WHICH CALIBRE TO GET?????

[dave_424 0]

Hey guys, Im applying for my FAC and m wondering what caliber would be best for me. I am looking for a rabbit calibre for longer ranges (Out to about 150 yards) My brother had a .17HMR and I think it might me a waste getting another one. it might be a choice though

 

I also looked at the .22WMR however I heard that ammo is expensive and hard t get hold of.

 

I also have a friend who wants to sell his .22 Hornet for about £200 which I think would be a good fox calibre but ammo is hard to get

 

What do you think?

 

Dave

[Mr_Logic 5]

If it's just bunnies then HMR will be OK. If you want foxes then Hornet. BUT you will need to reload if you shoot Hornet.

[salukiwhippet 6]

As has been said, hornet is the more versatile of the two, but reloading is a huge advantage. It's not that hard to do and is very satisfying.

 

I would put in for 22lr at the same time, it won't cost any more on the application and is too versatile to be without in my opinion. Fine out to 100 yards on rabbits and ammo is £7-8 per hundred, as opposed to £20+

 

James

[dave424 0]

Hey, This is Dave_424 but on another acount

 

I am going to apply for the hornet now

 

Also will .22lr subs work well out to 100 yards? I think it is 7 inches drop from a 52 yard zero

 

Are .22WMR as hard to get hold of and expensive as i have been hearing?

 

Dave

[Mesarya 2]

Hey guys, Im applying for my FAC and m wondering what caliber would be best for me. I am looking for a rabbit calibre for longer ranges (Out to about 150 yards) My brother had a .17HMR and I think it might me a waste getting another one. it might be a choice though

 

I also looked at the .22WMR however I heard that ammo is expensive and hard t get hold of.

 

I also have a friend who wants to sell his .22 Hornet for about £200 which I think would be a good fox calibre but ammo is hard to get

 

What do you think?

 

Dave

 

 

 

 

 

I am in a similar situation as you, I am due to apply for my FAC, I was thinking .17HMR for long range rabbits. I know your brother got one in your case but it is not the same as your own.

[dave424 0]

It is a popular dilemma isn't it haha

 

I can vouch that the .17HMR is an excellent long range rabbit round. However I feel as though it is a waste to get another one because I go out shooting with him basically every time so I have the HMR capabilities when I need it and I just tant a diffrent calibre

 

Still nobody has talked about the WMR??

 

it looks like a really good round but I would like to know the costs and availability of the round

 

Dave

[salukiwhippet 6]

Yep, you will have to allow for drop with .22lr but you can afford a whole lot more practice!!! They are so quiet too, it opens up more places to shoot. Rabbits will be more edible too!

 

WMR doesn't have much of a following, I can see one would be handy for short range (sub 100yd) foxes but they're about 2000fps, so you'd need to be very confident of your range. Hornet is a much better bet.

 

Where in the country are you? Anyone local to you with all 3 calibres who would let you have a go? I'm in Glos if that helps.

 

James

[dave424 0]

well......

I live on the herefordshire, shropshire, powys border. my brother has a .223 and HMR, I have shot the .22LR but the owner was adamant that 60 yard rabbits were too far away.

 

I want to be able to shoot out to 100 yards relativley easily but not the HMR because we already have one.

 

If anyone with a .22 WMR could chip in to tell me about it then im kinda stuck

 

Dave

[salukiwhippet 6]

60 yard rabbits should be dead easy with a .22lr, mine will do 1/2" groups at 50 yards, and would be about 1/2" low at 60, from a 50 yard zero.

 

Hornet will piss all over HMR in every respect. In your situation I can't see the advantage of the WMR to be honest. Same recoil, less noise, flatter trajectory and 3 times the energy. I keeper a shoot with a mate of mine, I've got hornet, he's got HMR. We go out together most of the time, I think the HMR has been out of the cabinet once in the last 12 months.

 

If you can shoot straight, and judge range, .22lr should be ample out to 100 yards. It's only past that that you start needing to spend more on ammo!!!

