manufacturers (Ruger, Winchester, Remington, etc.) are planning to offer a chambering in 17 WSM in the near future?
Whens the last you shot that b-mag? I have a bull barrel with a body stock not bedded or glassed and after break in (250rounds) it shot .75 @ 200 yards average. Might want to revisit this. This ammo has gotten better & ss barrels have a much longer break in period.
Wondering if they used 20gr or 25gr. I get patterns like this with 25g, but with 20 myself and 3 of my friends can drive tacks, and never had a flyer. This is a mass produced product so there's bound to be a few that slip past quality control. My 7 year old sister hits tannerite at 100 yds with mine, that's a pretty small target for a fairly inexperienced shooter. Love mine and so does everyone I know that has one. Would reccomend to anyone. Just stay away from 25gr ammo it's worthless
I have heard from a few that have bought B-Mags in just the last 4-5 weeks that they are shooting very well, So maybe someone somewhere got there act together. If I keep hearing more of this I may have to pick one up, plus a stock. Thanks for watching.
How do you secure the back of the receiver? There is nothing to bed to and the rear action screw goes into the trigger group which is held loosely on a weaver type rail with a sloppy keyway
Not much to work with, is there? Just a small drop of e-pox on each side of the rear bolt to hold side to side play. If it produced any real recoil, It would never work out. ua-cam.com/video/4f6R8PJHpBs/v-deo.html
how much blow by is on your brass....My neighbors wsm has tremendous blow by on ver 0% of the brass...if the head spacing is off and there is that much blow by then there are inconsistent gas pressures behind the bullet...Flyers???
The three rifles I had used up to the making of this video + the one I currently own, None showed signs of heavy blow back, By that I mean heavy carbon build up on the outside of the fired case. Also I have never seen a split neck on any of my fired casings or any of the ones I pick up ay different ranges I shoot at. I don't think it's a issue with mine but it sure could with the one you are dealing with.
I noticed on a Rossi shot gun 410 gauge the stock feels and looks like you say made from milk cartons, and I see most guns are made this way . the noticeable change to me is the size of the stocks they seem smaller than my Dads old double barrel 12 gauge wooden stocks , are they trying to cut back on material ?
I said once before I would not spend my money on a rifle the manufacturer didn't spend their money on in R&D, before it's release to the market. I know a 1/2 doz. or so guys with B-Mags, they all say I can use the rifle for a bedding job video when they get into a after market stock, but none are willing to spend more money on them, that really shows their faith in it working. Bet I could buy one of these for 30 or 40 cents on the dollar! Not going to happen. THANKS FOR WATCHING...
I have a Boyd's thumbhole stock on my BMag, but have not had it to the range yet. I really like the Boyd's stock. Seems very high quality. Perfect fit, no whittleing required.
Hey, great vid./ Just one thing, can I ask what made you tatt an ARROW on your arm? Is that so you know after a few drinks you know where the hand is or? :)
Here is the difference between a dog shooter a competitive shooter a competitive shooter would have taken 20 rounds and removed the bullets, weigh the 20 bullets to see the difference in weight if there is one, dump the powder and measure powder in each separate 20 rounds to determine if there was a difference I think you would find that there was, and you would also mice the rums, which is what seats the pressure if they were all seating properly or some are allowing more Blow by than others. Do not base your decision on whether to buy a 17 WSM not to buy one on the results of this video.
I have to agree with the outlaw, do not base your decision to buy or not on this video. Base it on the other videos I posted after Savage came out with the heavy barrel model that shot just like this one, Then I glass bedded that into a ridged, solid stock. Awesome shooting rifle.
Michael Rhoads I know of no one who ever asked for miraculous accuracy from this rifle/ammo combo. Most all shooters have a .22 that will group 1" at 50 yards, Have you ever seen or heard of a 17HMR that would NOT group sub moa at 100 yards? This is basic rim fire accuracy, If the B-MAG shot that well This video would not exist and there would be dozens of others of GOOD groups. Thanks for watching.
I've seen some .17 that shoots nearly as fast so the while point of a cartridge that is nearly 4 times the size eludes me. Anyway the problem may simply be the lightweight nature of the round itself if you were to set up a post or something similar and shoot past it it'd pull your shot So something similar to a butterfly fart would pull such a lightweight round off. Either way it seems like Dewalt/Fien et cetera Lowe's/home depot Wallywurld/Target Honda civic/Masserati $400 rifle @ best/several thousand dollar rifle. Anyway who really cares about a rifle I would use for pest control duty.
I agree... that WINCHESTER 17wsm 25-grain ammunition was initially 25% of my accuracy disappointment; another 25% was the original Savage stock; the other 50% was a malfunctioning Nikon scope. Within the past two weeks, shooting Winchester 17wsm 20-grain ammunition, a boyd's stock and a switch to a Leupold scope, I can now keep my groups within 2-inches at 200 yards. I expect further accuracy improvements when I acquire some Hornady 17wsm. As I suspected, my Savage 17wsm bull barrel is not part of the accuracy disappointment except for the flimsy stock. I attribute the stock's negative influence to "flexing" with the use of a bi-pod.
Thanks, this helps me decide on my next purchase... I do have a question for you, how about bedding the barrel and floating the action, you have any thoughts on this?
Since you didn't bother to tell us what manufacturer the ammo came from I will assume you was shooting Winchester. I would guess the new Hornady would give a little better results???
cavedweller1959 OK thanks didn't know that. I know there are winchester, hornady, and american eagle 17WSM available now though. Maybe one of them has better quality control of their rim fire ammo.
Hi CD, Great video, thanks for the info! Have you had any luck finding an aftermarket stock yet? I see a laminated stock BMAG on Cabela's website as a women's model. I didn't pick it up because of the Women's Model detail... maybe I should've as I've always been leery of the flimsy stock on this gun... looking forward to some results with a different gun. Also, have you heard any more on the rumors of Ruger releasing anything at SHOT for this cartridge? I didn't...
brady smith Not hard to find a stock, Just send someone your C.C. # And one will show up at your door. The thing is, after playing with 3 of them myself, Dozens & dozens of comments on my 2 b-mag videos and word of mouth from all I know that have one, There is just nothing to get excited about. I have just given up on it. The 77/17 wsm Ruger was shown at the shot show, Google it and you can find videos of it on the range. they already have the 17 hornet, Rechamber it for the WSM, reconfigure the bolt face and the magazine and lets go have some fun. I will gladly wait. Thanks For Watching
I hate ignorant people and their miss guidance of information, especially knowing someone out there will listen to this video which is in majority Bull Shit!! Those chrono numbers are typical for most any mass produced ammo not to mention the fact that chronographs are usually off and not always reliable! Try the same test with 17hmr etc and you’ll get the same results. At the time of this videos upload date I had already put over 1500 rounds through a bmag, I now own 3 in total! They are by far one of the most accurate factor rifle cartridge combos that I’ve shot out of the many many that I have over the years. But I agree the factory black synthetic stock on the B-Mag isn’t the best and I would recommend upgrading/customizing it, but it’s also just a 200+$ rifle!! Sure they can put a nice wood or laminate stock on one (which I have 2 of ) but then the price would be 500+ bucks then your ass would be whining about the price. I’d rather pay 200+$ for the rifle and upgrade the stock at my discretion!
