Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires 22 Mag or 17 HMR?

Coldbore,

If ya still in the market for a 22Mag...PM me and I will get a pic of mine and send to you. Send me an addy. Mine is a Marlin 982VS (I think that is it but will need to check) with a bull barrel (don't let that scare ya as it is not all that heavy) and stainless barrel but not the glossy version. I bought new and have the box. I just want to reduce my inventory since I have some incoming medical bills. This Marlin shoots good and if I remember it shoots the 40gr best. Let me know via PMs...

ColdBore: Trajectory comparisons for 17 HMR and 22 Magnum:

17 HMR @ 50 yards +0.1"
22 Mag @ 50 yards +0.6"

17 HMR @ 100 yards 0.0"
22 Mag @ 100 yards 0.0"

17 HMR @ 150 yards -2.6"
22 Mag @ 150 yards -4.5"

These tables are compiled from comparing AccuTip-V to AccuTip-V Remington factory munitions - the superiority of the 17 HMR is even more profound when comparing the 17 HMR AccuTip-V to the Remington hollow-point and solid point offerings!

Reference: 2,012 Remington Firearms, Ammunition & Accessories Catalog - page 100.

Go with the 17 HMR!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I use to hunt groundhogs with a 22 magnum quite a bit growing up.

Body shots are not consistent in anchoring them before getting down holes--some will but a lung shot will often not.

For that reason, I'd be looking at head shots only, and for that, a 17 will get it done more easily if you want to stretch it past 100 yards.

The 22 mag has lots more power but it functions more like a deer bullet (never tried the tipped ammo though).

I've always liked the .22wmr, and have had some good shooters in that cartridge- an 1894M, 9422M, and then a 782. My current one is an 882SS (not SSV, which I found after side-by-side trial was not any more accurate). My 882ss is better than I am.

I am duly impressed with the accuracy of a .17, having many opportunities with one at the range, but my love affair with my S&W648, which I carry with the 882ss when chuckin', keeps my loyalty with the wmr. The 648 is just plain fun, and I can't wait to get my hands on the PMR-30 to compliment it. Expensive, yes, but the fun and capabilities far outweighs the price.

Said before, get one of each.

As often happens only part of the story is being told here. Lets take a look at energy, using the same data, bullet, etc from the Remington catalog.

17 HMR - Energy @ muzzle 245 foot-pounds
@ 50 yds 185
@ 100 yds 136

22 Win Mag - Energy @ muzzle 293 foot-pounds
@ 100 yds 219
@ 100 yds 164

When all the facts are presented it is apparent that the 17 HMR shoots a bit flatter, but for energy on the target the 22 Win Mag is the winner.
It is not that difficult to hold the 22 Win Mag a bit higher but it is impossible to increase the energy with the 17 HMR. The catalog does not show 150 yd energy but the 22 mag would still have a lead in the energy.

drover

Gotta put a vote in for the 22 Mag. I shoot a Ruger VMBZ in 22 Mag and have killed a ton of groundhogs with it. I like the ability to have different bullet weights to use. My load of choice is the CCI "TNT". You can hear them pop when they hit a hog...No exits for the most part..Just gels the inside..

If your still trying to decide on which caliber to get, my vote goes to the 22 mag. 22 mag shoots plenty flat enough for small game, with more ft lbs of energy than the 17. And check out how much more, 17 hmr ammo costs over 22 wm. That should be a factor too !

I haven't figured out yet what my HMR does that another cartridge doesn't do better. Not knocking it, just saying.

I never did either, which is why I sold it.

I'll take a 22 mag any day over a HMR. The 50 grain HP's are fantastic takers of game up to coyote and the old 40 grain ain't bad either. I have tried the light weights and they left me unimpressed

For groundhogs the 22mag is superior.
The HMR really shines on gophers past 150 yds.
Bigger than P-dogs or something you want to eat, go 22mag.
Ground squirrel zapper that you don't holdover to 200, 17 HMR.

Get the 22wmr. I had a savage 17 hmr and it was ok but I much prefer the 22wmr. It seems to kill with more authority.

My cz452 varmint shoots as well
As any 17 hmr I ever saw

i have 597 in both..my .22mag is the black synthetic and the 17hmr is the grey/blue laminate... the 17 is obviously more attractive and much flatter shooting so i will sell you it and keep the 22mag only because its a much better cartridge for anything bigger then ground squirrels !! (IMHO)

22 mag, just shot mine today as a matter of fact....

My plain jane Marlin 22 mag is a good shooter with CCI 40gr JHP. I shot this 15 shot group today at 50yds, leaning over the hood of my truck. Not too bad. It has taken several hogs with a well placed shot at the base of the ear.

My parents live in rural Indiana with a couple old barns on their property. I bought an hmr for the starlings that quickly wise up and stop coming within range of a 22lr. One day while shooting starlings, I noticed a crow about 150 yards away in the field behind my shooting location. Curiousity got the best of me, and I decided to see what a little 17 cal tnt would do. I was expecting a quick kill. The bullet destroyed the thick front edge of its wing near the base, and failed to penetrate enough to kill it. The impact rolled the crow, but it quickly got up and started hopping away. I had to chase it down and finish it off.

So while the 17 is about perfect for suspicious starlings, that experience with a crow leaves me doubting it for anything bigger than pigeons...

I had a similar experience with the HMR on a woodchuck. Shot the little bastard right in the front teeth from 160 yds with a 17 gr. V-Max. Bullet blew out the two front teeth, raked a furrow down the roof of it's mouth and was stuck in the back of it's throat when I got up to it. The chuck was gagging on the bullet in the back of it's throat but was still alive and required a finishing shot. I know from experience a 40 gr. .22 mag. bullet would have blown on out the back of it's head for an instant kill with the same hit at that range.

Our local outlaws will be talking about candlepower and the light they're using.

It's just a given that the gun will be a .22 WMR...

DF

Yep. .22 mag. will put venison on the table. Don't even need to head shoot. Put a 40 gr. JHP through their lungs and they won't be going far. BTDT many, many times.

You're not going to go into great details about how many million candle power you hunt with...??

DF