What is generaslly more accurate 17hmr or 22LR ?

Canadiankeeper

Canadiankeeper

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Im curious, I don't seem to get much better then 1 inch groups at 50 yards with my 22 LR ... If I purchased same rifle in 17hmr would they be tighter ?

Mind you this has been tried using, American eagle high velocity, Thunderbolt, Wildcat, and hallow point copper plated. Have not used CCI ammo yet.
 
What 22lr are you shooting that can't do 1" group at 50yd, that is 2 moa. The CZs will easily do 1" at 100yd with right ammo.

Expect the 17hmr to be more accurate, and a lot more expensive.

If it is you that is MOA+ doesn't matter what caliber.
 
I assume since you are comparing .17hmr and .22lr, you own a bolt action rifle?

Given the same model rifle, the .22lr and .17 HMR are going to be equally accurate... PROVIDED you are shooting ammo the gun likes. Personally i have always found more expensive ammunition such as SK, RWS, Eley, Lapua etc always shoots tight. In fact they have always been for me at par or better than my .17hmr in Savage and CZ rifles accuracy wise. CCI Standard velocity is about the best you will likely find for cheaper ammo.

Given that, you are likely going to end up paying more for accuracy regardless which caliber you shoot. A box of Eley or RWS in .22lr will cost the same as a box of .17hmr for equal accuracy.

What you will get from the .17hmr is a flatter trajectory and greater force at impact, and it will extend the effective hunting range by about 50 yds compared top .22lr, but it comes at the cost of variety in ammo, there really is no cheap option, and it also wont give you the trigger time a .22 will due to the higher cost. Whereas with a .22 you get a huge variety of ammunition for all different purposes and price points, and ammo from mediocre cheap plinking rounds to high end match grade accurate stuff, Nearly quiet ammo like CCI quiets to CCI velocitors at nearly .22mag speed and trajectory. But choosing .22lr over .17hmr comes at the cost of long range flat trajectory.

At least,that's why i sold my .17hmr's and now only have .22lr.
 
I really like the flat traj. I obviously haven't found ammo my bolt rifle likes yet. Its by no means and expensive 22. Savage Bull barrel 22 bolt action in a boyds stock. Id like to bring them in a bit though... I mean, I know I can shoot sub moa groups at 100 with my 308... But cant get tighter then an inch at 50 with a 22... Got a lot of random rounds last time out that were 3 inches off my point of aim with the optic... That's some bad ammo right there. Even cleaned the barrel to make sure. Still would get an odd random flyer.
 
Canadiankeeper said:
I really like the flat traj. I obviously haven't found ammo my bolt rifle likes yet. Its by no means and expensive 22. Savage Bull barrel 22 bolt action in a boyds stock. Id like to bring them in a bit though... I mean, I know I can shoot sub moa groups at 100 with my 308... But cant get tighter then an inch at 50 with a 22... Got a lot of random rounds last time out that were 3 inches off my point of aim with the optic... That's some bad ammo right there. Even cleaned the barrel to make sure. Still would get an odd random flyer.
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You'll get odd random fliers with any cheap .22 ammo. That rifle is easily capable of shooting very small groups with quality ammo though, mine used to shoot CCI Std Vel under 3/8" on a good day, under 1/2" was normal. Same for SK standard plus. but one thing i found with my savage rifles was that they are a bit fussy as to their action torque settings. a torque wrench that reads inch/pounds is a valuable tool in the pursuit of accuracy.

Whatever floats your boat, i dont hunt with rimfires so the flat trajectory for me got old quick. I prefer the challenge of compensating for drop on the range.
 
if you are 3" off at 50yards i would first start by completely re checking the scope and rings. Something has to be loose. If that wouldn't work i would try some old Leper scope hanging around the house, just to eliminate the optic being the problem. That much of a flyer takes a lot of explaining, the worst 20 yr old ammo should not be that bad.
 
I had a high end European target 22 that shot 3" groups with $25 eley
and sub 1/4 groups at 50 yards with $10 lapua. 1" groups at 50 with a 22lr is respectable. It takes time and effort and money to find the right ammo for any 22. It typically costs more to get a 22 to shoot well than a center fire. The 17hmr is about the cheapest way to get into accurate rim fire.
 
mikeystew said:
I assume since you are comparing .17hmr and .22lr, you own a bolt action rifle?

Given the same model rifle, the .22lr and .17 HMR are going to be equally accurate... PROVIDED you are shooting ammo the gun likes. Personally i have always found more expensive ammunition such as SK, RWS, Eley, Lapua etc always shoots tight. In fact they have always been for me at par or better than my .17hmr in Savage and CZ rifles accuracy wise. CCI Standard velocity is about the best you will likely find for cheaper ammo.

Given that, you are likely going to end up paying more for accuracy regardless which caliber you shoot. A box of Eley or RWS in .22lr will cost the same as a box of .17hmr for equal accuracy.

