High Velocity .22lr Vs .17HMR

Gunner1985

Well-Known Member
Hi all

Not sure if this has already been done so my apologies in advance..

Was having a chat with my dad who has both a .22lr and a .17HMR the other day regarding the difference between a .22lr high velocity and a .17HMR.

We both think that the .17HMR is going to be flatter round but with the .22lr being a heavy round its going to have more knock down power and with it being high velocity more range than a sub sonic, seeing that 80% of the time we don't shot out passed 150yards is there any need for 2 rifles???

I will add we haven't done any tests on this but would like to know if anyone has and there views on it??
 
Don't own a 17HMR but have shot one and watched others. Quite impressed with the performance.

I have two .22LR a bolt action which is used with subs and a semi which I mostly shoot high velocity with so I am quite familiar to .22lr performance.

.22LR and 150 yards doesn't really sit with me as being a good match on live quarry. That's just my opinion and how I go about things.
 
The 22LR drops more but energy drops slower than the lighter 17HMR. There's a cross over about 150yards not that the 22LR is normally used out there.

I'd rather cut my own fingers off than own another 17HMR - just Google "split cases" and "misfires" as it's still a turd.
 
Don't own a 17HMR but have shot one and watched others. Quite impressed with the performance.

I have two .22LR a bolt action which is used with subs and a semi which I mostly shoot high velocity with so I am quite familiar to .22lr performance.

.22LR and 150 yards doesn't really sit with me as being a good match on live quarry. That's just my opinion and how I go about things.

My feelings too and that's why I bought a .17 HMR
 
please take into consideration the following.

HV 22lr rounds are cr@p on the accuracy found that every brand I have tried over the past 20 years have been worse than my old folding 410 shotgun :(

just my thought.

.22lr subs sub 100 yards with plenty of ricochet room

.17 hmr for the rest of the work, louder than the 22 but IMO the better calibre.

bob.
 
I'd rather cut my own fingers off than own another 17HMR - just Google "split cases" and "misfires" as it's still a turd.
Whilst there clearly is a problem with split cases, it amounts to a microscopic proportion of 17HMR rounds fired per year. I suspect that most owners have never had even one split case that they actually noticed? I know that I haven't! IMO, most people read something on line and let it affect their lives far too much!
Regardless of calibre, if something doesn't sound right I would investigate. It wouldn't cause me a great issue that's for certain and certainly wouldn't be dangerous!
 
Don't own a 17HMR but have shot one and watched others. Quite impressed with the performance.

I have two .22LR a bolt action which is used with subs and a semi which I mostly shoot high velocity with so I am quite familiar to .22lr performance.

.22LR and 150 yards doesn't really sit with me as being a good match on live quarry. That's just my opinion and how I go about things.

I get what you're saying,
what's your take on people taking 400yard shots with a .17HMR on live quarry??
I don't know the energy at that distance on a .17HMR but would guess it's less than a .22lr hv @ 150yards.
 
Whilst there clearly is a problem with split cases, it amounts to a microscopic proportion of 17HMR rounds fired per year. I suspect that most owners have never had even one split case that they actually noticed? I know that I haven't! IMO, most people read something on line and let it affect their lives far too much!
Regardless of calibre, if something doesn't sound right I would investigate. It wouldn't cause me a great issue that's for certain and certainly wouldn't be dangerous!
I bought one...
I found it inaccurate against the hype.
I found it didn't consistently sound the same.
I investigated.
I measured with test targets and chronographed about 500 rounds and weighed the lot.

I assessed.

I sold it for a 17 Hornet and I never looked back.

My opinions, my eyes and fingers.
 
The 22LR drops more but energy drops slower than the lighter 17HMR. There's a cross over about 150yards not that the 22LR is normally used out there.

I'd rather cut my own fingers off than own another 17HMR - just Google "split cases" and "misfires" as it's still a turd.

+1

Even if you ignore the split cases and squib rounds (of which I suffered with a fair few), the batch variation is simply a joke. I've said it elsewhere, but it's not as cheap a round to shoot as some might have you believe when you take these batch variations into account. Even small variations = a re-zero and I got pig sick of having to zero the damn thing with (seemingly) every few boxes of ammo bought. Add to that it's poor performance in anything other than still conditions, where anything more than 100 yds is pure guesswork (you can use all the apps you want but in gusty conditions it amounts to guesswork) and it is most certainly NOT a long range round. I viewed it as a flat shooting 100 to 130 yd tool for small quarry. I rarely shot any live quarry at 150 yds with it because I hadn't the confidence in it to those ranges. That's where the right tool for the job is a CF. If you MUST bang the drum for a tiny .17 round, then .17 Remington is a far more sensible round for 150 to 250 yd vermin control and has none of the hmr drawbacks. As for people exaggerating the issues...I seriously doubt that. I shot 1000's of rounds over many years from HMRs and jams where cases wouldn't eject were common place, squib rounds were unwelcome and occasional but I had quite a few in the last few years of ownership, split necks less so but I had a few of those too. Batch variation was very common and a right royal PITA. I'll never pick an HMR up again. There's far better alternatives for 150 yd vermin control.
 
