Tikka T1x 17hmr to 17wsm

[silasbowhunter]

I’m going to talk to my smith about it Tuesday when he’s open.. but I was wondering what all I’d need to do to make a 17wsm from a 17hmr.

I love the 17WSM, amazing caliber for a short barreled rimfire bolt action. I HATE the savage Bmags. I’d rather end up having $1000 in this tikka “build” than buying a Ruger 77/17 as I don’t want one of them..

Any thoughts?


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[Lawnboi]

Why not just go the rimx route? Iv thought about it but I doubt it’s worth the hassle when there is a custom action ready to accept it

 

[silasbowhunter]

Why not just go the rimx route? Iv thought about it but I doubt it’s worth the hassle when there is a custom action ready to accept it

Because I’m dumb mostly haha didn’t even cross my mind to look at RimX


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[Lawnboi]

Because I’m dumb mostly haha didn’t even cross my mind to look at RimX


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As far as I know it’s the only custom that can accept the 17wsm. Would be my dream varmint gun, rim x, 16” suppressed barrel in a manners lrh. Maybe when I win the lottery I don’t play.

Honestly you could probably get into one at not a terrible price if you throw it in a krg bravo and can find an affordable barrel.

 

[silasbowhunter]

As far as I know it’s the only custom that can accept the 17wsm. Would be my dream varmint gun, rim x, 16” suppressed barrel in a manners lrh. Maybe when I win the lottery I don’t play.

Honestly you could probably get into one at not a terrible price if you throw it in a krg bravo and can find an affordable barrel.

Not a bad idea.. good suggestion!


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[doggone]

I'm with you on the B-Mag. Love the round but just hated the B-Mag rifle. I ended up selling and moving up to the 17 H Hornet. 17WSM ammo is really tough to find now. At least I can reload those little Hornets.
Good Luck

 

[silasbowhunter]

I'm with you on the B-Mag. Love the round but just hated the B-Mag rifle. I ended up selling and moving up to the 17 H Hornet. 17WSM ammo is really tough to find now. At least I can reload those little Hornets.
Good Luck

That’s literally thousands of 17WSM near me.. got me contemplating it again lol


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[doggone]

FYI ... here is an article about converting HMR to WSM on the Saubier site.
http://www.saubier.com/forum.html its in the "project guns" forum. GL

 

[silasbowhunter]

I talked to my LGS and smith about it today.. they have T1x on the shelf in 17hmr.. you could see his wheels cranking! He was gonna get back to me on what his thoughts were


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[Thinkingman]

How would this conversion work?
You're trying to take a rimfire bolt and make it fire a centerfire cartridge...
Maybe I'm missing something obvious....

 

[B23]

How would this conversion work?
You're trying to take a rimfire bolt and make it fire a centerfire cartridge...
Maybe I'm missing something obvious....

17 WSM is a rimfire

 

[Thinkingman]

I stand corrected.
Not sure why I thought it was center fire.

 

[Tmac]

Not sure how it would work. Don’t both cartridges have different rim diameters? Would one need to use a new WSM bolt or just hope the HMR firing pin location would hit the WSM close enough to the edge to ignite the primer? I suspect a new bolt would be needed since the firing pin strikes the rim of the cartridge. Easier to just sell the HMR and buy a WSM I suspect.

 

[silasbowhunter]

Not sure how it would work. Don’t both cartridges have different rim diameters? Would one need to use a new WSM bolt or just hope the HMR firing pin location would hit the WSM close enough to the edge to ignite the primer? I suspect a new bolt would be needed since the firing pin strikes the rim of the cartridge. Easier to just sell the HMR and buy a WSM I suspect.

Different rim diameters. 17WSM is bigger. I was going to have my smith do some actual smithing and make it work. It’s not easy to just buy a wsm as there isn’t any decent ones to buy, except a RimX, but they start over $1000 from what I’ve found. Idk, I’m bored and up most nights with my newborn so spitballing ideas lol


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[Lawnboi]

Different rim diameters. 17WSM is bigger. I was going to have my smith do some actual smithing and make it work. It’s not easy to just buy a wsm as there isn’t any decent ones to buy, except a RimX, but they start over $1000 from what I’ve found. Idk, I’m bored and up most nights with my newborn so spitballing ideas lol


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I’d think mags will be your biggest problem

 

[B23]

Trying to convert one over to a 17 WSM may end up just wrecking what you have.

As was already mentioned, the case head is larger on the 17WSM and the cases are thicker requiring a much heavier firing pin strike. The 17 WSM runs at a lot higher pressure than does the 17 HMR, 33,000 for the WSM and 26,000 for the HMR. Then there is the difference in overall case size, 17 WSM is quite a bit larger, which would require a different magazine or some kind of setup to run it as a single shot

As they say, with enough money you can make anything work but at that point you'd be better off buying a RImX TS Customs 17 WSM build from Primal Rights.

