.22WMR or .17HMR?

[bwframe]

Rimfire bullet performance at longer distances goes away quicker than accuracy. Just because you can hit a critter at 2-300+ yards doesn't mean you should. We should all be concerned with ethical hunting practices.

17 HMR vs 22 Mag: Rimfire Cartridge Comparison by Ammo.com

17 HMR vs 22 Mag is a question that varmint hunters constantly debate. Are 17 HMR ballistics good enough for small game hunting or is 22 WMR superior?

ammo.com

 

[armalitesheepdog]

22WMR. Better selection for bullets and 'slightly' easier to come by.

250m for a rimfire? I admire your skills, sir. Pretty sure a 17gn-20gn projo would blow into your neighbors yard at that distance.

More like 250 feet

 

[Basher]

More like 250 feet

That’s a tick over 83y, still a cake walk for a .22 if all you’re doing is plinking.

 

[yetti462]

I like them all. I haven't priced wsm ammo lately, but from the sounds of it, I'm glad I stocked up ammo upon it's entry into the world.

 

[wcd]

Yes seriously someone on INGO trying to talk you out of buying one. Surely it could not have changed that much around here overnight?

 

[mmpsteve]

I like them all. I haven't priced wsm ammo lately, but from the sounds of it, I'm glad I stocked up ammo upon it's entry into the world.

I wanted to jump into the 17 wsm game and started buying a little here and there. Unfortunately, nobody made a rifle I could get excited about, so now I have a nice pile of ammo, and nothing to shoot it out of. Yet. I kept hoping CZ would see the potential, but nothing so far.

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[armalitesheepdog]

That’s a tick over 83y, still a cake walk for a .22 if all you’re doing is plinking.

Agreed. However 250yards with a .22 is so far beyond my abilities I can't even imagine

 

[Basher]

I wanted to jump into the 17 wsm game and started buying a little here and there. Unfortunately, nobody made a rifle I could get excited about, so now I have a nice pile of ammo, and nothing to shoot it out of. Yet. I kept hoping CZ would see the potential, but nothing so far.

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CZ doesn’t even currently make a centerfire that chambers the .17 Hornet or .17 Remington, both chamberings they used to have in the 527. I honestly don’t see them adding support for it at this point since it needs a dedicated rifle design for it. I’d love a .17WSM, but don’t see a future for the round and I’m not real hot on the Savage BMag. Pretty much every other .17 chambering is struggling other than the .17HMR sadly, and with the WSM bridging the (relatively small) gap between the HMR and Hornet markets, I’m not sure it will survive unless other companies start supporting it with rifles. I see it being like the .17HM2, where periodical runs of ammo will get made for it but that’s it.

 

[mmpsteve]

I've had both and I'm now without either. You're not going to talk to me out of a new rimfire, so help me decide which one. If you could only choose one of these, which one and why?

Uses are small game and general plinking out to around 250.

22 mag gives you bullets from 30 to 50 grain. With the 30 gr going 2200 fps, you don't give up a whole lot of velocity vs the 17 hmr. So for small game, you have more penetrating weight and options, and you can dope your aim enough for 250 yd plinking with the 30 gr. So I vote 22 mag.

Of course, having owned both previously, you probably already know this. For what it's worth, I have several 17 hmr's also, so I officially denounce my prior vote, and vote for both!

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[patience0830]

.17 HMR will usually be more accurate than .22 WMR out of the box and ammo consistency is much better. In my experience, the 20 grain hp are better game getters than the .17 gr plastic tipped exploders and more accurate in my guns. .22 WMR will drift in the wind more due to flight time a ballistic coefficient.

And the consistency of .22 WMR ammo is all over the place. Best I've found is Federal 50gr HP.

 

[two70]

Sure, except ammo for them is almost $1/pop if you can find it, and the only rifle chambered in it that’s currently in production is Savage’s BMag which has a fairly poor track record. I was tempted by one, but decided I’d rather save and get a .17 Hornet or similar. It’s even better ballistically, ammo is available and can be reloaded, and you can still find some halfway decent rifles chambered in it.

My vote is HMR. Hard to go wrong with either, but the flatter trajectory of the HMR is a big plus IMO.

Several companies load for .17 WSM but in batches and they are currently in-between batches. When batches are produced it is typically $0.40-$0.50 per round. Though .17 hornet can be reloaded, it is currently even more expensive and only even loaded by one company. There's also only one current production rifle in .17 Hornet and it is also made by Savage.