And here’s a FYI for ya! The bmag was produced with 2 different twist rates
1:8 & 1:9 which one shoots better? Hmm 🤔 Keep dwelling, but for the sake of accurate rifles get some accurate information next time!!
And to anyone reading this, don’t hesitate to by a Bmag!! I’m a fan of anything and all 17 caliber rifles and long range varmint cartridges in general and the WSM are shooters, and nothing short of impressive! With a little stock tweaking they get even better, and like with every rifle made even more so with some barrel tuning.
Holy shit, aren't you just a whiny little bitch today. Before you make extended comments like this, you should check out some other content on your victims channel. In the case of the B-mag{and the A17, if you care to know} I have one that will shoot with the best of them and probably covered most of the things you babble on about. That wont change the fact that Savage put this piece of crap on the market less than completely developed and left the cash paying consumer to do the testing. You claim to have 3, only one in plastic?? If they shoot so good, why is there not one video on all of Y-Tube of some Bull Shit specialist like you punching little small groups with one?? They're like Big Foot, millions of trail cameras all over the world--but no pics. Do myself and all my viewers that have a clue a favor and take your horse shit to some channel where they don't know any better. You may have some credibility over there.
It’s a piece of garbage sorry. Got rid of mine. Bought a Rossi 17HMR that easily out shoots it!
kawi(cry)boy has his panties in a wad......lol
Bear Kawiboy Savage has deposited 2 dollars into your bank account. Dont come on so strong next time, itll be a little more believable
@@cavedweller1959 Sorry but no matter what I tried the Bmag doesn't group Savage B.MAG Varmint .17 WSM Bolt Action Rifle is for chit. On the other hand, the Savage in 17HMR is a tack driver.
Some of my thoughts about your observations... I have a B.Mag that did the same thing (3 shots good, 2 flyers). I noticed the split cases and advised Savage; sent the rifle back and they replaced the barrel. No more split cases and this pulled the flyers in closer. I also opened up the ridges in the forearm to free float the barrel. A little more improvement in the flyers. Third, I noticed the small diameter barrel got hot pretty quick. Allowing time between shots to let the barrel cool down made a big improvement. I'm looking forward to getting the new laminate heavy barrel in the next couple weeks for testing.
I have the 17 wsm with the boyds stock, discovered two issues, the action needs to be bedded to include the 3 grooves in the barrel. After bedding my 100 yard groups tightened up to sub MOA from about 2 moa. Also the 20 grain bullet is very sensitive to any wind. Flyers were minimized in my field test
Out of the box my B - mag's accuracy sucked big time. First I bought a Boyds hunting rifle stock, and then I epoxy bed the whole thing. Now it shoots less than 1 moa at 100 yards.
Seems like it might have to do with low grade ammo.
just looking at some videos on 17 wsm been shooting mine for a while truly enjoy it bought a boyd thumb hole stock floated the barrel bedded the stock shoots 3/8 moa all day long if you don't mine going through 200 plus round and weight them out the ammo is very inconsent but truly enjoy it
Hey CD, the cracked necks in the 17 cal casings is because all the brass is made by CCI and their production problems. When they put the primer compound in the case it's before they draw the neck of the case. Since the primer compound is put in before drawing the neck they cannot anneal the case. This is true of the 17 wsm and the 17 hmr.
I had 2,000 rounds in 17 HMR, over 15% of the cases were pre cracked, this does not happen during firing, but rather before as the case is already cracked.
Hornady replaced all my ammunition thankfully.
I have had a larger velocity spread than that on a major companies .223 and the shot very accurately.
Saw this video after I had bought my Bmag. Lucky for me I bought the SS Bull barrel. I orderd a stock from Boyds and shot a group of 8 inside a quarter sized space at 100 yds. This gun should be a great Varmint gun. I shot 150 rounds no problems.
Thanks for the review, I've been holding off on picking up a 17 wsm to see how it markets and performs. Sure enough, your review is one of many outlining the issues with the bmag and 17 wsm. I'll stick to my 17 hmr
I really wish it wasn't this way and hope the .17 WSM survives the current market conditions with ammo the way it is. If there is a different rifle brought on the market that shoots the way they should I will no doubt own one. Thanks for watching.
I have a 17wsm and recently brought a stock from boyds for it, hopefully it stop the flyers if not might have to get it bedded
Dylan May Let us know how it turns out for you, I think you will see an improvement with just the stock but I would bed it anyway. Accuracy will never be lost due to a good bedding job.
***** Just Curious, why is it hard to make Rimfire ammo consistant?
The 17wsm is awesome and shots like a laser.. And that's coming from a avid lover and shooter of the 17hmr which I never thought would be out done. I got quite a few fliers when the 17hmr was first released back in 2003-04 and they were still working the kinks out! Shooting came via a cz52 and a savage model 93f17 f (before the acu-trigger) and I would get fliers from every ammo that was out at the time more so from Remington and got several split cases from remington as well. And as time went on I got less and less fliers, and Now I VERY rarely get a flier! I'm loving the rimfire variety and hope for more. I'm a huge supporter and fan of the the more options the better theory!
I have one as well and It drives tracks at 200 hundred I put the whole clip in a nickel that's great in my book
Regardless of the negative/positive comments to the bmag, I very much appreciate your work as I bought the ammo before the gun. My son and I picked up the polymer stock version and frankly due to the data you produced I am going to fit the rifle with the after market stock before I fire a single round, Thank you for your time and willingness to share.
I really like the ballistics of the .17WSM. I really dislike that only Savage make a bolt action rifle for it. The reason I dislike the BMag is because every "real person" review of this rifle says it can't shoot good groups and has intermittent flyers. People have blamed the stock. People have blamed the ammo. Has this problem been fixed with the HB Stainless Steel model? Can someone from Savage stand up and say "Yes there was a problem but it has now been fixed" and give us some confidence?
I have a heavy stainless barrel.
I replaced the bolt with a Glades stainless bolt. . . . Shoots very accurately!
My brother had this kind of problem with his Remington 700 243win. Came with a cheap plastic stock and the rifle would put the first bullet perfectly straight on a normal shooting target, Next round would go somewhere and then the shots would land randomly on 1m by 1m target plate from 100m. A relative of ours offered to check the rifle out and after couple of weeks of fidling with the scope, Checking the barrel and pretty much everything but the stock he decided to take it off. It could bend almost 90 degrees from the back of the trigger hole to the end of the stock. He decided to give my brother a wooden stock from an old winchester that he had laying around and now the rifle shoots good groups up to 400m (haven't taken it further)
got mine fron walmart for 74.00 then found out savage had a 25.00 rebate. net cost to me 49.00 will buy them all day at that price
I agree with you 100% on this findings with the Bmag. I bought one thinking I was going to get a tack driver and boy was I wrong. Even at 25 yards there is no consistency. I have seen that Savage has put out 3 different models of the .17 WSM and I'm wondering if they made any much needed improvements. Thanks for a good video.
Thanks for the review and explanation ! I just bought a stainless one and I thought I was just jumping the trigger or something but I'll definitely take your advice and upgrade the stock !
A friend and I were considering the 17WSM. Thanks for your excellent, to-the-point, no-BS review. I wish more UA-cam reviewers actually knew what the heck they were talking about....
