.17 or .22

.22rf typically a 40grn solid lead bullet hits harder than .17 but distance is limited to under 100yds, with a good sound moderator and using subsonic ammunition it can be almost silent.

.17hmr uses either a 17grn or 20grn bullet, it has a flatter trajectory and travels more than twice the speed of sound but the sonic crack can't be suppressed. But you can shoot stuff much further away (if it's not too windy)
 
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Noise and about 80+ yards range. If you shoot a lot of rabbits then a .22 is what you want. If you shoot vermin various including corvids which are hard to get close to then a .17hmr is the better choice. The .17 gives you a chance to shoot foxes at sensible ranges too. I'm sure it's been put on here many times that it is not up to shooting foxes but I have shot a few, all under a hundred yards and none have ever moved after the bullet has hit home. Hope this helps
 
Check out this video of a .17 HMR shooting rabbits,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhWXUaGCjKY

I have one and agree with baguio, the HMR is great for foxes up to 100 yards. I have shot a few foxes and none of them have ever took a step forward after they were shot.

As the HMR is travelling so fast and some use the V-Max bullet there is a less risk of a ricochet as the bullet defrags easily, I use to have a .22 R/F and you would hear the the ricochets quite often, I have had the HMR for about 5 years now and I have never heard a ricochet yet.

IMHO go for the HMR.
 
both have there + and = points. 22lr is nice and silent where the hmr has a crack to it. but the hmr has more range and less prone to zinging off here and there like the 22lr does.

the hmr has alot more ftlb then the 22lr so it does hit alot harder then 22lr
 
hi ,i have both ,hardly ever use my .22 know,the .17 is much better i think, but it is much louder and you do get more foxes with it if the range is right. it a lot to do with what kind of ground i shoot on that you cant get close to them:(
 
I have been wantin to post a similar thread for a while and i'm very intrested in other folks experiences.
I have no experience of .17s but the ranges ur talking about would a .22rf with high velocity rounds(lasers/cyclone etc) not do a very similar job.
Also is it fair to be comparing a 22 with subsonic rounds to a .17 round which is 1 off the fastest around, in my mind like comparing an old landy to a paris dakar 4x4 both will do the job but really designed for different jobs in mind?

Around 20 odd years ago when i was keepering (before all the multitude off calibres we have now became easily available, and even before mods were legal on cf rifles:old:) the boss had 2x .22s 1 zeroed with subs for lamping and the other with hv's for throu the day in landy and checking snares, similar to the jobs u'd use a .17 for now.

My fac is up next year and have thought about gettin a .17 but the more i think, the more i might try to get another .22 instead zeroed with hv. The positives i can see are very cheap to buy and cheap to feed and also a heavier bullet so not so prone to wind
Be intrested to hear other opinions who have exp with 22 with hv rounds and .17's. cheers
 
I have been wantin to post a similar thread for a while and i'm very intrested in other folks experiences.
I have no experience of .17s but the ranges ur talking about would a .22rf with high velocity rounds(lasers/cyclone etc) not do a very similar job.
Also is it fair to be comparing a 22 with subsonic rounds to a .17 round which is 1 off the fastest around, in my mind like comparing an old landy to a paris dakar 4x4 both will do the job but really designed for different jobs in mind?

Around 20 odd years ago when i was keepering (before all the multitude off calibres we have now became easily available, and even before mods were legal on cf rifles:old:) the boss had 2x .22s 1 zeroed with subs for lamping and the other with hv's for throu the day in landy and checking snares, similar to the jobs u'd use a .17 for now.

My fac is up next year and have thought about gettin a .17 but the more i think, the more i might try to get another .22 instead zeroed with hv. The positives i can see are very cheap to buy and cheap to feed and also a heavier bullet so not so prone to wind
Be intrested to hear other opinions who have exp with 22 with hv rounds and .17's. cheers

A couple of things .22 is as afected by wind it isn't talked about so much as people don't shoot over such long ranges as with 17, the second is that .22 HV has nothing like the accuracy of the .17. If you can try one do, you will be instantly converted. I have shot over 500 rabbits this summer with mine, very few misses or runners the .22 doesn't leave the cabinet much these days. You don't have to think about range so much.
I also do not miss hearing the ricochets from .22 and before you say it you still get them when you hit the target!
Noise is only an issue if near people , the bunnies don't give a monkeys, in fact the 'thock' of thier mate being hit by a subsonic IMO is far more disturbing than the distant crack of a .17.
The only down side is the price of ammo.
 
