Choice between .17 HMR and .22 LR

[telf]

i will be different if i could only have 1 it would be the 22lr , cheap as chips to feed and to be fair get to no your rifle then 100 yrd plus shots are doable

 

Incoming

+1,totally agree

[Paddy Galore!]

i will be different if i could only have 1 it would be the 22lr , cheap as chips to feed and to be fair get to no your rifle then 100 yrd plus shots are doable

 

Incoming

i concur young man.

although i've recently fell back in love with the hmr, the 22lr is quite happy on a bipod picking off rabbits at 120 odd yards from the lorry bed.

[Dekers]

I do tend to favour the idea of getting a .17HMR, I have to admit. Shots out to 150 yards might be the 30-40% of my total shooting, but I doubt I will be shooting them any closer than 60 or 70 yards anyway, because of terrain. Someone mentioned that the .17 HMR are known to be difficult to clean. I am not sure why that would be, can someone help explain please?

 

Perhaps not the easiest but I would hardly describe it as difficult to clean.

 

.17 is a pretty small bore, and it fires copper coats at a fair speed, so care is required when cleaning, and cleaning PROPERLY is essential.

[Muddy Funker]

HMR based on the shooting requirements you're describing.

 

I'd still put down for both though it won't cost any extra, everyone needs a 22

[Dunkield]

You could get a .22 and learn how to get closer than 150 yards away from what you are shooting.

But you will buy an hmr

[Byrnsie44]

I bought a HMR because if I go to get close and do a proper stalk I take my air rifle

[ravanelli]

Good luck with your quarry at 150 yards with a .22!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Too far mate, for most shots at that range with .22

 

Get the HMR......................no contest

 

Rav

[Dunkield]

Good luck with your quarry at 150 yards with a .22!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Who mentioned that?

[kenj]

Definitely got be be HMR with your open land. On a similar piece of land, I started off with an air rifle, as the rabbits were uneducated and I would get up to ten a session, then they started to run at fifty yards and brought out the .22lr, now days it's HMR, or nothing. Side head shots only if you want the meat with the HMR. Totally reliable out to 120 yards, 150 and beyond on a still day. This is my CZ 452 16inch varmint review. http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/cz-452-varmint-17-hmr-rimfire/

[Psyxologos]

Many thanks. I think I am sold on a .17 HMR from what I have read!

[Scully]

.22rf.

[Deiseboy]

Love how people say the hmr is effected by the wind. The hmr is the least effected by the wind at 100 yards out of the 3 main rimfires. Its effected by the wind at ranges you wouldnt consider with the .22 because of bullet drop and how much its effected by the wind.

[Elmer Fudd 1]

get both

separate guns through because interchangeable barrels are a waste of time with lots of re zeroing

[Psyxologos]

In the last couple of days I have had a rethink and now the .22 WMR is also a contender. Does anyone care to advise on how this compares to the other two calibres I have been pondering on? Meat damage, prices for ammo, accuracy etc. Many thanks in advance.

[kent]

In the last couple of days I have had a rethink and now the .22 WMR is also a contender. Does anyone care to advise on how this compares to the other two calibres I have been pondering on? Meat damage, prices for ammo, accuracy etc. Many thanks in advance.

There are only three worth considering anyway and here are the advantages disadvatages .22 WMR more wack, better if you must or might shoot bigger quarry, worse on wind than HMR and not as flat. 17 HMR flattest but although the best on wind only marginally better than .22 lr at 100 yds. unpredictable terminals through speed range .22 lr quietest, cheapest to feed HV ammo will shoot flatter and hit harder but cannot compare on trajectory with the magnums- in the right hands 100 yds bunnies are very on the cards with subsonic ammo, further it gets dodgy- hit in the right spot anything will and has gone down to a 40 grn lead bullet but its not to be recomended. What I think you need to consider is buying a .22 LR using it a lot and getting good with it, then add a small c/f like a .17 or .22 hornet, maybe a downloaded .222 ( if you get into that) to do the other things better than a HMR better than a WMR

Edited March 6, 2013 by kent

[Psyxologos]

Thanks Kent. I do own a .22lr (Anschutz Match 54) but it is a single shot heavy barrel target rifle. I do love it though, and taught me a lot with regards to trajectories and ballistics. I can also say that I am very decent shot with it, but as I said, single shot, heavy barrel, not a rabbit gun! I also own a .308, which too taught me a fair bit, as I obviously shoot it over longer distances. My enquiry is indeed for a rabbit/hare gun that will not destroy the meat and will be able to grass them at ranges between 60 and 150 yards, due to ground morphology. Hence my dillema with the .17 hmr, another .22lr and now the .22 wmr

[alendil]

get .22 hornet

[SHIPPERS]

hi there psyxologos had the same problem when i came too make the choice, brought a sako quod in 22lr and 17 hmr.changing the barrels sounds a great idea at first but can mean you have to take the scope off to get the barrel out, which was a pain as you have to rezero your scope again.got around this by fiting leupold gun smiths quick release mounts.the other problem is the zero will not be the same to each barrel so you end up rezeroing again.ended up getting another scope so now have a dedicated scope for each barrel.having said all that it is a case of horses for courses if you are taking more long shots then the 17 is the one.i find i use my 17 more and more over the 22lr even with the extra noise. you find you take longer shots, then the louder noise i find is not such an issue.if you think most of your shots will be up too 60 yards then go with the 22lr its a killer and no noise,like most pepole have said you need both, so the choice is yours which looks to me like you are going down the17route.good luck

[David 686]

I have both guns. Cz 452 varmint .22 and the varmint 17 hmr.

People will tell you about the wind wind wind !!!! With the 17 hmr. Trust me it's not a problem

Since getting my cz 17hmr I don't think the .22 is ever going to come out again.

Cheers

Ps the first day I took my 17 out I had 32 head shot rabbits.

[Gimlet]

Even if you can't afford to buy both, apply for them. You've got 5 years. I'd start with an HMR. My .22 is just used with NV now and it is superb at that because its so quiet. I wouldn't be without it, though I do miss it for plinking and I wish I'd bought a NV add-on instead of a dedicated scope.

If I had my time again I wouldn't buy the short 14" barrels that I've got now in .22 amd HMR. Shorties are light for off-hand shots and nice and manoeuvreable for those who like to shoot out of car windows but a longer barrel is more stable off sticks, bipods and in the wind.

[kent]

I have both guns. Cz 452 varmint .22 and the varmint 17 hmr.

People will tell you about the wind wind wind !!!! With the 17 hmr. Trust me it's not a problem

Since getting my cz 17hmr I don't think the .22 is ever going to come out again.

Cheers

Ps the first day I took my 17 out I had 32 head shot rabbits.

 

Wind is a problem with all rifles, its just the HMR moves more than quite a bit due about 3 1/2" at 100 yds 10 mph from 3 or 9 o'clock increasing with range so 150 yds as the op mentioned will have considerable amounts more than that. Now in fairness the .22 lr with subs moves 4" at said 100 yds so its no better and also drops 8" low from POA if the shooter uses the fairly std 50yds zero. As already mentioned the Hornet helps with these sort of ranges and still leaves quarry viable for the table, however this is a 22 or 17 rim fire thread.