A lot more 17 WSM videos in the new build B-MAG rifle on my channel. This round has been on the market for about 3 years now & is working so good for myself and many others, I just can't believe more company's are not putting out rifles for it. How about a $500.00 Ruger American or a CZ 527.
Thanks for the solid analysis! Maybe the high spreads in 17 WSM ammo velocity is its nail gun heritage showing through!
We ran 100 rounds of Winchester 20 grain 17 WSM across my Crony F1 yesterday. The standard deviation was 12 fps. Most were within 5 fps of the average of 3040 fps. Since we were shooting with a 15 to 20 mile per hour wind from our back we did not test for accuracy. We used three Savage B-Mags, 2 pencil barrels and one heavy stainless barrel. Our goal was to zero the guns for 100 yards. Not one case resulted in a cracked neck.
+Larry Tomlinson This video is almost 2 years old and I would assume there have been improvements in both rifle & ammo. I also have a HB SS B-MAG glass bedded into a laminated stock that has proven to be very accurate with todays ammo. I also still have almost 1/2 box of each of the 20 & 25 grain from 2 years ago that was used in this video. So sometime this spring/summer I hope to have a new gun old ammo and a crony video for you all. Thanks for the input.
Glad I watched this video! Right now, I got 3 rifles that this is going on with. Decent groups but these ''flyers'' keep popping up. Time to do some bedding like you've shown on other videos. Of course it could be me flinching, but bedding the action can only help the whole deal. After watching your bedding videos, I'm ready to try it for myself. Thanks a bunch!
I have two Savage rifles chambered in .17 HMR. One with the factory synthetic stock, the other a factory laminated stock with thumb hole, and am very happy with both. Several months ago I purchased a Savage Bmag .17 wsm and use both the 20 and 25 grain rounds. Regardless of what anyone thinks, I am not ashamed to say, the Bmag has become my new go to rifle for coyote hunting. I have yet to have accuracy issues with it. I see a coyote, the Bmag drops it, that simple...and that my friends, is accurate enough for me. I just ordered a new stock from Boyds, and not for accuracy purposes but rather aesthetics. You name the gun, bullet or manufacturer, I'll find someone somewhere that will have something to say about it, good bad or indifferent. As for ammo, I have no issues of finding what I need and it is getting easier. And the price, around $20 for fifty rounds.....that's some pretty cheap coyote killers. Every now and then, I will grab one of my .223's and head out, but, mostly the Savage Bmag get's the call to action. Although I do not doubt variances in the accuracy between the 20 or 25 grain bullets, I will say I have seen this occur in more than just the .17wsm caliber. And here is a link to another viewpoint www.shootingtimes.com/hunting/savage-b-mag-review/
*****
I have noticed a difference in accuracy between the .17WSM 20 and 25 grain bullets from Winchester. I have zeroed with the 20 grain and plan to stick with it over the 25. I also ordered and installed a new stock from Boyds (you are spot on about the factory Savage stock). I am very pleased with the new stock (even though I got caught up in the holiday lag when I placed my order, took a month and a half to get it). I am waiting for more offerings the likes of the Franklin Armory F17-L, for the semi auto benefit but mostly because I love the AR style platform. The F17-L is just too pricy for me at this time. One more note, I have used my .17HMR on coyotes with great success and will continue to use it. The hunt conditions determine which gun I head out with, i.e. .17WSM, .17HMR or .223. All of which, have not let me down. I have gone out with friends on coyote hunts and loaned them my .17HMR and by the end of the hunt, they had it on their list of guns they must buy. I let them try it, and let them be the judge if it was right for them, which, beats a review they read online, every time!
@@brianjager480 I have a wsm and can't find a thumb whole stock I got one from Boyd's didn't fit order it for a 17 savage B SUPER MAG bull barrel will not fit my action is short any help bobbie.causey5959@gmail.com tks
Finally got my redesigned B.Mag sporter back from Savage with the new 1:8 twist barrel and all the enhancements. Shell casings come out bright brass and accuracy is finally what I was hoping for with the cartridge and weapon. Savage took a while to get it right but they did get it right and now it shoots sub MOA 100 Yrds.
Hope you've been working with Savage and they got you the redesigned gun under warranty.
Cheers.
steve noe A new barrel and all the ENHANCEMENTS. I don't know about the rest of the viewers , but this is a new one for me. What are the new enhancements??? It's too bad that a very high % of the early guns were/are such failures, Also good to hear stories like yours about rifles that finally preform the way they should have from the start. Thanks For The Info.
cavedweller1959 The other two I had before they sent this new one had all kinds of problems. For one, they didn't fit the Boyd's stock correctly and the safety would not work. The magazine wouldn't fit in the magazine bay correctly. The bolt would not cock the rifle consistently. The new rifle I got back has NONE of those problems. The action fit perfectly in the Boyd's stock with all functions working correctly from the magazine to the safety. Neither one of the first two I had worked correctly. I'd say that's an enhancement.
Now I'm seeing the stores fully stocked with 17WSM from winchester and federal. Also, Hornady is going to produce the cartridge too? It was hard and there were a lot of trial and error for early adopters but I'm glad It worked out. Too bad winchester dropped the SuperX round though.
steve noe You are much more patient and forgiving than I will ever be, It only took 3 try's to get it right?? But I am glad it's now working for you.
did you ever get your rifle figured out? I've used mine many times and it is really great now that the new version came out and I was one of the first ones to get it with the new twist. I think I've seen a couple more of your videos out there. I guess you became "patient' and 'forgiving'?
Had my Bmag cut, threaded and crowned to prevent it tumbling when it leaves the barrel same problem with rounds moving that fast especially with 33k psi causing random flyers with rounds like 223 even the mystical 22 nosler and 20 Creedmoor
I have the stainless bull-barrel B-Mag, immediately replaced the cheap stock with a boyd's stock. It shoots great with the 20 Grain Ammo. I hate the bolt, but it is accurate, very accurate. I had great success varmint hunting last year. I replaced it this year with the Ruger 77/17 (pricy, I know) and it is amazingly accurate and totally worth it. Varmints out to about 250yds dont stand a chance (with a decent scope). I love the 17 Win Super Mag. It does have more wind drift than a 223, but not terrible. Nothing like the 17 HMR (also a great round). Also, you can get the ammo for under $13 a box online, and I see it a Wal Mart all the time now.
I agree with you on almost everything. I just bought an A17 and shot CCI A17 ammo. Unfortunately, I had to send the rifle back to Savage. I should have it back tomorrow. As for your deviation on the velocity, I have been shooting about 55 years and almost everything I shoot is under 2000 fps. At 1200 fps, I never complained about a 3%-4% deviation. You are still in that general range so I really isn't quite as bad as it sounds. Like I said, I sent mine back. I only shot 30 rounds and had 2 misfires so actually I got 28 rounds and had lots of problems. I never got a group that I felt was satisfactory but with a new gun I am a little more forgiving. I am hoping it shoots alright when I get it back.
Hi Cavedweller, I heard Savage has changed the twist from 1-9 to 1-8 on all the new Bmags. I have sent mine back to them for repair for accuracy and feed issues. Mine shot similar groups as yours did. We now have 3 choices of vendor for ammo. Winchester, Hornady, and American Eagle/Federal. Haven't shot anything but the Winchester though.
