22 Mag vs 17 HMR

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Which is the best for gophers at ~100 yards?

Consider cost of ammo. Effectiveness of dispatching target. Accuracy and fun

Some folks have said wind affects the 17 more than 22.

What’s your preferred ammo/rifle/optic if you run one?
 
If your are keeping it around 100 yards or less both the 17 HMR or a 22 mag using 30 grain vmax shells would work well, there isn't a lot to choose between the 2. Beyond 100 yards the 22 mag drops off considerably quicker than the HMR. That being said the 22 mag with a bigger bullet might be more effective on larger critters like a coyote if you needed it in a pinch. Don't believe there is much difference in the price of either ammo. I don't currently own a 22 mag but shoot hornady 20gr out of my browning t-bolt varmint HMR with a bushnell rimfire scope 3-12x40 with interchangeable turrets for 22/22mag/17hmr
 
You'll find conflicting reports on this subject. I lived in southern Alberta for 20 years, and found the 17HMR very susceptible to the strong winds prevalent down there. I switched to 22 Mag because of that, plus the ability to use it on larger game, for butchering cattle etc. 17HMR is considerably more accurate however. Even a cheap Savage can usually shoot a 1" 100 yard group, whereas a 22 Mag is more like 2.5-3". 17 HMR is a lot of fun for gophers, and anchors them hard. Bigger targets than that, I'm not a fan either, but that's not what your asking. My recommendation would be to buy a CZ457 in 17 HMR so you could switch the barrel if you wanted to change later, and mags etc will work on both calibres. I really like the 17 grain Hornady ammo for the 17, and the 30 grain Hornady 22 Mag ammo. For optics, I usually run Leopold 2-7 rimfire scopes, but currently have a Minox 2-10 on my 22 Mag. Make sure you can turn the parallax down to less than 100 yards for gopher shooting, or use a rimfire scope which is set as such.
 
Not sure, but if you want something that will frequently sever a gopher into two, its the 17hmr. It's gopher devastation. As for hits on gophers at 100 yards, I don't find it that much more accurate than the better 22LR ammo, but it simply hits way harder. The price and noise though, cause me to limit it usage. Have you considered 223 rem?
 
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Can’t comment much on hunting side but accuracy wise I happy with my 22wmr outa the Henry Fronteir (I have a Vortex Crossfire 2 2-7x32 mounted on it).

My last out at 100 yards with it I shot cci v max. I shot 15 Fowlers and sighters and then followed with seven 5 shot groups. Accuracy was in my books, GOOD. Not nearly as bad as many seem to say. Seems I been lucky. This was shot off bags on a bench.

Henry Frontier 22WMR my results from Feb 7th outing on a low to no wind day.
1 2.07"
2 1.31"
3 1.34"
4 1.80"
5 0. 98"
6 1.21"
7 1.61"
AVG 1.47"
 
I use .17 hmr and it minces ground hogs, the 20 grain projectiles handle the wind slightly better. It’s a fun varmint round but the price per box has gotten out of hand.
 
WHEW! I'm ahead of the "but can you eat them?" question this time...lol

In my opinion, 17HMR is basically made for gophers. I think the way ammo costs are going, you need a good reason NOT to pick .223 over 17HMR/22WMR these days..but the magnum rimfires do have their place. .223 is still more expensive but brings allot to the table for the money...and the same is becoming less true with the big rimfire calibers. In my opinion. I've never shot a gopher with 22WMR, but I've shot a bucket-load with 22LR (my preferred caliber) and have introduced hundreds of gophers to the charms of 17HMR. I spent a summer shooting groundhogs here in Ontario with 22WMR when I was getting into that. For a far bigger animal than a gopher, I'd say 22WMR is the better choice..but beyond 100-125 yards, I was mindful of the accuracy limitations.

