Thoughts on the 17 HMR?

[deadeye]

OP here. Slowly leaning towards 22 WMR. The 17HMR appears slightly more accurate but for hunting small critters the much heavier WMR bullet seems the way to go if I'm not trying vaporize what I'm shooting at. Might just stick with my 22LR and .223. I'm trying to talk the wife into a Nightforce scope for my long range .260 so another gun to fill the nitch between 22LR and 223 might get me a beating! I'll squirrel away a twenty here and there and see if I can scrounge for a new rimfire. Savage or Marlin? My 22LR is the Savage with accutrigger and shoots pretty good but the mags suck, a buddy has a Marlin 925 and it shoots as good with no mag issues but has a lot heavier trigger.

The Savage is definately bad for mags and the Marlin has higher capacity ones available. As far as trigger look into the Rifle Basix website for available replacement for the Marlin and Ruger. If you are on a budget I would invest in reloading componets for the 223 and build your own ammo to cover all your needs. Just tell the wife it will save you money in the long run, she'll buy it.

 

[Hawaiian]

All I can add is my win 17 lever action is a really fun gun to shoot. After getting it, I don't think I would buy another 22 rifle.

 

[Ding]

I'd buy one just to add it to the collection.I like having multiple calibers and weapons.As for is it any better or worse.? I don't know but I would get one. I still have a lot of fun wiff da vente dos

 

[torpedoman]

the new lighter bullet ammo for the 22wmr pretty much levels the field between it and the 17hmr. DO NOT BUY THAT LACK OF RICOCHET CRAP. after 50-75 yds they will bounce.

 

[Member 5605]

HMR is damn fun.....

Though I say selling mine to fund the AR is worth it... i'll miss it if it ever sells.

 

[mjbskwim]

The 17 HMR cartridge is a solution to a problem that's been solved for a long time: the 22 WMR. For whatever reason the 17 HMR is constantly being held up against the 22LR cartridge lauded for its superior performance which is a completely unfair comparison. The 17 HMR is just a necked down version of the 22 WMR so your comparing apples to oranges when comparing to a 22lr. A better comparison is the 17 HM2 cartridge vs. 22LR and the 17HMR vs. 22 WMR. Ballistically speaking the 22 WMR has superior terminal ballistics at every point along the trajectory of the bullet path except for at the very end of each cartridges effective range so at very best your getting a slight advantage with the 17 HMR cartridge only at about 125-150 yards, at which point you should probably be using a .223 anyway. Bottom line, in laymans terms with the 22 WMR your pushing a bullet TWICE as big NEARLY as fast as the 17 HMR while getting better stopping power and paying alot less at the checkout counter. I think the recent trend of necked down cartridges (.17hm2, 17HMR, .32 NAA, .357 SIG) are just examples of marketing strategy to steer customers to a different cartridge. I seriously think some people like the 17HMR because it's cool looking and is the newest, hottest thing out there (exactly what the designers wanted). The 22 WMR is a proven cartridge that will be around long after the 17HMR fad has passed.

I have heard it flies a lot faster and of coarse flatter than the 22mag. And like you said no comparison with the 22lr
I think you get another 30+ yards 17 over 22m?

But I have been looking into predator/varmint hunting and the forums.Most are going to the centerfire 17s above the rimfires.Then you are getting quite a few fps over the rimfire 17 and 22m

 

[i8asquirrel]

the new lighter bullet ammo for the 22wmr pretty much levels the field between it and the 17hmr. DO NOT BUY THAT LACK OF RICOCHET CRAP. after 50-75 yds they will bounce.

I said less likely not no ricochet. and I say that from lots of of time shoot pest with it.

 

[Spitpatch]

I'm with Salmon and Key. .22 WMR, and based on 3 years now of usage and observing Sage Rat shoots with both. The .17 becomes extremely unpredictable in even a 7-10mph wind (very common in Sage Rat country). The WMR, with the 40grain bullet can be consistently predicted as to how it will behave.

As to economy (and I believe SalmonRJ touched on this), you can actually handload and shoot a .223 cheaper than you can shoot a .17HMR. (fudging a bit by claiming you can get brass for nothing or next to nothing: entirely possible).

And, I traipse right along with the idea that if I want the 200 yard light varminter with little blast and extreme economy, the Hornet is just the ticket.

Having said all that, for .17 ammo, my buddies who are HMR freaks (but now looking for WMR's after three years of experience with mine) say the Hornady ammo is best on paper, and with extensive, objective comparisons. Do all agree?

And for WMR, I find that in all my rifles, The good Winchester 40g JHP is the very best for 100 yard groups. Tried everything else, one-on-one, and this loading shines everytime, exceeded only occasionally by the FMJ of the same brand.

I expected Remington's "ballistic tip" looking Premium stuff to do better than the old Winchester loading, but not the case.

Contrary to reports that the .22WMR is not an accurate cartridge, my Thompson Contender, with a 22" Bullberry barrel, .75" diameter, chamber to muzzle, and topped with a Leupold 3x-9x Adjustable Objective Compact scope, will drop those Winchester 40 grainers easily inside one inch at 100 yards.

 

[LCspeedsteel]

I have a savage 17 HMR:

one of my favorite rifles to take out... and i have plenty of assault rifles that are fun too... get one for sure, they're too much fun

 

[EYEBALL]

ammo sold

 

[slyguy]

+1 for the 17 HMR - Not as cheap as plinking with the 22, but more accurate.

 

[alphapygmy]

I never thought about light loads with varmint bullets in my AR, that's probably the way I'll go. I've got over 6K pieces of LC brass, plenty of powder and primers and I can buy quite a few bullets for the price of buying a new rimfire rifle and cartridges for that. I have a national match AR that shoots awesome. Several times I've shot over a thousand rounds and it will still do under an inch even that filthy dirty, so it's plenty accurate. Might try some Barnes Varmint Grenades.

 

[olyshoots]

Thanks for suppling the article. It is nice to see real data in a discussion (velocity, energy, etc)

+1