.22 WMR vs. .17 HMR

[HunterJ]

Who wins and why?

[longranger]

.22 WMR wins because of a heavier bullet which it's balistically superior.

[mikejonestkd]

I guess it depends on what the contest is...

A 17hmr shoots flatter and in my experience tend to be more accurate
A 22 mag hits woodchucks a whole lot harder at 100 yards and tends to anchor them easier ( fewer make it back to their holes)

[HAMMER1DOWN]

I own a .17 hmr and a buddy of mine has a .22 wmr and i think that they are both great but the .17 of mine is a lot more accurate than his .22 and my .17 does a good number on all kinds of small game, but the .22 wmr does hit a lot harder. So it really depends on the target.

[taylorce1]

Never had a 17HMR, but I have a.22 WMR. Biggest advantage I see is that I didn't have to invest in a cleaning rod and jag for a .177 caliber. Plus mine is pretty accurate out to 125-150 on praire dogs with 30 grain TNT HP ammunition so that is all that matters to me.

Too bad I can handload for my .223 cheaper these days as that rifle doesn't go out much anymore.

[HAMMER1DOWN]

yeah thats no joke on the handloading its almost 15 dollars a box of 50 for my .17 so i just handload my .223's and whack away with those for a whole lot less $.

[CraigC]

The .22Mag is more effective on game within its effective range of 150yds or so. The .17 tends to be a lot more accurate, shoots flatter and can be stretched for another 100yds. It's quite common to see budget priced .17HMR rifles like the Savage and Marlin boltguns shoot half-MOA but a rarity to get a .22Mag that shoots into an inch without spending a lot more money.

You may be able to reload the .223 cheaper but try to find a $300 rifle that shoots half as good as your average .17HMR. Less noise and blast, lighter and handier rifles and I always have to figure 'something' for my time spent at the reloading bench. I really don't see the two as competing.

[L_Killkenny]

Who wins and why? Whats the game? Are you shooting little buggers at 150 yards or are you shooting coon, fox or big ground hogs at 100 yards? While based of the same shell they fill 2 completely different nitches. It's like askin what's better a 22-250 or a 30/06. No right answer.

LK

[bufordtjustice]

I would have voted for my .17HMR a few weeks ago but now that Remington has recalled all their autoloaders in that caliber, I am going to say .22WMG for two reasons. I think there are going to be more options for guns and ammo in that caliber and plus I am ****** off at Remington for recalling one of my favorite guns.

[taylorce1]

You may be able to reload the .223 cheaper but try to find a $300 rifle that shoots half as good as your average .17HMR. Less noise and blast, lighter and handier rifles and I always have to figure 'something' for my time spent at the reloading bench. I really don't see the two as competing.

Don't watch a whole lot of TV these days as nothing is good on so what else do I have to do with my time besides reload. My H&R Ultra Varmint cost me $180 back in 1996 with scope, and has been a sub MOA shooter once I fixed the scope mount. And it is about as light as my Savage 93 .22 WMR with heavy barrel and laminated stock. May loose out in the noise and blast catagory, however the punts and splashes plus adding at least another 100 yards to my effective shooting range over the .17 HMR is enough of a competition for me to favor the .223.

[srt 10 jimbo]

I'd say inside 100 yards I'll use the 22WMR. 17HMR On anything longer.:)

[rickyjames]

i have 1 17 hmr and 2 22 mags. the 17 can put 3 shots in a dime at 100 yds. my marlin 22 mag puts 3 shots in a quarter at 100 yds. the 22 mag ammo is cheaper. if i could only have 1 i'd keep the 22 mag.

[jgcoastie]

As of now, I only own one rimfire: Marlin 917S in .17 HMR. I can cover five shots with a dime at 150 yards. Taken a few foxes out to about 225 yards with it. Didn't seem to kill them any less dead than my .22 Mag did.

[Come and take it.]

Why not the 5mm remington rimfire?

[HunterJ]

Who wins and why? Whats the game? Are you shooting little buggers at 150 yards or are you shooting coon, fox or big ground hogs at 100 yards? While based of the same shell they fill 2 completely different nitches. It's like askin what's better a 22-250 or a 30/06. No right answer.

LK


Mr.LK, I asked a broad question for a reason. Not to offend anyone, but to hear from all sorts of shooters. I wanted the hunters, the paper shooters, etc. to all post thoughts. So far I am liking the results.

[L_Killkenny]

Mr.LK, I asked a broad question for a reason. Not to offend anyone, but to hear from all sorts of shooters. I wanted the hunters, the paper shooters, etc. to all post thoughts. So far I am liking the results.

I was wasn't offended in the least. And others have done a good job of pointing out the plus' and minus' of each. But it's just impossible to decided which is best in a broad sense. But here' my list broke up into uses:

Starlings and crows under 100 yards = toss up, over 100 yards = .17
Prairie Dogs = .17
Punching paper = .17
Fox under 100 yards = toss up, 100-150 yards (maybe 175) = .17
Coon = same as fox
Ground Hogs = same as fox and coon
Coyote = recommend neither BUT the .22 mag is better.

As you can see, Most of my answers are either "toss up" of the .17HMR. But considering I don't hunt the smaller critters at all(cept squirrel and bunny with a .22), coon are always under 50 and their is always a possiblity that a coyote could show up. That = the .22 mag.

LK

[Scorch]

We've seen this question a few times before. The correct answer depends on what you intend to use it for. The 17HMR shoots a lot flatter and is typically more accurate than a 22WMR, but the 22WMR hits harder on larger animals. Take your pick.

[Lawyer Daggit]

I have a Winchester 9422 magnum and a 9417 HMR. The HMR shoots flatter and is more accurate than the .22 magnum.

The Magnum is however far and away the better killer, and if a manufacturer stats loading ballistic tip bullets (or better quality bullets) into the .22 magnum, as I think they inevitably will, the accuracy difference will evaporate.

[Uncle H]

A buddy that I shoot at groundhogs with uses a H&R .17 Handi-Rifle. I use a .22 WMR some of the time (depending on the distance) and a 22-250 other times.

I've found that the .22 WMR loaded with those new Hornady V-Max 30 gr. bullets are accurate and faster than CCI's or others I've tried. The claim is 2,200 fps out of the tube.

Both the .22 WMR and 22-250 are Savage products.

On the other hand, I went out & got a H&R Varmint fluted heavy barrel in .204Ruger. Now THAT'S a whole different ball game. :D