Savage Model 93R17 Classic .17 HMR Bolt Action Rifle

Savage Model 93R17 Classic .17 HMR Bolt Action Rifle

by Jeff Quinn

photography by Jeff Quinn

May 22nd, 2007

I like the little .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire cartridge. I have since it was first introduced a few years ago. It is a very handy and efficient little cartridge. I have fired several rifles chambered for the little magnum, along with about three revolvers. All have displayed excellent accuracy. I have more specifically fired a few .17 HMR rifles built by Savage Arms, and despite their low price, they too have been very accurate rifles. Especially since Savage started shipping their rimfire rifles with the excellent AccuTrigger, I recommend them more than any other .17 caliber rifle. They offer a lot of gun for the money, and are more accurate than rifles costing three times the price.

Now, Savage has taken their beautifully accurate .17 magnum rifle, and made it aesthetically beautiful as well. Named appropriately the "Classic", I can think of no better name for the rifle. "Classic" says it all. This newest rimfire Savage is reminiscent of the rifles that were built a few decades ago, with a genuine walnut stock, black forend tip, real cut checkering, sling swivel studs, Monte Carlo cheek piece, and a finely executed high gloss blue/black metal finish. The pistol grip wears a cap with an embossed Savage Indian head logo. The buttstock is finished with a nice synthetic rubber pad. The magazine is, thankfully, made of steel, and a rarity these days; even the trigger guard is made of blued steel. The sporter weight barrel is twenty-four inches long, and is free-floated its entire length. The action is held into the stock with two sturdy bolts. As mentioned earlier, the Classic has the Savage AccuTrigger, which is probably the best standard factory trigger on any rimfire rifle made, with the possible exception of those that have a factory set trigger. The trigger pull on the test rifle was adjusted to its lowest setting, which measured 2 pounds, 7.4 ounces. It is a delightful trigger to use. The safety is along the right rear of the receiver, and pushes forward to fire. The magazine holds five cartridges, for a total loaded capacity of six.

The Classic is a man-sized rifle, with this sample weighing in at six pounds, five and one-half ounces. The twenty-four inch barrel balances well, and also makes the rifle a bit quieter to fire than most seventeen caliber rimfire rifles. The action and bottom metal are well-inletted into the walnut stock, and the barrel, while free-floated, does not have excessive space in the barrel channel. The rifle looks well finished. It reminds me a lot of the Remington Model 541 of many years ago, before that rifle got changed to a matte finish. The Savage Classic is just a great-looking, well-built rimfire. It is fitted and finished the way that a rifle should be.

Shooting the Classic .17 was done using the only two brands of ammo that I had available to me; the original Hornady 17 grain V-Max, and the CCI Speer 17 grain TNT hollowpoint. Both performed well. The Hornady load chronographed 2686 feet-per-second, ten feet from the muzzle, and the CCI load clocked 2603 fps. Shooting for groups at 100 yards, both loads would hold five shots under one inch, with the two groups pictured each measuring seven-eighths of an inch, one with each load tested. I was well-pleased with the accuracy of the Classic. The most fun came after group shooting was done, plinking away at small rocks on the berm 110 yards downrange. Through the Leupold two to seven power scope set on seven, watching the rocks explode through the scope was a lot of fun. The Leupold is a compact rifle scope, and works very well on the Savage rimfire. The rifle comes supplied with no sights, but has Weaver style bases installed, which is a lot better than the grooved receiver scope ring mount that is standard on most rimfire rifles.

There is not a lot more that I can say about this newest Savage rimfire, and I don’t like to type just for the sake of making a longer review, except I will add that this is one of the very best .17 HMR rifles available. Many rimfire rifles feel more like a kid’s toy than a real gun. The Savage Classic is a real rifleman’s rifle. It is beautiful, accurate, easy to shoot, and very affordable. It is an exceptionally handy varmint rifle, that is also a lot of fun to shoot. Check out the extensive line of Savage firearms online at: www.savagearms.com.

For the location of a Savage dealer near you, click on the DEALER LOCATOR icon at: www.lipseys.com.

Jeff Quinn

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