 

If you get down this way, give me a shout and you can have a go with my .22lr and hornet.

 

James

[dave424 0]

Thanks ever so much, how easy is the hornet ammo to find and how cheap is it?

 

I think I will just stick with the .22lr and hornet at the moment. The .22lr because it is cheap and quiet, I can also "Upgrade" to standard velocity if I cannot deal with the drop at 100 yards

 

when you say the .22lr is ample at 100 yards, are you talking about subsonic or standard rounds?

 

Thanks alot guys

 

Dave

[Guest buster321c]

I`ve recently had a chat with Sporting Shooter about this very subject , and indeed its a minefield if your not `up on the subject ` if you will , as i am not . So this is as good a piece of advice as any i think Cheers SS - PS , im going for 22lr and 17 hmr

 

 

So what would be the best for me , im reading Small Vermin/Ground Game .22LR, .22 WMR, and .17 HMR, all i normally worry about is filling my airrifle!! Thanks for the help , Buster

 

 

If you have the funds to get them both them I'd say definitely, go for it. I've had a slot for a .22LR on my ticket for a while now but never filled it. You can use them for different types of land, for instance, where you know the shots will be long, the HMR comes in handy.

 

I wouldn't think too much about the .22WMR, the ammunition can be expensive and the rifles and ammunition supply can be lucrative.

 

The HMR at muzzle has 245ft/lbs give or take which is 2.5 times that of the .22LR with Subsonic ammunition. It does hit the animal with a great punch, but really its the bullet design that causes the increased damage with the HMR.

 

The .22 will fire soft nosed, solid lead bullets normally. They don't deform that much when shot at a Rabbit

at normal ranges. They mushroom just enough to cleanly kill.

 

The HMR in general, uses Ballistic tipped rounds. These are specifically designed for creating as much damage as possible to small varmints.

The Ballistic tipped round violently shatters when it enters the body created much internal tissue damage. If the range is long enough, it may not even exit. This is why headshots are preferred with the HMR as you don't eat the head and the amount of damage doesn't really matter.

Edited May 5, 2009 by buster321c

[SportingShooter 0]

I can see I'm gonna get stick for some of those

 

Dave, if you don't plan to reload, the Hornet can be a bit of a minefield. Pop into as many gunshops in your locality and see what they stock in Hornet. If they stock few brands and there isn't any amount of it, then I'd be weary of it. Reload? And the Hornet comes into its own.

 

The .22LR with subs can be shot at 100 yards with practice. You need to know your rifle and the drop at various distances. I think you'll find yourself sticking to Subs

 

As for Hornet ammo prices, the last I saw they were edging £1 a round.

[dave424 0]

Hey guys, I have decided on the .22LR

 

However my brother is HEAVILY into foxing (62 last year) and his friend is willing to sell me the .22 Hornet for about £200 with silencer and a few mags, Because the hornet will be used for primarilly foxes, I think that a box of 20 will last me a few months.

 

However the .22LR is cheap enough to shoot regularly

 

I think I am going to go for the .22lr and .22 Hornet unless someone can pursuade me to get another fox calibre. Keeping in mind that I am 17 years old. I might go for a .223 if I find out that my local ammo supply cannot get hornet or they are SUPER expensive.

[Mr_Logic 5]

Hornet... you will need to reload it, nobody stocks decent ammo.

 

Also, factory stuff is OK I guess, but it ain't cheap and it don't shoot straight. As an example, if I use Prvi factory, I get a group of about 1.5" at 100 yards. if I use a homeload of 12.3gr of H110, 35gr Vmax, then I get a half inch group. My homeloads cost about 20-25p each, and the factory is twice that.

 

Added to which, the 35gr vmax explodes, the factory SP barely expands. Hornet is great if you reload, but if you don't then AVOID!

[dave424 0]

man that sucks...

 

Howmuch would a full set of reloading equipment cost?

 

Dave