Thread: Why should I buy a 17HMR?

Hey team, I’m looking to buy myself a really nice rimfire some time soon. Proper top shelf quality….
I was just going to go with a .22lr but started to wonder about the .17HMR. Is there any reason I should buy one over the old favourite? Used for rabbits on a mates farm during summer and cleaning up the stacks of possums there in winter.

Ammo wise 22lr is the place to be or split the difference and go 22wmr. I have a lithgow la101 22wmr if your looking for a good all rounder

For high volume shooting I would stick with the 22lr. Ammo is waayyyy cheaper and you'll be able to find an accurate one pretty easily.

HMR is awesome in the wind if you're having to take longer shots but otherwise, you'll be happy as with a 22lr.

I love the 17HMR in my Brno 611, deadly accurate, absolutely nukes rabbits where 22lr injures them.

i gave up the 22 as i was getting richochets, none with the 17 which is a consideration on a small block

For me it comes down to noise. Subsonic 22LR is silent and reliable out to 75 metres (for some, 100 metres and even further). No issues killing rabbits with head or chest shots.

17HMR will kill cleanly out to 150m, 22LR relay only to 75 IMHO (unless your name is Dundee) but with ammo at roughly 1/4 the price it's a costly kill. Used to use it on everything inc possums but I am currently conserving it for longer range rabbits and hares. I do recommend it on Hares as in my experience it kills much cleaner than 22.

17hmr is going to me more lethal out to an extended range, it isnt going to be as effective to suppress and ammo is pushing the cost of 223 which is going to be more versatile if its safe to shoot on your mates farm, i would also be hestant to shoot into trees with a 17 but i dont know the farm/location. 22 is gonna be significantly cheaper, easier to suppress effectively and has a wider selection of ammo to buy for it. the secret is to buy both����

Interestingly 17HMR has less energy beyond 200 m then 22LR due to the lighter bullet and bad ballistics of the bullet so it looses velocity and energy faster. I suspect a falling 17 is less lethal (not safe!) than a falling 22LR.

Originally Posted by Hunter_Nick

Hey team, I’m looking to buy myself a really nice rimfire some time soon. Proper top shelf quality….
I was just going to go with a .22lr but started to wonder about the .17HMR. Is there any reason I should buy one over the old favourite? Used for rabbits on a mates farm during summer and cleaning up the stacks of possums there in winter.

because you want to vaporize magpies

Re: Killing capability of 22LR. I haven't shot as many hares/rabbits as some forum members, but it would be in the hundreds and I've yet to see an animal walk away from a head shot.

22LR can be shot at an indoor range, can be very well suppresed and ammo is cheaper. However Ive found it hard to get real good accuracy at 50m and thats with a good rifle (Sako Finnfire 2) it needs $20 a box Eley match. But for practice at 25yd several brands are OK all shots touching eg CCI subsonic HP which will also be good for possums ( havent used it yet).

For hunting, the 17 HMR will be much better unless youre shooting dozens a night. I didnt want to commit more hours to reloading a 223 and my rimfire hunting will be low volume so its good for me. 223 would open up centrefire target competition for you and could handle a deer or pig if seen at close range.

17 has a whole new ecosystem of cleaning gear and technique and the rods bend easily.

The noise from the 17HMR is just fine with a suppressor (DPT rimfire standard modular) for hunting and on the range you should use protection anyway.

My opinon is that even a subsonic 22LR has a lot of energy to kill a rabbit and no centrefire on a goat or deer comes close to it. A hare will run 20m like a deer with a 303. So accuracy is the limitation not power. 17HMR is very much flatter shooting which will help a lot. Get a low mounted scope to maximise point blank range (ie trajectory is within 1cm of sight line).

My theory is that the 17 is safer to shoot possums in trees as the projectile explodes if it hits a tree branch sand so will not carry the way a 22 does.
The 17 seems deadlyerer on possums that the 22 as well. I've seen possums seemingly soak up a 22 to the chest but 17s just knock the shit out if them.

When all is said and done, you want both

Why wouldn't you get a .17??

The only downside to me is the price of the ammunition. But is you can afford a higher end .17 then that isn't an issue.

It certainly is deadly on rabbits and possums etc. I like the flat shooting nature of the round and its power.

I've just got a Sako .17. Very impressed.

What most are saying about the 17hmr vs 22 is based on projectile choices. You can use ballistic tips in a 22lr or 22wmr and achieve much the same. Problem with the ballistic tips is they are no good if you want to kill pigs etc they won't penetrate. They open up to early. If it is only going to be a dedicated gun 17hmr will be sweet if you are wanting an all rounder the 22lr or 22wmr would be the best choice and you'll have tons more options on ammo choice and availability