Considering 17hmr

gondor_37389

Howdy all.

I grew up with guns, but havent shot in 6+ years. Thinking of getting back into it. Just bit of plinking and the odd rabbit here and there. Not going to be doing anything too serious/competitions etc

Was all set on getting another 223 but looking at the price of ammo is costing today, its bit ridiculous.

Im on the fence now about a 17hmr. It would give me a bit more range over the 22lr for both plinking and hunting and the ammo be half the price of the 223 ammo.

But before I invest the money thought would do no harm to ask the question how the community views the hmr today. Is it a dying round? is it thriving? If I did decide to sell up in 5 years time will I struggle to sell?

TheEngineer1

It's a long range rabbit gun. There was an quality control issue with ammo a few years back but I think that has been resolved now.

It sounds fine for what you're describing but in all honesty a .22lr with high velocity ammo would probably be just as good for occasional use.

If you really want to step up from 22lr then I'd be more inclined to push towards the .22 magnum. You can get a properly good second hand 22 mag for next to nothing these days and if you wanted to put down a fox then the .22 mag hits with a lot more authority than the .17 hmr.

These days with the ballistic tipped .22 magnum 30gr ammo you can get quite a flat shooting setup out to 120 meters.

The 17 HMR will shoot even flatter again (150 meters plus) but is more affected by the wind as the bullets are so light.

Price wise, the .22 lr is by far the cheapest, between 8 and 15 quid for 50 rounds depending on the type of ammo you buy. Probably the best option if you want to do lots of shooting.

The .22 mag and 17hmr are both 20 to 25 quid for 50 rounds these days so quite a bit more expensive to run, but at the end of the day they're the same price to shoot as a shotgun roughly so not too bad if you're just using it for the occasional rabbit/ fox or very occasional plinking.

Gazlam

I had a .17 HMR which I subbed for a .22lr. Reason being the ammo selection and price. You only really have 2 ammo options with the .17 HMR (17gr/20gr).

There is also a price difference which adds up quickly. .17 for 50 rounds €25. .22lr for 50 rounds €10 and less.

I will say that the HMR is far superior at long range and you can stretch it very far however with Subs on the .22lr you can head tap bunnies all day without them even noticing their friends are getting ready for the stew bowl.

As far as plinking is concerned, .22lr take the cake with this. You can fire 200 rounds and not be concerned at ammo price. You can find rounds like the stinger (1600fps) which can stretch far out or Calibri ammo (450fps) which can be used for 15-20 yard ratting.

If you ever decide to get into competitive shooting at a range or club, .22lr would be the way to go.

Good luck with your decision. Hope this helped a bit.

Bushwack

If your hunting 17 hmr all day long unless you have access to ground with hundreds of rabbits that you will be shooting regularly. I know lads will say that you can shoot high velocity ammo when you want but when your shooting rabbits you more than lightly be using subs and if a longish range fox appears you can't switch ammo as your zero will be different. The 17 will do both very well. I was in this very situation.

Feisar

From the OPs post, "plinking and the odd rabbit" I'd say 22Lr all day long. I started shooting with my Dad's 22, my first rifle was a 17. Got a 22 myself and traded in the 17 for a 223. I found the 17 to be very niche and given current prices headed to 50 cents/shot, that's dear plinking.

dalalada

I would recommend a 22 magnum. Meets all your needs and more.

Bushwack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121284629#Comment_121284629

Yes,100%. . I shot a 22 wmr for years,it was a cz 452 with open sights but I had a Simmons whitail classic 3-9×50 Philippines made scope on it and it was a one of the most accurate rifles I ever shot whit 40gr Winchester it would stack them at 100 yards and It accounted for more fox and head shot rabbits than I can remember. I would say it's better than ever with all the different bullet weights if you can get them. Sorry I ever got rid of it.