I want to get a new rimfire to play with and shoot tree rats with. I had planned on getting a .22LR but I've heard some impressive stuff about the .17 HMR so I've been thinking about getting one instead. I'm used to a .22LR but I've read that the .17HMR is superior in accuracy as well as range. Does anyone have field experience with this round?
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Those 2 rounds are not comparable. The 17 has alot more power. The 17 HMR and the 22 Mag are comparable. The 17 Mach 2 and the 22 LR are comparable. Id say get the 17 HMR or a 22 Mag but thats just my opinion. I have both and would recoment a 22 Mag before the 17 HMR. They both are accurate enough to shoot 100 yards but the 17 bullet has alot of wind drift past 125 yards. Also the 22 Mag has alot more knock down power out to 200 yards then the 17 HMR.
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I use my Savage 93, 17HMR for squirrels. One reason is that the fall turkey season is in at the same time and rilfes are legal then. (And it has accounted for 2 turkeys with one shot each) This rifle is extremely accurate. I have a 4-16X scope on it and have restricted myself to head shots only on squirrels. Yeah, you hit the body and the meat is severely damaged. Head shots on squirrels at 75+ yds off a bipod is a real challenge but something that the rifle is more than capable of as long as the shooter is. I think I have missed one or two!!!!!
The .22LR on the other hand is much cheaper to shoot and with the right ammo can be very accurate. If I had it to do over again, I'd would still get the 17HMR. Most I've seen and shot can shoot nickels (some even dimes) all day long off a solid shooting rest at 100 yds.
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Actually I think it was a Savage 98 I looked at that got me interested in it. It was at our local walmart for only $169 pretty affordable I thought. It's actually between that and a Ruger 10/22
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I prefer a .22 for squirrels...I have a Remngton 541-T, topped with a Leupold Compact 3x9x33, this rig will shoot dime sized groups at 50 yards...Just never saw the need for more accuracy or range than that in the squirrel woods....That being said, my brother has a Savage bolt in .17 and he loves it as well...
I would mention, I never have liked the Ruger 10/22, seems like most guys at Rimfire Central have to trick them out to get 1/2 inch groups at 50 yards, my brother has one of them as well, about the best he can do at 50 yards is 1 1/2 inch groups....So between the 2 guns you mentioned, I would prefer the Savage.
If you don't mind spending the money, I'd look for a used 541, either T or S...One other plus to them is that the trigger is adjustable, which helps....
Get a Marlin .22 LR, my dad bought one at Wally World for $200 once, and it's fine, just make sure after you buy it that all the screws are in place, as lots of firing can loosen them over time, and this is also applicable to high-powered center-fire rifles, especially bolt-actions.
Anyway, if you can fing a Ruger 10/22 in .22 WMR, those are rather rare, and also are nice guns from what I hear, but any loss of accuracy would probably be made up for with the increase of knockdown power.
The HM2 is an excellent squirrel round. And ammo is about as much as premium .22 lr ammo.
The 17HMR is great for squirrels as long as you don't want to eat them. you better make a head shot or there isn't much left. The 17 Vmax and TNT ammo is designed for small varmint hunting, so it maximizes damage to small game.
Hard to go wrong with a good .22 though, especially with all the available ammo for them. But the 17 HM2 uses the same bullet the HMR does, but it's based on a 22 lr stinger case where as the HMR is based on a 22 mag case. Still pretty good inherent accuracy with most marlin or savage guns and a bit better range than a standard 22. And not as much damage as a 17HMR.
If I were to ge a squirrel only gun it would be the HM2.
Paul
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I would go with the .22 LR just because the cost of ammo. We play around with ours and might go through 2 - 3 bricks a weekend. We have several calibers to play with and we still grab the .22's. We have a .22 mag, .17, .223, .22-250, and .243 for the smaller rounds and we still grab the .22's when we go out to play around. At last count we had over 12 different .22's to chose from.
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.17HMR or .22LR
. you better make a head shot or there isn't much left. The 17 Vmax and TNT ammo is designed for small varmint hunting, so it maximizes damage to small game.
