.17 HMR vs .22 WMR

Grandhubert

Well-Known Member
Gentlemen,

I would be grateful if anyone has owned and used both of these calibres for general vermin shooting to let me know how they compare and also where they are in comparison to for example the .22 using stingers and a .22 hornet on the same.

I have some experience with the .22LR with subs and stingers and a bit with the 17 HMR but none with the .22 Wmr and hornet.

TIA,

A
 
Amir, call me later, I have had a 22wmr for about 20 years.

The 22wmr is a pretty good fox round out to about 120 yards. Drops like a brick after that. I was about to dispose of mine a few years ago. The appearance of Vmax 32 or 33gr rounds gave it a new lease of life. However, it is relatively expensive to feed and has too much grunt for rabbits if you want to eat them.

I really do not rate the 17hmr as a fox rifle, but it is lethal on crows magpies rabbits etc out to about 150 yards, flat shooting and accurate. I actually think the HMR is a great round to use for general practice instead of a CF.

So, the WMR is a good fox rifle in limited circumstances were you cannot use a 22CF, and that is about it.

Realistically, I reckon the WMR is all but obsolete.
 
Will give you a buzz tomorrow mate.

It is exactly as you say, a situation where a .223 or .22-250 would be inappropriate. Foxes and Canada geese would be the main quarry; those geese seem tougher customers than the foxes by the way!
 
PS. how much gun is the .22 hornet, so to speak?

The hornet is a lot more gun, it is not a lot behind the 222rem. Can't remember velocity, but the WMR is ballpark 2000fps with the 33gr Vmax. The hornet is more like 3000fps with 40grainers. Gerry is the hornet expert

I would rather have a 222 than all the hornets and WMR's put together. However, if you are stuck in a Rimfire only for foxes, the 22mag is the only option IMO.
 
I suppose the other thing is what do your needs require? for I have a 17HMR which is a cracking gun but if shooting foxes it make a mess unless head shots taken, not a great problem as very accurate. I have used it on fox and found it ok for all but a few foxes I shot. I could have carried on using it but bought a .223 , cos I went all soft and felt sorry for charlie...or maybe its cos I can shoot him further now:D. 22 lr will of course be far better if you want to save the rabbits you shoot. I am sure someone else will post here soon and give you more of an insight
 
the hornet will do all what you want. it packs much more punch there cheap to buy. and if you reload you can reload them very cheap. they dont use much powder, easy to silence with a little t4 mod, and will be a great little all round caliber
 
Amir, call me later, I have had a 22wmr for about 20 years.

The 22wmr is a pretty good fox round out to about 120 yards. Drops like a brick after that. I was about to dispose of mine a few years ago. The appearance of Vmax 32 or 33gr rounds gave it a new lease of life. However, it is relatively expensive to feed and has too much grunt for rabbits if you want to eat them.

I really do not rate the 17hmr as a fox rifle, but it is lethal on crows magpies rabbits etc out to about 150 yards, flat shooting and accurate. I actually think the HMR is a great round to use for general practice instead of a CF.

So, the WMR is a good fox rifle in limited circumstances were you cannot use a 22CF, and that is about it.

Realistically, I reckon the WMR is all but obsolete.

In the US it is enjoying quite a run of popularity with the HMR lagging a bit these days. Here we have the Federal 30 grain Classic (2350 fps) the CCI V-Max 30 grain (2300+) and the Remington Premier (2200 fps) None of these cartridges give anything away to the HMR at 150 yards. The 40 grain Federal and CCI @ 1960 fps isn't "flat" but with a 100 yard zero it is a 5" drop at 150 and hits with far more authority than any 17HMR cartridge. I have killed 60 pound coyotes with the 22WMR. I like the 17HMR and have three of them, but I have seven 22WMR's and use them far more often than the HMR over some pretty open territory. When something bigger than a bird needs killing, I take the 22WMR.~Muir
 
I have both and I can see why people like the WMR in the US.
They have a range of animals between the rabbit and fox sized quarry we have that are perfectly matched to its harder hitting power than the 22lr.

I use 30gn Gamepoints and even with a PES overbarrell mod it is noisy as hell. that is my biggest beef. if I was using it for rabbits I would get one shot an hour!
I use the 22lr for rabbits mainly as I can shoot several from the same firing point
The appearance of Vmax 32 or 33gr rounds gave it a new lease of life.
didnt know you could get vmax WMR's that is interesting.
I like the HMR on birds particularly, I sometimes find the heavier bullets without ballistic tips can pass through areas of a crow or magpie and not drop them.
that and it has that confidence inspiring flat trajectory to take them further out when they get a bit wise.
I can imagine that a 22WMR could have this problem on a goose unless your shot placement was spot on or they were close enough. tough things geese.

I dont think I would shoot a fox at any distance over 75/80yds with either calibre without the circumstances being exceptional (calm day, good position, opportunity for follow up shot if required, animal not moving and clearly presenting itself etc etc). regardless about what you read the 20gn HMR bullet drifts with the merest fart of a breeze. I would go for impact energy over ballistic tipped shrapnel carnage on foxes if you cant use a centre fire.
 
The WMR is a great little rifle, I sold mine years ago and regretted it almost instantly. Like Brian said it is a great fox round, especially with the Federal 50 grain rounds, do they still make those?

John
 
Yeah, they do. Now that's one 22WMR round I seldom if ever use. I bought a brick of them about 10 years ago and still have a few dusty boxes lying around. I found the drop between 50 and 100 yards to be even too much for me, and stability past 100 was suspect. I still think that the 2200 fps Remington 33 grain VM load and the 30 grain Federal Classic are the best. The Remington is so accurate at long ranges. The Federal has raw power and accuracy combined.
Sizecomparisonto22WMRround100yardkillRED.jpg

In California we killed thousands of these tiny ground squirrels with 22WMR from 50 to 150 yards. This is tough shooting by anybody's standards. The 22WMR was always up to the task.~Muir
 
Muir, to be fair, mine loves the 33gr Rem premier loads, never bothered to chrono them, so I am sure 2200 is correct. They dod kill foxes pretty well, but I have used mine I think twice since I got a 222rem about 8 years ago.

At one time here in NI during the "troubles", the 22mag was all the cops would license so they were very common here for about 20 years. Since that has blown over and 22cf's are readily available, I don't think you could give one away.
 
I have taken Fox with the 22lr (40gr Velocitors, 32gr Quik-Shok), 17 hmr (17 JHP) and the 22 wmr (max-mag 40 gr JHp).. When dealing with fox or the occassional coyote beyond 125 yrds, I up the power to a 22-250 . As much a I enjoy the rimfires, they truly don't pack the punch beyond the 125 range.. The 222 hangs between the 221 and the 223.. Good round but not much difference between the 3 though... The hornet will definitely work for your needs, the rimfires will also, but get the game within a reasonable range to take. Best of luck with your ventures:)
 
Back
Top