hello guys i have used the 22lr the22wmr and the 17hmr. the 22lr great for lamping when zeroed with subsonics and fitted with a mod. the hmr is lethal out to 200 for rabbits and about 100 on charlie. for me the 22wmr is kind of and in between but it does not have the same distance as the hmr. do many on hear have a wmr
 
hello guys i have used the 22lr the22wmr and the 17hmr. the 22lr great for lamping when zeroed with subsonics and fitted with a mod. the hmr is lethal out to 200 for rabbits and about 100 on charlie. for me the 22wmr is kind of and in between but it does not have the same distance as the hmr. do many on hear have a wmr

I have seven 22WMR's and three HMR's. THis is one of my favorite WMR's
Swift2-6LERonSavageStrikerjpgRES.jpg

And this is a pretty typical group
StrikerGroupFed30100yardsHP061.jpg


The round I prefer for the WMR out to 150 yards is the Federal Classic 30 grain HP at 2360 fps (actual) velocity. It is accurate and lethal.~Muir

(Sorry about the huge photo. Don't know how that happened!)
 
I recently put a hmr barrel on my Sako and I cant see the 22 going back on! Devastating on rabbits out to 170yds and no ricochet. Shoots the same distance as the .22 in moderate winds and a hell of a lot further with little wind. As said earlier the rabbits seem less disturbed by the crack of the hmr than of the 'phut' of the .22. Double the price of .22's but double the accuracy and very few misses. Havent tried it on fox yet.
 
Wait til you get that first bad lot of ammo and you get misfires, split cases, and inconsistent accuracy. My HMR's don't even get consideration any more, and the Ruger 77/22 conversion in 17 Mach 2 never gets shot. For me it's WMR, 22LR or 5mm.~Muir
 
Cheers liongeorge, that was exactly wot i was looking for a bit off 1st hand experience, althou in 1 post have almost swung my back to the .17 again. I must admit i hate the richocets with the .22, so would be very glad to see the back off them.

My mates have jist got a variation for 1 althou are bit skint so in no hurry to buy 1 soon, so i will get a play with that hopefully afore renewal time.

Sorry to ask a stupid question but wot exactly is a .22WMR and wot sort off cost's are involved buying one and feeding it factory ammo and how easy is it to buy factory ammo for it (unfortunately not many big gunshops in my neck off woods). Wot sort off bullet range does it shoot (Muir is 30grain top/mid/btm of range)I persume it takes slighlty heavier bullets than than .17 (around 20grain ish?) but lighter than the .22lr (42 grain) and that is why u are somewhee in the middle.

Was life not simplier before all this vast array of calibres u have now
 
Double the price of .22's
you either have a very reasonable source for HMR or a very expensive source for .22!!
HMR prices are as high as 15-16p a shot in some places of the country!

personally I think the HMR is wasted on rabbits, fine if you encounter foxes a lot whilst lamping, but I have a .17M2 which fills the gap and doesnt skin and disembowel the rabbits on site!
I use both, I dont think they are mutually exclusive.

I also have a WMR but dont use it that much.
 
I agree with most of what has been said. If you are looking for rabbit meat, the 22lr with subsonic is much more reliable, far less meat damage, but you need better field craft to get you that much closer. Typically 50 - 80 metres. the 17hmr is far more accurate at all distances. No need to worry about bullet drop to 125 yrds and very little drop to 150yds and probably only 60 - 70 mm at 200 yrds. Strong gusty wind is more of an issue at the greater distance, but in reality you don't try the longer shots when there is strong wind. if you intend to use the meat yourself you can typically safe 50% meat from a body shot with the 17hmr and there is no problem if you are able to head shoot. Often the head is gone. The 17hmr is a very effective calibre. Happy shooting. :)
 
I own both, and both are CZ's. I think considering the low price of a second hand .22, and the possibility of using a cheaper scope due to the lack of recoil I would buy a decent 17HMR and when funds allowed get a cheap .22 and scope second hand. I haven't heard of anyone shooting out a .22 barrel, so I can't see any point in buying new. (Unless you are a left hooker like me and have a limited second hand market place). Perhaps someone on here will say otherwise, but the CZ /BRNO rifles seem to just keep on working for donkeys years.
 
Buckup: I have two Brno#1 rifles that are from 1951 and 1952 respectively. I was out shooting spent 12 ga hulls off a rail at 100M with one of them tonight. They still work fine.

I don't see the fascination with the 17HMR expressed by the gentry here but I guess I live and hunt under different circumstances than you folks. I just don't trust it anymore as a reliable killer of small game. I rely on the 22WMR when the 22LR won't suffice (rarely so) and the 5mm Remington after that. BTW, I have found high velocity 22LR rounds to be as accurate as subs at 100M if the right ammo is matched to the gun.~Muir
 
I have a slot for 17hmr but never filled it because of all the negative issues I've read. My 22/10 does a great job on the bunnies and so quiet I often get a shot at another.
 
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