Confused about .22 and .17 HMR

MekongHaze

MekongHaze

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Hi All,
I was just curious, how is it that the 17 is more powerful than a .22. In my dumbness I would figure that since its a smaller caliber than the .22 would it be less powerful ? I dunno much about the .17. Just confused about the two. Someone please set me straight.
 
Caliber means very little when discussing bullet energy.
Would you rather be hit with a golf ball fired by Tiger Woods or a softball lobbed at you by a ten year old?

Energy is given by MV^2/2.
Bullet mass is less important than velocity because velocity is "squared".

There's lots to read on this around here.
 
17 HMR is a necked down 22 mag cartridge and it fires a smaller bullet at much higher velocities. its the speed that makes the difference
 
You'd have to compare the .22WMR with the .17HMR. The .17 is much faster for sure and will reach out further, but a .17 or 20gr bullet doesn't have much energy. The WMR has much more energy at 100-150yds because of it's weight. The WMR has long been a favourite of mine. There are many who love the .17 but for the life of me I can't understand it, except for bragging rights on it's superior velocity. Better hide behind the couch now, waiting for the .17 guys to attack.
 
lyman...you still hiding? ;-)
I too favor the WMR because of it's higher energy at 100+ yards.
But I know some paper punchers whose .17 can run rings around any WMR, accuracy-wise.
What I find is hunters prefer the WMR...bench target shooters the .17
 
I don't get it either. After shooting the same gun in both calibers, side by side on steel targets and hearing the difference in the "clang", I had 2nd guesses in my 17. Fired out of savage 93's. Got rid of it only because I found a 10/22M
Clint
 
MekongHaze said:
I guess my real question should have been, is getting a 17 a step up, a step sideways or a step down. I am so confused . lol
Click to expand...

It all depends on what you want to do. I have a .22lr and a .17hmr. I shoot mostly paper with my .17hmr and like it ALOT. Ive even shot a 3 inch group at 300 yards with a crappy bi-pod and cheap scope. If I was going to hunt varmint I would use that gun.

My 10/22 isnt any where near as accurate, but the ammo is way cheaper and the gun is semi auto. Its more fun. Sure, you can accurately shoot a 22lr but not like the .17

The one I dont know much about is 22wmr. I shot a few rounds out of 22lrguys wmr the last time he was up and it definitely has alot more power than a regular .22 lr round. His gun wasnt set up yet so I couldnt compare accuracy against my .17 though.

The .17hmr round is drastically different from a .22lr. Longer case means more powder and the smaller projectile means higher velocities. All you gotta do is look at a .17hmr and youll see the difference. After all that is said, .17hmr is my new favourite.
 
Well thats kind of a tough question. FWIW this is what I think. The 17 hmr comes loaded with really good bullets that take advantage of its velocity. It tends to be a very precise cartridge and it is easy to shoot well because it has no recoil that I can detect. I like mine a lot. That being said the 22lr is a great cartridge as well.
 
mekong...here's the simplest way to look at it. The .22WMR and .17HMR have more energy (killing power) at 100m than the .22lr has at the muzzle.
The WMR has slightly more energy at 100m than the .17, but the .17 tends to be more accurate.
At 100m the .22LR actually tends to be a bit more accurate than the WMR, but not as accurate as a good .17.
So...
If you're paper punching only...I'd stick with a .22LR. The ammo is at least 1/2 to 1/4 that of the magnum rounds.
If you're wanting to kill something at a distance more than 50m (other than squirrels, gophers and rabbits) go with one of the magnum rounds (WMR or .17HMR).
If you're going for coyote sized game at 100m, go with the WMR...it has more energy.
If you want to try your hand shooting small game (gophers/squirrels) at 100m+, then go with the accuracy of the .17.
Hope this sums it up.
 
don't forget about energy transfer. The 17 essentially explodes on impact transferring ALL of its energy to the varmint, whereas the 22hmr often sails on through maintaining a lot of its energy and transferring little to the Varmint. When comparing all of the variables must be considered.

If you shoot a pop cant at 25 yards with a 17 hmr the destruction is devastating, much more so than when shot with a solid 30 caliber bullet, its all about energy transfer. Of course when you shoot a gong, all energy transfers and the noise made varies, varmints are not gongs.
 
I shot a fox at 75 yards with a .17hmr, hit it square between the eyes... it blew a hole right through its back about 5 inches in diameter... I was very surprised at how much force that bullet had when it expanded.
 
The 17hmr is significantly flatter shooting than the 22LR. At 100 yards the difference is startling. I have to hold a 22LR that is zeroed at 50yard, 5.5 inches high at 100 yards. With the 17hmr its barely an inch.
 
MekongHaze~read your thread starter and thought I'd have something to add, but in the posts that followed...I think the differences were very well-illlustrated/described. Still confused?

As others have touched-on, I think every rimfire shooter has good reason to be jealous of the reach/accuracy of an HMR.....but I personally like the punch of the .22WMR for my needs more. Shooting a .22lr after either one is a bit of a let-down, so I rarely take both to the range with me. :)

Stocking-up on .22lr ammo tonight, less cost/noise...and the groundhogs are hibernating anyway. :(
 
22wmr hits the hardest but the 17 is pretty close due to its muzzle velocity


RimfireKineticEnergyChart-1.jpg


RimfireVelocitychart.jpg
 
bobtodrick said:
lyman...you still hiding? ;-)
I too favor the WMR because of it's higher energy at 100+ yards.
But I know some paper punchers whose .17 can run rings around any WMR, accuracy-wise.
What I find is hunters prefer the WMR...bench target shooters the .17
Click to expand...

No I got tired of the dust bunnies behind the couch. I do agree in good conditions, no winds etc, the .17 is an accurate cartridge. I just think for all around use the WMR is much better. Actually I wouldn't mind the .22 Hornet, can reload that one.
 
lyman54 said:
No I got tired of the dust bunnies behind the couch. I do agree in good conditions, no winds etc, the .17 is an accurate cartridge. I just think for all around use the WMR is much better. Actually I wouldn't mind the .22 Hornet, can reload that one.
Click to expand...

Or .17 Fireball, .19 Badger, etc.

Lots of cool, little, cheap CF cartridges that can be reloaded for similar money to the expensive rimfires.

-Grant
 
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