I recently part exchanged a Ruger .17HMR for an Anschutz 1417 .22LR. I had not been satisfied with certain functions of the Ruger, and the calibre was totally unsuitable for the work I need a rimfire for.

The Anschutz is a walnut stocked thumbhole version. I chose this rifle after considering another Ruger, a Sako and BRNO. The overall appearance and finish of the Anschutz set it apart from the other makes I have listed, or at least from the models I was shown at the gun shop I dealt with. Also the short overall length of the Anschutz was an obvious bonus when shooting from a vehicle or off the quad bike. When fitted with a sound moderator the gun was shorter than most other makes without moderators fitted. I chose the thumbhole stock because it felt more comfortable than conventional ‘pistol grips’. I am not as supple as I used to be, and I find many pistol grips to be angled too steep to be comfortable for me.

I am rather old fashioned as far as barrels are concerned, and usually prefer longer barrels, convincing myself they are essential to get decent accuracy. After consulting several people with more experience than me, I was assured that the 14 inch Anschutz barrel is an accurate enough tool.

The finish of the walnut stock was not to my liking. It is finished with the usual varnish/lacquer, leaving it very flat and almost yellow in colour. The chequering is adequate with 16 lines to the inch.
I stripped the stock quite easily with varnish remover, and achieved a satisfactory finish with CCL gunstock oil. There was no need to use any stain as the wood took on a nice dark brown appearance just by oiling.

The barrel is fully floating, and did not need any bedding to the action, or wood removing from the fore end. Although I had to sand some wood from the rear of the stock to ease the bolt, as it touched the stock slightly when operated.
The action is easily removed from the stock, by removing two slot head machine screws, one in the floor plate in front of the magazine slot, and the other at the rear of the trigger guard.

The magazine has a 10 shot capacity, and is a slightly curved steel bodied affair, which is easy to fill, and works perfectly. It is also very easy to strip if you need to clean it.
To remove the magazine from the action a tab, situated in the floor plate behind the magazine is pushed forward, and then the magazine can easily be grasped, and pulled from the action.

I ran the barrel in by using the usual shoot one clean one method.
Whilst doing this I tried several sound moderators, eventually settling for the SAK. Not only for performance, but for it’s short length and lightness compared to some other makes.

I tried Winchester, CCI, RWS, and Eley ammunition.
I found RWS to be dangerous through my gun. After half a dozen very inaccurate shots, they actually started clipping the moderator to such an extent, damage would have occurred by firing more.
Winchester’s did not group well. They were nearly an inch and a half, at 40 yards with five shots.
CCI’s grouped at just over half an inch at the same distance.
Eley’s grouped at 3/8s of an inch, making neat little clover leaf shaped holes. So needless to say, Eley Extra Plus are now my firm favourite through the 1417.

What can I say about the Anschutz Trigger? I find it to be near perfect. It has an easy, but good to feel first stage, with a very crisp, drag free second stage. You do not need to be built like the Terminator to pull the trigger, it operates at a 2lb pull straight from the box. There is no stripping and polishing with carborundum stones required, with an Anschutz trigger.

The bolt is easy to cycle, with a large round knob on the end of the handle.
To remove the bolt, the trigger has to be pulled, and a small button pushed on the opposite side of the action to the bolt handle. The bolt can then be pulled out of the action. Although it does become slightly stiff, and feels hard to pull just before it clears the action. Newness? I will find out in time.

The safety catch is a manually operated, two position, rocking device. situated just behind the bolt handle. Rock it forward to fire, rearwards for safe.

Now the bad points.

The action was probably designed round a standard stock, which when fitted to the Thumbhole stock, makes the safety catch impossible to reach with your thumb, without completely removing your hand from the grip, and then it is not easy to find without looking. Annoying when a target presents a chance of a snap shot. In fact I find it easier to cycle the bolt than release the safety catch. So I totally ignore the safety, and only chamber a round when a shot presents itself.

There is no indexing/locking facility on the bolt. It is very, very easy to knock the bolt up slightly, which stops the pin hitting the round, resulting in a misfire and a lost opportunity of a successful shot. At first I suspected that it was me being clumsy, but I am not so sure. I would welcome other peoples views on this.

The case ejection on my gun, is barely adequate. The empties hardly clear the receiver, and sometimes fall back in, stopping the bolt from closing. Although they are easily cleared by tilting the rifle over, and simply allowing the offending case to drop out.

In conclusion, despite the faults I find with my gun. I find the Anschutz 1417 a very light, extremely comfortable, fast handling, and accurate gun. It is ideal for the purposes I require a rimfire for. Short to medium range general vermin control, especially lamping at night. It is easy to use, and absolutely loads of fun to shoot with.
I regularly take shots out to eighty yards, beyond that accuracy does open up a bit. But I am sure the 1417 was never intended to be a long range sniping gun.
If your requirements of a .22LR are similar to mine, I would not hesitate to recommend the Anschutz 1417.

Robin