BRNO Model 611 22WMR Autoloader

[Andrew]

There is a question of this rifle's reliability on a US web site. I have one that I have shot for years with several different magazines in place and found it to be reliable and accurate. One fellow suggested that they are unreliable, hence not imported to the US anymore. Any thoughts or opinions? All comments appreciated. Regards ~Andrew

 

PS: I have contacted BRNO dealers in the UK for their input but I'd like to hear some shooter's opinions.

[baldie]

Rare as rocking horse crap in the UK, Andrew, 22wmr is rare, never mind as an auto!

[Andrew]

Baldie: Really! Are they even legal? I didn't think about that aspect. I just figured since I'd gotten replies from UK BRNO dealers that they were sold there. Sweet rifle. The 22WMR can't be too rare in the UK, can it? Or have the 22WMR shooters just abandoned it for the 17HMR?? ~Andrew

[baldie]

No, .22wmr is legal in semi auto here. We can have any .22 rimfire in semi auto, which is an old law, but of course, the 17 hmr wasn,t around then, so its not covered by the act, and therefore illegal in a semi, even though its sub calibre.

.22wmr was abandoned by shooters when the .17hmr appeared, but now, the tide is turning back.We didnt sell a wmr for years, then all of a sudden, we have sold maybe 8-10 this year? Plus the fact there has never been a great deal of choice in rifles in that calibre, but we now shift the cz varmint in wmr, and of course the remmy 597 auto too.

[Andrew]

Thanks Baldie.

I have noticed that the bloom has gone off the rose with regard to the 17HMR here. Once the Hype and Fantasy about the killing range of the 17 dissipated in the plain light of day, more shooters were taking up the 22WMR again.

 

When the 17HMR was first announced, a buddy and I did some work for Green Mountain Barrel Co. on a "switch barrel" kit for Marlin bolt actions. We were sent some pre-production ammunition that came in white, unmarked boxes for our testing and found it to be super accurate but a 150 yard killer. It was baffling when suddenly there were magazine articles stating 200 yard shots at rock-chucks. I finally took a hard look at the articles and the authors described hits as "tagged it", "rolled it", "connected with it" ...but never described a kill and there were none of the obligatory pictures of dead rock-chuck carcasses. In two such articles, there was no actual mention of a "kill" being made at all. Unfortunately, American shooters bought into the "Genuine 200 yard Rimfire Varmint Cartridge" and the tales came up like Spring tulips. Three hundred yard shots on coyotes, etal. I have three 17HMR's and used them for small ground squirrels along the Mexican border out to 150 yards. For vermin of that size there might be no better cartridge. After moving back to Montana I was eager to shoot the much larger prairiedogs and found that past 100 yards, kills were spotty; much being dependent on whether or not you got a good lot of ammunition. My CZ 22WMR with 30 grain Federals @2350 does a much better job. I have since racked the 17HMRs.

 

That being said, my hat's off to the shooters on this Forum who have have used and depicted the 17HMR in a realistic light. Truly refreshing to see some folks being straight up about it. ~Andrew

[Alycidon]

I also saw similar things and recon that 150 yards is about the lot of the 17HMR humanely. I toyed with doing a 17AH and may yet do a quietish 17 of some sort but this time have opted for a .20.

 

A

[Greenbear]

Hi Guys,

 

I have a Remington 597 in .22mag, wouldn't swap it for the world, nice rifle, good semi auto action and great knock down power for good old charlie

 

Under rated in my humble opinion

 

 

GB

[Andrew]

GB: I have a friend of mine in Arizona who carries his Remington 597 maggie in the desert year round, from -15F to +130F and it always shoots well for him. Good taste in guns you have there~Andrew

[Guest 308Panther]

Andrew,

Just outta curiosity is there something to this one guys claim?

As from your experience....and a bunch of others as well,

This lil rifle was THE ticket for a .22 mag semi auto rifle.

BTW,have you priced one out lately?

Seein them anywhere from $ 430 NIB to $500+ as Used,Like New.

And not on your life would I sell it.

Big money for such a lil rifle.

Hell, my CZ 452a .17HMR was $350 3(?) years ago.

Maybe its my doubting nature to question what would be considered

"unreliable" but I have a hard time believin BRNO making something

"unreliable".

 

The .17 HMR is the best thing to happen to the rimfire shooting world....in 43 yrs

Too bad the firearms media over blew the capabilities outta the realistic realm

of what it can do.Also,I think one of the worst things for the .17 rimfire world was the

release of the .17M2. We all knew it had limits.We just didnt want to accept them,

and the .17M2 didnt do the HMR any favors as I think it made the limits that much more realistic.

I am not sorry I bought my CZ 452 .17HMR as the accuracy impresses me every single time I pull

its trigger.

There is one other thing the .17HMR did do for me.

If for no other reason,It makes me view alot of the magazines with even more skepticism.

