'Sorry to hear about your FTF troubles, thankfully that is not a problem that I've had with any cartridge that I can recall.
I got my first 17 HMR in 2004 and was more than pleasantly surprised how easy it was to shoot MOA or better groups with it. Several people at the range used it to shoot their very first MOA or better groups and that led many of them to buy a rifle in 17 HMR for themselves. If I lived where there were more colony varmints I'm sure that I'd use the 17 HMR more and the 17HM2 less.
I shoot the .22 MAG quite a bit and think that it is a more useful cartridge than many give it credit for. In general, I have found the .22 MAG to be a better, more reliable, killer on animals over 5 lbs. than the 17 HMR. For example, I use a Remington 597 for calling predators, mostly 'cats, in heavy cover where ranges are short, something that I wouldn't feel comfortable doing with a rifle chambered in 17 HMR and its more fragile bullets.
