New reason to get outside and play in the weather

[loner5667]

Hello,

This is gonna be the first post of many I'm thinking. I have a fair Hx. of collecting and shooting old SS rimfires, bolts, falling blocks, and tip ups. I live in the GNW and really don't want to ruin some of my 50-80 yo rifles traipsing around in the weather with them. I was down at the local X-mart the other day and spotted a SS H&R in 17HMR, I don't have one, price is fair, simple construction, (read; not too many things to go wrong with....) stock is plastic, metals not stainless, but I can live with that, so it came home with me.

So here's the deal, this thing is a little heavier than I would like and there are no sights.

1) Is there a way to get a standard sporter barrel instead of the bull barrel?

2) Because of the hammer and the 'knob' that attaches to it. What height rings are you guys using to clear the hammer?

3) Like I mentioned above, I don't have any experience with the HMR round. What is a usable/normal range to zero my scope at? (More than likely a fixed 6X compact, maybe a 2X-7X compact)

4) Do they make and/or where can I find real wood furniture for this rifle if I do change the barrel and find that I can't stand the plastic? (would prefer walnut, don't care much for laminate)

Thanks in advance for all of your forth coming pearls of wisdom, so I don't have to learn everything the hard way like I usually do.

David

[quickdtoo]

Welcome aboard David.  Spend some time in the FAQs and Help sticky, you'll find a wealth of info there that will answer your questions on rings and stocks. The only 17hmr barrel made is the bull barrel, I zeroed all 4 of my 17hmrs 1" high at 100yds, I have 4-12x, 4-16x and a couple 6-20x variables on mine, check out Varmint Al's 17hmr page, he has more info there than you'll find anywhere on the net. All H&R stocks and forends will fit the SS1 frame of the 17hmr, you'll find a bunch listed on retail parts page in the FAQs, and there's a topic titled "Let's see some Handis" with about 7 pages of pics to browse all of the stocks that members have used, thumbhole stocks are available from Boyd's occasionally as well as H&R and also GBO sponsor www.gunstocksinc.com who carries some nice unfinished replacement stocks in walnut and laminate.

Tim

http://www.varmintal.com/17hmr.htm

[Lon371]

Welcome to the board.
Follow Quickdtoo's advise and you can not go wrong(He is the H&R NEF master }

Lonny

[dw06]

Welcome to G.B.O. you will like it here,and Quick is "The Man"
Be sure and check out the rest of varmint al's site as its good reading. And you might even build a set of his bi-fur-pods

[Jones]

Welcome 
 I like mediums. With a 3-9X40 or so.

    GJ

[loner5667]

Thank you gentlemen for your responses.

I ended up ordering a compact 6X scope with a 32mm objective, and medium height rings. I figure I want to start out smaller on this rifle than I have on some of my others, and went with a fixed power on the less expensive scope (read CHEAP). I figure that there is less to go wrong with the scope that way.

I've got a couple variable scopes, mostly on my semi-auto 22's, never had much luck with them and usually kinda keep them in the mid-range anyway.

This rifle is my last hurah for the year and I already spent WAY too much on single shots this year....like a Remington 40X US Property with a T-36 scope, a Stevens model 35 off-hand, and a Stevens model #2 tip-up.... .