Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires What happened to the Hornady 17 HM2 cartridge?

First, I admit, haven't followed it at all. But thought replacing the barrel on my 77/22 with a barrel in 17 HM2 would be interesting for squirrel, the only small game I hunt anymore. Looked around for a replacement barrel, nothing, looked around for ammo, very very limited. I'm also not a computer search guru, but usually can find stuff. Guess I'll be sticking with 22LR.

Not too many manufacturers making them any more. Savage is. It's a fantastic round that never quite caught on. It was plagued with split neck issues that to this day are still common. Since it never caught on heavily the aftermarket likewise didn't

Neither did hardly anyone else. That's what happened to it--nothing.

The local Sportsman's Warehouse store has 17HM2 ammo on their shelves, or at least they did a few days ago. CCI is still loading 17HM2 ammo and labeling it under their name and Hornady's. But I bet given the current ammo panic, all of CCI's rimfire production is dedicated to the most popular cartridges like 22LR and 17HMR. So, it may be a while before CCI makes another run of 17 HM2 ammo. If you're looking for info, parts, etc. for most anything related to rimfire guns, I suggest you visit the website: Rimfire Central. IMO, that's the site most often frequented by most of the rimfire aficionados.

I wanted one early on, but ammo was hard to find at the time so I lost interest. Interestingly enough, it's about the only rimfire on the shelves nowadays locally.

One of the best squirrel hunting rounds ever produced IMO!! Bought lots of Eley, Remington and even Federal back in the day. Installed a custom barrel on my Sako and wow!! Out to 125 yards most of the time they were in trouble. Still believe in my statement! Twitch

When necks started splitting they quit making them for a while. It killed it.

Tried one of SAS’s special run Rugers. Don't think the current ammo is as good as it used to be, so sold it and the ammo off without serious loss. No splits, just not worth the trouble compared to .22LR.

The best tree squirrel cartridge ever made!

Out to 100 yards you have a flat shooting gun that shoots as well as match grade 22 ammo.

It's a small niche, but I'm glad I have mine and about 5 bricks of eleys laid back for mine. I grab it every time I go squirrel hunting

I have a cz 452 American 17hm2 with a 3x9 Leupold. I take 75-100 squirrels a year with it here in the Missouri bootheel. Never had any split cases myself but have seen some of the 15 gr with cracked necks out of a Marlin. I love it. Will keep it forever.
Watch out for rimfirecentral, there's a lot of one upmanship over there. I'm a member myself.

Green mountain used to produce a 17hm2 for a 77/22. I have one somewhere. If I find it I will PM you. It is a sporter contour and fluted but short. 16-20” if I remember correctly. Check with green mountain and see if they still make it.

I have a GM barrel in 17HM2 I bought and never used. I think that it is around 20", a blued fluted sporter contour that was made for a Ruger 96/17. If you're interested I'll hunt it up, but I don't know how much different the barrel shank specs are between the 10/22, 77/22. and 96/22.

Count me as a 17HM2 fan. I have a really accurate Anschutz 1502 and a nearly as accurate Marlin 917M2S that I hunt fox squirrels with. I bought one of the Ruger American Rifles that SAS had made up for Whitaker's as I was looking for a lighter rifle, but have been disappointed that it doesn't shoot as well as I had hoped. I think that the Eley and Remington ammo was generally more accurate than the CCI/Hornady, but the CCI/Hornady does OK. There is no doubt in my mind that the 17HM2 is the best round for hunting tree squirrels yet to be in an accurate rifle.

If there were more serious tree squirrel hunters, there would be a greater demand for the 17HM2, maybe even enough demand to prompt Eley to make ammo again.

Mostly anemic and uninteresting.

It is by far the best squirrel hunting cartridge that is made. It is alive and well here. I have 5 rifles now and another one on the way as we speak. Lots of ammo around here. And I have a nice stash of it as my boys like to go through it. Lol. It is one of my favorite cartridges. We like to chase the Curr dogs around and knock out those bushy tails out of the trees.

It is a fantastic varmint round.

It was very popular among varmint shooters right out of the gate. But it has ridiculous pressure spikes and a lot of semi-autos were recalled accordingly.

If you can get one in a bolt gun or single shot, and lay in a good supply of ammo, they are well worth the effort. But I will add that it is awful in high winds and some modern 22LR gives an equivalent "pop" on a rat or rabbit.

They are insanely accurate. Typically.

The 17HM2 seems like it would be the perfect round for shooting iguanas at long range down your way or for shooting armadillos in the southwest.

I have 6 rifles chambered in 17hm2, all bolt guns with good scopes. It's an amazing ground squirrel round and I shoot 3-5 thousand squirrels with it every year. In dead air, you can hit them at 150 yards, however wind impacts the trajectory and you need to learn the art of holding into the wind.

It would be dynamite on iguana but it would be too loud for the places I hunt.

It's pretty schitty for long range IME. But it is a sure thing 75yds and under.

I've shot fox squirrels at 100 yards or so when they were out in corn fields harvesting ears that didn't make it into the combine's feeder house. Where is was safe to do so, I've shot black walnut out of the trees that they grew on out to 125 yards, but I needed a little hold over past 100 yards.

I was thinking that a suppressed 17HM2 would be safer than a suppressed .22 LR because the 17HM2 bullets are fragile and not prone to ricochets.

many dedicated squirrel hunters love it....

