I have a confession to make and I might as well do it publicly.
Back in early 2,003 (hard to believe its been 14 years!) I bought my first firearm in caliber 17 HMR.
It was a shiney finished stainless heavy barrel Ruger 77/17 V/T.
They were brand new then and I was a little trepidacious about this new cartridge.
It did not take me a month using the Rifle and cartridge at the range and afield to pronounce it an amazing, accurate, efficient and wonderfully lethal set-up.
I kept extending the range of that cartridge on small game and Varmints FAR beyond anything I had ever achieved with any of the rimfire cartridges I had used in the prior half century of use.
Including the 22 Magnum (and various prior similar cartridges).
Since converting then to the 17 HMR for my longer range rimfire uses I have completely foresaken the 22 Magnum - not bought one, not traded for one nor bought ammunition for the several 22 Magnum Rifles and pistols I already owned.
Its been all 17 HMR's all the time since 2,003!
In the past 14 years I have come across 22 Magnum Rifles often at bargain prices and I just snubbed my nose at them knowing how superior the 17 HMR Rifles and pistols I own in that caliber performed - and that performance is/was far superior to the 22 Magnums.
That policy held in force until a couple of days ago.
I came across a mint LNIB Browning T-Bolt Varmint model in 22 Magnum with a VERY nice wood stock and an excellent trigger at a bargain price.
I mulled over buying the mint condition Rifle for some time but finally succumbed to the wood, the trigger and the heavy barrel along with the desire to give the "new generation" of bullet designs that have come about in my opinion to try and compete with the 17 HMR (and now the 17 WSM).
I bought the nifty 22 Magnum - something I thought I would NEVER again do again in my lifetime.
Once to home I mounted a fine old Leupold 8 power adjustable objective scope on it and yesterdays short excursion to my "wind proof" range showed much promise accuracy wise as I did initial sight in and function tests.
Here in the next few weeks I will put the "new" ammunition I have purchased to test at longer ranges on Varmints to see if that performance has improved much over the last decade and a half - since I quit using my 22 Magnums.
I also want to try the new 22 Magnum ammunition on Coyotes to see if the lethality on them has improved over my previous experiences with it.
To date I have killed 3 Coyotes with the 17 HMR and all have been one shot kills - something I don't recall ever doing with any of my 22 Magnums in the past.
Previously it took two or three hits with the 22 Magnum to still a Coyote with much flopping and circling/spinning ensuing after the initial hits.
In the past, on this forum and several others, I have advised against choosing the 22 Magnum over the 17 HMR so I feel I should expose myself in a bit of hypocrisy publicly.
I am just a gun nut at heart I guess, and the the great wood, heavy barrel and great trigger on this Browning T-Bolt Varmint gun was just to much for me to resist.
Once I do 100 yard group testing on a calm day I will report back on the accuracy with the three types of ammunition I have on hand for it.
Wish me luck.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy