.17 or .22

[alendil]

Hello

I am new here .

Sorry for any spelling mistakes English is not my first language i am from Darlington (just move hire)

in Jan i am going to apply for FAC just don't know what to go for .17 0r .22

any help will be appreciated.

i will be shutting

Rabits mainly

[rabbit_stu]

do a quick search on the forum mate, topics been covered many many times. They both have fors and against

 

.22lr.... cheap, quiet, less meat damage but not as much range

 

.17hmr... much flatter trajectory so further range but not as quiet, more expencive and more meat damage.

 

Put in for both seems to be the reccomended by most, as i have done.

 

Hope this helps, but as i said, cover many times before so stick it in a search mate

 

stuart

[vole]

Difficult one . I have had both , only got space for one rifle as mainly use shotguns . Going back to HMR as I do less range work and the fields I shoot are large with crows that are very wary . I never found HMR all that loud except in comparison to .22 rf with subs and moderator , which is a sparrows **** . You got any mates who shoot ? Wikipedia is good for performance info and Youtube gives a good idea of noise levels but best way is to have a go .

Edited December 6, 2011 by vole

[sitsinhedges]

What country have you moved from, and have you anywhere to shoot a gun

 

I would imagine it would be quite difficult to get a FAC if you are an unknown quantity from abroad.

 

An air rifle would be a good start for rabbits and require no licence at all.

[alendil]

I moved from Poland

i do have Shotgun licence use 12 bore Lamber

and i use Airarms s410 in .22

 

land to shoot yes few farms in cowerdale and Bolton estate is certain areas.

now i am looking for something around Darlington or Northallerton

[pat g]

They are two different tools to be honest. I have both as i'm sure many of the other guys on this forum do. You need to consider what you will be shooting most and at what ranges. I use my hmr for crows etc and sometimes Rabbits if the range is too great for the .22. Like was said in an earlier post the hmr does cause meat damage because of its balistic tip bullet.

If you want to eat what you shoot and you are shooting at ranges of between 50 and 100yards say, then i would go for the 22,but certainly apply for both.

Is your land cleared for rimfire? if it is'nt then the police will need to do a land inspection.

Personally though i still consider the .22lr to be the best tool in the bag, especially for lamping rabbits. Using sud-sonic rounds its quiet,does'nt do much damage to your rabbits and is cheap to run.

Like i say though they are two different tools in my opinion

ATB,

Pat

[Frenchieboy]

I see that you are new to this forum so first of all welcome my friend!

In answer to your question you will get varying answers as some prefer the .22LR while others prefer the 17HMR. They both have their advantages and their disadvantages over each other.

I started with a .22LR but when I got a 17HMR I sold the .22LR as it just wasn't getting used because I was convinced that the HMR was a much better rifle to use. However since then I have got another .22LR and have realised that they both have a place in my "armoury" as each of them have their own "virtues" in differing situations!

The HMR is great for longer range shots, let's say from about 75 yards onwards but even with a moderator it does give off a bit of a "crack" so I tend to use it more in the daytime for vermin control. The .22LR, although not capable of the longer ranges that the HMR can do is much quieter with a moderator on and is my first choice if I am going out lamping rabbits.

The HMR costs a bit more to feed than the .22LR but depending on how much you use your rifle then the cost difference doesn't get too noticable.

My advice to you would be to try to find someone who has both calibres and ask them if you can go out once or twice with them to see the difference and then make your own mind up. For what it is worth, if it were me I would apply for both calibres initially.

[alendil]

think i am turning direction of .22 much cheaper to run at the moment

now wich one You think to go for.

[mossy835]

iv had my .22 for 10 years, got slot for a .17 and .22 fac air,but never bought any of them, like my .22 bolt action brno to much.

[Catweazle]

Another factor to consider - how much time do you have for shooting and what hours ? If I have a spare hour and it's dawn or dusk then I grab the HMR with lamp attached, because I know I can get a couple of rabbits quickly without problems. If I'm going out in pitch dark I take the 22 with night vision attached, because I will get closer to the rabbits. Daytime hunting is always HMR, I don't have the fieldcraft skills to get across a flat field in daylight.