I use a CZ452 Varmint, 22LR, as my main gopher rifle but if I were settting-up another, it would be a Tikka T1x MTR. I think the rifle/caliber choice depends on allot of factors. I travel to shoot gophers and try to drop myself into areas with lots of targets. 22LR makes the most sense for me, but we have a 17HMR as a back-up. Long shots, going for multiples, really need to see their geometry change=17HMR is more fun than you can shake a stick at. With really big numbers, property owners are hoping for big results so challenging yourself on the long shots is fun...but volume is kind of the wish/expectation. You don't need 17HMR to be popping these things inside of 50 yards. Or 40. Or 30. Still fun, but so too are 22LR HV HPs.

I once spent some time in a gopher patch with a buddy's SAKO VArmint in .223, with 55gr. V-Max hand loads and some amazing scope I don't remember. Hits were remarkable. If you've done it, you know.

Good luck, and post pics!
 
My son just got a CZ 457 American in 22WMR, it seems to shoot the Hornady 30 grain Vmax extremely well, producing consistent 1.25" groups at 100 metres. It has a stellar piece of wood on it too--he is dam lucky it is a lefty or it would have come home with me!

I have no experience with the 17 HMR, but a couple friends spend some time in gopher patches and thats what they use and they seem to really enjoy them.
 
As much fun as centrefire is, I've found the noise scares off more gophers than rimfire, way more. Plus shooting 3-500 centrefire rounds from a confined space with a partner an arm's length away in the same confined space, not much fun either. When the goal is maximum dispatches to save a crop, these things matter. If out for a good time, which is important too, they do not.
 
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17 HMR, as pointed out, is a lot of fun for gophers when a 22 LR isn’t enough. It definitely is affected by wind. I find the 22 WMR more effective on beaver sized animals, anchors them much harder due to weight increase.
Cost has gotten way out of hand for both and has been said, 223 is getting to be the cheaper alternative…but for how long?
 
Regardless of what people think, the 17hmr is less effected by wind than the 22wmr, because it has more velocity, with a similar B.C. If you want to step up from the
17hmr, the 17hornet adds 1000fps, is much less effected by wind, yet the barrel stays much cooler than a 223rem, because t burns half as much powder. The 17hornet also
doesn't present as much risk of ricochet, as the bullets are so frangible, they come apart when they strike the ground. I take a 17hmr, for shots to just over 100 yards, and I switch to the 17hornet for longer shots.
 
Big fan of 17hmr for gopher hunting, see gopher kill gopher. When we go out easy to shoot a couple hundred rounds. Pest extermination. Ammo has went up in price but starting to see better pricing if one does some searching. I just bought CCI at 20$ a box.
 
17hmr any day, for gopher shooting. I have never “hunted” gophers, but have shot thousands and thousands over the years. The preceding statement is tongue-in-cheek, of course. I do drag out a 22 mag once in a while, as well as a shotgun, but .22lr hp and 17hmr rule for gophers. I can’t say I’ve noticed any trouble with 17 and wind, but then I don’t often shoot when it is windy, nor do I go for really long shots.

I use CZ 455 and 457 rifles, all standard barrels, scoped with various smaller Leupold scopes.
 
Own both and have put alot of rounds through them. One day I will make sure they are perfectly zeroed and then do the wind test on paper at 150 just to prove it to some people. The hmr will win.

The 17 hmr has different bullets available that do very different stuff. The v max is not a big penetrator, but it simply rules for gophers. The 17 gr tnt is slightly less explosive. Both 17 gr work well for rabbits and stuff. The 20 gr hp is a tough hp. For sure. More of a mushroomer than a fragmenter. The 20 gr fmj is good for shooting muskrat for fur. Stuff like that.

In the 22 mag I have shot mostly 40 gr cci maxi mag. It knocks the crap out of everything. Not as explosive on gophers as a 17 gr v max, more like the 17 gr tnt hp. It's a very versatile bullet, just looses to the 17 hmr ballistically. I have some 30 gr hp and v max also waiting for a good gopher patch. Can't see the 40s taking a back seat to them however.

Also have a 17 hm2. Really cool round. Quiet. You do notice the 17 gr v max is not as explosive at 500 fps less muzzle volocity.
 
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