This is just my opinion. To me the .17hmr and machll are nothing but long distance rabbitt and squirrell guns.
Not suited for anything bigger, 17 gr of lead aint much.or even 20gr. A .177 pellet is around 17 gr. of lead.
So in essence all you have is a sub-sonic pellet gun.
The .22 Hornet is much better rifle and has been around for years, I cant understand why one would choose a .17 over it. the Hornet is flatter shooting with 45gr of lead, it cost more to shoot but it will lay the smack down on yotes or anything smaller. It is a little to much for rabbitts and squirrels, it rips them to pieces.
I have taken a few deer and hogs with my Hornet, its legal in my state. I have a NEF with a 3x9 Tasco.
I was shooting it yesterday from 20 to 120 yds with not much difference in trajectory, around an inch.I was shooting a home made spinner target made out of 1/4inch steel at a 100 yds. Using 45gr hollow points, my .243 was blowing right through the steel, the Hornet almost made it through, looked like someone started to drill through it with a 3/8 drill bit and stopped before going through it. Shot a 4x4 with it at 30 yds and it went through it like butter, even with the hollow points. You can hear the power in it. I shot at a can at point blank range, pointing the gun at it almost straight down, it blew the can straight up in the air about 20 ft andthe can looked like it was shot with a shotgun.
It's a nasty little round.