Feedback on my Savage 17wsm bull barrel @ 100 & 200 yards: 1) added a Boyd's stock and flyers now non-existent; 2) shot 20 grain rather than 25 grain resulting in fewer cracked cases... 25 out of 150 for 25 grain and 2 out of 150 for 20 grain; 3) groups now vary in and up and down pattern varying as much as 12 inches @ 100 yards (due to suspected bullet speed variance).
What kind of groups did this rifle shoot before you added the stock? I would say cracked necks & a couple hundred FPS in the ammo are the least of your problems. This is a modern day manufactured rifle in a day and age where one inch+ groups are boring, but we are talking PATTERNS 12" at 100yrds, I can throw rocks almost that good. If that where my P.O.S. It would go back in the factory stock & box and to the place of purchase and shipped back to Savage, Best of luck to you and thanks for watching.
cavedweller1959 Not sure what your intended inquiry was about "patterns (aka, groups)", but permit me to clarify my prior message. First, the Boyd's stock rectified flyers. Subsequent to the stock replacement, my experience is: Consistent patterns do not exist with either the 20gr. rounds or the 25gr. rounds; both grain-patterns vary in shape from vertical to shot-gun patterns; barrel temperature does not seem to play a big part, though 25 fired rounds does heat up the bull barrel. The 20gr. had significantly fewer cracked cases (both fired and unfired) than the 25gr. (both fired and unfired). To me, the patterns indicate that the ammunition rather than the Savage bull-barrel rifle are at the center of inaccuracy.
cavedweller1959 UPDATE on my Savage 17wsm bull barrel: stock, ammunition and scope. Major positive influences noted on accuracy at 200-yards: 1) Boyds stock rather than the original Savage stock; 2) Winchester 20-grain ammunition rather than the 25-grain ammunition; 3) Leupold scope (VX-3 4.5-15x40mm) rather than a Nikon scope (M-223 3-12x42mm). Not all hits were super positive (due to heat waves distorting scope view). In one 3-shot group, the holes touched each other. Next improvement is a Leupold VX-3 scope with an AO. The aforementioned Nikon scope has been returned to Nikon for inspection. My major Nikon scope complaint was that I shot different GROUPS (flyer groups?... smile).
The B-Mag will be a shooter.I picked up a B-mag I put a 30+yr old 4x savage scope on it with garage sale rings (stuff I had laying in the basement). I shot a 2" group at 100yds with wind 20gr Winchester ammo. I went home and ordered a boyds stock. I plan on mounting better rings and scope. Ill check in after I get the stock.
Thanks for the video. I just saw this savage for $239 shipped and was about to buy it, thanks for saving me the frustration. I will stick with my 17hmr for rimfire needs..
I also have the B-Mag with thumhole stock and heavy stainless barrel. I have checked the barrel is free floating, which it is. I also bedded the front 3 rings area and the rear crappy plastic tang. I still had 5-6 shots with 1", sometimes just over. But those damn fliers still happen at least twice, sometimes 3 times in a full mag. I only have the option of Hornady 20 V-Max in the UK at the moment,, so i'm stuck with them! It doesn't help that i bought 800 rounds when i picked the gun up, just in case of ammo shortages...
However, despite the fact you shouldn't need to do this, i weigh the rounds and batch them in the boxes of 50. This has helped a lot, bringing my 'non flyer groups to well under an inch, and with my flyers, it averages 1 1/2" groups at maximum. What really pisses me off is i love shooting the gun, and bar the plastic tang area, love the gun over all.
Can't wait until the UK finally get some 'maybe' better ammo options...
Got the Savage B.Mag target and it's a keeper so far even though I only shot it at 50m. I got 5 shot groups under 3/4inch with 25gr Winchesters and I'm not the steadiest shooter around. I think Savage are on a winner with the target version. I'm happy and I'd recommend it.
Don't know about the 17 wsm but I have the Marlin 17 hmr the Winchester ammo split like crazy now the A17 and Vic ammo no problems. I had the issue with flyers until I stopped cleaning it with oil every time after shooting now I pull a good tight cloth through a couple times been hitting eggs at 100yrds every time, before cleaning with oil / wet patches it would take upwards of 40 rounds to get back true, I don't clean the barrel just pull dry cloth through and it stays true every time. My son purchased the 17 wsm today it's much lighter than my marlin 17 hmr.
CCI ammo.
I only use oil down the bore for long term storage, never on any of my shooters, for the very reason you describe. With center fire rounds, the first 5-10 on paper are just wasted.
You are right about the oil but I was use to cleaning my .22 marlin Simi auto (the squirrel one) and it didn't mind being cleaned regularly but the 17 hmr don't take to cleaning at all. So I figure each gun has a secret that needs to be found like ammo being one.
I have 2 Ruger 17 WSM rifles and they are the same way. You will always have fliers because the ammo manufacturers aren’t consistent with the loads. If you shoot 2 inch groups at 100 yards, feel lucky. Volquartsen makes top shooting rifles and they even decided to stop manufacturing the 17 WSM rifles because they can’t even get the ammo to shoot consistently from one box to the next. So you know there is a problem. Maybe there are a few rifles out there that don’t shoot half bad. But from what I hear most people are not satisfied with the groups.
Appreciate the info-> just assembled my B Mag with Boyd's stock-> GLASSED with JB WELD-> as per your vid. First time doing this myself. Pleased with results. Can't wait to shoot this weekend.
How did it go
I own a Ruger 77/17 and a Savage A17 and I shot Hornady 17 grain V-Max in both rifles and CCI A17 in the Savage. Both rifles perform well out to 100 yards.
+Real Sharp Knives Glad to hear you have good luck with yours. This video is almost 2 years old. this past summer I picked up new model B-MAG, In a after market stock it is proving itself to be very, very accurate. Check it out & thanks for Watching..
try this it worked well for me.
take off the stock,remove the trigger assembly and all it's parts. sand blast the dovetail top of the casting where it contacts the barrel,,also sandblast the same part of the barrel, now J-B weld the two together make sure you you clean off the the overflow before it gets too hard!! put all back together. NO MORE FLIERS!!
THAT TRIGGER ASSEMBLY IS [ HALF OF] THE BARREL TO STOCK MOUNT AND IT DOES NOT FIT TIGHTLY TO THE BARREL.
glad to hear you got one to work, hope you can post some pic's for us to look at. Thanks for the info
I have one in the stainless version with a factory laminated thumbhole stock. Mine shoots great, 3/4 inch all day long. The flyers I am getting is due to ammo. Im seeing some high pressure problems. Mine seems to like the the Winchester ammo the best and it likes a clean barrel as well.
+67cgc Shoots 3/4" groups all day long, But the flyers are due to ammo??? 3/4" groups all day long do not involve flyers! High PSI problems with a rim fire, OK, I'll bite, Please explain in detail to the world of Y-TUBE. Likes a clean barrel, some are like that. Currently have the same rifle, Stainless in a Boyds stock, It does not like to be cleaned any more than need be. Some are like that also.Thanks for Watching
I own a new heavy barrel model with a standard stock. Seeing 1/2” groups at 100 yards with Winchester 20gr. Zero flyers. I mean it’s rimfire....I don’t expect perfection but I’m very impressed with the rifle and the ammo. Maybe they have improved things in the last few years. There are other videos of guys hitting pop cans at 200-300 yards. In my state this is the only reasonable choice for coyote hunting at night in rimfire only zones.
