While Winchester & Savage have high hopes for this caliber, if manufacturer's don't start doing something soon, the .17 Win Super Mag may go the way of the Sony BetaMax - a better product in many ways, but not enough interest. While they're the fastest rimfire round ever made at 3k feet/second, there are some drawbacks, mostly due to cost & availability.

First, availability of both the ammo and a firearm to shoot it through just isn't there. With Savage as the only .17 WSM rifle manufacturer to date (that I'm aware of), it doesn't offer the gun buyer much choice. Not something most gun buyers like when picking up a new caliber to have to buy. There are supposed to be 2 other manufacturers producing .17WSM rifles at some point this year (2013). Couple that with the existing availability of .17HMR ammo and variety of firearms choices considerably higher than the .17WSM (relatively speaking), people are purchasing the .17HMR now versus waiting for a WSM. It will be hard to convince them to go out and spend additional money to get a WSM later on.

Of course, with the .17 HMR travellng at about double the velocity of a .22LR (2100-2500 fps for .17HMR to the 1200 fps for .22LR), it's got better ballistics/targeting at a little more distance, but if you site in at 100 yards, you can expext to drop ~53" at 200yrds (compared to between 65"-105" for .22LR). I mention the .22LR simply because it's the most dommon rimfire round out there. Here's some good .17HMR ballistics info: http://www.varmintal.com/17hmr.htm

The .17 WSM, however, @ 3000 ft/s with a "Maximum Distance" of 300 yards, gives you considerably more reach-out-and-touch-you ability than either the .17HMR & ..22LR (and even the .22 Win Mag) . Additionally, it has at least 150% more energy than any of these other rounds. With a zero at 100 yards, the .17 WSM drops ~4" at 200 yards and a total of ~16.5" at 300 yards, which is hellatiously flatter and farther that the .17HMR, .22 Win Mag and .22LR. Read more .17WSM info here: http://www.varminter.com/new-17-winc...num-rimfire-2/

All in all, the .17WSM is a great cartridge, but availability is killing it.

One last thing to consider is that it's still a rimfire cartridge which realistically means, as Colorado Osprey pointed out, they can't be reloaded (Okay, in fairness is it impossible to reload? No. Impractical & dangerous? Yes. Rimfire can be reloaded with special equipment, great hassle and serious concerns over uneven powder burn and unreliable ignition source which are safety concerns, but essentually they're not reloadable). Keep this in mind when considering any of the more expensive rimfire calibers. When you can reload a .223/5.56 cartridge for less that purchasing a .17WSM, the novelty of having this unique cartridge wears thin.