Stealth Stalker Posted June 7, 2006 Report Share Posted June 7, 2006 As the title suggests what are the advantages/disadvantages of .17HMR over .22 rimfire? I have had some land cleared for 17 HMR but not my 22 rimmy and I'm considering the switch. I know I might be covering old ground but any tips or advice will be much appreciated. Cheers SS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye Posted June 7, 2006 Report Share Posted June 7, 2006 SS the main difference i find between the two is the .17hmr will give you far greater killing range ive shot crows and rabbits out to 200 yards. the down side its is not as quiet as the .22 rimmy,that is good out to 100yds for crows and rabbits. I must admit i stick to no more than 80 with the rimmy i am happy with that range any longer and i would use the hmr. I find the hmr is more accurate than the .22 but the wind does affect it more. So the HMR longer range, noisier, more accurate. The .22 rimmy quieter. shorter range. can do the irish sniper (Rick Oshea) bit. :yp: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadeye ive Posted June 7, 2006 Report Share Posted June 7, 2006 I have had some land cleared for 17 HMR but not my 22 rimmy and I'm considering the switch. Cheers SS Once the switch is made the .22lr will collect dust ............Just keep your Air rifle handy for the close range and indoor and in trees stuff Go on you won't regret it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackthorn Posted June 7, 2006 Report Share Posted June 7, 2006 hawkeye ive what happens with the 17 when it ricochet stood down range when my mate was zeroing (in a safe place) and i herd a few of them ricochet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye Posted June 7, 2006 Report Share Posted June 7, 2006 Never heard one do that mind you i only use BT in mine. That is the first time ive heard anyone mention a ricochet with the HMR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadeye ive Posted June 7, 2006 Report Share Posted June 7, 2006 Only use Hornady 17 grn ballistic tip as well BT.................The sound of the round exiting A Sak Mod can be confused with a rick o shea noise I feel . At 2600 FPS there is plenty of velocity to break the round up should it hit earth I feel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbivvy Posted June 7, 2006 Report Share Posted June 7, 2006 hawkeye ive what happens with the 17 when it ricochet stood down range when my mate was zeroing (in a safe place) and i herd a few of them ricochet hi blackthorn. i have put 1000,s of 17 grn, bt down mine and never had a bouncer, but i bought a box of 20grn stuff to try when i first got the hmr, and still have over 40 left. the 20,s do bounce. what was your mate useing please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackthorn Posted June 7, 2006 Report Share Posted June 7, 2006 the Waite of the round i am going to ask lanber, i was standing 100 yards down range, another lad stood in the same place and he herd the same, the strike on the board then the sound of something ricochet, you actually seen the dirt fly up after the strike then the sound, took me by surprise. what i am trying to say do they ricochet in fragments, having no energy to carry them far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 I've never noticed any Ricoche but I only use the ballistic tipped V-Max rounds. Inspecting the remains after zeroing against 60mm of MDF the remaining copper jacket is lead free and weighs absolutely nothing. I wouldnt expect that to bounce off or even travel very far. I would imagine your mate was using FMJ's ? If the jacket retains alot of the lead core then I would imagine that could whistle away? SS just to add to Mike's comments, the .17HMR gives you a different kind of shooting. The best comments I have ever read about the .17HMR was that it makes you lazy. It certainly takes all the guess work out of shooting. The other advantage is that you can comfortably use it on the occasional Fox. It flies extremely flat and considering the grain weight and size, hits extremely hard. Its better suited open areas as the sound can travel and alert your quarry. But as Ive has said, once you pick it up, your .22LR might have to take the back seat for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 I have had some land cleared for 17 HMR but not my 22 rimmy and I'm considering the switch. Cheers SS Once the switch is made the .22lr will collect dust ............Just keep your Air rifle handy for the close range and indoor and in trees stuff Go on you won't regret it that says it all really, My brothers got a .22lr he's stopped bringing it out since I got the HMR. You get far greater killing power, far more range, I've never had a ricochet whereas I used to find the .22 plain scary ricochet wise. I shoot an area with a grass