.17 HMR vs .22 Mag for gophers

When I had my 17HMR, I learned rather quickly that where it's windy (i.e. where the gophers live), it's not much better than a 22lr
 
If noise is a factor and in lots of places it is, then a good quality .22 rf target rifle is the best way to spend your money. If massive volume shooting is probable then a good quality .22 target rifle is the best option. If cost of ammo is an issue then a good quality .22 rimfire target rifle is the best choice.

See a trend here?

I have spent about 10 years slaying gophers in the S Alberta killing fields. I have shot them with everything from a pellet pistol to a 12 ga shotgun and a 54 cal flintlock.

The rifle I choose to take out the most is my ultra accurate, .22 rimfire single shot, heavy barrel target rifle. It is by far the most fun and best bang for the buck. It can and has killed out to 200 yds. I routinely connect headshots at 80+ yds with it. It doesn't break the bank with ammo usage and doesn't overheat in those fields which are outright polluted with gophers. As well it doesn't annoy the nieghbors or landowners so we get asked back time after time after time.

Think Anschutz or Sako and you will be on the right track. Forget the pimped out 10-22 that is a route to ammo wastage for the undisciplined shooter. If you are good you should only need one shot anyway. ;)

The top one is my wife's Anschutz and the bottom one my Finnish Lion ISU target rifle. Both wear 3-9 mil dot scopes.

22TargetRifles.jpg
 
khoeep said:
.375 H&H Magnum.. Aghem, i mean.. i'd go with the .22 mag. a little bit of added range and versatility dont really hurt, and the ammo cost is comparable to .17 hmr.
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Don't laugh I have shot hundreds each summer with my 375HH . take a .375 hard cast round ball and 10 gr, red dot some dacron over the powder and there you go a economical big bore varmit rifle
 
I just love shooting my HMR. Lots of benefits for gophers including:

frangible bullets - no worries about ricochets. Plus they really make the gophers pop.
very flat trajectory.
fairly quiet.

The only real downside is the cost. At $9 a box it was great. Now at $13 a box (I just paid $125 for a brick) it hurts a lot.

I haven`t seen the HM2 mentioned. I`ve never shot one but from all accounts it is almost as good as the HMR but far cheaper to shoot.

I`ve never shot a 22 mag but I don`t see how it could have any advantage at all over the HMR for small game such as gophers. Well, unless you were lanning to eat them.

I hate to say it but a centrefire would do you very well. Like others have said you can load very easily in a small space. Look into the Lee Loaders. Wouldn`t it be great to be shooting a .204 Ruger way out thereÉ
 
If you want to giggle like a little girl while watching these little buggers fly when shot, then go with a 17 hmr. They are too much fun on gophers.
 
DEZ said:
Don't laugh I have shot hundreds each summer with my 375HH . take a .375 hard cast round ball and 10 gr, red dot some dacron over the powder and there you go a economical big bore varmit rifle
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I'm not laughing! We use our .45-70's with anything from a 300 - 500 gr TSX in a "poofer" load. Always under 8-900 fps. You can actually catch a glimpse of the bullet in flight if the light's right. What a hoot!!! But then again, I use both my wife's .17HMR and my CZ 452 .22 WMR - they all work.
 
I bought matching Savage model 93's when the HMR was new. It was one of the first in town. One in .17, one in .22 WMR. Both had the same scope with the same zero. The .17 in the field was far different than the WMR. My closet shots had the bullet enter, then exit the off side with a chunk gone. At farther ranges around 150 yards, the results were less than spectacular. The gopher died, yes, but without an exit of any kind. This ws with the then only available 17 grain V-max. The .22 WMR on the other hand would, at any range I could hit them, tear a rat to pieces. Death was quick and graphic. Also, the .17 HMR is not better in the wind than most will tell you. Your in Alberta now. We have wind. Not that sissy stuff they call hurricanes, we have real wind. ;) If the bullets track better in the wind, you will never know. You cannot spot your misses with such a small bullet. Any dust that is kicked up is instantly blown away. The .22 WMR or even the plain LR shows misses better. In the end, I sold the .17 HMR and kept that WMR for years afterwards with no regrets. If you want to spend money, get a good .22 LR. You'll use it far more anyways. Anyways, that's my opinon and again, I don't miss it at all. :wave:
 
pharaoh2 said:
I bought matching Savage model 93's when the HMR was new. It was one of the first in town. One in .17, one in .22 WMR. Both had the same scope with the same zero. The .17 in the field was far different than the WMR. My closet shots had the bullet enter, then exit the off side with a chunk gone. At farther ranges around 150 yards, the results were less than spectacular. The gopher died, yes, but without an exit of any kind. This ws with the then only available 17 grain V-max. The .22 WMR on the other hand would, at any range I could hit them, tear a rat to pieces. Death was quick and graphic. Also, the .17 HMR is not better in the wind than most will tell you. Your in Alberta now. We have wind. Not that sissy stuff they call hurricanes, we have real wind. ;) If the bullets track better in the wind, you will never know. You cannot spot your misses with such a small bullet. Any dust that is kicked up is instantly blown away. The .22 WMR or even the plain LR shows misses better. In the end, I sold the .17 HMR and kept that WMR for years afterwards with no regrets. If you want to spend money, get a good .22 LR. You'll use it far more anyways. Anyways, that's my opinon and again, I don't miss it at all. :wave:
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:cheers: That is exactly my experience with the .17HMR.
 
Its always good to hear other opinions but I have to stick up for the hmr,its faster and flatter shooting than the .22 mag.I also have owned both guns and wouldnt give the .17 up for anything.Im in the pest control business and have shot beaver,racoons,fox,etc.and all have been dispatched very quickly.The vmax worked by far the best in this gun.However to each his own,Im just glad we can still own guns in this country.
 
If you already had the 17HMR, it probably wouldn't be necessary to go and buy a 22WMR (unless, like me, you want both) or vice versa. However, my personal experience gives the 22WMR the edge, even though the 17HMR is a lot of fun, and does shoot a bit flatter. The thing is, Trajectory is easy to compensate for, windage is more troublesome. Regards, Eagleye.
 
For the gopher fields in SK 22LR is the way we go.
We have or had 17hmr, 22wm, 22 hornet, 222, 22-250, 243, 6mm rem buuut at 500-1000 rounds a day 12-30. beats 170-500.00 per day any way you look at it.
I use a 10/22 with GM sporter BBL, Power trigger upgrade, kid bolt.
Very accurate.
 
It may just be me but I find doping harder for .17 than .22. On a calm day have seen HMR's hit pop cans at 250m though. However personally I like the good old WMR, just cuz it's a bigger bullet and I am stubborn.
 
Even at a measly 10mph, the wind is enough to drift you off of a gopher-sized target with a 17HMR. Running 'typical' numbers, a 22lr will drift 6" at 100 in 10mph wind, a 22 mag comes in at around 4" and the 17HMR about 3.5" - all misses, requiring a follow up.
Hence why I suggest they're no better than a 22lr. At least with a 22LR, you can 'walk it in' without costing a fortune.
Once you DO connect, though, the WMR has a distinct and obvious benefit. Not like a Hornet, but it does pack a more noticeable punch than either of the others.
 
There is an excellent test of the .17 at varmint al .17 hmr the gun and ammo are put through almost every possible test there is.It cuts through all of the b.s.
 
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