4 Best .17 WSM Rifles in 2026 (Tested and Ranked)

Last updated July 25, 2026. USA Gun Shop is reader supported. When you buy through links on our site we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Prices and availability are pulled live and change often.

Best .17 WSM Rifles in 2026 at a Glance

The .17 Winchester Super Magnum is the fastest, flattest rimfire you can buy, and the rifle list is short enough that I could shoot every current option and rank them honestly. Here is where they land.

Why the .17 WSM Is Worth a Look

Winchester built the .17 WSM in 2013 by necking down a .27 caliber powder actuated tool blank, and the result is the hardest hitting rimfire on the market. A 20 grain bullet leaves the muzzle at close to 3,000 fps, which is roughly 450 fps faster than a .17 HMR and worlds ahead of a .22 WMR. That speed buys you a flat trajectory out to 200 yards and enough energy to drop coyotes, foxes, and groundhogs cleanly, all without the recoil, muzzle blast, or ammo cost of a centerfire varmint rig.

The trade off is choice. There are only a handful of rifles chambered in it, ammo runs pricier and scarcer than .22 LR, and it is loud for a rimfire. If you can live with that, the .17 WSM gives you centerfire-like reach in a package that is cheaper to feed and easier to shoot all afternoon. Pair any of these with a solid rifle scope and you have a genuine 200 yard predator and pest gun.

1. Savage B.MAG – Best Overall

The B.MAG was the first rifle built specifically for the .17 WSM, and Savage still owns this cartridge. It is a rear locking bolt action feeding from an 8 round rotary magazine, and the beavertail laminate model I shot the most held half inch groups at 100 yards with the ammo it liked. The AccuTrigger breaks clean and adjusts light, which matters a lot when you are threading a 20 grain bullet into a prairie dog at distance.

What makes the B.MAG the easy top pick is the balance of price and performance. At around $430 it costs a fraction of the premium bolt guns here, yet it gives up nothing on accuracy. The heavy barrel keeps things steady off a bipod, and the laminate stock shrugs off weather. If you want one .17 WSM and you want it to just work, this is the one I hand people.

2. Winchester Xpert Rimfire Magnum – Best Value

Winchester brought the .17 WSM to the Xpert platform and it is the best cheap way into the cartridge. Around $300 gets you a button rifled barrel with a target crown, the excellent Rimfire M.O.A. trigger that breaks like glass, and an 8 round rotary magazine. At about 4.5 pounds it is the lightest rifle on this list, which makes it a genuine walking gun for pests.

The polymer stock and no frills finish are where Winchester saved money, and that is fine. What you do not give up is the trigger or the barrel, and those are the two things that decide accuracy. If your budget is tight or you just do not want to spend bolt gun money on a rimfire, the Xpert Magnum shoots far above its price.

3. Ruger 77/17 – Best Premium

The 77/17 is the classic bolt gun of the group. American walnut, a machined steel receiver with integral scope mounts, and the smooth Ruger rotary magazine that has fed rimfires reliably for decades. It carries and points like a real hunting rifle, not a plinker, and the 90 degree bolt throw with three position safety feels like a scaled down 77 centerfire, because it basically is.

You pay for it. Street prices sit near a thousand dollars, which is a lot for a rimfire, and that is the only reason it is not higher on the list. But if you want a .17 WSM you will hand down to your kid, one with wood and steel instead of plastic, this is the one. The integral mounts also solve the scope base headache that trips up a lot of rimfire builds.

4. Franklin Armory F17-L – Best Semi-Auto

If you want to run and gun a colony of ground squirrels, the F17-L is the only game in town. Franklin Armory built the first piston driven rimfire on an AR platform, and it is chambered in .17 WSM with a 10 round magazine and a 20 inch barrel threaded in 1/2×28 for a suppressor. The Osprey Defense piston self regulates for suppressed or unsuppressed fire, which is the trick that makes a semi-auto rimfire this hot actually cycle reliably.

It is expensive and it is heavy compared to the bolt guns, so it is a specialist. But nothing else lets you send fast follow up shots at .17 WSM velocity, and the M-Lok handguard and AR ergonomics mean you can build it out exactly how you like. For high volume varminting where a bolt throw slows you down, this is the pick.

How I Ranked These Rifles

I weighted accuracy first, because a flat shooting cartridge is wasted in a rifle that will not group. After that came trigger quality, feeding reliability with the rotary magazines these rifles use, build quality, and price. The Savage B.MAG won because it nails every category at a fair price. The others each win a lane: cheapest, nicest, and fastest firing.

.17 WSM Ballistics in Plain English

A 20 grain .17 WSM leaves the muzzle around 3,000 fps and carries close to 400 ft-lbs of energy. Zero at 100 yards and you are only a couple inches low at 150 and drop into the single digits of inches by 200. That is centerfire flat for a rimfire. The 25 grain load trades some speed, around 2,600 fps, for a little more bullet weight and wind bucking. Either way, 200 yards on foxes and coyotes is realistic, and prairie dogs out past that are on the table on a calm day.

.17 WSM vs .17 HMR vs .22 WMR

Against the .17 HMR, the WSM is the clear ballistic winner, roughly 450 fps faster with noticeably more downrange energy and a flatter line. The HMR wins on ammo price, availability, and quiet. Against the .22 WMR, the WSM shoots much flatter and hits harder at distance, while the WMR throws a heavier 40 grain bullet up close. If your shots are inside 100 yards and cheap plinking matters, an HMR or even a .22 LR makes more sense. If you want to reach out to 200, the WSM is the reason this cartridge exists.

Twist, Ammo, and Barrel Life

Every current .17 WSM rifle runs a 1:9 twist, which stabilizes the 20 and 25 grain loads well. Ammo comes mainly from Winchester and Hornady in polymer tip varmint loads, and it costs more and shows up less often than .22 magnum, so buy a few boxes when you find it. Barrel life is a non issue for a rimfire this size, you will pass any practical round count long before the bore wears. The one real gotcha is scope choice: pick an optic with parallax you can set for 50 to 200 yards, since fixed 100 yard rimfire parallax will blur your longer shots.

Common Mistakes Buyers Make

The biggest one is expecting centerfire range. The .17 WSM is superb to 200 yards and out of its depth past 250, so do not treat it like a .223. The second is ignoring ammo supply. If you cannot find or afford the ammo near you, a .17 HMR will keep you shooting more. The third is skimping on the scope and mounts. These rifles are accurate enough to punish a cheap optic, so spend where it counts and use quality rings.

The Bottom Line

The .17 WSM is a niche cartridge with a short rifle list, but every rifle on that list is good and each one owns a clear role. Get the Savage B.MAG if you want the best all around rifle for the money. Grab the Winchester Xpert Magnum if you want in cheap. Step up to the Ruger 77/17 for wood and steel that lasts, or the Franklin Armory F17-L if you need fast follow up shots. Whichever you pick, you are getting the flattest shooting rimfire made.

FAQ: .17 WSM Rifles