A super magnum rimfire round is best utilized by a small game hunter. Being released in a market where all hunting is on, and has been on the decline for decades just wasn’t pertinent.
I was amazed when the 17 HMR did so well a decade before, because there really wasn’t any greater drive then for small gaming than any time prior. We were on the upswing of a coyote hunting boom - talk about a boom!!!! - but the 17HMR was only ever called a coyote rifle by unwitting fools, even in that era. Nevertheless, it thrives. The fact the 17HMR was the only rimfire ammunition on the shelf for a few years following Sandy Hook also bolstered a lot of sales. It was also launched with exceptionally accurate Marlin, Savage, and Ruger rifles.
Alternatively, the WSM was launched in the Sandy Hook panic, and production was stressed to the max to keep up on bread and butter 22LR ammo. There wasn’t capacity to get it on the shelves - I kept mine well fed, but I bought out every box I could find for the first few years there before it leveled out. The early, poor reputation of the combination was back and forth between blamed on the rifle and on the ammo (blamed on both here within this thread even).
Personally, I never had an issue with ammo, and technically, mine is supposed to be one of those “bad early rifles” with the “incorrect twist to stabilize the 25’s,” and “rushed development which yielded improper chambers.” If these things are wrong with mine, I’ve yet to stumble across it... but hey, I’m only about 3,500rnds into it, have only tried shooting it to 500yrds, and only killed a few hundred bunnies, squirrels, badgers, and coons... mine shot “ok” in the factory Tupperware, but does better once it was stress relieved and mounted in the Boyd’s stock pictured above. I did see a LOT of B-Mags in the early runs with warped forends which pressed against the barrel, I’m told Savage would replace any which were reported. The bolt knob safety recall was sort of an oddity, but it was already irrelevant for mine, as I’d replaced my bolt handle. I did modify my aftermarket part to match the new profile. The new bolt shroud was much more appealing as well.
The ugly bolt handle, ugly shroud, and the odd cock-on-close design were bad choices on the part of Savage. The stock design as well, and the turned rings in the barrel just forward of the receiver. They tried out a bunch of Jetson’s styled “modern” aesthetic design features which simply missed the mark - AND coupled in a foolish cocking design. They threw all of that “retro modern” style into a rifle and cartridge which only would appeal to a small game hunter, who has no interest in such aesthetic. A swing and a miss...
They were smart to incorporate a rotary magazine which is reliable and low profile for the small game hunters who benefit from the round. Except for the fact they did so in a market which has a love affair with high capacity magazines, so the other 99% of the gun buying public was disappointed. Another easy pitch they let fly right across the plate... I assume they were hoping for an aftermarket producer to take up stacked high cap mags for them, but like most of their rifles with proprietary mags - that didn’t happen. Savage was pushing the “walking Varminter” line at the time, which largely didn’t pan out for them, and this model along with that folly...
For what it can do, and what I made mine into (which is effectively available now as a factory model), I love it as a midrange small game rifle. I wanna say there’s only $500 in that photo above, which is right in line for my tolerance for a walking Varminter “toy.” Could it be better? Absolutely. Is the Ruger 77/17WSM better? Eh, in some ways, maybe, but certainly not in others. Give me a stainless American Rimfire in a laminate pro-varmint style stock and I’d sell my Bmag and buy two Rugers that day...