Wind and 17HMR or 22 WMR

[dbHunterNY]

So maybe some can shed a little light on this. Sorry it's a long debated subject. I've got multiple farms and tracts of land in the family. Past few years I've started hunting woodchucks, so they don't ruin it all. Some fields are close to some houses and I FEEL that as long as they're ok with me shooting within 500 feet of their houses I should meet them half way and not continue to shoot my .223 Rem. I'm looking into much quieter alternatives such as the 17 HMR and the 22 mag. Researching them, many have told me or posted in forums that 22 mag will fight the wind better. I'm left scratching my head, because the 17 HMR was designed to be a better alternative in general than the 22 mag. Also every ballistic data i can find out there says 17 HMR flat out handles the wind better. I've even just custom tables printed out in front of me right now. Anyone care to share as to why people might be saying the 22 mag is better? Still not sure what route i want to go.... heavier bullet with more penetration (22 mag) or laser like accuracy (17HMR)... or wait until monday and see how winchester's new rimfire pans out. as of right now taking everything into account i'm leaning toward a Savage in 17 HMR.

[Gthphtm]

Sold my 17 caliber and bought a 22 mag. also for just that reason.

[cdmckane]

I don't have a problem with the wind with my 17HMR. I've never owned a 22WMR, so I can't comment on it's abilities.

As long as you're not shooting in a hurricane, and you're a reasonably good judge of wind (and have knowledge of how it effects your round) you will be ok with any weapon

[Early]

Shot a ton of chucks over the years with the .22 Mag. No experience with the .17, but I would never buy one to replace my .22 Mag.

[dbHunterNY]

i'll add that my shots will be out past 100 yards, with a max i've taken to be somewhere around 175 yrds for the 17 HMR. at these ranges i'd think regardless of which one i had, i'd need to make a headshot on a chuck. that's why i've been leaning toward the 17 HMR. Early at what ranges are you shooting them with a 22 mag and what kind of accuracy are you getting? i'd think you'd need to get at the very least 1.5 MOA accuracy.

[josephmrtn]

I like 22 mag ive got no experience w wind on it but they shoot really nice out of my grandads Ruger Single Six that he bought when he was about 20 many many yrs ago.... work great for punching holes in stuff...

[jusputtn]

http://www.airguns.net/trajectory.php

Here's a link to a trajectory calculator. It's on an airgun site but the physics is blind to that. So enter the data for the rounds you want to use. You should be able to google up the info but may have to make some approximations here and there on things like ballistic coefficient.

[shawnhu]

I've shot both the 17 HMR and the 22 WMR, 17 HMR is a superior round past 125 yards.

I've shot the 17 at 100 and 200 yards from a bench, and found the accuracy to be acceptable even with 5-10 mph winds. Same at 200 yards, with a 4 inch drop in POI. Very acceptable accuracy.

With the 22 WMR, accuracy was not as tight as the 17 at 100 yards and was very bullet picky. Picked out 2 o the 7 bullet types that performed decent, and tried it at 200 yards. Big mistake. The 22 WMR should remain a 100 yard gun, IMO.

Both guns was a Savage Acu-trigger.

Hope this helps.

[dbHunterNY]

so i'm wondering when the heck Winchester is going to announce their new rimfire round. There's reports that it should've been announced on their website Jan 1st but all those search results are the same group of people just on different forums. I'm thinking it'll probably be released at SHOT show in another week or so.

[chiefbkt]

It's here, the .17 Win super mag. Looks like a pretty sweet caliber. I have a .22 WMR, but when these hit the shelf this spring, I might have to grab one.

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/gun-shots/2013/01/worlds-fastest-rimfire

[chiefbkt]

Totally didn't see the other thread for this...

[critter]

i have a 17hmr i like it for what your doing but would love one of these.

[Elmo]

MSRP of only $349? Hmmm....interesting...

[shawnhu]

MSRP of only $349? Hmmm....interesting...

Probably the lowest grade there is. Savage MSRP for their low end model 93R17 is under 300 I believe.

Edited February 7, 2013 by shawnhu

[dbHunterNY]

i have no doubts savage will come out with a completely new rifle and have it be a dud. accurate rimfire and varmint rifles are their wheel house. right now i'm contemplating if i should just go with a Savage 17hmr or wait for this new rifle. 17hmr doesn't have a whole lot of killing power out past 150 yards. with any wind it'd be a good shot to focus on head of a big woodchuck over 150 yds. comparing cases this 17WSM should bark a little bit louder than the 17hmr but may still be quiet enough. it's loaded to a high pressure but still at least half as loud as a 223 Rem CF i'd think.

[magnumhunt]

I say go with a Winchester .22 WRF very nice and accurate gun.

[Fantail]

Toasted a bunch of chucks with the 40gr-x.

 

As far as wind & rimfires go, I would rarely if ever use one past 70 yards anyways, and I'll leave it at that.

Edited March 26, 2013 by Fantail

[Elmo]

Think they'll come out with a 22 super mag?  Then we're talking business!

[dbHunterNY]

no doubt they will especially with things the way they are now.  i think they'd sell as many as they can make.  around here it's a little difficult to find a 17hmr rifle.  ammo is around but scarce.  they're due to hit stores this summer i believe around june maybe if i remember right.

[maytom]

I have the .17HMR in a CZ-452 American, while very accurate at 75 yards, the wind plays havoc with that light weight bullet past that distance!! With even a slight breeze it seems to be all over the target!! I would assume that the .22 mag shooting a heavier bullet would be more accurate?

[shawnhu]

Nope. Weight is not everything in the equation, speed and cross sectional profile of the projectile also plays a huge role. The .17 HMR is a more accurate gun wen I comes to long ranger vs the WMR.

[Elmo]

I have the .17HMR in a CZ-452 American, while very accurate at 75 yards, the wind plays havoc with that light weight bullet past that distance!! With even a slight breeze it seems to be all over the target!! I would assume that the .22 mag shooting a heavier bullet would be more accurate?

 

Depends.  On a windy day, yes, a 22WMR will fight the wind better but on a calm day, the smaller, more aero-dynamic 17HMR cuts through the air better.  Less air friction.

[apoallo]

I have a 17 HMR and was shoooting AT chucks at 219 yards the bullet had no problem getting there the problem was in fact the wind. I found with a 15 to mph wind it would push that 17 grain bullet about 2 to 4 feet. People say the 22 mag because it is a heavy grain bullet. however I have no experience with the 22 mag. my 17 hmr is relatively new within the past 6 months and I am still trying to find the right ammo for the gun. since ammo is scarce Ive only tried winchester vmax and the hornady. the groupings were about the same at 100. half dollar size maybe a little bigger. For me that is not good enough especially at 100 yards they should be damn near touching each other.  good luck. you will have fun with either one of them