.22 Mag. Vs. .17 HMR

[C.R.]

I have been kicking around the idea of getting another Henry what are the pro/cons of the .22Mag. and or the ,17HMR

 

[Fawteen]

I have a Henry .22 Mag and a Savage .17 HMR.

If I could only have one or the other, it'd be the .22

The .17 is a lot of fun, and it's probably the most accurate rimfire I've ever shot, but the bullet is VERY light (17 grains) and it doesn't take much of a crosswind to foul things up. Terminal energy drops off fast as well. I hear claims of coyote kills out to 150 yards with it, but I call BS on that.

Price of ammo is pretty much a wash, the .22 mag has more punch and can be pretty darn accurate.

 

[tomNE]

5m is my choice of rimfire rifle. now that they started making ammo again; i'd love to have a pistol in this caliper!

 

[Mike M]

I perfer the 22 hornet over the 22mag.

 

[MarkB_MI]

Kind of like comparing a Yugo to a Trabant. I wouldn't own either one.

 

[GordoSD]

We tested some .17's and some .22mags one day a few years ago in a prairie dog toen near Wall SD.
The 17 just couldn't hold windage, hal f inch left on a shot , adjust and then still 1/ 2i nch left.
The 22 mag with CCi ammo was deadly. Once we figured the hold and windage we usually killed 12-15 without a miss at 150 yards plus. When we switched to WW ammo the bullets hit 30 feet in front of the dogs.
When we got home the owner of the 17 traded it off for a 22 WMR

 

[Mark - IN.]

Varmints cause problems, whether its field rats that find their way to corn cribs, or coons and possums and woodchucks, or yotes. I haven't seen a yote near me lately though, knock on wood. I see them out and about, but not near me lately, and I aint complaining. By the way, get you a scabbord for the tractor to carry it in. That way when you see a varmint making its way to or from a silo or whatever, you're ready.

I have a single shot H&R .17 HMR that is ok for varmints up close, but not a lot of umph at a distace and rounds get blown off course. They don't do as well over a distance in my opinion, although they get there fast. I have a Henry lever action .22 LR which is better, but not a lot. Don't get me wrong, that Henry is a great little rifle, it absolutely is. The .22 LR just doesn't have much behind it either, especially if are dealing with yotes. My only experience with .22 WMR is a cheap revolver I have called a Rough Rider made by Heritage that can swap back and forth between LR and WMR cylinders. I know that there is a big difference between firing LRs and WMRs from it, the WMR being far superior. But as far as a .22 WMR rifle, I've no experience with one. Its also a game of economics. Before you make your decision, price the ammo for each first, and figure out what your expected usage will be. Long term costs are issues that factor in. .17 HMR, .22 WMR are still reasonable, and .22 LR at 4.5 cents per round, is cheap. You will need to practice for varmints from time to time, and that costs too. At 25 to 27 cents per round (1000/500) in bulk for a .223 right now, you may want to go that route for varmints instead. A .223 will handle a yote for sure.

One thing I've noticed though, the ammo. Fired Winchester .22 WMR brass sticks during extraction from the cyclinder in that Rough Rider real bad. CCI does not. Both fire well, but its extracting the spent casings where there is a big difference.

Good luck, and shop around.

Mark

 

[Dusty MI]

I've heard of CO's calling anything thats self propelled on wheels a vehicle. and you can get in trouble for having a loaded fire arm in a vehicle.

 

[Mark - IN.]

On private property?

Mark

 

[C.R.]

I have a .223 and a .22/250 I was looking for something with a little more zip than a .22 Long,but not as much carrying power as one of the centerfire rounds getting to be more houses around and I dont care to take any chances so thats why I was concidering the .22 mag or .17HMR

 

[MarkB_MI]

CR, if you handload, you can make reduced loads for your centerfire rifles. I did this with my own .22-250 to get it down to .222 velocities. I still wasn't happy, though, and ended up getting a T-C Contender in .17 Remington Fireball. My main reason for getting the .17 was I wanted a cartridge for which there is almost no chance of a ricochet.

To make my reduced loads, I used IMR SR-4759 powder. If I were to do it today, I'd use IMR Trail Boss; it's more predictable. For bullets, it's important to use bullets intended for "medium" velocity, as some bullets won't open up at sub-.223 velocities.

 

[Bret4207]

Another option would be one of the older centerfire rounds like the 25-20, 32-20, 218 Bee, Hornet. If you're going to plunk down the money for another gun it's worth considering.

 

[dhermesc]

Personally I love my little Marlin 883 22Mag.

The 17HMR seems good for target practice (have a Savage model 93) but the 22 mag is better at dropping coyote and smaller sized game out to 100 yards.

 

[MarkB_MI]

Good rounds for short-range varminting, but with the exception of .22 Hornet, ammo availability is an issue for the non-handloader. And of course once you make that turn, there's no going back: the handloader's options are limitless.

 

[buickanddeere]

In particular on private property. Some CO "s like to let every one know how powerful they are.

 

[buickanddeere]

.223 there are both factory and hand loads with soft fragile 40 and 45g HP that dissolve into mist if they touch a blade of grass.

 

[Traditional Farmer]

I have a H&K .22 Mag rifle great gun and alot more
killing power than my Ruger 1022 with LR in it.The .22 Mag is a pretty powerful bullet.

 

[Mark - IN.]

Maybe in Canada. I don't live in Canada. On my private property, it takes a warrant.

Mark

 

[Mark - IN.]

Maybe in Canada. I don't live in Canada though and don't see it happening in the future. Where I live, police, conservation officers don't just drive up onto and around on private property and say "Hey you,...". Not yet. For now, and maybe not long, I still live in America.

Mark

 

[buickanddeere]

To be legal the CO would have to observe from off the property or have very reliable word .
Given what that sick little puncture wound did in Connecticut State. I wouldn"t be surprised if the anti"s don"t turn the US into their version or paradise. Where only the government has control of the firearms.

 

[Mark - IN.]

Could be. They are working at it on overtime. Like our preident's former Chief of Staff said and no one walked it back or claimed that he was taken out of context, "Never let a good crisis go to waste", so as far as I'm concerned, when he said it, it was "Official external_link Claus Administration Policy" (OOCAP).

Mark