Opinions on .17HMR

[sk8snwmx]

+1 cheap go for 22lr,
longer range go 223.
For same price as 223 why shoot .17HMR? I too would like to be educated.

Me too!

If you guys that shoot 223 with vmax bullets are getting it for the same price as hmr let me know as I will stop reloading 223. My 223 reloads are a few cents more then hmr ammo.

^amen to that.
As for the OP's question~to me, you can't really compare .22 to .17HMR...especially if you're looking for similarities. I've had 3, 17HMR rifles and I don't have any of them any more, but that speaks to what I do with my rifles more than anything else. If I lived anywhere with a 1/2-decent gopher population, I'd be back in the HMR game for sure, but for big groundhogs here in Ontario, they're just not enough gun. Before anyone tells me they are, YES I've shot lots of them with that caliber. Anyhow, HMR is a great, high-performance rimfire that sort of fills a rather narrow niche if you ask me, since it's too small to take anything much bigger than rabbit, and pretty destructive on anything smaller than that. I (personally) find it too expensive to shoot as a target/plinking gun, but if you don't have a hankering for a centerfire rifle and want to see small groups at 100 yards, HMR is great for that. I'd love to see one sitting in the safe again, but not before I add a 22 Mag to the collection. It's a more useful (hunting) round here in Ontario.

I still love .22 rimfire! but ditched .17hmr on the rumours of .17wsm, and now still laughing about it!

then I bought a .223 bolt gun and a lee loader. what's Charlie Sheen say? ....WINNING!!

 

[M70-338]

Some guys complain about the price of 17HMR ammo. No doubt it is pricey and can be similar to .223 but you don't necessarily require hearing protection shooting the HMR, nowhere close to as loud. As an added bonus all the ammo that I've used is very accurate, haven't come across bad stuff yet. Even the cheapest rifles will shoot MOA in HMR.
Accuracy at the bench or in the field the 22LR won't hold a candle to it, almost like cheating. It's that good!
IMO the .17HMR doesn't replace anything in the gunsafe, but is a fine addition every hunter pinker or marksman will enjoy.

 

[cartwheel]

The hmr is just a lot of fun.... Not a high volume plinking round, but still cheap enough to shoot without breaking the bank. Very accurate for the most part and it is rimfire which may ease shooting restrictions in certain places. 100yard groups will make the centerfire shooters notice. I tend to grab the hmr when I go to the range just because I find it really fun to shoot. Everyone has opinions...

 

[Joe549]

I love mine.


Shoots a lazer beam out to 100 with Hornady 17gr and no visible change in elevation between 50 and 100. I'm using it this year for beaver control and have a Bushnell 3-9 on top of it dialed in at 50 yards. Will be interesting to see what it does to those rodents...