.22LR and 150 yards doesn't really sit with me as being a good match on live quarry

Depending on the round, even a standard .22lr is still carrying in excess of 60lbs energy even at 200 yards. If you can consistently shoot accurately to that range then I personally have no problem with it, especially if live quarry is limited to smaller species such as rabbit and crow. The main obstacle with the .22lr and long-range shooting (within reason!) is the MPBR is only about 80-something yards, so you need to be very familiar with your own setup to be able to holdover accurately at extended ranges. Personally, my 'record' (if you can call it that) is a stone-dead carrion crow at a lasered 147 yards using a fence post as a rest. That took around a 16" drop with Winchester 40gr sub-sonic HP and hit centre mass. If you know your setup, and your own capabilities it's pretty impressive what the humble .22lr is actually capable of. The biggest issue, to my mind, is making certain you minimise the risk of ricochets, but at those ranges the bullet bleeds-off energy very rapidly so it's a manageable issue as long as it's borne in mind :thumb:

To me, the .22lr is one of the best calibres anyone can have in the cabinet. It's a superb round, and capable of a lot more than many people give it credit for

Edit: I agree with the 'HV are inconsistent' argument. My 452 spits out Winchester subs all day long at sub-MOA at 100 yards
 
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I would agree HV in .22lr are as good as usless they are so inconsistent. If you can sort a good .22sub for your weapon then there should be no issue with accuracy up to 120 yds or so. Ie head shooting rabbits. After 120 then you will need v good range finder and be able to read the wind. Best thing is it is effectively silent. Must say now for anything over 120 yds then just use .204 and be done with it. Body shots vapourise small vermin but head shots at bunnys for food at 200 yds not an issue.

Virtually everybody I know who ownes a .17 HMR has suffered a duff round and at least one broken stock.

Too much of a risk for little benefit.

D
 
Search round the internet and its like there are 2 different HMR's, one thats totally inaccurate and dangerous to its user,
then there is the one i use,1 squib in 4000 shots, hits most of what i aim at and holds zero good enough between batches
for what i need so far
 
what's your take on people taking 400yard shots with a .17HMR on live quarry??
I don't know the energy at that distance on a .17HMR but would guess it's less than a .22lr hv @ 150yards.

OK, you weren't asking me, but my take is that anyone taking such a shot is not fit to be trusted with a firearm.

At 400 yards with a 5mph crosswind the bullet will arrive at 747 fps, with 21 ft/lbs energy, and 39 inches of drift. Is it a legitimate shot to shoot at a rabbit 100 yards away with a rifle that can only make a 4" group?

FWIW, the .17HMR is my go to rifle for daytime shooting where noise is not an issue. The ricochet hazard is negligible, the accuracy is excellent, the terminal ballistics are excellent. It's good for rabbits reliably up to 130 yards or so (that's real distances not internet distances) If there is an issue then it is with the quality of the ammunition available. I'll generally get a flyer every 50 rounds or so with some brands, I've had one with no powder that left a bullet jammed an inch into the rifling. All that in mind I still prefer it.

I have yet to find an accurate enough .22lr HV round to be worth considering, although Velocitors aren't bad. .22lr is a lovely calibre, I have about ten rifles in it last time I counted, but the one thing that puts me off is the ricochet hazard.
 
OK, you weren't asking me, but my take is that anyone taking such a shot is not fit to be trusted with a firearm.

At 400 yards with a 5mph crosswind the bullet will arrive at 747 fps, with 21 ft/lbs energy, and 39 inches of drift. Is it a legitimate shot to shoot at a rabbit 100 yards away with a rifle that can only make a 4" group?

FWIW, the .17HMR is my go to rifle for daytime shooting where noise is not an issue. The ricochet hazard is negligible, the accuracy is excellent, the terminal ballistics are excellent. It's good for rabbits reliably up to 130 yards or so (that's real distances not internet distances) If there is an issue then it is with the quality of the ammunition available. I'll generally get a flyer every 50 rounds or so with some brands, I've had one with no powder that left a bullet jammed an inch into the rifling. All that in mind I still prefer it.

I have yet to find an accurate enough .22lr HV round to be worth considering, although Velocitors aren't bad. .22lr is a lovely calibre, I have about ten rifles in it last time I counted, but the one thing that puts me off is the ricochet hazard.

Thanks for your input same goes to everyone.
 
Back on the original subject and HV 22LR, some batches were capable of good accuracy from the RWS HV HP range.

However, post 1990 they seem to be unable to deliver what the older rounds did all the time. To me accurate (at the time) meant 10 shots in under 1.5" at 100yards.

The later batches didn't make this and also suffered from low speed shots in amongst normal ones.

I swapped to subsonic Winchester HP and got in closer.
 
You guys are shooting the wrong HV 22LR.~Muir

I'd be prepared to believe that. Having said that, the only ones I've tried are the CCI Stinger, Velocitor and the Ely somethingorother (which was so erratic I didn't even finish the box, let alone trouble myself to remember what it was called. They bloody stank, too) The Velocitors were ok at best, but they were so noisy and dirty I hated them, while the Stingers were again all over the place. I even tried them without the mod' (which kind of negates the entire raison d'etre of the .22lr) but it made little difference. For my part, if I'm getting the performance I need with subsonic rounds, then I'm happy to stick with them
 
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