.17 hmr ?

supersock

have i any business of a 17hmr ,when i have 22lr for plinking/vermin 223 fox and 308 deer,never had the hmr and a nice cz 455 thumbhole package has come up. i am just thinking of it as a cheap to run accurate tool

cookimonster

Are you asking in respect to licencing /Garda approval?

There's plenty here with the same calibre licenced with several firearms (I had two .22LR) or for the same purpose ( I have two centrefires licenced for deer stalking).

If your asking wheather you need one or have a use for one well thats another issue. The 17HMR fits between the .22 and the .223. The HMR is a good effective, cheep to run bunny / vermin basher that's realisticly a short range fox calibre. So if your out in the field you've a nice set up to cover both. As you know both the .22 and the .223 have short comings as duel purpose firearms , either too little power & range or over gunned for rabbits (if meat hunting). I think you are already equipped with a cheep and accurate rifles - .22Lr and .223.

The real question is 'Will you have a use for it in your average shooting routine?

I'm torn myself on wheather to add a .17HMR or .22 Hornet or .223 to the stable. I'm learning towards the Hornet as it is different (which I like) and I believe fills the niche between my .22 and a deer legal centrefire for a dedicated night of bunnies and at the same time foxes.

But most importantly if you realy want one get it, if I could I'd have one in every calibre.

ormondprop

supersock wrote: »

have i any business of a 17hmr ,when i have 22lr for plinking/vermin 223 fox and 308 deer,never had the hmr and a nice cz 455 thumbhole package has come up. i am just thinking of it as a cheap to run accurate tool

I had a smaller smaller cf for foxing and a .22 for rabbits and plinking and traded my .223 to a .243 for foxing and deer and kept the .22 and got a craving for a .17 to use out foxing instead of the .204 and use it for longer range rabbits instead of the .22 and find i never really use it, overkill on rabbits and louder and not powerful enough for foxes so end up leaving at home and taking the .22 or the 243 depending on what i’m after so thinking of getting rid of it now and dont know whether to just sell it or trade both the .17 and .243 in for another 204/223 and maybe a 270 or something else so have a dedicated bunny, fox and deer rifle Just find the .17 is wasted when u have a .22 and a cf

The pigeon man

I think you really have every base covered with the 22lr, 223 and 308. You don't really need any more calibres because you can shoot every rifle legal quarry in the country with those calibres. It's really up to you if you want another one.

I feel that the gap between the 22lr and 223 isn't worth filling with a 17hmr.

With the 17hmr you get so much more noise than the 22lr but with a fraction of the power. I think if you want to go supersonic the 223 is the job.

Best of luck and sure if you really want it, get a clean secondhand 17hmr and you won't lose much on it.

Chiparus

supersock wrote: »

have i any business of a 17hmr ,when i have 22lr for plinking/vermin 223 fox and 308 deer,never had the hmr and a nice cz 455 thumbhole package has come up. i am just thinking of it as a cheap to run accurate tool

I had two 17 HMRs, one a semi auto, the other an Anscutz.

Advantages I found, are that they are accurare if kept clean , They loose their accuracy after a relatively small number of rounds.
I also destroys rabbits , if you are hunting for the table.

I moved to .22 CZ then Rugerand have not missed the 17 gun at all.

cookimonster

As a matter of interest a few questions on the 17HMR:

1. How often, round count, would you need to clean the bore?

2. What sort of 'Drop off in Accuracy' did you get, ie group size or inconsistency?

3. Did cleaning effect the zero and did it require much to settle it down?

Just closing down different avenues thought/concern.

Chiparus

cookimonster wrote: »

As a matter of interest two questions on the 17HMR:

1. How often, round count, would you need to clean the bore?

2. What sort of 'Drop off in Accuracy' did you get, ie group size or inconsistency?

Just closing down different avenues thought/concern.

20 -30rounds, and groups opened up to 4- 5 inches after a hundred rounds or so.

I thought for a while it was because it was a short barrel rifle, brought it back to the gun shop , who gave it a proper clean and the accuracy returned.
I bought a single piece rod and a good solvent /brushes , but found I needed to clean it regularly to maintain the accuracy.
I did not find the cleaning affected the zero.

cookimonster

Thats quite a loss in accuracy alright, but equally good to hear that it didn't need a string of shots to settle it back in.

Admittedly I would only clean the bore of my .22 once a year which never required fouling shoots either.

Chiparus

cookimonster wrote: »

Thats quite a loss in accuracy alright, but equally good to hear that it didn't need a string of shots to settle it back in.

Admittedly I would only clean the bore of my .22 once a year which never required fouling shoots either.

A lot of it was probably copper fouling on the 17hmr.

