Savage Arms A17 – Q & A with Bill Dermody, Savage Arms Marketing Director

By Justin Stakes

Suffield, CT -(Ammoland.com)- Q: How did the A17 get its name?

A: Its name ties with the fact it’s an autoloading 17-caliber rifle. We went through a long list of possible names, but this one stuck. I think it’s catchy—something people will remember. Plus, the format lets us potentially expand the line with other calibers.

Q: What is different about this new rifle?

A: The A17 is the first high-performance semi-automatic rimfire specifically designed for the 17 HMR cartridge. There have been a limited number of other autoloaders chambered in the caliber, but they haven’t been built around it like the A17. So, it’s not just a new rifle for Savage, it’s a new rifle for the world.

Q: How is the A17 different from the competition?

A: It is important to note the A17 was not simply adapted to fire a magnum rimfire round. Other manufacturers have tried adapting straight-blowback actions over the years to convert their standard rimfire rifles to shoot magnum rimfire loads, but those guns never flourished. In fact, some of those old, adaptive designs even had safety issues. As a result, there isn’t much for competition in …read more

Source:: AmmoLand