17 Mach 2+gophers

.22LRGUY

.22LRGUY

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Hey guys, I'm about to buy a rifle chambered in this caliber...but I'm keen on hearing whether or not it's a favorite among gopher-blasters! I've owned numerous rimfires in .22lr, .17HMR, .22WMR...but never .17M2. I've studied the velocity/drop/kinetic energy charts and know where it falls among the others...simply looking for some first-hand accounts from those who use it. Photos of the results would be a HUGE bonus too.

Thanks!
 
Ammo for the HM2 is not cheap. I believe the HMR ammo is cheaper and far more abundant.
I bought a Marlin in HM2 and it is a fun little gun to shoot, 4/5 touching at 100m to boot. Does a decent job on gophers but not much more excitement over a 22LR.
 
Have you done the YouTube research?
The .22 has been around alot longer and does not appear to be heading towards extinction any time soon.
I am not implying the .17MachII is .
Buy one if you like the caliber and share the results :)
Rob
 
I have a Marlin HM2 with a heavy barrel. I put a Timney trigger in it and it is a laser. I believe that the ammo is cheaper than 17HMR. I buy it when I get to Bass Pro. $8.99 for 50.

The round is quieter than a 22 and I find it to be perfect for around the ranch. Solid hits make instant kills. It is my crow gun.
 
Thanks for the input guys...but no photos? :)

FLHTCUI said:
Have you done the YouTube research?
The .22 has been around alot longer and does not appear to be heading towards extinction any time soon.
I am not implying the .17MachII is .
Buy one if you like the caliber and share the results :)
Rob
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Well, I've never actually BEEN gopher hunting...but have allot of experience hunting groundhogs here in Ontario. (way fewer, but way bigger...and tougher to get close to) I'm planning on visiting AB this summer to join my HMR-shooting buddy, and thought a 17M2 might be an interesting alternative. (ammo cost is much less) I've been curious about the caliber for some time, so that's reason enough. Plus, I have about 5 .22lrs. ....last count...but can only bring so many guns!
 
Ammo for the HM2 is not cheap. I believe the HMR ammo is cheaper and far more abundant.
Click to expand...

You believe wrong, I have never paid more than $7 for 50 rounds of 17mach2 ammunition. As for the 17mach2, it is by far my favorite for gopher shooting.
 
17 mach2 is great! Not the most spectacular results on gophers but like mentioned earlier the effects are much like quik shoks or stingers. I have a 22mag for that.
The 17 mach2 does have a bit more reach with less hold over then the 22lr. I find the longer shots easier to obtain. I use less ammo to make hits but it is a bit more pricier. After 75 yards, the little red tips don't explode very much and tend to work more like a fmj. Still kills very well though.
 
Thanks for the replies guys, keep 'em coming! Right now, even here in Ontario, I can buy 17M2 for about 1/2 the price of HMR...so that's a big temptation. Again, I've had 2 HMRs and loved them...but the price to shoot them is approaching centerfire cost. That's what my .223 is for. :)
 
I find HMR ammo out (out here at least) is WAY easy to find, and have been able to track it down for $10/50.

I've used my friends m2 on a few gophers, but prefer my hmr. Not that I could notice much difference mind you, but the m2 was a little quieter, but do you really want to sacrifice ~400 fps for that?
Still got spectacular hits close in with both, but the hmr really shone further out.
 
stubblejumper said:
You believe wrong, I have never paid more than $7 for 50 rounds of 17mach2 ammunition. As for the 17mach2, it is by far my favorite for gopher shooting.
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Please share where you get them for $7/50. Last price I saw was over $10/50 a couple of years ago. I think I paid $110-120 for a case of ten 50rnd boxes.
 
southwest maddog said:
The round is quieter than a 22 and I find it to be perfect for around the ranch.
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Really? My experience with .17 Mach II is it's louder than .22, more crack. Neat round, but didn't grab my attention, as by 75'ish yards .22LR is better than it anyhow and our field is a lot longer than 75 yards. I like how a lead-free option is available for it though, not easily done with .22.
 
Please share where you get them for $7/50. Last price I saw was over $10/50 a couple of years ago. I think I paid $110-120 for a case of ten 50rnd boxes.
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If you paid $110 or more per brick, you paid way too much. Prophet River was selling Eley 17mach2 loads for $70 per brick(500 rounds) last spring. The year before, I paid $65 per brick.
 
If you reload there is reduced load data for the .223 and the .17FB if noise and velocity are an issue.
 
I gave up looking for ammo here in Sask. We are Gopher heaven and there is none. Factor in the cost of shipping HM2 ammo and its the same price as .17hmr which is the better round IMO for gophers.

Cheers!!
 
Factor in the cost of shipping HM2 ammo and its the same price as .17hmr which is the better round IMO for gophers.
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Not even close if you purchase in volume. I just had 5000 rounds of 22lr shipped from Toronto Ontario to Northern Alberta for $65. That works out to 65 cents per box. Given that you are only shipping from Lloydminster to somewhere in Saskatchewan, and that 17mach2 ammunition is lighter than 22lr ammunition, your freight bill would be less, closer to 40 cents to 45 cents per box if you ship 5000 rounds. Given that 17mach2 ammunition sells for at least $6 more per box, you would still save over $5.50 per box, or $550 per 5000 rounds,compared to 17HMR.
 
na1lb0hm said:
I find HMR ammo out (out here at least) is WAY easy to find, and have been able to track it down for $10/50.

I've used my friends m2 on a few gophers, but prefer my hmr. Not that I could notice much difference mind you, but the m2 was a little quieter, but do you really want to sacrifice ~400 fps for that?
Still got spectacular hits close in with both, but the hmr really shone further out.
Click to expand...

As far as performance goes, this hits the nail square on the head. As far as price and availability, it's harder to find than HMR and I've never paid any more than $8.50 a box and that was an over the shelf price.
 
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