Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires 17 HMR or 22 WMR

Exactly. Since we don't have any little varmints like ground squirrels, gophers or prarie dogs here in the Norteast I didn't find the HMR terribly useful. Good for crows and that's about it.

Your experience is a mirror image of mine. The 17HMR is great for animals that are under 10+/- pounds or lightly constructed, like 'cats, while the 22MRF is (IMO) a better choice for larger animals because there are less fragile bullets available. The 40, 45, and 50 grain JSP/JHP bullets hold together and penetrate deeper than any of the plastic tipped or JHP 17HMR bullets that I've shot.

The only time that I use light, 30 grain VMax, bullets in my 22MRF is when I call cats in tight cover and use the Remington 597.

17 HMR ammo is alot more accessible around my parts then 22 WMR. I have a 17 HMR and newly acquired 17 WSM and would not give em up!!!

I agree with your post. I also feel for you guys that can't find 22WMR. It's very plentiful here. Can always find it at the LGS...

Was just in my LGS yesterday and the shelves were loaded with .22WMR ammo. Had a big stack of Hornady 30 gr. V-Max, CCI Maxi-Mag 40 gr HP, Maxi-Mag +V 30 gr.HP and Hornady critical defense 45 gr.. Also a bunch of the 200 rd boxes of CCI A-22.

.17HMR for me also. Shot a couple hundred Jack Rabbits with my CZ 455 this winter (so far) probably that many Rock Chucks last spring and summer also. Ammo is a little spendy (same or less than a .22 mag) but still about $0.22/round. Worth it when shooting vermin, little spendy for punching paper.

The rimfire eagle took a big schit and hopefully it's enough to bring things back to normal.

But in the meantime, the .17 HMR and 22LR are a hot commodity. The .22WMR, not so much.


Dave

I approached this from a different angle. I rebarreled an Anschutz 1434 to .17 Ackley Hornet 20 years ago (before there was an HMR) and found it to be great for coyotes I had called close, if I got good shot placement. It kills them, and well at times, but not enough umph at longer ranges for my taste. So I already knew the 17 HMR would be a rabbit and squirrel gun when I bought one. And it's great at that. Really great.

The 22 mag is better for coyotes IMO. I'm sure someone will want to argue about it, but that's where it's at for me. Love them both, for different reasons.

For pigs the 22 wmr gets my nod consistantly. I do admire the 17 WSM though but in the end owning 3k rounds of 22 wmr it just doesn't make sense.

This 140lb boar was dropped with one pop to the cabeza at 85 yards last week. CCI FMJ 40 grains is hard to beat for penetrating thick skull. Buddy runs the HMR and has had several run off with chunks of head mead flopping from the frangibles. Doesn't happen with the WMR.

Having both, I have some 22 Mag rifles I've had for going on 40 years now.. use to be one of my favorite rounds...

I probably hold onto the rifles because they mean something to me.. not due to the love of the 22 Mag cartridge anymore...

I've replace Rimfire Mag use to the 17 version...

and if I need 22 Mag velocities, with a 22 caliber.... I load up one of my lightweight 223s to those speeds and specs, with the bullet of my choice...for about the price of a 22 Mag round...

and as referenced above, if I still could use the 22 Mag with a box of rounds for $5.99 still, the 40 grain FMJ, or HP.. I'd still be shooting those two 22 Mag rifles a lot..

but that ship has sadly sailed...

I've sold my .223s (too mundane and common) and use a .22 Hornet, which is even cheaper to load for. I use those Midsouth 34gr. HPs and load them mildly, which ain't much different than the WMR, and in my case, shoots better than my WMR, too. My 455 WMR barrel doesn't really excite me in any way.

I own 3 rifles and 2 pistols in 22 Mag. No 17's of any kind. Probably want change a thing. 22 Mag has worked extremely well on hogs and smaller for years for me. Best rifle I ever had , when you run into a covey of hogs or coyotes was a Brno 611. Hasbeen

I have a very early Marlin HMR that I flat-out love, it shoots like a sumbuck. Regularly shoots 5/8" groups at 100 yards, not once-in-awhile, regularly. With a good lot of ammo, they are even better.

The WMR barrel I have in a CZ455, with it's best ammo (Hornady 30gr. VMax) can't hold a candle to it, but for some uses, I can understand that the WMR might be a bit better, on bigger vermin, for example.

Still, everything I've shot at, with that Marlin, died. You might try one, just for giggles, I had no idea how much fun they could be until I tried one.

I have one of those Marlins too. It almost feels like I'm cheating, the thing is so accurate. Haven't shot it over 100 yards, just have no need to, where I hunt. Sure would like to see how it does at 200. If I do my part, it will darn near shoot one hole 5 shot groups at 50. Incredible.

They shoot great, even at 200 yards, but they run out of gas pretty fast once you get past about 175. I've shot ONE prairie dog at 250 yards, he tipped over and kicked around for a good long while.
Even a prairie dog deserves better than that, so I decided to keep the distances for shots with the HMR below 200 yards.
MY WMR would be lucky to even hit a prairie dog at 150 yards, though no doubt it would kill a fuzz better, IF I hit it.
I think I'll just use that Hornet I mentioned earlier, though, OR my .17 Hornet, which has velocity, punch, and accuracy all in one package, that kicks like those WMRs.........

just as an FYI....

I tested my old Marlin 25MN years ago from 100 to 200 yds in 25 yd increments...using a basic Leupold 4 Power with a dot reticle...and CCI 40 gr FMJs

the target was a prairie dog silhouette on a 8.5 x 14 sheet of copy paper...

anyway, it was real predictable out to 200... at least on a prairie dog silhouette...

zeroed at 100 yds, raise your zero 2 inches every 25 yds, right out to 200...

so up 2 for 125 yds, 4 for 150 yds, 6 for 175 and 8 for 200...

was dropping them right in there, that if it had been in the field, I am certain each would have been a kill shot...


Ran that 220 Mag Marlin as a truck gun for 30 years...

dispatched about a dozen deer over that time period that had been hit by cars in rural areas... usually out in a field off the road and in shock...

bullet right between the eyes and dropped them like a sack of potatoes....from 50 out to about 150 yds... worked every time, first shot...

Doubt if a 17 Mag would have done that well...

Depends on what you're shooting and how far away. I've had both. I'd be very happy with an accurate rifle chambered for either.

Definitely for the smaller fuzzies, the extra speed / flatter trajectory / typically better accuracy of the HMR are all advantages. Ammo availability still favors the HMR.

For things a little bigger than a jackrabbit, the extra weight of a .22 mag bullet is an advantage though the trajectory points towards reducing the range a bit.

It's possible that for things the HMR won't handle very well, a step up to a centerfire is called for rather than .22 magnum though I'm awfully fond of .22 magnum.

Tom

The last few weeks I have taken the RAR Compact 22LR to the range while shooting centerfires at 100-200, it is accurate and so much fun suppressed. This past Saturday after the range trip I was in Academy and the shelf was loaded with WMR ammo, I got back in the truck and called the local shop and ordered a Compact WMR, It should be in today or tomorrow so I will have a new toy for the weekend and a reason to stock up on ammo.