Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Is the 22 Mag DEAD and Replaced with the 17 HMR?

Hmmmm. I'm used to the 22 magnum shooting pretty damn good. My dad gave me his Chuckster that he used when he was a kid. The rifle is older than I am and iS still a shooting machine. I liked it so much that I bought a newer rifle to preserve the little chuckster for when my kids have kids...Here's how the Mossberg chuckster shoots. I guess I'm getting the same kind of accuracy. About "3/4" groups at 50 yards", maybe even a little better. Of course those are 10 shot groups though. Good enough for the vermin around here....:




My RAR isn't quite as accurate, but it shoots just fine. With the ammo it likes, it averages a little less than 3/4" with 5 shot groups at 50 yards. The thing I really like about the RAR is how well it functions and the rotary mag is the best on the market. The Hornady 30gr. v-max ammo can be found here locally most times. The store I frequent the most has it for $13.00/box. They also have the CCI's and Remington accutips if you want to pay out the azz ($18.00/box). I'm glad mine likes the slightly cheaper stuff. My buddy just bought a RAR in 22 mag, because it gives a slight edge in potency over the 17 HMR when shooting coyotes. Another buddy of mine also bought the same rifle in 22 magnum for the same reason. Both of these guys gave up on the 17HMR after wounding coyotes. They often go to coyote competitions in southern Oregon, so they know what works and what doesn't work. They no longer own the 17 for anything. However, I will be the first to admit that the 17 is generally more accurate than the 22WMR and it surpasses the 22WMR in range for the smaller critters. If I were just wanting a small vermin (sage rat, ground squirrel, tree squirrel, etc. etc.), I'd opt for the 17, if coyote hunting was on the list of priorities, I'd choose the 22WMR.