.22lr or .17hmr

[t5avs1 2]

why do people choose .17 hmr over .22lr generally is it because of the extra distance or better accuracy, flatter trajectory??

 

cheers

[kingnewport 19]

All 3 of what you said mate for me

[The Seeker 3,048]

why do people choose .17 hmr over .22lr generally is it because of the extra distance or better accuracy, flatter trajectory??

 

cheers

People don't choose generally .17HMR over .22 rim fire. Both have different qualities and many people choose to use both. A moderated .22 Rimfire is very quiet and much more suitable where noise may be an issue. A .17 HMR will provide the extra 100 yards when shooting rabbits/crows etc but with the distance come the crack of the bullet. Wind is also a factor the HMR bullet is affected much more than the .22 rimmy as is cost of the bullets (HMR being more expensive)

I own both as there are two separate farms I shoot where one is more suitable than the other.

 

Seeker

[halamrose 24]

Word has it that some firearms officers favour HMR because there is less richochets which I never know how to spell. Others belive safety as a facet of the user not the gun.

[sibaldib 6]

why do people choose .17 hmr over .22lr generally is it because of the extra distance or better accuracy, flatter trajectory??

 

cheers

People don't choose generally .17HMR over .22 rim fire. Both have different qualities and many people choose to use both. A moderated .22 Rimfire is very quiet and much more suitable where noise may be an issue. A .17 HMR will provide the extra 100 yards when shooting rabbits/crows etc but with the distance come the crack of the bullet. Wind is also a factor the HMR bullet is affected much more than the .22 rimmy as is cost of the bullets (HMR being more expensive)

I own both as there are two separate farms I shoot where one is more suitable than the other.

 

Seeker

 

Excellent answer Seeker.

 

Both tools that do different jobs. One isn't better than the other.

 

 

Cheers

 

Sib

[TWOTWOTHREE 152]

Totally agree i have both too and they come into their own depending on the surroundings. noise. safety etc my Feo likes the hmr because as said above the bouncers tend to occur from the 22,but then again if a shot taken is as it should be there is a sufficient back stop it doesnt become a issue or shouldnt if You prefer.if you can get both .22 is quiet the .17 is fast and straight in the right conditions.deadly pair.

[dadioles 68]

I agree with all that has been said, different tools for different jobs. I too use both.

Looking at it from a slightly different angle.

If I had to choose between my .22 and the HMR and was only allowed to keep one of them which one would I keep.

That is really quite tough.

I guess I would, maybe, scratches head... choose (long pause for effect - been watching tv game shows..... ).22LR

If push came to shove the .22LR does everything the HMR does but cheaper and a lot quieter, only sacrificing range, and you can get closer with good fieldcraft.

The HMR allows me to be a bit lazy by shooting further and a bit less skilled by shooting flatter. But, mostly due to noise, there are times and places where I cannot use the HMR.

 

Les

[t5avs1 2]

thanks for the replies

you can use the .17 for close ranges to though can you not?

i have heard that the crack is not to extremely bad though is this true?

i have no expierence about the .17hmr

 

cheers

[matt_hooks 188]

thanks for the replies

you can use the .17 for close ranges to though can you not?

i have heard that the crack is not to extremely bad though is this true?

i have no expierence about the .17hmr

 

cheers

 

Yes, the .17 does the job at close range admirably. The only issue is anything shot or food needs to be headshot with the little frangible pills, bodyshots do too much damage at close range.

 

As for the noise, it's not the boom of an unmoderated fullbore, but it's far more noise than a .22. If you have land where the noise is not an issue, then the .17 does a good job, albeit somewhat more expensively, but if you can get in closer than about 90 yards, and want to save a lot of money in kit and ammunition costs, then the LR is the one to go for!

[halamrose 24]

Of course you can - but there is no benefit over 22LR when doing so and you have to put up with the noise and expense.

