Cant't make up my mind! (caliber)

radarbeam

radarbeam

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Hey guys,

I'll be soon buying my first rifle, and for the life of me I can't seem to make up my mind in the caliber dept!

It's either going to be a .22lr or .17 HMR. I know it's like comparing apples with oranges...

The reasons I'm attracted to the .22lr is mainly that ammo is very cheap, that means long extended sessions at the range, which is good! :D
Now, I went to the range a few weeks ago to try out shooting for the first time and tried out a .22lr rifle it was a blast ...but I would have liked something that has a little bit more BANG ...this is where the .17 HMR comes in...

What do you guys think of this caliber? I didn't get to try one out. Is it really more fun to shoot? More recoil? Louder? More feedback in general?

My main use for this gun will be for paper punching at 100 yds, 150 yds and would even like to try 200 yds. Also looking for a bolt action.

Oh and BTW ...I also got to try an AR-15 at the range!! :rockOn: :rockOn:

Thanks for your feedback :D
Nick
 
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If you're doing a lot of plinking and cost is a factor by all means get a .22 LR.
My personal recommendation is a CZ. ;)

The .17 HMR is a great cartridge and seems to be very accurate and quite flat shooting compared to the LR but like the .22 WMR I regard it as a mainly hunting cartridge.

I'd get a .22 LR first and prthaps later get a .17 HMR if you can afford it.
 
I'd go with the 22lr to start with, it's quieter for sure.the 17hmr won't recoil or anything, but just the cost of ammo. You will probably get better accuracy with a 17hmr, but a good 22lr can do some interesting things. Plus you can pick from dozens of types of ammunition. Try them all see what your gun shoots best. Be warned some of the target ammo isn't any cheaper then 17hmr, but thats only a small portion of the options. If you want to shoot lots and lots and money is an issue get the 22lr. If money isn't an issue get both :p. If you want to be punching little groups at 100 yards and farther the 17hmr is the better choice, but you won't have the selection of ammo to choose from.

Either way I'm sure you'll be happy if you pick a good firearm.

Hmm K98 snuck in on me, he gives good advice, especially about a CZ.
 
Everyone needs a .22:D

I quite often set clay targets out at 200 yards and bust them with my CZ 452 Varmint. Just got to have the scope adjustments down.

.17 HMR is fun, but is way more expensive to shoot. Much better for hog hunting out to 200 though, than the .22

Like I said, Everyone NEEDS a .22.:D

7.62mm
 
you can buy bricks of 22 at the local walmart/cdn tire/whateverstore- even the hardware/general store carries - can't say the same for the 17- remember the 5mm remington rimfire?- 22 goes on forever
 
Hello Nick (and Welcome to CGN/firearms world) - Be prepared to spend lots of money :eek:

Both the .22lr and the .17HMR are a blast to shoot. Recoil is quite similar but the .17 is louder. Not near as loud as say a .243 or another centerfire but definately quite a bit louder then the .22lr. I would imagine the .22mag and .17 would be similar in the noise department.

One thing I would reccomend when you are buying your first gun is don't skimp too much on quality. Now I am not saying go and buy a $3500 feinwerkbau or anschutz but If I were you and you are thinkking you will be shooting for a while spend at least $400 or so and get your self a good gun. Used is fine - and in many cases a good way to go but just make sure of what you are buying.

There are several things that I like about the .22 such as cheap ammunition and the many choices available for hte gun and ammunition. For the .17 you basically see a couple different brands and that is it. With the .22 you litterally see hundreds of differeent brands -anything from cheap winchester dynapoints to high end Eley Tenex ultimate EPS ($16 a box or so) and preatty well everything in between.

Now take a $400 .22 and a $400 .17. A .22 would probably do best up to about 25-50 yards and then anything past that the .17 dominates. Comparing my high end Winchester 52D (.22lr) custom with a benchrest stock, tuners, etc to my Marlin .17HMR my .22 will still out shoot it at 100 yards but at 200 I am sure the .17 would do better - just because it shoots much flatter and is made for those longer distances.

For just starting out 200 yards is a very long shot for a rimfire of any sort. In fact I have been shooting rimfires for quite a long tima and maybe competitively for a year and I still do not shoot much past 100 yards.

For a .22 100 yards is fairly far and anything past that the wind just effects it way to much to shoot it consistantly. To shoot at 200 yards you need a day with almost NO wind at all.

Take a look at these ballistic charts and this should give you some idea about the two calibers.

I like the .22 my self but others will dissagree. It's all up to you.

If i were you I would buy myself a CZ 452 (any model will work) in .22lr and if you like it buy a .17 (marlin, savage and CZ are all good choices).

Hope this helps and always remember to have fun ;)
Jordan
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63954
 
you won't go wrong with a .22 and the ammo is certainly cheap enough to shoot tons and tons,and if you want some more fun try a .17M2,the rifles can be found cheap enough also and if you're a good shot they're more then worth the extra ammo cost for the fun factor.
 