Between Moly bullets,SAUM's, the .204 Ruger,.260 Rem not so many things look

as good on paper now...and even worse under the guise of some fancy writing.

 

308Panther

[Greenbear]

Cheers Andrew.

 

I wouldnt be without mine for the world, a great little all round rifle

[Andrew]

308Panther: There is no validity to the claim in my estimation. I have one and it has been 100% reliable and wonderfully accurate as far as my iron sighted shooting goes. I guess the bicker came from the BRNO owner's manual stating that ONLY original Winchester ammunition should be used. Somehow that, and the posters friend that has problems with his 611, brought out the thesis that they are unreliable. I suggested his buddy switch magazines as that is almost always the problem with jamming autos. One point I raised is that Tom Knapp, Skeet Champ and factory exhibition shooter for Benelli, uses an engraved, gold-inlaid Brno 611 for his aerial rifle shooting stunts. (He also uses an H&K 300 in 22 WMR) In his Brno he uses CCI ammunition, exclusively. Odd that a professional shooter would use and inaccurate and unreliable rifle for his stunts, isn't it? I have shot several 611's besides my own and never heard a single complaint. I am just trying to get to the bottom of it but I think this guy is basing all his judgment on a single gun.

 

The press hype gets a little tiring. Fads and more fads. Moly bullets have come and gone here in serious shooting circles but no self respecting shooter should be without them if you believed the press some years back. I think I once posted regarding a "wildcat" a press guy was working on: a 30-284 Winchester. He figured it was going to be a neat, larger-than-308 wildcat. When I informed him that I make 7.5x55 Schmidt Ruben (7.5x55 Swiss, circa 1911) by necking up 284 to thirty-caliber he was a bit taken aback. There are few things in shooting that haven't been done before. That's what made the 17HMR so intriguing.

 

As to the 17HMR. I am impressed with mine as well. If I lived in forested areas and didn't have larger varmints to deal with at longer ranges, I'd probably carry mine in my truck 24/7. My favorite is a Green Mountain Rifle Barrel Co. Model 96/17 Ruger lever action. It has a 22" octagonal barrel. After a trigger job the gun would produce .6" at 100 yards consistently. I must admit, I like the Ninety-sixes' looks as well as how it shoots. For pure business though, the 77/17 custom is the gun. ~Andrew

[Guest 308Panther]

Andrew,

I totally agree with you on it being a mag issue and not an ammo issue.

My DPMS Panther LR 308 (AR 10 ) is as prone to a bad mag as any other

mag fed semi....I had to work a lil Dremel magic on the DPMS mags to get them

to feed relibly.

I also have one Colt mag for my 1911...that just wont work. I use that one in the gun

when transporting it...

Now between the 1911 and the AR if there are 2 firearms made that are any fussier

with mag problems I dont which ones it might be...other than the ol German Luger

and a certain Jap made machine gun in WW2 (I dont remember wich one it was tho.)

 

Now as for Tom Knapp goes...

I met him at the Ducks Unlimited Show/Promo or what ever its called

Back in 2000 or 2001 at Oshkosh Wi. and got to talk to him abit.

(and listened to him talk with others)

He puts on one hell of a trick show and is quite the showman.

But listen to the man talk "offstage" for 30 secs and you will

know he isnt a bullshitter.If he is using something alongside

of a product as strong as the Benelli is....Its for a damned good reason.

It has to work. No ifs ands or buts about it.

And for what it is worth I bought my SBE before I knew who Tom Knapp was

or met him.

 

I also agree with ya on there isnt much that hasnt been done already,

And it also raises the intrigue and mystic to the HMR.

I pretty much use mine in the shorter ranged wooded area you described.

So its a one shot wonder for me.One and done and thats it.

200 yrd varmints are risky for that lil bullet...and with playin with things like

Bobcats,rabid coon,coyote or something that has a decent nose and a bit of

body weight,mistakes can get a guy hurt. Fire lanes cut thru the forests can give us

the space we need for 200+ yrd shots.(case anyone was wonderin)

Now 9 times outta 10 a wounded critter runs away....That doesnt make me confident to place my money on the 10th or 11th time or to be honest....Any time.

It is not the do all end all the press made it out to be.

 

If I am gonna reach out past the 150 yrd marker on a critter that isnt gonna be table meat

and neatness doesnt count....I am gonna be reachin for somethin else.

.22-250, .25-06 or even one of my .308's

 

308Panther

[Andrew]

I find that I can tote my CZ .22 Hornet around in the boonies and I'm usually covered. If I want longer range for some reason, I can cover that also. I just feel decidedly under-gunned with the HMR out here. ~Andrew

[MarinePMI]

Andrew,

 

You know, I suppose I should get that switch barrel back up and running...the barrels are currently sitting on the shelf. Oh, I remember why, someone has my .22WMR reamer!