17 hmr or 22lr

[whitetailwoodsarcher]

hey guys im thinking about getting a new rimfire rifle. mostly for hunting and a bit of target shooting. ill be hunting anything from squirrels to yotes. im just woundering the pros ond cons between them?!
thanks...

 

[bolbmw]

If you're actually going to hunt I would get the 17 hmr without question.

 

[Grizzlypeg]

22 rimfire ammunition ranges from cheap ($20 per 500) to expensive ($10 for 50). 17hmr is around $13/50 and up. 22 rimfire will work on small game, but not ideal for coyotes. 17hmr carries a lot more engery, and isn't even recommended for coyotes, although I believe a close, well placed shot it would be adequate.

 

[AlexF]

Buyers beware of 17HMR ammo cost!

17 HMR

• super accurate
• 150m effective range
• 0.30$ per round

22 LR

• very accurate
• 50m effective range
• 0.05$ per round

I'm selling my super accurate Savage 93R17 BTVS to buy a super accurate Savage MARK II BTVS because I'm feed up with 17 HMR ammo cost !!!

Alex

 

[Jäger1]

17 HMR definitely. If you want to hunt yotes, you're restricted to certain ammo types and fairly close ranges (sub 50 yards) if you want to take an ethical shot with 22lr. 17HMR isn't much better, but with the right ammo you can push your ethical shooting range out to 125-150 yards probably.

Neither are truly adequate as coyote rounds, but the 17HMR is certainly the better of the two. The popular coyote rounds seem to be .223Rem (my choice), .22-250, .243, .204Ruger and .22WMR.

 

[7mmlefty]

If youre into rimfire, why play with the 17 or 22. Get a 22 mag.. Very accurate and makes them die.

 

[pharaoh2]

Nothing can compare to the plain old. 22 lr. The hmr is useless to me, I'm a high volume shooter.

 

[wheelie]

You say you are thinking of getting a new rimfire. Does that mean you have an old .22 already? If you have no rimfire get a semi 22lr. For the limited shots on coyote you will have just fire more than one shot. Then you have a gun you can shoot cheap for target practise. If you have a old .22lr then get a .17. I have both then added a .22mag. and added snow camo to it for a winter gun. Love my rimfires.

 

[brybenn]

Get a 22 mag for hunting. 22lrs are very fun and cheap to use

 

[chalkriver]

As the others have said the ammo is alot cheaper for a 22LR and if you are going to be doing alot of shooting that maybe the better option .IMHO the 22LR isnt a good choice for yotes.
And like you I wanted to hunt with it as well so I went with a Savage FV22WMR .
I might get a similar 22LR later for just target practice later .

 

[ATOM]

An average price for .22LR HVHP is 6-7¢ a shot. That's good for small game to about 100 yards.

Average price for 17WMR is 30¢ a shot. It's good to about 150 yards.

To put it into perspective, not counting brass, I can reload my .22 Hornet for less. You can also get 5.56mm for not much more.

Although both rimfires have been used for coyotes, neither of them are really suitable for that.

I know that the magnum rimfires have a lot of fans, but I'm not one of them. For me, they're a cure without a disease, offering neither improved performance over other alternatives nor low cost. Personal choice, I guess.