I clean the Ruger 10/22once a year was well, great gun , accurate and lots you can do with it.

Max H

I know this might be a stupid question is a 22 rifle or a 17 hmr restricted or not. I have two shotguns but was thinking of adding a rifle for vermin control.

cookimonster

Max H wrote: »

......is a 22 rifle or a 17 hmr restricted or not. ....

Taken from the Commissioners Guidelines-

Additionally, any rim fire rifle with a magazine holding in excess of 10 rounds is defined as a restricted firearm, as is any rifle exceeding .308 inch (7.62mm) calibre and whose
overall length is less than 35.4 inches (90 ern).

Both the .22LR and .17HMR are unrestricted calibres.

The respective firearm must NOT have a 10+ magazine or capacity and must be 35.4 inches or longer. Bullpups are a no no as well.

So many of the common rimfire rifles in factory configuration in either calibre are NOT considered 'restricted'.

Examples of .22LR or .17HMR

CZ 457 in either calibre
Rugar 10/22 in 22LR
Sako Quad in ethier calibre
Anschutz 1517 in either calibre
Marlin XTX series in either calibre
Savage B Series in either calibre.

Feisar

I had a HMR and moved it on when I got a .223, I just didn't feel it had a place. That's just me though, if you are shooting a lot of rabbits out to circa. 175 then it probably is the caliber for you.

supersock

thanks everyone for replying.

slipperyox

I would add one important addition for the op trumping the hmr.
The hmr calibre is extremely safe, as regards ricochets. This attribute makes it a confident round to use instead of a 22lr in certain scenarios.

hrcbob

I traded my 17 in for a 223 a few years back as it was my only rifle and I needed more stopping power for foxes at distance. Too many of them around where I live are lamp shy so getting close enough with the 17 was always a struggle.
The only time I really miss the 17 is when it comes to grey crow and magpie shooting. I just don’t shoot them with the 223 as I can’t justify €1 a pop
The 17 was a perfect tool for that job. Lazer accurate and cheap to run.

DogfoxCork

replaced my cz 22 with a hmr about 5 years ago, thing is a tack driver.
dont get me wrong, the 22 has its purpose but the hmr did more for me
Pros:
point and shoot out to about 115 yds with a 100yd zero.
has the power and accuracy to drop rabbits at 200yds if you wish and is a good howl.
unbelievable for greys and magpies

cons:
louder than the 22, but with a moderator its not much different to a hv 22, however this is actually fine as it doesnt spook too much anyway
not as cheap to run but youre splitting hairs here. 19/20 euro for a box of 50.

id dispute the meat damage too, havnt found obliterated rabbits yet as i go for the head, also...easy to headshot so just get better at shooting! practice practice.

I havnt noticed any accuracy issues with mine other than it took ages to bed in. i thought it didnt like the different brands or the 17gn variety but on a recent test, myself and a buddy on here tested all the brands available to us, Federal, hornady, cci in 20gn and 17gn, both our rifles (tikka t1x and cz 452) shot all of them fine but grouped best with the 20gn hornadys. i clean mine thoroughly maybe once or twice a year but i run a damp patch of boretech down it after each outing just to coat the bore as we live in a damp ol country. maybe excessive in the eyes of some but it doesnt make a noticable difference to the accuracy after 1 or 20 shots it seems. id say youd start noticing a difference in consistency after 150yds or so.

edit: forget about shooting fox with the 17 though unless theyre sub 100 and headshottable. just not worth the risk. Had a few runners shortly after getting the rifle. I have a 223/308 for fox. everything has its purpose. dont extend that purpose..same reason i wouldnt take the 223 out after deer (even if that was legal)

IMO Id ditch the 22 for a 17hmr.

lefthooker

If you can afford to buy the .17 sure why not but I wouldn’t trade for it though.

I bought and sold 3 Hmr’s over the years. Couldn’t complain about the accuracy and never had a problem with split cases or bullets stuck in the barrel. I sold them mainly due to lack of use. I would reach for either my .204/.223 instead of the hmr, more power, longer reach and better in wind.

You’ve got you’re bases pretty well covered but as I said if you can afford to treat yourself, why not scratch the itch.

tikkamark

I’ve a hmr many many years now I also have a .22pcp and a .223 each rifle to me is like a golf club for different shots on the course.
The hmr is my go to rabbit rifle it’s safe ie no ricochets and the extra noise is not a problem when you have effectively double the distance of a .22lr.
On a still evening I can sit out on a high vantage point and with the aid of a rangefinder and a kestrel applied ballistics meter I can head shoot rabbits out to 200 yards....it’s an awesome little caliber most people that own never truely get to see it’s full potential