Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires 22 LR or 17 HMR for general rimfire use?

Did we already have the discussion about which one to stockpile, and advantages to each?

Can't imagine it's worth discussing.

Split the difference and go with the 17HM2?

Flatter trajectory than the .22 LR and cheaper to shoot than the 17 HMR.

Depends on the balance of your uses. If you're primarily plinking, training young shooters, etc, I'd go with .22LR. If you're using it as an alternative to a centerfire for varmint / pest control, I'd go with .17 HMR. Nothing wrong with having both!!

The answer is no-brainer IMO - 22 LR.

17 HMR in the real world only gives about 50 more yards of effective killimg power on ground squirrels which seems to be its primary use.

17 HMR on sale costs around $10.00 per box but low-end match grade 22 LR can be bought for half that price and plinking grade can be found at around $2.00 per box.

Try burning through 500 rounds of 17 HMR in an afternoon and you are out somewhere around $100.00 but 500 rounds of 22 LR only costs around $25.00.

The 22 LR has been around well over 100 years - the 17 HMR considerably less.

drover

What drover said..

+1

To add to drover’s comments you can run a 22LR subsonic with a suppressor.

22 LR.........cost to shoot is a fraction of the 17 HMR

4 cents a rd compared to 22 cents.....

$180/5K rd case shipped

https://www.targetsportsusa.com/agu...ted-lead-round-nose-1b222328-p-3436.aspx

https://www.targetsportsusa.com/hor...17-grain-hornady-v-max-83170-p-3922.aspx

For the full spectrum of shooting, from plinking to World Class competitive shooting, the .22 LR is a clear winner. A winner for low priced plinking ammo and a winner for high priced competition grade ammo.

The moribund 17HM2 is the best tree squirrel cartridge that I've ever used, but tree squirrel hunting is a niche market that tends to be older and less inclined to try new things. But, as was recently pointed out to me, I have more free time and discretionary income than most guys my age, so I have the time and $$ to try new things when the mood moves me.

The 17HMR has a clear advantage in terms of a flatter trajectory and more fragile bullets than the .22 LR, making it easier to hit your intended target out beyond 100 yards for all but the most dedicated of rimfire shooters. The first ever MOA capable new, just out of the box, rifle that I've owned was a Savage 93R17BVSS that I bought in 2004. I have found that poor shooting rifles chambered in 17HMR and 17HM2 are much less common than good shooting rifles chambered for those two cartridges. But, like most rimfires, they are often ammo sensitive and will produce noticeably better or worse accuracy with different ammo that, on the surface, seems virtually identical in all aspects. 17HM2 shooters almost universally mourn the loss of Eley ammo, as it has been to date the most accurate of all brands tested.

The couple of times that I've ever burned though 500 rounds of 17HMR ammo was on a pdog and gsquirrel shoot on the Rosebud Reservation in SD. I don't live in prime pdog or gsquirrel country, so burning through high volumes of any ammo, other than by the AK/AR guys at the range, is the rare exception to the norm around here.

PSA daily deal

$14 per 300 pk CCI Mini mag

buy 5 & they pay shipping........didn't see that 2-3 yrs ago

https://palmettostatearmory.com/cci...ocity-lead-hollow-point-300rds-0962.html

David Walter: Pros and cons for both cartridges - but they are minor.
The 17 HMR, beyond any doubt, far outperforms the 22 L.R. in all regards from trajectory to velocity to wind bucking to lethality to accuracy at long ranges to safety afield and more.
The 22 L.R. is cheaper to shoot and does a lot of things adequately - none of which compares to the aforementioned 17 HMR cartridge.
I own many dozens of pistols and Rifles in 22 L.R. and won't be without them the rest of my life!
I also own four Rifles and one pistol in 17 HMR and won't be without them the rest of my life!
There is no "OR", in my shooting life, between the 17 HMR and the 22 L.R.
My advice to you is obtain some of each and enjoy them both.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I think that's the way forward. I have a 17 HMR right now, but no 22 LR rifle.

David, you NEED a .22lr. Plenty around at good prices and decent ammo is so abundant and cheap it's ridiculous.

Doesn't everybody NEED at least one personalized Ruger 10/22?

For under $500 you could get a 10/22 with a modular copper mica stock from CDNN for $219, a replacement high comb stock module for around $20 on eBay, a replacement BX trigger for around $55, and a replacement barrel from Green Mountain for around $200.

WTF is wrong with you?

If I'm gonna spend a quarter to shoot something with a rifle, I'm using a centerfire, usually.

Thanks! 3,000 rounds for $140 was too good to pass up...

I made a snag as well... great price...

better deal today...........

3K rds CCI for $120 shipped



https://palmettostatearmory.com/cci-ar-tactical-22lr-40gr-copper-plated-round-nose-300rds-0956.html