These 50-yard targets are a sample of those shot off the bench using all three types of cartridges. The points of impact and overall group sizes were remarkably similar.
nately, however, being forced to shoot from standing positions rather than from sitting or prone allowed a few critters to escape with fl attop haircuts of the 17 variety. And in some cases, I hate to admit, with only a surge in the critter’s heart beat as they ducked back into their holes. CLEANING AND FOULING Bores of 17 caliber have an un-
savory reputation when it comes to fouling and when this occurs the ac- curacy can deteriorate rather rapidly. Nevertheless, when I took the rifl e to the fi eld for ground squirrels I put bet-
ter than a hundred rounds through the Volquartsen barrel without feeling that it needed a cleaning. I only wish my cen- terfi re 17 Mach IV would do the same. Volquartsen recommends that their 17 HMR bore firearms be cleaned after approximately every 200-250 rounds, which is probably more rounds than I would ever subject a barrel to before running a few solvent soaked patches down its bore. They go on to say, how- ever, that the chamber area may need more frequent cleaning. Typically this is done using a cotton swab that has been dipped in solvent. When cleaning the bore, the bolt hold-open feature can be used to lock the bolt in the open position. It is conveniently located in front of the trigger guard just behind the magazine release. Locking the action open makes using a breech-to-muzzle pull-through cleaning system much easier. I did fi nd that it was necessary to sometimes wipe down the inside of the action using a solvent soaked cotton swab, but that should be considered SOP for any semiautomatic. This is eas- ily accomplished, takes only a minute or two to complete, and doing so will help to ensure proper feeding and ejection of the empties.
A LAST WORD If you are a fan of semiautomatics
and want a rifl e or pistol chambered in either 17 Mach 2 or 17 HMR, your choice essentially is limited to a fi rearm built by Volquartsen Custom. All of the fi rearms produced by Volquartsen are certainly top quality and would make any shooter proud to own one. The test
17 HMR Volquartsen Custom (Five-Shot Groups at 50 Yards)
Hornady 17-grain V-Max™
Best Group Worst Group Avg. of 5 Groups Factory Listed Muzzle Vel. 5-Shot Avg. Muzzle Vel. 1/4 inch
1/2 inch 11/32 inch 2,550 fps Federal Premium® V-Shok 17-grain Speer® TNT™ Hollow Points
Best Group Worst Group Avg. of 5 Groups Factory Listed Muzzle Vel. 5-Shot Avg. Muzzle Vel. 1/2 inch
7/8 inch 9/16 inch 2,530 fps Remington Premier® 17-grain Accutip-V Boat Tails
Best Group Worst Group Avg. of 5 Groups Factory Listed Muzzle Vel. 5-Shot Avg. Muzzle Vel. 1/4 inch
5/8 inch Page 22 Winter 2012 7/16 inch 2,550 fps 2,642 fps 2,606 fps 2,569 fps Contact
Volquartsen Custom 24276 120th St. P.O. Box 397 Carroll, IA 51401
Telephone: (712) 792-4238 Website:
www.volquartsen.com
K
Tom’s shooting buddy, John Englert, shared the opinion that the Volquartsen was a fi ne shooting rifl e.
rifl e functioned very well on all levels of performance, whether being shot off the bench or in the fi eld. With the Vol- quartsen factory offering a wide variety of choices in stock confi gurations, fl ut- ing styled barrels, compensators, a va- riety of barrel confi gurations, sizes, and types, this provides the opportunity for a shooter to design a rifl e to specifi cally fi t his or her needs, likes and desires.
C M Y CM MY CY CMY
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