.22WMR/.17HMR vs. grounhogs~any experiences to share?

.22LRGUY

.22LRGUY

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Hey guys~I'm in year #2 hunting groundhogs with my HMR...and planning on getting a nice .223 rig for next spring. I did, however, get a good deal on a Savage 93FV, heavy-barrel .22WMR recently~just couldn't pass it up. :) Question is this~have any of you shot groundhogs with both? How would you compare the 2 rounds in terms of their effect, and at what distances? The common opinion seems to be .22WMR below 100 yards, HMR out to 150. Any photos would be appreciated too, though I'm not sure if anyone (other than me) ever takes groundhog "kill" shots. I blame my enthusiasm! :) In case you have experience with it, I bought...and the Savage likes the Hornady 30 grain V-Max rounds.

Part#2 for the HMR hog-hunters~do you use 17 grain V-Max or the 20 grain HPs? My CZ seems to shoot the 20 grainers a little better, but I've only ever hunted groundhogs with the V-Max rounds.

Thanks!
 
It sounds like you have some experience with the .17 HMR on groundhogs. How well does it perform. I shot a lot with a .222 Remington and a .17 Remington, and both were fine on perfect head and chest shots.
How far away do you typically shoot them?
 
In my younger days(much younger) I shot thousands of them as they were a pest like gophers are now out here. The .22 LR, .22Mag., .17Mag. are not optimal and will leave wounded animals in their holes. The Hornet, K-Hornet and Bee are where good groundhog cals. start and these kill reliably, usually on the surface up to 100 yds. or so, you can increase your distance starting with the .222 and go up from there.
 
Al-Sway said:
It sounds like you have some experience with the .17 HMR on groundhogs. How well does it perform. I shot a lot with a .222 Remington and a .17 Remington, and both were fine on perfect head and chest shots.
How far away do you typically shoot them?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the responses so far guys. My longest shot so far was 140 yards, that pinned him. Typical shots are in the 75-100 yard range and with the exception of one on my last hunt, they rarely move...let alone, make it back the their holes. That one was strange. Hit him in the vitals, perfect broad side shot at 76 yards (laser range finder) and then I watched him for about 5 seconds as he lay there...sunny side up. Got-up, cleared the empty, folded the bipod, and made my way towards him. Long story short, he came back to life. :) My "perfect" shot must not of been, but I saw the impact, and saw him tumble and lay motionless....t*ts-up. Anyhow, got me wondering if the 20 grain rounds might do as well/better.

As a side note, I was asked to clear a few pigeons from a barn one day while hunting, so I obliged. A bit concerned that the V-Max rounds would fly right through them, I shot a low one...nowhere near the tin roof. No surprise, it dropped but what was strange (to me) was that the bullet didn't pass through it. The entire body cavity was vaporized and the pressure blew everything out of it...literally hollowed-out. I don't know much about ballistics, but it got me wondering about what happens to 17 grain V-Max rounds when they hit a bigger animal and ARE they always getting deep enough on shots to the vitals. That kind of expansion is dramatic, maybe too much so on animals with thick hides..?

I still trust these V-Max, and have put down enough groundhogs with 1 shot to believe that they are a good choice. Just wondering what other rimfire shooters use on them.
 
I use 30 accutip in the 22 mag. Works great and if you know the distance 175 yards isn't asking to much. It knocks em over real well and blows the #### out of them. Literally. In real world cases I believe the mag is better then the 17. Maybe that's just me
 
22 mag has more energy and shocking power. (close to the same speed, twice as heavy of a bullet)
Also, it's going around 2200fps and the 17 is going around 2400, so the bullet flight isn't as different as you might think.
Plus the 22 mag is half the price to shoot.

I vote for the 22 mag.
 
Shot hundreds with both the Remington accutip in .22 wmr. And hornadys in .17 HMR

The .22 mag is fun and accurate but the .17 blew em apart more for the awwww effect.

The .
 
In Alberta...I'm assuming you're talking about gophers? (Richardson Ground Squirrels) I'm talking big groundhogs here in SW Ontario. .17 HMRs put them down, but don't blow them apart! More like..sleeping pills. :)
 
My 22mag loves the 33gr Remington accutips!!! Still very accurate at 150yds, and the whistle pigs don't budge if you put it were it needs to go. A couple of buddies have 17's so I have seen them in action, I personally would stick with my 22mag. We did find the 20gr 17's did a little better job. If you want to see groundhogs blow up you have to use a centerfire :50cal::50cal:
 
1duckslayer said:
My 22mag loves the 33gr Remington accutips!!! Still very accurate at 150yds, and the whistle pigs don't budge if you put it were it needs to go. A couple of buddies have 17's so I have seen them in action, I personally would stick with my 22mag. We did find the 20gr 17's did a little better job. If you want to see groundhogs blow up you have to use a centerfire :50cal::50cal:
Click to expand...

12g slugs work well!!! :)
 
Ive shot enough to fill a dump truck, with groundhogs in my younger years. Most were shot at longer range ( min 200 yards) with 243 and 270.

When farmers and their neighbours started complaining about loud gun fire, we switched to the 22 and 22 mag rim fires.
Had a lot run down the hole with body shots with the 22 rim, but the 22 mag seemed to always put them down within 125 yards.

Cant speak of the 17 hmr cause Ive never owned one, but would pick the 22 mag.
 
Thanks for posting guys, much appreciated. This weekend, I hope to give the groundhogs offerings from both rifles (.17HMR and .22WMR) and I'll report back with my experience. Wish the .22 mag had a more powerful scope (3-9x) but it should do fine out to 100 yards or so. My hunting buddy uses a .223 and loves giving me a hard time about hunting with rimfires. I've seen the results first hand and must confess~I'm more envious of the reach that gun has. (not just the damage it does! :))
 
Update~shot my first groundhog with the .22WMR yesterday. Not sure whether or not photos are encouraged here, but since I like looking at the ones other people post, I'll assume it's cool to show a photo.

Savage93FV.jpg


Shot this guy in the noodle at about 90 yards with the Hornady 30grain V-Max, did the job admirably. I usually opt. for body shots when given the chance, but this guy only poked his head-up for a second after waiting him out for quite some time.
 
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