Anschutz 1417 .22RF review

[Anti-Tank]

Hi,

I've recently purchased an Anschutz 1417 in .22 with 14" barrel, at the time I struggled to find any detailed reviews of the rifle, just a few random comments. As such I thought I'd better leave a review on here, which might help someone spend their money in the future, or not.

I wanted a more accurate, and lighter rifle than my CZ455, the 1417 seemed to fit the bill, although at a cost premium - but you only live once.

This particular rifle was the last 1417 Thumbhole 'delux' at RUAG (apparently), and arrived at the RFD a day after ordering. On initial examination it was clear that this elegant rifle was considerable lighter and much better balanced than a CZ455 thumbhole I'd used previously, more detailed inspection the next day, by way of a strip down, had a couple of surprises in store for me.

One big concern I had was whether I'd struggle with a decent muzzle velocity due to the 14" barrel, .22 subs are loopy enough, and the prospect of using it like a mortar was somewhat of a concern, however the first thing I did was a brief MV test using Eley subs, this proved that the MV was not far off the manufacturers claims, in fact slightly quicker on average at 1050 ft/sec.

I stripped the rifle down to fit the sling swivel studs, which was a nerve wracking experience. The wood is nicely grained, a dark walnut that will improve with age, however the stock with its fancy cut out isn't drilled to accept the studs! Thanks Anschutz. So after purchasing 2 new drill bits I set about measuring up, countless times, to fit the front stud, mounting the stock in a huge milling vice the drilling went well (finish off with a 4mm) but needed the hole edge slightly chamfering to avoid splintering the wood on insertion of the stud. The rear stud was a nightmare, as you are drilling into a very sharp contour, and the rear of the stock is angled at around 20 degrees to the vertical, so takes an age to line up, the wood is also very brittle so beware future owners, perhaps get a pro to do this unless you don't care for aesthetics.

One thing that did annoy me, and no fault of the rifle or the shop, was that the action screws were seriously marred, and the recoil pad was ingrained with mud and partially polished as though it had been rubbing on a rifle rack for ages. There was also a slight impact mark in the wood, god knows what they'd done with it, but I contacted RUAG and asked for replacement screws and a new stock. They insisted that it was brand new, never messed with and wouldn't send the stock, but agreed to the screws!

Anyway I steamed out the dent, re-oiled the woodwork and was off to the field. I'd read that this rifle likes Eley subs, so set up a target at 50 yards, rifle fitted with a Vortex PST 4-16x50 FFP scope and a Third Eye rimfire mod. Zero achieved after a few shots then settled down to test the accuracy on some white card. Adopting the prone supported position the first shot would be the aiming mark. 2nd, 3rd and 4th shots were no where to be seen, so put the rifle down to take a closer look. They'd all hit the same mark, opening the hole up to around 7 or 8mm.... that'd do. My CZ could never achieve that.

The balance is perfect (for me), sitting and standing shots are a lot easier than the muzzle heavy CZ.

The trigger is a 2 stage affair, and exceptional, it really does break like glass, I have not adjusted it yet past the factory default, at the moment I have no need, trigger pull isn't affecting my groups, only my own laziness. A huge improvement over the CZ, and that includes the modified CZ triggers.

The safety catch isn't best placed, or I should say that the design of the thumbhole stock means that its hard to reach without removing most of your hand from the stock. I had no problems with the bolt unlocking when carried on the sling, although the bolt is slightly noisy in operation, 2 very distinct clicks on operation that may be enough to scare off rabbits on a very quiet night. The bolt is quite stiff to push forward and close, and must be retracted back fully and quickly to ensure positive empty case ejection, a slow extract leaves the case on top of the mag. The 'run in' and lightly polished bolt on my CZ was way slicker, no doubt the 1417 will free up, everything is still very tight as you'd expect.

The 10 round steel magazine with red plastic follower is ok, its functional, although will only accept 9 rounds, this has been acknowledged by Anschutz USA (see YouTube), and a small mod can be made by grinding the base of the mag follower down by less than 1mm, hardly worth it, 9 rounds will do me. Both 5 and 10 round mags are also very expensive, over £55 each for the 10 round.

Will report back in a 1000 rounds time.

[ovenpaa]

I have wanted to take a proper look at the 1417 for a while so hopefully one will come in at some point. Drilling for studs in wooden stocks can be a problem so I tend to pilot and then plunge mine with an end mill which gives a perfect finish.

You need to post some pictures

[25Pdr]

Looks Good...

[Anti-Tank]

I'll take some pics, the "Delux" version has a cut out below the cheek piece and thumbhole stock.

[Anti-Tank]

This: