.17HMR vs .22LR

Free-2-Flow

So what's your preference on this?
I have a .22, my friend has a 17HMR.

He said the best thing he ever done was sell his 22 for a 17, Says they are far more accurate over greater distance.

He said he can shoot rabbits at 200 yards

yubabill1

2 things

-Ammo is very expensive for what it is (a necked-down 22magnum)

-Meat loss due to BT ammo can be a problem (less so with the HP).

Otherwise, HMR is ballistically much superior to 22LR.

Captainaxiom

And the .223 kicks the ass of the .17.

I personally can't see the need for a .17, too expensive for plinking just get a .22 and the range of the .223 is superior and still cheaper to shoot than the .17

cookimonster

I've not hunted with a .17 but was very interested last year in subbing one of the .22s. I wanted it for extended bunny bashing and close in foxs.
Desk top research seems to point that its not the best of both worlds for either job so I'll stick with the .22 out to 70 odd yards for the bunnies and the .243 for Mr Fox.
The .17hmr will kill rabbits at distance but is temperamental in poor weather, here I would sacrifice distance, for the quieter report of the .22. Even tough the .22 is effected by wind the relative quietness allows you to get in closer where the wind has less effect. The other day I knocked out a bit of practice with the .22, rezero, confirmation at various ranges with 50 rounds costing €8.00 or so. A 11 MPH wind from my 7 o'clock still allowed me to consistently group round in an inch square if not 1/2 inch to the right, definitely well within the 'minute of bunny'.
Can you knock a fox with a .17?, yes indeed, you'll kill them stone dead with .22 subs, is it a good idea, well that's open to major debate. Range and shot placement all play a big role in effectively culling foxes with lighter calibres, I've had foxes run after been hit by .243.

I think the .17hmr is good for what it's meant for - small varminting, but as we are limited to rabbits and corvids I think the .22 is the better cheeper choice. If it was like the US in terms of gun ownership yes I would stick one in the cabinet.

extremetaz

.17's a crackin' round, and 200yard rabbits wouldn't be out of the question, although it'd be more comfortable inside of about 160.

Ammo is relatively expensive, and it's a helluva lot louder than the 22lr.

Don't think you'd ever regret going for the .17, but I definitely wouldn't give up my 22LR in favour of it personally. I'd take it as a stablemate, but not as a substitute.

Chiparus

Had 2 HMRs then got a .22

17 HMR is great , ( shot a rabbit at 220 yards) if your gun is clean and there is no wind.

But if you are shooting rabbits the meat is ruined unless it is a head shot.

I found it started to lose accuracy after 20 rounds.

I love the .22 especially with a moderator. I would not get a 17 hmr again.

Luckysasha

Simple solution. Buy a Cz 455 and you can swap the barrels from a .22lr to a .17hmr in minutes. Comes standard with .22lr barrel and a.17hmr barrel will run you about €250. Heck of a lot cheaper than buying two separate rifles.

hedzball

Luckysasha wrote: »

Simple solution. Buy a Cz 455 and you can swap the barrels from a .22lr to a .17hmr in minutes. Comes standard with .22lr barrel and a.17hmr barrel will run you about €250. Heck of a lot cheaper than buying two separate rifles.

But two separate licenses then..

If you want a Dual barrel get a Sako quad... far nicer :D



'hdz

tac foley

Here in mainland UK there is a definite move away from the .17HMR. The 'if-iness' of the ammunition, and its cost, and lack of ranges friendly to its use, let alone the odd 'kaboom' of your precious rifle, are all counting against it except for the 'hard' bunny shooters.

Add to that a peculiarity of the UK licensing system - as it is not a recognised target calibre, being a member of a gun club with your FAC conditioned for a target calibre - BECAUSE you are a member of a gun club - is no 'good reason' to acquire one in the fust place. The same applies to Northern Ireland, of course.

So you'd have to give your 'good reason' for pest control, and have an 'open' certificate. It's at that point that the keenth to get one disappears down the plug'ole. Especially if you just want one for the fun of it. And no, I don't have one, nor ever will.

I don't know anybody who uses one on fox, either, let alone 200+ yard bunny shooting. Just how big are Irish rabbits anyhow?

tac

ligertigon

The 17 is safer regards richochet
better ballistics and accuracy
And if going by comissioner guidelines, a more sensible choice for lowland area night shooting.

negatives are sound
regular barrel cleaning
ammo price
and, not allowed in NASPRC smallbore rimfire competitions.....?

I am awaiting a licence on one, for night fox control as the 22 is inhumane and I meet them just over 100yrds

tac foley

ligertigon wrote: »

The 17 is safer regards richochet

Better than .22RF for sure, but that's it.

better ballistics and accuracy

Only than .22RF/.22WMR....

And if going by comissioner guidelines, a more sensible choice for lowland area night shooting.

Can't comment there - I'm not subject to Irish rules.

negatives...not allowed in NASPRC smallbore rimfire competitions.....?

Dunno quite what you do in Ireland, where many rules are different, but as it is not a .22RF cartridge, then it's axiomatic that is not suitable for shooting in .22RF competitions.

DogfoxCork

17hmr and i would never go back to the .22! cost of rounds is marginal at about twice the price for 50 but its totally worth it.

i wouldnt be constantly going for 200yd shots though! take the .223 out for those!

Captainaxiom

DogfoxCork wrote: »

17hmr and i would never go back to the .22! cost of rounds is marginal at about twice the price for 50 but its totally worth it.

i wouldnt be constantly going for 200yd shots though! take the .223 out for those!

Close shots .22 and longer shots .223

Cass

Just my own thought on the wind aspect.

With a 22lr and a HMR the wind deflection is the same at nearly all distances. So the thing about the HMR being terrible in the wind is kinda true, but when comparing to the 22lr is no worse and in fact slightly better.




Most .22lr rounds are subsonic. With or without a suppressor they will be quieter because the bullet does not break the sound barrier and hence does not create as much noise. The .22lr is a great gun and excellent for bunnies and the occasional fox, but only to a certain distance.

The .17hmr rounds are supersonic. This means they will create a bang when fired. However if you were to fire a stinger or other such supersonic round in a .22lr then you'd get the exact same noise, the same instability in flight (in wind) as a hmr. The hmr ammo is more expensive, but when you are talking €17 for 50 hmr and €8 for 50 .22lr it's not going to break the bank.

Some comparisons (most are averages).

Cost | .22lr | .17hmr |
Per 50 | €8 | € 17 |

Speeds | .22lr | .17hmr |
fps | 1,050 | 2,200 |

Energy | .22lr | .17hmr |
Muzzle |

98

|

217

|
50 yd |

86

|

181

|
100 yd |

78

|

147

|
150 yd |

71

|

120

|
200 yd |

65

|

97

|

Drops | .22lr | .17hmr |
50 yd |

0"

|

-0.25"

|
100 yd | 6.5" - 8" |

0"

|
150 yd |

24"

|

1.75"

|
200 yd |

52"

|

5"

|


Side by side comparison with both set at 50 yard zero (instead of the above where the .17hmr has a 100 yard zero)




As can be seen from the tables & Ballistic chart above, the .17hmr:

• Drops less over 200 yards than the .22 does from 50 to 80 yards.
• It carries a minimum of double the impact energy of the .22lr.
• In a 10mph, 90 degree crosswind, it has slightly less but almost the same wind drift as the .22lr.
• Has up to 3 times the accurate distance of the .22lr.
• For whatever use it is the 17hmr will cover the distance in half the time of the .22lr.

The only real different is noise. However comparing a supersonic round against a subsonic one is like comparing a Fiesta and a Ferrari because they are both cars. Plus i have a CZ in .17hmr, and a Savage 93r17 in .17hmr. The CZ uses a SAK mod and it quietens the crack but it's still fairly loud. The Savage has a T4 AR suppressor and it is VERY quiet. Much quieter than the CZ. Still not as quiet as a ,22lr with subsonics, but much quieter than i thought it would be.


Plus, as said above, if you do day time shooting where your distances can be much longer as you can see backstops, and shoot safer, you want something that'll not only reach the distance, but do it without having to sit down for 5 minutes and do maths, and then wonder if it'll do much more than tickle the animal when you hit it.


Lastly, if you are interested in target shooting then the .22lr is a necessity as .17hmr have no place in comps (rimfire ones). If this is not a concern then i'd be looking at the .17hmr. It's so good i bought two.

Savage 93r17




CZ 455

cavan shooter

I'll stick to my ruger 10/22 ...bunny basher, corvid destroyer extraordinare and top class plinker to boot.

123shooter

You could go with a .22 wmr (magnum) there are those who will tell you this is better and that is better and some people wouldnt be satisfied until they had a collection of .50's but you need the right tool for the job.

There is a video on youtube which shows that a .22 lr could kill at 400 yards + but here is a no nonsense video of a .22lr ignore the title and skip to 2.39 and play until the end as he does some tests you may be interested in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w4Z5azEPWk

hedzball

ligertigon wrote: »

better ballistics and accuracy

Thats not the case.. better no.. different yes.

ligertigon

hedzball wrote: »

Thats not the case.. better no.. different yes.

When I meant better balistics I was refering to MPBR, so it IS better.
The 17's accuracy is better at 100yrds and only hampered (if even) at 50 yrds by lack of dedicated match ammo.

Chiparus

Better ballistics is subjective, if I am shooting rabbits , higher velocities often means more meat damage.