 

Noise levels are always subjective and if your taking only a few shots may not matter but you dont want to draw attention to yourself or scare away what your hunting.

 

The issues of practice is worth a mention, you can afford to get good with a 22LR whereas the additional accuracy at range of an HMR is only of use to those with the skill to use it.

[dadioles 68]

One more thing to add - get a good scope. It sounds stupid but a good scope can cost as much (or a whole lot more) as the gun. Side focus (parallax) is not something I would ever be without but a lot of scopes will only focus down to about 50 yards, not too much of a problem if you reduce the zoom. For head shots on rabbits it helps to have quite a bit of magnification and 16x is ok but no need to go above 24x, my 32x Nikon Monarch is nice but less may have been better. It is at dusk that you really appreciate a good scope especially if looking slightly into sun.

 

For a .22LR most moderators will do a good job and there is not much to choose between them, SAK is cheap and as good as anything (I have several). On an HMR though my recent experiences have been quite enlightening. I always used a SAK on the HMR but found that the high temperatures and pressures were eating it away inside (not a problem with .22). I just bought one of Dave Mercers DM80 Mk3 moderators dedicated to the .17HMR calibre and it is fantastic. You can't do anything about the supersonic crack of an HMR but boy did this DM80 take the noise down compared to the SAK. It costs about 3x as much as the SAK but build quality is superb and it will outlast the SAK. Being overbarrel construction means the overall length of the gun plus moderator is less using the DM80 than with the shorter SAK. The DM80 also looks really cool! (you can tell I am now a fan).

 

Les

[andy s410c 59]

why do people choose .17 hmr over .22lr generally is it because of the extra distance or better accuracy, flatter trajectory??

 

cheers

People don't choose generally .17HMR over .22 rim fire. Both have different qualities and many people choose to use both. A moderated .22 Rimfire is very quiet and much more suitable where noise may be an issue. A .17 HMR will provide the extra 100 yards when shooting rabbits/crows etc but with the distance come the crack of the bullet. Wind is also a factor the HMR bullet is affected much more than the .22 rimmy as is cost of the bullets (HMR being more expensive)

I own both as there are two separate farms I shoot where one is more suitable than the other.

 

Seeker

That's it in a oner for me Don't believe the hype about the "flat" shooting HMR....Holdunder is what you,ll find yourself doing for most shots out to a 100yds @ 50yd zero

[Tobias 0]

I have both like alot of shooters they are both very good for example there is one place i shoot rabbits which is about 9 acres and on both sides of the boundary are horses and they dont seem to like the noise of the 17hmr so i just use the 22 which is great as nearly no noise and it dont upset the neighbours, then down the road i use them both as alot of the fields are hard to stalk so i will sit and wait and easily get long range shots with the 17hmr then use the 22 for lamping again it helps keep noise down also giving the option of more shots at night.

[Colster 1]

thanks for the replies

you can use the .17 for close ranges to though can you not?

i have heard that the crack is not to extremely bad though is this true?

i have no expierence about the .17hmr

 

cheers

 

 

You "can" use the HMR close range and then it's surprisingly quiet, ok so not in comparison to an LR but it makes you realise what effect the moderator has and that most of the noise is the bullet. I do find though that 20yard shots can be tricky as you need to hold over by more than feels right.

 

I never really find mine that noisy, it's a sharp crack not a deep booming bang like a centrefire or shotgun.

 

I agree with dadioles though if I could only have one it would be the .22LR for the same reasons.

[langouroux 14]

I personally would never have a .17hmr over a .22lr for the the following reasons:

 

.17hmr is pricey to run if you shoot a lot

.17hmr is fecking noisey compared to the .22lr

.17hmr is rubbish in the wind

to also have to clean a .17hmr barrel

 

I know it is a cracking round and a lot of my friends swear by them, but its not for me i'm afraid.

 

and just to put the cat amongst the pigeons, .22lr is also capable of handling charlie at reasonable ranges with well plced shots.

 

cheers