New 17 Mach 2 Project.

[J A XSP]

...with an emphasis on "project". Spoiler alert, this story does have a good ending. :)

I'd had my eye on this barrel from the Van Horn close-out list and finally got around to doing the deal last week. I'd had a great experience with my recent 357 Mag carbine barrel so I expected a repeat performance with this 17 Mach 2. It didn't quite turn out that way (I should say up front, Craig was 100 percent supportive and eager to resolve any and every potential problem).

The first thing I noticed was the forend attachment screw holes drilled and tapped very unevenly - one just a few threads and one deep enough that I had to measure the depth to be sure it wasn't close to the bore. Not a deal breaker, in and of itself but then I noticed that the spacing was right but both holes were nearly a half inch too close to the receiver so that no standard "Super 14" or hanger bar forend would work.

Moving on, I tried to mount the barrel on a frame and it locked up instantly so that there was absolutely no way to get it open. I disassembled the frame and got the barrel off and tried to see what the problem was. The locking bolts seemed really stubborn and didn't seem to work very smoothly but I couldn't see anything that just wouldn't let it work. I tried a different frame with the same results. Those were both original, hard-open frames so I tried a newer EZ-open frame but still no-go. The locking bolts seemed to be hanging up in an odd way and just didn't want to function. I decided to try working the locking bolts back and forth to see if they were binding in some way and after several in-and-out cycles, one of them broke off on the inside. Not a good look, for sure.

Since I happened to have a spare pare of locking bolts, I decided to install them just to see what would happen. On any frame I tried, they just wouldn't come near closing and locking, though I didn't get the total fail that required disassembly. When I compared the old locking bolts and new ones I realized that the bolts from the barrel had been milled pretty drastically and in fact had sharp edges and burrs that were probably complicating things.

I talked to Craig and worked out a plan to send it back for new locking bolts and take care of things but I realized that even with a perfectly functioning barrel, the forend oddity sort of ruined any resale value it might have. The barrel just wasn't worth what I paid, even if repaired. We ended up working out a deal whereby Craig would refund an amount that left me paying a reasonable sum for something that was potentially a good barrel but not without pretty extensive work.

In the end, I spent a lot of time fitting new locking bolts by hand and eventually achieved consistent lock-up and functionality. I also fabricated a custom hanger bar and altered a Herrett-style forend that I'd been saving so that I could make it a fully-fledged Contender. Mounting a Simmons Pro-Hunter 2-6x32 finished it off.

I took it to the range today to see if it would fire consistently and start the break-in process and see if there was any indication of what sort of accuracy I could expect. All in all, the results were quite good! Not a single FTF (though a burr in the extractor made getting those little cases out a total PIA) and a few initial groups definitely showed promise. There seems to be a clear preference for CCI ammo with the Hornady ammo (those are the only 2 that I can find anywhere) showing considerable vertical stringing. I cleaned a few times during the session and it looks like group sizes consistently shrunk quite a bit after at least 5 rounds were fired from a cleaned barrel.

[BobT]

That is a nice looking pistol and seems like it should be a squirrel killer deluxe! Ever since the 17 Mach 2 was introduced I have thought it might just be the ultimate squirrel round, I have yet to fire one.

[J A XSP]

I had a Mach 2 barrel when it first started to be a thing and before the HMR. When that came out and it looked like the Mach 2 would be superseded , I got rid of it. At some point I had a 17HMR 14" but got rid of that as well. I just didn't have a particular use for the 17 caliber except for target shooting and I could load 22 hornet for as cheap as I could buy ammo.

I had been thinking that my Contender collection just isn't complete without a rimfire barrel when I ran across this one on the Van Horn list. Since ammo for the Mach 2 is a third less than the HMR ammo or 22 mag ammo, I figured it would be an interesting addition.

I'm eager to see just how accurate it'll be once it's broken in a little. I'll be tempted to throw a higher power rifle scope on it just to give it a better chance at the range but I've always liked that Simmons Pro-Hunter scope. If this rig ever does any small game hunting, that's the one I'd be comfortable with. :)

[FyrepowrX]

i got hooked on the mach2 shortly after it was introduced, and it was my main squirrel slayer for years, until we got over-ran with hogs.

i had mgm make a stainless 14" mach2 some years ago, and later they had a 20" matte fluted carbine that i think was an "oops" barrel...it was supposed to be a HMR but got chambered in mach2, and they sold it at a great price.

most of our squirrel shooting is at ranges up to 100 yards or so, & the 17M2 pretty much eliminated holdover compared to the .22lr Subsonics i shoot in my .22lr squirrel guns.

does not really mess 'em up any more than .22LR HP's, just much easier to hit them.

a stringer of squirrels from a few years ago, Kimber mach2

[J A XSP]

I can't help but daydream a little about a 77-17 or one of the other high-end rimfires in the Mach 2. I have absolutely no need for it whatsoever but it just seems too cool for school! :D :D :D

[J A XSP]

Second range session with the Van Horn barrel. Function is flawless, though the tight chamber makes extracting those tiny cases a bit of a pain. :)
Not quite at MOA yet, but I can't be too mad at 9 out of 10 shots in .6" at 50 yards. Truth is that with a 2-6 pistol scope and non-target forend, I doubt that I'm shooting as well as the barrel is capable. :)