.22 mag or .17hmr

[markmazuch]

Hey guys I'm considering buying a small varmint rifle for me and my son. I have it narrowed down to .22 mag or a .17 hmr. I've heard of something called a .17 remington too dont know what the difference is if there is one. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks

[CHAVEZ CHAVEZ]

there both fun to shoot , but if amo cost is'nt a factor here get the 17 hmr or 17 rem!
i pay lil over 10$ a box of 50 they can go pretty fast when your haveing fun!!!!!!!!

[HAIKU_RODNEY]

The 17 Remington is based on the 223 cartridge and according to what I have read is exceeded in velocity (facotry loads) on by the 220 Swift. According to the Remington ballistics, with a 20 grain bullet the muzzle velocity is 4250 fps. This is a centerfire round unlike the 17 HME a 22 mag which are rimfires.

I recall reading a while back about how "safe" the 17 Remington is. Apparently, because of the high velocity and spin on the bullet, it disintegrates when it strikes an object and does not ricochet.

I have never owned or shot one, just read about it.

[Todd G.]

The .17 Remington is in a whole nother class when it is compared to the .17 HMR or .22 Mag. The Remington is a centerfire rifle cartridge based on the .223 case. It can shoot a variety of bullets at trememdous velocities. Generally speaking, it is a true varmint gun that can hit at ranges up to 300 yards and easily take game up to coyotes.

The .17 HMR is a rimfire based on the .22 Mag case. It is necked down to .17 caliber and shoots 17 grain or 20 grain bullets. Its a nice rifle to take small game and varmints at ranges up to about 200 yards. Realistically, its probably better at 150 yards.

The .22 Mag is similar to the .17 HMR in that they use the same case. However, you are shooting a larger/heavier bullet which will retain more energy. It is adequate at the same ranges as the .17 HMR, but will suffer more bullet drop at shorter ranges. Many people feel it is a better cartridge when you are shooting animals in the coon and possibly coyote size area when compared to the HMR.

The debate can go on for quite a while, I have all three, and I love all three for different purposes. Ammo costs for the .17 Remington will be the highest (similar to slightly more costly than .223 ammo), the .17 HMR will be the second highest cost, and the .22 Mag will be the cheapest.

[tmrschessie]

22 mag all the way. Have seveal friends who hunted coyote and bobcat with the 17 cal and they are all back to the 22 mag. Tom

[citori]

like Tom above, I have used all three cartridges and still have a .17 HMR and .22 WMR. The .17 HMR is effective on game up to about the size of a large woodchuck or fox, roughly 12#-13#. Anything larger and the frangible bullet they use has a hard time penetrating deep enough for quick kills. It has been effective for me out to 125 yards at game on the larger end and nearly 200 for smaller animals like gophers and crows. Ammo for this can be found in the $9-$10/50 range.
The .22 WMR is better in that the standard bullet it fires is twice as heavy which makes it a better choice for game larger than than 15 pounds. There is a 50 gr hollow point bullet available which I think may even be better than Remington's 40 gr softpoint on the larger targets like coyotes. I am not a fan of this cartridge for coyotes as I feel it is a little light but have been doing well enough with it if the range is under 100 yards. It drops more than the .17 HMR but is better at anchoring larger varmints. Ammo costs range as little as $6.50 for the cheapest (the Winchester Dynapoints are terrible in most guns but the PMC Predator is pretty good) to $8 for the better stuff. My favorites for coyotes are the Remington 40 gr soft point and the Federal 50 gr hollow point though my guns shoots the Rem 40 gr hollow points the best and is what I use on smaller targets.
The .17 Rem is a centerfire cartridge and is a "whole 'nother animal" from the rimfires. Ammo is much harder to find and fairly spendy when found. When I find it, it seems to run in the mid to upper teens for a box of 20. It was a favorite for varmints like fox well out to 300 yards but when coyotes became common it was found to be lacking. There just was not the penetration needed for sufficient kills from angles other than broadside. Even then the results were not always the best. Coyotes up here often run upwards of 40# which is bigger than in other places. If the coyote was being pursued by hounds the .17 Rem was even less likely to anchor the coyote as its adrenaline was working overtime. Eventually we all switched over to the .223 as a minimum.
For use on smaller pests the .17 HMR is my favorite as it is frangible enough that hits on even red squirrels and gophers are likely to cause the bullet to break up. This greatly reduces the odds of a bullet ricochetting off somewhare. If you want to use it for fur up to the size of coyotes then the .22 WMR would be a much better choice. The .17 Rem is not even on the radar scope as it is covered on one end by the cheaper and more common .223 and on the other end by the cheaper and more common rimfires.

[tmrschessie]

Good reply Cotori, All of my shots with the 22 mag are under 75 yards or I don't take them. Most are more in the neighbor hood of 30 to 50. Even on prarrie dogs and chucks I have found the 22 mag to anchor them better then the 17 caliber. The little gun is good on squirrel and rabbits but if they are just getting one gun to start I feel the 22 mag is the the best choice. Thanks for the info on the 50 gr bullet I will be checking it out. Take Care, Tom