DeanAnderson: I love my heavy barrel 17 Mach2 Varmint Rifles.
They are both splendidly accurate and the round is simply amazingly lethal for such a small and quiet cartridge!
I AM a "dedicated" Ground Squirrel Hunter and it excels at that task.
I have only shot ONE "suppressed" 17 Mach2 and that was a re-worked heavy barrel Ruger MK-II pistol.
It was just wonderful to shoot and VERY accurate as well.
My friend who owns it and put it together a few years ago was NOT able to travel to Montana this year (due to covid) so I did not get to use it this year - hope to next year.
Indeed that is another MAIN selling point for the 17 Mach2 over the 22 L.R. - no ricochet's to worry about. The bullets are very frangible and simply come apart on impact with most anything.
The highlight of my Hunting with a 17 Mach2 was a "one shot kill" on a big boar Badger!
I shot him head on right in the Adams Apple at the mouth of his den and he never moved an inch!
Badgers seem to easily "absorb" 22 L.R. rounds and run off to a burrow before they expire.
I wish that I could see into the future regarding 17 Mach2 ammo availability - but I can't.
So I have had a "lifetime supply" of Hornady 17 Mach2 ammo on hand for over a year now.
I saw some at a Murdochs hardware and feed store here in SW Montana yesterday at $8.99 per box of 50.
Best of luck to you if you decide to try one.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I bought my brother and I H&R heavy barreled 17M2s at a little place in Vermont that had them marked down to $90.00. After shooting them we have laid in a lifetime supply of Hornady ammo. Between .17 HMR and M2 I've probably got more .17 than .22 LR. Those two guns are crazy as hell accurate and quiet compared to .22 LR.

Every year we squirrel hunt with them but even more fun is to sit in deer stands over food plots and shoot big swamp rabbits that come out before dark. We head shoot them out to a hundred yards. I've often said I'd buy a bolt gun if I came across one, especially a 452 or Marlin. In all honesty for treed squirrels and rabbits the single shot is not a handicap.

Still diggin around for a barrel. Found some Ely ammo on GB but they won't sell to IL, we have enough challenges here without fellow shooters punishing us even more as it's legal here. But anyway... stuck here for a while longer. Best friend's family has 300 acres in central WI, where I've been going for over 30 years for deer, turkey, coyote, squirrel... crow... all kinds of stuff. I'll keep looking and maybe I'll even find something. Thanks for all the advise and stories...

The set back from the shoulder for the 77/22and the 96/22 is the same. The setback on the 10/22 is about 1/8” shorter(forget the actual difference). You can get a spacer made to fill the gap and use a 77/22 or 96/22 on a 10/22. If you want to use a 10/22 barrel on a 77/22 then you need the should set back the additional distance and have a second extractor slot cut in the end of the barrel. Folks have had CPC to that work and make them a shim piece so they could use the barrel in either rifle.

I thought it was going to be DOA but it's lingered on. It will likely take it's place beside the 5mm....

Wish I had one, that and the 5mm Rem Mag is the only rimfire ammo that SGAmmo has for sale; 100’s of 50 rd boxes.

Dean, I have a Green Mountain barrel in 17 Mach II for sale. 16.5 inches, stainless fluted sporter barrel. $125.00 shipped if you are interested.
k2nd

k2nd, sending a PM. Thanks!

Aboltfan: Dang that was a smokin deal for you and your brother that you got on the 17 Mach2's.
Good for you guys.
I think I paid $155.00 for my H&R Handi-Rifle in 17 Mach2 (used!) several years ago.
I would gladly pay more than that for another one, just like it!
I have spoken before on the good accuracy of my H&R 17 Mach2 and have been meaning to put a more powerful scope on it just to more truly test its accuracy.
I have a quality 3x9 variable scope on it now and maybe this winter I will just dig out my 36 fixed power scope to do some "testing" with.
Enjoy your H&R's - mine goes along with me just about everywhere I travel here in Montana - it IS small and handy and fits behind the seat of my truck easily in its case.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I had a cz 452 varmint version shot very well just never fell in love with the combo. Than again I've not got no real love for the HMR either..

I have a Cooper M57 17HM2. Great rifle and cartridge for squirrels. I bought 2 cases of Eley when it was on close out for $3.49 per box of 50. Also have a few thousand rounds on Hornady ammo. I can always debarred to .22 in the unlikely event that I run out of ammo.

cci had some on their site earlier today

Thanks k2nd for offering your barrel to me and just ordered 1,000 rounds from SGAmmo.com, screw GB!

I'm probably gonna have a CZ457 before too long, in .22 LR. If CZ were to offer a barrel made for the HM2 I'd likely have to have it too...

I'm thinking the squirrels are going to be in trouble this coming season! The shorter barrel changed the balance of the rifle a little and lightened it up too. Stainless medium height rings are only mediums I had, with the low height the bolt handle hit the scope and the high height were just too high. I'll see how it shoots and if it bothers me enough, will get medium height matte rings. Having another blizzard here today so who knows when I'll be able to get to the range, but I'll post some pics from when I do. Thanks to all that shared and thanks again to k2nd for the barrel.

Dean, your rifle looks great!
k2nd

I’m a huge fan of the 17HM2.

A long while back, it was essentially the kickoff to me getting more serious about my hunting adventures.

I was looking for a bolt action rimfire and came across CZ and their 452. While looking for a .22LR, I read about the 17HM2. I managed to find one in the Varmint model so I picked it up. It was incredibly accurate. Unfortunately, I really wanted the American and eventually found one, but had to trade away the Varmint to get it (college kid, doing what I had to do). I still have that American, along with a maple American, that get used all the time.

If anyone has a lead on a Varmint Model 452 in 17HM2, I’d love to have a conversation!

You and me both. They have been bringing ridiculous money lately on GunBroker.