For cheap thrills....22LR. But since you want to shoot out to 100 - 200 yrds....17HMR. Keep in mind that 500 rds of 22LR is about $13. For the same price, you only get 50 rds of 17HMR.

Whatever caliber you decide on though stick with a CZ. You won't be disappointed.
 
Get both.

Start with the decent .22, and punch paper all day long for pennies a shot. If your going to get a scope, get a decent one and later you can mount it on the 17hmr. You can ALOT of cheap and accurate shooting practice with a .22.

Save up and get a .17hmr alittle later. I say this because you'll probably not shot 500rds of it in one afternoon due to ammo price.

This way you can go to the range, or you favourite plinking place, and shoot all afternoon with the .22. When you get the .17hmr, you'll still take the .22 for fun cheap shooting, and then pull out the other rifle for extra accurate practice. I know when I go shooting, I like to maximize on my excursion. If I'm taking the time to drive to a range/shooting spot, pay for gas, and drag targets out, etc., I want to shoot as much as possible. Some for fun, some for accuracy. I don't want to drive to the range to shot only 50 or 100rds because that's all the ammo I could afford. That's just my reasoning. Your needs and wants may be different.:)

PS. How much ammo one can buy is a probably the biggest factor that limits how much shooting most of us can do.
 
A 22 magnum may be more to your likeing esp at ranges of 100-150 yards. The ammo is about $10.00 for 50 shots and a number of bolt actions are available. My new 22 mag in from Remington and is the model 5 very accurate rifle with CCI maxi mags and a good scope. Shooting a 22 at 100 yards I think will get boring fast. Ammo is some what less expensive than 17 HMR, and much more lethal than 22 long rifle. I shoot a pile of 22 every summer and really enjoy the change when I get out my 22 mag. FS
 
radarbeam said:
Hey guys,

I'll be soon buying my first rifle, and for the life of me I can't seem to make up my mind in the caliber dept!

It's either going to be a .22lr or .17 HMR. I know it's like comparing apples with oranges...

The reasons I'm attracted to the .22lr is mainly that ammo is very cheap, that means long extended sessions at the range, which is good! :D
Now, I went to the range a few weeks ago to try out shooting for the first time and tried out a .22lr rifle it was a blast ...but I would have liked something that has a little bit more BANG ...this is where the .17 HMR comes in...

What do you guys think of this caliber? I didn't get to try one out. Is it really more fun to shoot? More recoil? Louder? More feedback in general?

My main use for this gun will be for paper punching at 100 yds, 150 yds and would even like to try 200 yds. Also looking for a bolt action.

Oh and BTW ...I also got to try an AR-15 at the range!! :rockOn: :rockOn:

Thanks for your feedback :D
Nick
Click to expand...

There are a number of reasons why .22LR is the most successful rifle cartridge of all time. I'd suggest getting the .22. Odds are, if it doesn't do it for you, you'll want something in centrefire.

There's a lot to be said for the old line about how a .22 and a brick of ammo should be standard equipment in every household...
 
.22LR - I can shoot all day, non-stop fun.

If you hunt in Ontario, be aware that some of the regulations specifically mention .22 short, long and long rifle for allowable firearms to carry. (refer to "the book" for details)

E.g. raccoon hunting at night, allowable rifle to carry during a big game season if hunting small game without a big game license, etc.
 
I will start of saying that I do not have, or have ever fired a .17 HMR or .17M2
I do how ever own 2 .22WMRs, a rifle and a pistol.
Ammo cost is way to high to be a plinking round. I love them both, but they are almost safe queens...
Get a .22 lr.
you can push these out to 100-150 yards accurately with practice. You can always buy more guns down the road...
 
It looks like the general consensus is going with the .22lr. The more I think of it the better I think this choice is. Last time I was at the range I went through 190 rounds in about 1 1/2 hour.

I like Steiner's way of tought. Maximize your shooting time with inexpensive calibers and pull out bigger ones for extra accurate shots.

Now gotta choose a rifle. Those CZs do look nice, but so does the Savage Mark II BV!
 
Yes choosing the right gun can always be difficult ;). When I was trying to choose a .22 I had trouble deciding between the savage, Marlin and CZ. I did finally decide on the CZ (thus my username ;)).

If I were you I would spend a bit extra and get something that will last. I have had several thousand rounds, maybe even into the ten thousands now through my CZ 452 style and it is still going very strong. Very accurite, reliable, etc.

Of course for a $250 gun or whatever they cost the savage ccertainly isn't a bad gun. If I were getting a savage and wanted good accuracy though I would go with the bull barrel due to harmonics (a skinnier barrel vibrates much more which results in not as good accuracy as the bull barrels).

Let us know what you end up getting :)
 
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