Vudoo gun works makes some pretty nice stuff too but even they had no interest in making a 17 WSM version and even went so far as to say a 17 WSM really couldn't/wouldn't reliably work but the TS Customs RimX 17 WSM builds seem to have proven that wrong because they're working pretty well.

I have a HB SS Bmag that I've had since Savage first came out with the HB SS models. I swapped out the plastic POS stock it came with and put a Boyds Pro Varmint on it then begged my gunsmith into bedding the action, not the barrel like everyone does and calling it a bedding job, but he actually bed the front part of the action which if you know anything about a Bmag the front part of the action is the ONLY part of it you can actually bed and even that is a real PITA. While it was at his shop I had him chop the barrel back to 20 and thread it for a suppressor. I tuned up the trigger myself and got it down to right at a crisp clean 2lbs. Replaced the bolt handle with one from Glades Armory but had my smith turn it down and shorten it before I put it on. How they come from Glades is excessively large. Put a one piece picatinny rail on it from DIP Inc. Checked headspace with gauges I bought from PTG. Slapped a 4.5-14x40AO Leupold on it and went to shooting the shit out of sage rats.

Even though my Bmag will NEVER win any design awards and it is probably the cheapest built gun I've ever owned mine actually turned out very well and I've put a shit ton of rounds through it shooting sage rats with next to no problems. The only issue I've ever had was every so often I'll get a round that has to be struck a couple times to make it go bang but that's been it. One of the big bitches about the Bmag is the flippy floppy whirly twirly bolt handle and I would disagree it's about the worst design ever but after you shoot these things a few rounds you get used to it and it becomes a lot less annoying and noticeable. A different bolt handle certainly helps with that too. This is mine with the thread protector screwed on the end made from the piece of barrel I had cut off.

 

[silasbowhunter]

Trying to convert one over to a 17 WSM may end up just wrecking what you have.

As was already mentioned, the case head is larger on the 17WSM and the cases are thicker requiring a much heavier firing pin strike. The 17 WSM runs at a lot higher pressure than does the 17 HMR, 33,000 for the WSM and 26,000 for the HMR. Then there is the difference in overall case size, 17 WSM is quite a bit larger, which would require a different magazine or some kind of setup to run it as a single shot

As they say, with enough money you can make anything work but at that point you'd be better off buying a RImX TS Customs 17 WSM build from Primal Rights.

Vudoo gun works makes some pretty nice stuff too but even they had no interest in making a 17 WSM version and even went so far as to say a 17 WSM really couldn't/wouldn't reliably work but the TS Customs RimX 17 WSM builds seem to have proven that wrong because they're working pretty well.

I have a HB SS Bmag that I've had since Savage first came out with the HB SS models. I swapped out the plastic POS stock it came with and put a Boyds Pro Varmint on it then begged my gunsmith into bedding the action, not the barrel like everyone does and calling it a bedding job, but he actually bed the front part of the action which if you know anything about a Bmag the front part of the action is the ONLY part of it you can actually bed and even that is a real PITA. While it was at his shop I had him chop the barrel back to 20 and thread it for a suppressor. I tuned up the trigger myself and got it down to right at a crisp clean 2lbs. Replaced the bolt handle with one from Glades Armory but had my smith turn it down and shorten it before I put it on. How they come from Glades is excessively large. Put a one piece picatinny rail on it from DIP Inc. Checked headspace with gauges I bought from PTG. Slapped a 4.5-14x40AO Leupold on it and went to shooting the shit out of sage rats.

Even though my Bmag will NEVER win any design awards and it is probably the cheapest built gun I've ever owned mine actually turned out very well and I've put a shit ton of rounds through it shooting sage rats with next to no problems. The only issue I've ever had was every so often I'll get a round that has to be struck a couple times to make it go bang but that's been it. One of the big bitches about the Bmag is the flippy floppy whirly twirly bolt handle and I would disagree it's about the worst design ever but after you shoot these things a few rounds you get used to it and it becomes a lot less annoying and noticeable. A different bolt handle certainly helps with that too. This is mine with the thread protector screwed on the end made from the piece of barrel I had cut off.
View attachment 387220

All extremely valid points. I had a HB ss that I picked up on clearance from Walmart for $198… I actually they did something but that’s what the sticker and I paid for it.. loved that gun, killed I think 5 coyotes with it as my truck gun, and about 150 skunks and coins over the winter. Ended up selling it at quite an increase and went another direction.

I think my plan is to find another like it, chop it back, thread, and dedicate a can too. Then do all the things you did. That’ll probably be good enough for me!


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[ChrisAU]

What are you doing with it? I also hated the B-Mag...my solution was a JARD Upper on a lower that I built. Just a range toy, but it would be fine for Coyotes in open country too.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

You’re other two options are semi auto instead. Franklin Armory makes a .17 WSM AR style rifle. Volquartsen makes a Ruger 10/22 clone in .17 WSM. I owned one. One of the most accurate rifles I’ve ever owned.

 

[B23]

VQ stopped making their 17 WSM a couple years ago.