meadow where we can use a large straw barn as a backstop. As its made of corrugated sheets you hear any ricochets hit it and believe me the .22's hit with a loud bang whereas I've never heard the .17 hit it. But then its fairly rare to miss with the .17 We sat out last night in my truck 100 yards from a hedge line and shot 12 bunnies for 12 shots no messing the round is very accurate a miss is usually down to me or stretching out towards 200 yards :yp: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackthorn Posted June 8, 2006 Report Share Posted June 8, 2006 just spoke to lanber it was hornady 17grain vmax, could have been something to do with the target was set up in a tractor track, the land valleys and we were zeroing into the valley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted June 9, 2006 Report Share Posted June 9, 2006 "I have had some land cleared for 17 HMR but not my 22 rimmy" Thats suprises me a little as most FAO,s would normally consider the hmr potentially more dangerous than the lr due to its higher velocity and effective range. I have both and use both equally. It depends a bit on the terrain you shoot and the amount of cover for the quarry. My shoots are well covered so most of the rabbits are within a 60 m range which is ideal for the .22lr If I am finding that mainly in winter the rabbits are upwards of 75 to 100 plus then I will use the hmr. I dont want to open an old chestnut again but having the extra range of the hmr can lull you into a false sense of security and a little over ambitious when it comes to taking long range shots and I certainly wouldnt consider trying to knock a fox over at range with a hmr. Its also a falacy that the hmr is more accurate this is purely down to the skill of the user, it might punch a smaller hole in the bullseye at 50m but thats about all. FM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted June 9, 2006 Report Share Posted June 9, 2006 FM, FEO's in Sussex issue the 17HMR before the .22LR. I spoke at length with my FEO about this and he explained that it was down to the safety of the rounds in question. He explained; The .17HMR may be more powerful and harder hitting, but it looses momentum very quickly and the V-Max heads break up the minute they hit something. Whereas the the .22LR carries alot more momentum and does not break up when it hits a target. The possiblity of ricochet is far greater, therfore the round is far less predictable and not as safe. I have 4-6 Acre, relatively flat, back gardens cleared for use with the .17HMR but have struggled to get much larger plots cleared for the .22LR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stealth Stalker Posted June 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2006 Thanks for all the replies guys I will consider switching to the 17 HMR but at the moment I'm getting close enough with the air rifle. Cheers SS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted June 12, 2006 Report Share Posted June 12, 2006 FM, FEO's in Sussex issue the 17HMR before the .22LR. I have heard it is the same in the Thames Valley now too Axe. That could be a bad thing if you really wanted to go for the quieter option, but hopefully common sense will be applied.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunganick Posted June 12, 2006 Report Share Posted June 12, 2006 "I have had some land cleared for 17 HMR but not my 22 rimmy" Thats suprises me a little as most FAO,s would normally consider the hmr potentially more dangerous than the lr due to its higher velocity and effective range. I have both and use both equally. It depends a bit on the terrain you shoot and the amount of cover for the quarry. My shoots are well covered so most of the rabbits are within a 60 m range which is ideal for the .22lr If I am finding that mainly in winter the rabbits are upwards of 75 to 100 plus then I will use the hmr. I dont want to open an old chestnut again but having the extra range of the hmr can lull you into a false sense of security and a little over ambitious when it comes to taking long range shots and I certainly wouldnt consider trying to knock a fox over at range with a hmr. Its also a falacy that the hmr is more accurate this is purely down to the skill of the user, it might punch a smaller hole in the bullseye at 50m but thats about all. FM. i think you will actually find that the .22lr goes further and carries more energy. If i recall correctly from a conversation me and axe had where i ran up a balistics chart for both. (of course i may well have done something wrong and this information be incorrect, but i believe it is correct) Unfortuantly kent are still in the dark ages and consider the 17hmr far too dangerous when compared to the .22lr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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