.17 vs .22 LR

[Uncle Saggy]

Since I got my 17 the 10/22 only comes out of the safe for it's semi-annual oiling. But, IMO cannot compare to the 22mag

[lambadafan]

Quality of bulk .22 Long Rifle

Anyone else notice the bulk 22lr ammo seems to be even worse than it was before the "scare"? I bought 4 different types and this stuff is just plan sorry. It is getting to where you can't even buy bulk to use as hunting ammo. Junk.

In the last 50 years the only fail to fire I ever had was when the rifle hadn't been shot for a few years and the bolt lube had gotten sticky. A year or two I got back into shooting with a Ruger 10/22 and Savage Papoose semi auto. I had burned up nearly a full box of bulk so I dumped what was left into the new box. Within 50 rounds I had three duds. Not a big problem unless you depend on a .22 for self defense from a 2 legged dog or a pack of coyotes in the field. Either you have to choose a more reliable source of .22 ammo or switch to a .22 double action revolver for self defense. One wouldn't have time to work the slide on a semi auto in a fail to fire self defense scenario. And yup I rechambered those rounds several times and they never fired.

[Smart]

All I can add to the above is if you are on the fence and hesitant to buy one......don't shoot one......

It's a blast to shoot...almost addicting....since the purchase of my Savage .17HMR, my 22s only see light when the safe opens.... or coons need killin' in traps...




well heck just noticed the thread start date.

[eradicator]

6, 1/2 dozen, or the other. Now if you want to talk centerfire vs. rimfire(which should be the argument), then you can buy about 3 or 4 .22's per 1 .17. A sense of responsibility comes into play when harvesting game. If we are talking squirrels, rabbits, etc., then so be it. However, if you are talking pigs, deer, etc. then one should really look at the advantages/consequences.

[backstrapfever]

i shoot a marlin .17 hmr and i love it. ammo is not cheap like 22 but you can buy cheap loads just to burn and its a ton of fun

[Smart]

6, 1/2 dozen, or the other. Now if you want to talk centerfire vs. rimfire(which should be the argument), then you can buy about 3 or 4 .22's per 1 .17. A sense of responsibility comes into play when harvesting game. If we are talking squirrels, rabbits, etc., then so be it. However, if you are talking pigs, deer, etc. then one should really look at the advantages/consequences.

I must have missed where he said he would be harvesting deer with it?.

I'd imagine since he asked about .22 LR vs .17s, he's wants to talk rimfires....

[Bubbabowhunter]

The .17 compares more closely to a .22 magnum. I may be wrong but isn't the .17 HMR basically a necked down .22 mag?

But to answer your question, the .17 will outperform the .22 in every way. The .22 will be cheaper to shoot. That's all I got...

Right on!

[okrattler]

I like my 17HMR for shootin prairie dogs.I dont have a rifle in .22Mag to compare it with accuracy wise but I have a .22Mag revolver that I've killed quite a few things with.And from what I can tell the .22Mag puts things down alot quicker than the 17HMR so I'd choose it for larger animals such as coyotes.But even then a coyote would have to be pretty close before I'd shoot it with any rimfire.I've killed a coyote with my 17HMR but I think that was more luck than anything.My brother shot a badger with his 17HMR and killed it deader than a doornail too so a 17 can hold its own too dont get me wrong but I think its more of a round for prairie dog shootin than anything.I guess the best advice I could give is if you want a really accurate rimfire I'd suggest getting a 17HMR and if you want a rimfire with more knock down power I'd suggest the .22Magnum.

[postman]

17hmr, the most awesome weapon in the world for prarie dogs........so much fun........can't wait to go thin the population in a couple months.....end of May..fresh litters of really dumb targets.

[okrattler]

postman-Me and you both dude.I've been shootin prairie dogs for almost 12 years now and I still can't wait until the baby PD's come out every year.I will admit that I dont always wait that long to shoot em' though.Theres a prairie dog town a mile from my house so every once in a while I'll go shoot a few even before the little ones are out.I busted one with a .45 a few weeks ago from between 45 and 50 yards.It took 3 shots and was pure luck because I'm not the best shot with a pistol but it was still pretty awesome.

[lambadafan]

Basic Ballistics that are never mentioned in the charts

Shane

when comparing the 22 WMR v. the 17 HMR..... it's always a close debate

it basically boils down to flatter shooting 17 vs. slightly more energy down range 22

the 17 HMR makes things "explode" whereas the 22 Magnum seems to "anchor" animals more due to the bullet weight.

the 17 kills because of the "hydrostatic shock value" - speed kills theory and frangible bullet

the 17 HMR is more accurate IMO - 2550 fps with a 17 gr pill

the 22 mag is slightly cheaper to shoot and caries more KE - 2000 fps with a 40 gr pill

22 Mag ammo is more plentiful

Trajectory :

* .17 HMR, 17 grain - +0.1" at 50 yards, 0 at 100 yards, -2.6" at 150 yards.

* .22 WMR, 33 grain - +0.6" at 50 yards, 0 at 100 yards, -4.5" at 150 yards.

Energy :

* .17 HMR, 17 grain - ME 245 ft. lbs., 185 ft. lbs. at 50 yards, 136 ft. lbs. at 100 yards, 99 ft. lbs. at 150 yards, 72 ft. lbs. at 200 yards.

* .22 WMR, 33 grain - ME 293 ft. lbs., 219 ft. lbs. at 50 yards, 164 ft. lbs. at 100 yards, N/A at 150 yards, N/A at 200 yards.


in summary, the 17 HMR has a "fun factor" especially when watching things blow up

both will get the job done at 100 yds , the 17 HMR reaches out farther b/c of it's flat shooting

hope that helps

Suppose I have two elephants. One falls asleep and the other one walks into him at 5 mph and Knocks him down. Now that's what we call 'knockdown ' power. The elephant was knocked down but nothing was hurt but his pride. We repeat the scenario but this time the walking elephant has a long 1" sharpened steel rod strapped on and walks into the sleeping elephant at 5 mph. Same velocity, same distance, same weight. But this time we have a dead elephant. Ballistic charts furnish you with the Ft. Lbs but they never state the foot pounds per square inch, and that's the most important information you need when comparing projectiles of similar construction.
Suppose we agree that a .22 long rifle will pass thru a woodchuck standing sideways at 300 feet. The foot pounds per square inch = 2,048. A .17Hornady Mach 2 17 grain will deliver the same foot pounds per square inch at 636 feet if you hit it. Wind drift for the Mach 2 is 9" at 636 feet, for the .22 it's 2.9" at 300 feet.
So let's figure both for 2" or less wind drift in a 5 mph crosswind. Our range on the Mach 2 is now 277.5 feet, and range for the .22LR is 255 feet.
You can find more at lambadafan . com / ballistics