What you will get from the .17hmr is a flatter trajectory and greater force at impact, and it will extend the effective hunting range by about 50 yds compared top .22lr, but it comes at the cost of variety in ammo, there really is no cheap option, and it also wont give you the trigger time a .22 will due to the higher cost. Whereas with a .22 you get a huge variety of ammunition for all different purposes and price points, and ammo from mediocre cheap plinking rounds to high end match grade accurate stuff, Nearly quiet ammo like CCI quiets to CCI velocitors at nearly .22mag speed and trajectory. But choosing .22lr over .17hmr comes at the cost of long range flat trajectory.

At least,that's why i sold my .17hmr's and now only have .22lr.
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Nicely stated and a good critique..
 
The people that are so quick to tell you that the 17HMR is more accurate, have never fired a high quality 22lr, with quality ammunition that it likes.
 
I prefer the .17 hmr,
I have owned and sold all but one of my .22lr rifles.

They are on par for accuracy.

I prefer the .17 because it is wickedly accurate, and honestly the bullet looks cooler than a .22lr.

I found that it is accurate to 200m sub MOA (provided there is no wind)
and last week a friend of mine put three .17hmr rounds through a milk jug at 400 yards.

so yeah, both are accurate, I suggest you try both and see what you like.
 
nowarningshot said:
if you are 3" off at 50yards i would first start by completely re checking the scope and rings. Something has to be loose. If that wouldn't work i would try some old Leper scope hanging around the house, just to eliminate the optic being the problem. That much of a flyer takes a lot of explaining, the worst 20 yr old ammo should not be that bad.
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Have changed optic, and applied Loctite to everything... Again... It was really weird... Some of the rounds didn't look seated into the shell properly.

Id say 5 out of the 300 ish I shot that day went WAY off... Rest are all around the center of the target in a rough 1 inch group... No holes in holes though :(


Also Everyone keeps saying try CCI ammo. So im going to give it a shot, if it brings it in for me then hey, ill prolly keep the 22 because well, bulk ammo... lol...

I think im going to try and do up some rough POA for different ammo at different distances also. Will make me feel better using it for small game knowing that im not going to aim at the lil bugger properly and only take a leg off...
 
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You stated that it is in a Boyd's stock. I would also tighten up the action screws then check the bedding. If the barrel is supposed to be free floating, then take a piece of cardboard the thickness of a business card, fold it lengthways, then slip it under the barrel and slide it backwards. If it hangs up on the sides or bottom as you move it backwards to the receiver, you have a pressure point.

Next, if you do not have the barrel bearing on the stock, and it still shoots larger groups with GOOD QUALITY ammunition, then take a business card, fold it and put it under the barrel at the end of the forestock to make a temporary pressure point, and test fire the rifle again.

Quote "Some of the rounds didn't look seated into the shell properly."

The higher cost of more expensive .22 rimfire ammunition comes from quality control. The loading machines are slowed down in speed so these cartridges are assembled with more precisise bullet alignment into the case. Mass produced cheaper ammunition, loaded with machines going at the fastest speed that is possible without really misforming the ammunition, has alignment errors, loosely crimped bullets, and even deformed lead bullets.
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I think that provided the scope is functioning properly, and your technique isn't lacking, the trigger is decent....out of the box, HMR is reliably more accurate than .22lr. Not to say that all HMRs are more accurate than all 22s, far from it. I simply think that the 17HMR ammo is very consistent, very fast, and I've never shot a rifle chambered in HMR that didn't shoot either the 17gr. V-Max, OR, 20gr. HPs exceptionally well. (=2 ammo options to sort out) In contrast, I've run more than 10 varieties of ammo through a 22 to figure-out what it likes best. Sometimes, none of them shot overly well, but mostly....you could narrow it down pretty quick. Also, as others have touched-on...this is all based on semi-decent bolt action guns.

Leaving ammo cost out of the equation for a moment, the next consideration has to be performance. HMR is notoriously hard on small critters, probably why it's so loved by gopher shooters. :) If you're not shooting beyond 75 yards, I'd be inclined to steer you towards the 22 and research what ammo options are out there. Obviously, when you push the envelope on what you're shooting..and at what distance...shot placement becomes absolutely critical for an ethical kill. HMR gives you the edge on power and reach, but respect the abilities/limitations of .22, practice with it, and it will serve you well for small game out to 75 yards.

From a hunting perspective, I think I'm curious about whether or not you're considering .22WMR as well, but in terms of accuracy (in my experience)...it's probably comes 3rd on the list of accurate rimfire calibers. I've spent time with 2, 22WMR rifles, and ran 9 varieties of ammo through both off a solid bench. Keeping them inside the 1" ring @ 100 yards was nearly impossible. Average group was approx 1", with some a bit smaller...some out to 1.25" or even 1.5". However, what they lack in pinpoint accuracy they make-up for in punch. If you're toying with the idea of something the size of groundhogs/foxes...you want to be using a .22WMR.
 
stubblejumper said:
The people that are so quick to tell you that the 17HMR is more accurate, have never fired a high quality 22lr, with quality ammunition that it likes.
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Too be honest, that is a much more expensive game than just going straight to a 17 hmr. You are correct, there are good combinations of 22lr and ammo that are hard to beat……but they are also hard to find.
 
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