Thinking of picking up an Anschutz in .17 HMR and am kind of torn between getting a 1517 or waiting for the new 1761 to come out. From what I've read, the 1761 is going to cost a couple of hundred bucks more (not really a big deal considering the rifle is not cheap to begin with) and the big selling feature is the ability to swap to a different caliber barrel without changing the bolt or mags. The limited information that's out here does not make it clear how easy it is to swap the barrel yourself. According to the Anschutz website, “if you would like to change the caliber, the barrel can be easily altered by a qualified gunsmith.” Is that a standard “don’t try this at home” type disclaimer or do you really have to send it to a gunsmith? If it’s the latter, it kind of defeats the purpose of having a multi-caliber rifle to begin with.
One thing that’s a bit of a turn off about the 1761 is the plastic trigger guard and “bottom metal”. That’s just not right for a gun in that price range and makes you wonder if they are cutting corners in other areas as well. Also, the square 1761 receiver and short bolt seem to be complete departure from the tried and true 64 and 54 actions. Whether that’s a good thing remains to be seen I suppose.
One thing that’s a bit of a turn off about the 1761 is the plastic trigger guard and “bottom metal”. That’s just not right for a gun in that price range and makes you wonder if they are cutting corners in other areas as well. Also, the square 1761 receiver and short bolt seem to be complete departure from the tried and true 64 and 54 actions. Whether that’s a good thing remains to be seen I suppose.