I have seen a crono spreads much worse. I if you find the spread to wide the 1st thing you should do is check the weight of each round.
I bought some Mexican made 308 ammo. You know the brand. I found up to 4 grains difference. Crap ammo can effect crono readings big time.
I have one and it's the heavy barrel and it shoots on the dime at 50 yards
have the 17hmr (93r17) looked at the 17wsm and 17 hornet ended up with the cz527 Varmint in 223 btw the 17hmr non-accutrigger model shoots very tight groups at 100 yards
I think you will like your CZ, I have a 527 American in .22 hornet and it's a very good shooter. Thanks for watching.
cavedweller1959 I think I made a good choice in the CZ will probably start reloading once I start shooting it - I am considering putting on a RedField scope - the 17 Hornet I looked at was also a CZ the turkish walnut was very good quality.
I've had a bmag for 2 years and that thing is a tac driver at 150 yards dont think it's the gun or ammo sounds like the scope has some crosshair problem sounds like the cross hairs is walking inside.. mines dead on center 150 yards .. use it for coyotes havent missed yet and I've taken one at 238 yards
Not ever had a problem with mine. Have a 4x12x40 simmons scope, it is a mail driver, even out to 100 yrds.
You should try the Savage B mag Target and use the Winchester 20 grain bullets I did have problems with the Hornady 25 grain bullets I did not like the accuracy on those at all but whenever I go out to the range I am always shooting 300 yards at a 2-inch Target and I hit it almost every single time the bullets do not seem to be bothered by wind too much out to 200 yards I have to get up into about 15 miles per hour before I have to start adjusting for wind
This video is about 5 years old and was shot using a borrowed, early manufactured B-Mag. I bought one as soon as the heavy SS barrel model hit the shelves. Shot like trash until I glassed it into a laminate after market stock, It shoots all 4 ammo choices inside 3/4"@100 yrds with a slight favor going to the Hornady round. The 25gr Winchester works best on dog towns.
ua-cam.com/video/lVbYIcQTPXU/v-deo.html
Thank you for the information I'll have to try glass bedding mine I have the original thumbhole stock and I might have just had a bad batch of the Hornady rounds I was shooting over 1 in at a hundred yards
I love your channel I watch it nearly every day !
Thanks.
I've got not standard and bull barrel and haven't had this problem out of either. The bull barrel has a tighter group than the standard though. But still no flyers
You are the very first person I have ever heard to say that, Do make a video off of a 100 yard bench and show us the groups. There are a lot of us out here wanting to see this. Thanks for watching..
I will try to within the next month. Took my scope off one and put on my 223 wssm. Going to pick up the BSA 17 wsm scope
I had this experience. 2-3 shots close together, then 1-2 fliers. Took it from .4-.6", maybe 1" at 100y up to 2.4-2.5". Not sure if this is older ammo from earlier in the initial production of 17wsm? I have a small concern about the rifle but believe it might just be an ammo issue.
I know this is an older video...however I found a solution for the factory stock...I have the stainless heavy barrel. I took plastic wood filler and packed the forearm on the stock and then topped it off with a solid dose of JB weld. It shoots a ragged hole at 100yds.
I have thought about trying something like this off and on, Mount some basic 3x9 glass to make a OK shooting walking varminter for calling coyotes & fox. A summer dog rifle & a winter dog rifle in one. The calling rifle would not NEED the same accuracy as a longer range summer gun. Thanks a million for sharing this with all of us.
Tell us more, Is that a 2 shot group @ 100 yards or a 10 shot, Please elaborate. Again Thanks.
cavedweller1959 I did an 8rd group. I also believe this is one of the newer rifles...I however didn't shoot it before I messed with it. I bought the rifle and then researched it and seen all the issues the bmag was having. I pulled the stock and then packed the forearm with plastic wood filler . after letting the filler set it didn't produce the result I was looking for, that led to filling the remaining space with JB weld...this made the forearm more ridged ...then I also seen where few had used rubber hose to "float" the barrel. so I did that as well. the result was a free floated barrel with issues of the mag locking in. I still have the mag issue , it does lock fully just require a little effort.
my email is kennethhowell175@gmail....I can provide pictures and what not and you can probably improve on it if you wished...my filling and bedding isn't the prettiest lol
Cavedweller - Not to get too far off topic, but my Ruger American rimfire 17 HMR exhibits the same symptoms - tight 5-shot groups, 1/2 inch or even better, with one or two flyers per group taking it out to 2" or so, using either 17 or 20-grain CCI and Hornady ammo. The fore-end on this rifle is also light and flexible. . After viewing your video, I may not give up on the gun after all. I see that Boyd's now has laminate and walnut stocks for this gun.
GOOD WORK,really good info. Ammo. like that =disaster. Savage has made some pretty good rifles there. Your conclusion is dead on.
I have had lots to say about the Savage 17WSM on this site... actually threw the rifle away. Last month (June 2015) I purchased Target version (dumb, huh?) with the thumbhole stock (only stock option available other than the plastic stock). WARNING: KEEP THE ORIGINAL STOCK FOR WARRANTY PURPOSES. The Target version with the thumb hold stock is shooting 1/2" @ 100 yards (no cross wind). I'll have to wait to see if this turnaround in accuracy will last. I am still using the Winchester ammo: 20 gr. @ 3000 ft./sec. I intend to acquire some Hornady for comparison.
hotsunrising I also bough a HB SS plastic stock B-MAG a couple weeks back. Had it out once and it shot WAY BETTER than the 3 from last year. Hornady, Fed & Win 25 gr. all shot 4 rounds 1/2 ---3/4 inch with the 5th going out to 1-11/4 inch. My left over Winchester ammo from last year I gave to a co-worker to use on the dog towns, but he never got a rifle, that ammo is now back in my cave. That may be interesting!
cavedweller1959 I have compared the Hornady and the Winchester 17wsm/20gr.@3000ft./sec. Each exhibited the same 1/2in. groups @ 100yds. (no cross wind). Each brand had to have a "hot" to the touch barrel to shoot 1/2in. groups (20 rounds within 10 minutes to heat the bull barrel on my 17wsm Savage). My 17hmr Savage bolt action/bull barrel with Hornady ammo cannot compete for accuracy if the slightest cross wind exists.
I own the b mag target with a heavy barrle ive shot all grains of bullets offered . Ive found that the heaviest 25 grain bullets dont shoot well through it and had the same velocity problems with it .But when i switxhed to the lighter bullets my velocities stabilized and it really pulled in well .i live in nv out in the sticks and have a great time shoitimg 3 inch groumd squirls and it's very very easy to do head shots at 100yrds .the ammo has gotten really consistent and i love this gun so try it and see if ut works better for you
This is one of the first of maybe 6-8 videos on this new round. The end results of my rifle is a great shooter.