 

[Basher]

Several companies load for .17 WSM but in batches and they are currently in-between batches. When batches are produced it is typically $0.40-$0.50 per round. Though .17 hornet can be reloaded, it is currently even more expensive and only even loaded by one company. There's also only one current production rifle in .17 Hornet and it is also made by Savage.

Valid points, but the Model 25 gets much better reviews than the BMag.

As for ammo, it’s true that Hornet ammo is more expensive, but when you consider it can be reloaded several times, that cost gets spread out over the life of the brass and absorbed somewhat by the improved performance of the round. Like everything in life, they’re all a compromise lol. For what it’s worth, I do hope the .17WSM can carved out enough support for it to get additional rifles chambered in it and stick around. I need one to complete my .17 caliber collection someday hahaha.

 

[two70]

CZ doesn’t even currently make a centerfire that chambers the .17 Hornet or .17 Remington, both chamberings they used to have in the 527. I honestly don’t see them adding support for it at this point since it needs a dedicated rifle design for it. I’d love a .17WSM, but don’t see a future for the round and I’m not real hot on the Savage BMag. Pretty much every other .17 chambering is struggling other than the .17HMR sadly, and with the WSM bridging the (relatively small) gap between the HMR and Hornet markets, I’m not sure it will survive unless other companies start supporting it with rifles. I see it being like the .17HM2, where periodical runs of ammo will get made for it but that’s it.

Yes, CZ is not likely since they are busy downsizing caliber options and cheapening their rifles. Bergara would probably be the most likely new one to jump into .17 WSM production and that's not too likely either. The .204 pretty much killed the centerfire .17s, which were never terribly popular in the first place.

 

[Basher]

Yes, CZ is not likely since they are busy downsizing caliber options and cheapening their rifles. Bergara would probably be the most likely new one to jump into .17 WSM production and that's not too likely either. The .204 pretty much killed the centerfire .17s, which were never terribly popular in the first place.

Sad, but likely true, facts. CZ’s centerfire lineup has been unimpressive to me since the 527/550 lines got dropped. When they were still around I wanted to collect them all. Now? The only rifle CZ currently makes that I’m interested in at all is the 457. Much as I love the 452, the 457 was a major improvement for them. That ideology didn’t transfer over as well to the centerfires.

And agreed on the .204R for the most part. There will always be some of us who enjoy the challenge of the smaller calibers, but the .204 does what the .17s did and more (albeit at added cost).

 

[mmpsteve]

.17 HMR will usually be more accurate than .22 WMR out of the box and ammo consistency is much better. In my experience, the 20 grain hp are better game getters than the .17 gr plastic tipped exploders and more accurate in my guns. .22 WMR will drift in the wind more due to flight time a ballistic coefficient.

And the consistency of .22 WMR ammo is all over the place. Best I've found is Federal 50gr HP.

The 20 grain .17 has also shot better for me than the lighter rounds. I have one CZ 453 that's shot a .3" group at 50 yds with the 20 gr., and I havn't even shot it much yet.

I've had good consistency and accuracy with the 45 gr Hornady load in some rifles. The 40 gr Gold-Dot shoots better in others. The Federal 50 grain took my Henry carbine from 2" with most loads, to .5" at 50 yards. Each rifle has it's own favorite round, seems like.

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[movevio1]

My vote is whole heartedly for the .17HMR
It my go to for damn near everything around the house, but to be honest you should have at least one of each

 

[Remington 90T]

For paper the 17 is a lot of fun -couple of shots you can figure out the wind --22 wmp for game, when one shot and they are gone. Easier figuring drop than wind in the field.

 

[Amishman44]

In my very best "Tim (the tool man) Taylor voice,
"More power..."
I'll always choose the bigger/heavier projectile if I have any doubts

I'm with this response...
I played around with .17 HMR and .22 WMR 20+ years ago and stayed with the .22 WMR...
a) because it was a heavier bullet for groundhogs and raccoons...
b) because I already had a 6.5" stainless Ruger Single-Six, with both the .22lr and the .22wmr, cylinders to go along with it.
Have never regretted staying with the .22 WMR round...
Have had more than a few 150 meter groundhog shots with it, and lots in the 100-120 meter range, that were 100% effective!

 

[planedriver]

For my 2 cents the 22 is your best choice for a lot of reasons, not the least of which I what the hmr is going to do to small game.

 

[Squid556]

If you are wanting to do some long range figure shooting ...... My vote is on the 22 mag.

Its greater wind resistance trumps the 17s flatter trajectory. Drop is easy to accommodate, wind is harder.

This winter I finally reached the 200 yard mark for 22LR. 3 inch steel quite regular, 1.5 inch very hard. Yes folks its very doable. Also quite rewarding.