You will get a good chance to talk to the FEO, on the 5th and clear things up. 17hmr is a much faster round and will be less prone to ricochet i agree, but you should also take into consideration sound and cost of rounds. either way you i would expect that you have good backstops ( even more so with HMR due to its extended ranges ) so it does seem strange.
A well placed shot is all you need. .22lr you can plug bunnies all day... .17hmr one shot and they all run for the hills !!
let us know how you get on.