I have used several Marlin, Savage, and Ruger 17 HMRs. All of them were tack drivers. Every last one of them. The prefer the way the Ruger feels in my hands, especially with their laminated stock. I also prefer the 3 position safety, and as I said before, the flush mount rotary magazine.
The high dollar rifles don't interest me since I am already into the extreme accuracy realm with the Marlin, Savage and Ruger.
What would I be paying extra for with the high dollar rifles? Prestige with certain crowds?
I'm just trying to make things dead. All of those foreheads that I have shot don't care what I spent. Why should I?

I have a Mossberg int'l 817 that shoots good.

I use it more than my Ruger 77-17.

Tikka - T1x all the way, I'm getting ready to purchase the 22lr after shooting my 17hmr and seeing how accurate it is.

No one said you should.

I have a Ruger 77-17 most accurate gun that I have shot in my 78 years of life. I also have a Mossburg 817 that is also good my utv gun they both were won at wild game banquet.

Volsquartzen Spelling ?

Many have touted the .17 hmr for its accuracy and it looks like with many makes and models. Do many find smaller calibers to be more accurate than large calibers?

Bryce

I know you mentioned you don’t want a savage hmr 17 but my son has one, walnut stock and it’s a very nice bolt gun and he put a very nice high power vortex scope on it. The cheap scope it came with needed a step up. Adding the updated scope made a World of difference. He can make eye shots on rabbits from 100 yard out from our back deck, consistently,. For the money that savage is a tack driver. Killed several coons at that distance too. I’ve been very impressed with its accuracy and speed.
He feeds it CCI loads.
Jim

My savage 17 hmr is my go to groundhog gun under 150 yds. Typically, head shots out to 100 yds and center mass beyond. If I anticipate 150 yds + shots, I switch to my .204.