I came up with a 250 fps max spread. The thing you don't know if it's because of blow by in the chamber or if it's the ammo case. Now you need to weigh the ammo before you fire it. Make sure they all weight the same grain. Do your groups again with consistent ammo.
I bought a Boyd's Rimfire hunter and worked with their dye maker to get the fit right for the bmag (later serial number). It did NOTHING for the "flyers" with a full float barrel. I've come to the conclusion that it's a combination of:
a) the ammo load is very inconsistent
b) the chamber allows blow by.
I sent my gun back to Savage. Luckily Savage is a stand up company and are working on the issue. Their gunsmith looked at my gun and decided not to fix it. I'm waiting for the replacement.
Thanks for the help Cavedweller
I have the ruger precision in 17hmr man it shoots good but only with heavy bullets like 20 grains if I get light bullets is all over the place ,try heavy bullets
Changed my stock to a Boyds ft thumb hole , the gun shoots great no more flyer problem.
Bet there will be a lot of shooters interested to read that. Thanks for the feed back.
Excellent information
Thanks cavedweller
I never got flyers out of the bmag. But it maintains a 1" group and I blame it on the crappy accutrigger and operator.
My hmr puts it to shame.
Have you done a follow up to this video with a newer/better stock? What was causing the variance in velocity??? Have you tried diff ammunition to see if the results are similar with velocity and having the "flyers"? Thanks and great videos!! Keep em coming!
michealshaw1 I said to another viewer some time back I would never pay full price for a item so poorly built and I can't find someone to sacrifice one for a project. As for variance in the velocity, It's rimfire, you take what you get, you have no control like you would on your own reloading bench. As far as different ammo, I have heard Hornady is loading for it but I don't know anyone who has seen it. If and when is shows up, I may have to borrow another rifle . THANKS
Cave d, have you tried removing the copper from the bore? I just purchased a Bmag yesterday. It shot 4 bug hole shots on the 50 yard line then start spraying out the 8" groups. Light cleaning revealed massive copper fowling from the factory. I'm using bore tech eliminator to clean. I'm going to give it a good scrub to see if things improve.
Bob Washere 4 bug hole shots, 8" groups, Massive copper fouling from the FACTORY!!!!Do you really need to cut down the trees to see the forest?? Thanks for watching.
Cavedweller... after all my prior comments, I now bow to your wisdom. The Bmag was a waste of my money and time. Without further itemizing all my trials with the Bmag, permit me to speak about the straw that broke the camel's back: After cleaning the rifle, I picked it up by it's barrel... and noted the barrel twist in the receiver. Previously, Savage had replaced a malfunctioning trigger and polished the chamber shortly after I purchased the rifle on 5/14 (split Winchester ammo cases). That means that Savage loosened the 3 receiver setscrews that hold the correct headspace to polish the chamber. The setscrews were not blued... resulting in loose set screws (and one head of one allen screw stripped. Enough!!! This week, I disposed of the rifle via a legal avenue. Obviously, Savage is off my list for acceptable cheap products (the Bmag did not meet my expectations for even "cheap" manufacturing).
hotsunrising And the good news is, at the 2015 shot show Ruger was showing a prototype of a M77 in 17WSM. If it's priced like the other's in the M77 line, it will retail around $850.00
cavedweller1959 I do hope it is better made than the 22 Hornet I purchased from Ruger.. it took another $200 bucks to get that rifle right.. I shouldn't have to spend more money to get a rifle to shoot acceptable from the factory..
@@cavedweller1959 I ck out your video can you help me find a thumb whole stock I have a savage 17 B SUPER MAG and no luck with Boyd's recommendation gave all information but stock was too long to fit .the actual action is shorter than what they sent any help would be appreciated tks Bobby
17 wsm is an awesome rimfire. Its a shame more rifle builders don't have an offering for this cartridge. Winchester, why did you produce this "nail-gun" super wonder only to offer one, lame single shot rifle? Savage bmag rifle is garbage at best which leaves a Ruger M77 (decent, but lacking) and an over priced Volquartsen semi auto. Slim Pickens. Is it too much to ask for a decent bolt action, stock, trigger and suppressor ready offering? Awesome work as always Cave Dweller!
Have a look at the video "SavageB.Mag Heavy Barrel Stainless in 17WSM Review and Hunting Report part two) from Varminter Magazine. I think it has the answer for you and a nice stock too. I liked your video ,but perhaps the faster twist of 1 in 8 is better in the newer offering from Savage will iron out the accuracy problems. Good luck.
I bought a savage 308 and it had accuracy issues and it was the stock!. I will not buy anything from savage anymore.Stock was crooked and had to be replaced.Pissed.
Should revisit since Savage has changed some things.
I have one and really don't need another. I have seen pictures of a completely different trigger mechanism, but not hands on.
Plenty of videos out now with great results. Bedding in a laminate stock helps immensely as well. YMMV
It sure does. ua-cam.com/video/QX1XQzobtcI/v-deo.html
I am confused: 1. you show the big different in speed, what must be because of the variation in the powder weight, and I thought that was the reason for bad accurancy. Then You show the awful stock. Is it a combination?
You made me good follower to day, Your direct style and knowledge is top, keep on the good work
This video was shot using a borrowed rifle. As soon as Savage introduced the bull barrel, I bought one. It did not shoot as well as this one. I glassed it into a ridged stock and it is now a awesome shooter. Videos are on my channel. Thanks for Watching.
Just came back from my 4th trip at the range with my new b-mag target model topped with a new 6x24 bushnell. I tried winchester , hornady and american eagle ammo all with the same results . SHit ! This rifle is embarrassing at best , 4 inch groups at 100 ( 1/2 inch with my tikka 243 ) What the hell is wrong with this thing ?
+mmaarrttyyyy Watch my video Savage A-17 Not looking good Try what I did at the end, If it shoots OK, Watch my video on glass bedding your B-MAG. Good luck and thanks for watching..
+mmaarrttyyyy my bmag sucks EPICLY, warped stock hits the barrel, mag doesn't seem to be made for the round jams frequently, bolt so stiff the handle worked loose after a box of rounds, accuracy is non existent had a 1" group at 25yds (my ruger does 1/2" at 100yds useing the same scope n rings) and to top it off the trigger was cracked. that's top notch quality right there. i should've just pushed for a refund but sent it in for repair, 5 weeks later all new gun (redo backround check) new crapy scope included this time and it's been pretested and sent with a little test target with 3 holes n says .80" (no range or what ammo) the gun overall is better but still sucks(new stock was warped). after 5 weeks of testing my groups are 2" at 50yds and i'm out 200$ in ammo the gun still SUCKS and needs to be sent back AGAIN. 3 months later (would have been 2 but they lost my number) new barrel but now it's winter and i may not get a good range day until spring(about 5 months from now).
i really feel like never getting another savage rifle ever again.
also feel like chopping the gun in half , sending it back and telling them where to put it.
+bringerovdeath Sorry to hear you got screwed too . Sent my b-mag back to savage and just got it back a few days ago, took it out and test fired it today and it still sucks . still not centered in the stock and 2 1/2 inch groups at 100. The 25"s do a little better , but there goes your 3000 fps out the window. Now i'm going to glass bed this thing and if that don't work this thing is gone ! Don't know about you but this is my last savage. This is not the first lemon i've got from them. but it is the last.
+mmaarrttyyyy had some good weather today and a little time. fed 20gr got 1" groups at 30yds, mostly up down spread. trying to get a chrony to test bullets veloctiy but 1" at 30yds would be epic speed diffrence for super sonic rounds. cci .22lr stingers (1600fps) vs cci standard .22lr (1060fps) only have 1/4" drop diffrence at 25yds useing my ruger.still have winchester 20gr and 25gr to try.
+bringerovdeath yes it sounds like a ammo problem , If you want 1 moa at a 100 you need to do alot better then 1 inch at 30. that will get you about 3 inch or so a 100.
I am stumped why anyone would buy a rim fire when every time an ammo shortage comes the first to get hoarded are the rim fire ammo.
In 17 cal centerfire rifles comes in 17 Hornet / 17 fire ball / 17 Remington.
I have an AR 15 in 17 Remington that the accuracy is not more than 1/4 inch groups @ 100 yards.
The 17 Remington is absolute the perfect match for the AR 15 because the 17 Remington case is steep tapered assisting in much easier case extraction after firing .
Quit voting for Liberals and there will be no ammo shortages.
Great video and very informative. I was looking and did not see if you had an update with a stock change? If so, I'd like to see it. I have one and just shot it to sight it in - did not do the detailed target work that you did but seemed to get a couple grouped right together - almost touching at 50 yards - then another an inch or so away.
+GunLearning Broke down and bough a B-MAG awhile back Heavy, SS, plastic stock. also a Boyds thumb hole stock. Been hard to find time lately, but it's coming. Thanks for Watching.
was close to buying a bmag wsm. now not sure. what would you reccomend as an alternative thanks db
The first rifle I had would only shoot 5-6 inch groups at best. I sent it back to Savage and got back a different rifle. It shoots about like your examples. One thing you didn't mention is how the bolt turns down before it is in battery. For me this is difficult to shot in a rapid fire situation because the bolt handles turns down before the round is chambered. I had a shot at a running coyote a couple nights ago and had that happen. I have never seen a rifle that you can turn the bolt handle down before it is in battery. you can have the bolt all the way back it turn down, that is an engineering marvel right there! Who ever deigned this rifle should be working for Daisy, not Savage.
That is another wonderful attribute of this fine firearm isn't it. I replied to another viewer sometime back that if you look at the big picture, The overall design & quality of this work of art, I can't even force myself to want one. And it's already been said that RUGER was showing off a prototype at the shot show. I will gladly wait . Thanks For Watching.
cavedweller1959 I will be ditching this rifle ASAP, and wait until Ruger, Marlin, CZ, or someone else comes out with a rifle. My buddy and I got rifles at the same time. His ejector broke on the first shot and he had to send his rifle back also. as soon as he got it back he dumped the rifle. I was expecting the quality of my Mark II, and 93 series rifles. the B mag isn't even close.. I hope we are both shooting better rifles in the near future!!
I have noticed 225 grain bullets don't shoot well on the rifles. The 20 grain bullets give much better results
i use some copper i cut from 1.5 inch copper pipe. heated red ,dropped in a bucket cool water, that makes the copper dead soft. just close the vice on the copper and hammer it around the jaws. that will protect your barrel. i believe i can make a dog out of it yet.
I got rid of my standard barrel B Mag and bought the stainless steel bull barrel model. It looks and feels better but the stock is still cheap. I am assuming but do not know if I'm right, but wouldn't the heavy barrel compensate for the poor stock? I have been swamped in work and landscaping the house so this new gun is still...well, unfortunately NEW!!! Haven't shot it yet to test it out!
I have said before I don't believe it to be a light/heavy barrel problem,
Get yours out on the sand bags and prove me wrong. AND have fun doing it!!!
I got my heavy barrel stainless B Mag out today for the 1st time! I was only able to shoot at 40 yards today off of a decent rest. I will deep clean it and soon be shooting off a lead sled at 100 yards when the 1st calm day happens. My shooting today had a 3 shot group about 3/16" to 1/4". I believe it will be a good shooter for a stock rifle. I plan on doing the Boyd's thumbhole stock upgrade and the Boyd's Armory tactical bolt handle to finish it off. I liked the stock trigger setting. Looking forward to a 100 yard shoot soon and then I will let you know what I got. Using 25 grain as well.
bkpugsley I sold the light barrel and bought the heavy stainless barrel. Still having same flyers and described in video.
That's very discouraging. I had mine out a few days ago in less than desirable conditions due to invariable wind gusts on top of a significant sustained wind. It was shooting GREAT at 50 yards with 2 shots in the same hole and the 3rd shot right there close to touching. I went to 100 yards and had a horizontal string of bullet impacts. What are we going to do? Blame the gun? Blame the ammo? I have split cases at Winchester now being studied and more waiting to be sent.
bkpugsley I sent a copy of this video to Savage customer service and explained mine was doing the same thing and asked for a some type of product refund or credit to help pay for a Boyd replacement stock.
I own one of these and I had two scopes on the gun and tried three types of ammo being Winchester hv 20gr and he 25 gr along with hornaday v max 20gr and couldn't get three even close to a quarter on either scope
I'll have to let you know how mine shoots after I'm done with the finish. I got about a month or so left then I can hit the range. Fortunately I was able to leave more wood in the magazine well then there is plastic on the factory stock. It is definitely stiffer then the plastic and much heavier. I think I'll probably bed it to about 1.5 inches in front of the forward scope mount and the little area behind the accu trigger adjustment wheel. What do you think about weighing the rounds and only shooting the ones that have similar weights? That might help tighten up the group a little. I was really hoping this gun could shoot around an inch at 100 yards...
I 've been waiting for your next video. What did your rifle group like in the savage stock? I weigh everything when loading center fire rounds but never though about it on rimfire, but I just did. Empty cases had a 3/10th grain spread and new unfired had a 9/10th grain spread, I think 6/10th of a grain on this little cartridge is HUGE and this was just a very small sampling.
cavedweller1959 well I never shot mine before I started with the wood stock, I just knew it was crap from the start and I'd have to make something. My buddies shoots exactly like yours we line up 12oz. Cans at 100 yards and about every 4th one we miss I presume is the flyers we a both fairly good shots. Sorry I didn't get out the next video I didn't work on it over the last two weeks, I'll try to put something up by the end of this week. I'm almost done with shaping and will then move to sanding and finishing. I think I'm going to weigh my bullets and put all the ones that are the same together in boxes by weight.
Any news on if/when Savage is going to put the B-Mag in one of the laminated wood stocks they currently use for the 17 HMR? It seems like that would do a lot to reduce or eliminate the "flyers".
cavedweller1959 Ok, well then I guess my next question would be if you have heard if any of the other major arms manufacturers (Ruger, Winchester, Remington, etc.) are planning to offer a chambering in 17 WSM in the near future?
slysphinx Not that I know of, but I think it would be a move in the right direction.
Boyds sells a real nice "thumbhole" stock that I bought and the price was real reasonable.
Who would make after market stocks for an unpopular rifle???
Whens the last you shot that b-mag? I have a bull barrel with a body stock not bedded or glassed and after break in (250rounds) it shot .75 @ 200 yards average. Might want to revisit this. This ammo has gotten better & ss barrels have a much longer break in period.
The B-Mag is fully covered in several videos on my channel.
Wondering if they used 20gr or 25gr. I get patterns like this with 25g, but with 20 myself and 3 of my friends can drive tacks, and never had a flyer. This is a mass produced product so there's bound to be a few that slip past quality control. My 7 year old sister hits tannerite at 100 yds with mine, that's a pretty small target for a fairly inexperienced shooter. Love mine and so does everyone I know that has one. Would reccomend to anyone. Just stay away from 25gr ammo it's worthless
I have heard from a few that have bought B-Mags in just the last 4-5 weeks that they are shooting very well, So maybe someone somewhere got there act together. If I keep hearing more of this I may have to pick one up, plus a stock. Thanks for watching.
How do you secure the back of the receiver? There is nothing to bed to and the rear action screw goes into the trigger group which is held loosely on a weaver type rail with a sloppy keyway
Not much to work with, is there? Just a small drop of e-pox on each side of the rear bolt to hold side to side play. If it produced any real recoil, It would never work out.
ua-cam.com/video/4f6R8PJHpBs/v-deo.html
That was a 2" 10 shot group.
how much blow by is on your brass....My neighbors wsm has tremendous blow by on ver 0% of the brass...if the head spacing is off and there is that much blow by then there are inconsistent gas pressures behind the bullet...Flyers???
The three rifles I had used up to the making of this video + the one I currently own, None showed signs of heavy blow back, By that I mean heavy carbon build up on the outside of the fired case. Also I have never seen a split neck on any of my fired casings or any of the ones I pick up ay different ranges I shoot at. I don't think it's a issue with mine but it sure could with the one you are dealing with.
I noticed on a Rossi shot gun 410 gauge the stock feels and looks like you say made from milk cartons, and I see most guns are made this way . the noticeable change to me is the size of the stocks they seem smaller than my Dads old double barrel 12 gauge wooden stocks , are they trying to cut back on material ?
+Rondo Schiavoni Cut back on cost.
figures and charge us more
Can't wait to see how the wood stock does!!!!
as of june 2015 i got mine 12-22-2014
Wow, I was just going to order one. Glad you gave this review. Changed my mind. Thanks
Wow, not a lot of UA-cam guys do a chrono test. Good job.
Great job on the video! Cannnot wait to see your next one with the Boyd's stock.
I said once before I would not spend my money on a rifle the manufacturer didn't spend their money on in R&D, before it's release to the market. I know a 1/2 doz. or so guys with B-Mags, they all say I can use the rifle for a bedding job video when they get into a after market stock, but none are willing to spend more money on them, that really shows their faith in it working. Bet I could buy one of these for 30 or 40 cents on the dollar! Not going to happen. THANKS FOR WATCHING...
I have a Boyd's thumbhole stock on my BMag, but have not had it to the range yet.
I really like the Boyd's stock. Seems very high quality. Perfect fit, no whittleing required.
Let us know how it works for you.Thanks.
Hey, great vid./ Just one thing, can I ask what made you tatt an ARROW on your arm? Is that so you know after a few drinks you know where the hand is or? :)
+Matt Roberts I got it half way through a 30 year run of bow hunting. It basicallystands for how hunting is suppose to be. Up close & personal.
Here is the difference between a dog shooter a competitive shooter a competitive shooter would have taken 20 rounds and removed the bullets, weigh the 20 bullets to see the difference in weight if there is one, dump the powder and measure powder in each separate 20 rounds to determine if there was a difference I think you would find that there was, and you would also mice the rums, which is what seats the pressure if they were all seating properly or some are allowing more Blow by than others. Do not base your decision on whether to buy a 17 WSM not to buy one on the results of this video.
I have to agree with the outlaw, do not base your decision to buy or not on this video. Base it on the other videos I posted after Savage came out with the heavy barrel model that shot just like this one, Then I glass bedded that into a ridged, solid stock. Awesome shooting rifle.
how much time must be put into finding out the fact that factory rim fire loads are not going to give you miraculous accuracy
Michael Rhoads I know of no one who ever asked for miraculous accuracy from this rifle/ammo combo. Most all shooters have a .22 that will group 1" at 50 yards, Have you ever seen or heard of a 17HMR that would NOT group sub moa at 100 yards? This is basic rim fire accuracy, If the B-MAG shot that well This video would not exist and there would be dozens of others of GOOD groups. Thanks for watching.
I've seen some .17 that shoots nearly as fast so the while point of a cartridge that is nearly 4 times the size eludes me.
Anyway the problem may simply be the lightweight nature of the round itself if you were to set up a post or something similar and shoot past it it'd pull your shot
So something similar to a butterfly fart would pull such a lightweight round off.
Either way it seems like
Dewalt/Fien et cetera
Lowe's/home depot
Wallywurld/Target
Honda civic/Masserati
$400 rifle @ best/several thousand dollar rifle.
Anyway who really cares about a rifle I would use for pest control duty.
I agree... that WINCHESTER 17wsm 25-grain ammunition was initially 25% of my accuracy disappointment; another 25% was the original Savage stock; the other 50% was a malfunctioning Nikon scope. Within the past two weeks, shooting Winchester 17wsm 20-grain ammunition, a boyd's stock and a switch to a Leupold scope, I can now keep my groups within 2-inches at 200 yards. I expect further accuracy improvements when I acquire some Hornady 17wsm. As I suspected, my Savage 17wsm bull barrel is not part of the accuracy disappointment except for the flimsy stock. I attribute the stock's negative influence to "flexing" with the use of a bi-pod.
Thanks, this helps me decide on my next purchase... I do have a question for you, how about bedding the barrel and floating the action, you have any thoughts on this?
May be something to try on a rigid stock like wood, IF it had a 2nd front bolt or barrel band. It works well on Rugers 10/22.
Since you didn't bother to tell us what manufacturer the ammo came from I will assume you was shooting Winchester. I would guess the new Hornady would give a little better results???
Hutzjohn April of 2014 when this was shot , Winchester was the one and only on the market.
cavedweller1959 OK thanks didn't know that. I know there are winchester, hornady, and american eagle 17WSM available now though. Maybe one of them has better quality control of their rim fire ammo.
Hi CD,
Great video, thanks for the info! Have you had any luck finding an aftermarket stock yet? I see a laminated stock BMAG on Cabela's website as a women's model. I didn't pick it up because of the Women's Model detail... maybe I should've as I've always been leery of the flimsy stock on this gun... looking forward to some results with a different gun.
Also, have you heard any more on the rumors of Ruger releasing anything at SHOT for this cartridge? I didn't...
Also, have you done any accuracy/velocity testing with the 20gr ammo?
brady smith On the first B-MAG video. Thanks
brady smith Not hard to find a stock, Just send someone your C.C. # And one will show up at your door. The thing is, after playing with 3 of them myself, Dozens & dozens of comments on my 2 b-mag videos and word of mouth from all I know that have one, There is just nothing to get excited about. I have just given up on it. The 77/17 wsm Ruger was shown at the shot show, Google it and you can find videos of it on the range. they already have the 17 hornet, Rechamber it for the WSM, reconfigure the bolt face and the magazine and lets go have some fun. I will gladly wait. Thanks For Watching