22lr or 17hmr for small game hunting

[Borngeechee]

I did a search here but didn't find the answer to this. In your opinion what round would be the better short range small game round. When I say short range I mean within 100 yards for squirrel, rabbit etc. I was also wondering is the 17hmr worth the price over 22lr.

[Elmo]

IMO. 22LR solid out to about 75 yards then it starts to drop. 17HMR is deadly out beyond 125-150 range. 17HMR is a really fun round to shoot. That's said, it obliterates the small game, especially those VMAX rounds. I never really tried the FMJs. I would go with 22LR if you hunt hard woods where spotting a squirrel 100+ yards out is nearly impossible. If you hunt on a farm where you have large tracks of grass fields, the 17HMR would be ideal.

17HMR also provides a lot more power but not enough to reliably move you into the next class of game. What I mean by that is that 22LR would pretty much cover all small game under coyote if proper rounds and accuracy is used. But when it comes to coyote, then even the 17HMR is under gunned.

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[Borngeechee]

IMO. 22LR solid out to about 75 yards then it starts to drop. 17HMR is deadly out beyond 125-150 range. 17HMR is a really fun round to shoot. That's said, it obliterates the small game, especially those VMAX rounds. I never really tried the FMJs. I would go with 22LR if you hunt hard woods where spotting a squirrel 100+ yards out is nearly impossible. If you hunt on a farm where you have large tracks of grass fields, the 17HMR would be ideal.

17HMR also provides a lot more power but not enough to reliably move you into the next class of game. What I mean by that is that 22LR would pretty much cover all small game under coyote if proper rounds and accuracy is used. But when it comes to coyote, then even the 17HMR is under gunned.

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I forgot you had a 17hmr. I have the savage in 270 and saw it's lil brother chambered in 22lr and fell in love lol. It's the mark 2 with the heavy barrel and the bushnell 3x9 for $280 and the 17hmr for not much more at my lgs. After missing those 2 squirrels when we went out I was thinking I needed something scoped but didn't want to take the tech sights off of my 795. So since I was getting a new rifle I was wondering 17 or 22.

[Elmo]

I have the Savage 93R17 TRR-SR. Love it. Shooting 1" groups out to 100 yards. It's become a nice range gun. Would be my tool of choice if I need to rid some critters. If I plan on saving anything meat though, I'd stick with the 22LR. I hit a squirrel once with the 17HMR and it literally cut it in half. No meat left. The 22LR can also eliminate critters but you just might have to move a few yards closer.

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[Lawdwaz]

17 Mach 2 is the brother to a .22 and the 17 HMR is the same to the .22 WMR

I have both the little guys, .22 and 17 Mach 2. I like the Mach 2

[philoshop]

I love my HMR for 'long' range sniping (100 yards or so). Very accurate and very potent medicine for squirrels, rabbits and woodchucks.

The biggest drawback IMO is that it's relatively loud. My close range choice (< 100 yards) is the .22 with subsonic target ammo. Quiet enough that people aren't likely to even notice you're shooting if there are houses in the area.

[ants]

I think the 22LR would be fine for what you want to do, but if you go with a 17 consider ammo availability. In my area 17 HMR is far easier to find then 17 Mach 2 or 17 WSM.

[Mr VJP]

If you don't have a good .22 LR for hunting, you should have one.  I consider mine a rifle for small game out to 50 yards.  Beyond that I like my .22 Mag for small game out to 100 yards.  The ammo is available everywhere and there are many high velocity, flat shooting cartridge options to choose from.  You can sometimes also find standard velocity .22 Mag ammo at really good prices.  That's the time to stock up.

 

I've never owned a .17 HMR.  When I looked into one, I compared it to a nice .223 and found the price and performance of the .223 to be a better choice.  You can also reload for the .223 but not the 17 HMR.  If my .22 Mag isn't enough for the game I'm after, I go with the .223.  The next step up from that is usually my 7mm-08.

 

One thing that drives me crazy about the .17 caliber rifles is finding a good cleaning kit for it.  Plus, you have to have a kit just for it, or just for your .17 caliber rifles.

 

I find the 17 HMR to be a very specialized rim fire round that, has a very specialized application.  I prefer more versatility in my hunting rifles.  To me, a rifle is a tool and I prefer to use what I believe is the right tool for the job.  Many specialized tools are nice to have, but don't get used very often.

 

[Pygmy]

I used a .17 HMR as my primary squirrel rifle for a couple of years.

It was very accurate and flat shooting, but as Elmo has said, meat damage was excessive.

I now use the Mach II, which shoots essentially as flat as the HMR out to 100 yards and is much easier on the eating meat.

I also often use the .22 LR in my old ( late 60s vintage) Ruger 10/22, which is currently set up with a peep sight and a Wiliams Firesight fiberoptic bead.

[wildcat junkie]

I just reloaded some 40gr RNFMJ in my 5mm Remington centerfire conversion. 5.8grs Alliant 2400

 

2100 fps & it hits dead on @ 50 yds, 1" low @ 100 yds.

 

Same zero setting 2450 fps W/33gr Vmax (6.8gr Alliant 2400) is 2 1/2" high @ 100 yds, zero @ 175 yds, 1 1/2" low @ 200 yds.

 

100 yds

 

200yds

 

I plan to use the 40gr RNFMJ for Squirrels next fall. The 33gr Vmax is deadly on Groundhogs around the farm.

 

 

33gr Vmax/30gr Berger

Edited February 8, 2015 by wildcat junkie

[Borngeechee]

If you don't have a good .22 LR for hunting, you should have one. I consider mine a rifle for small game out to 50 yards. Beyond that I like my .22 Mag for small game out to 100 yards. The ammo is available everywhere and there are many high velocity, flat shooting cartridge options to choose from. You can sometimes also find standard velocity .22 Mag ammo at really good prices. That's the time to stock up.

I've never owned a .17 HMR. When I looked into one, I compared it to a nice .223 and found the price and performance of the .223 to be a better choice. You can also reload for the .223 but not the 17 HMR. If my .22 Mag isn't enough for the game I'm after, I go with the .223. The next step up from that is usually my 7mm-08.

One thing that drives me crazy about the .17 caliber rifles is finding a good cleaning kit for it. Plus, you have to have a kit just for it, or just for your .17 caliber rifles.

I find the 17 HMR to be a very specialized rim fire round that, has a very specialized application. I prefer more versatility in my hunting rifles. To me, a rifle is a tool and I prefer to use what I believe is the right tool for the job. Many specialized tools are nice to have, but don't get used very often.

Yea I think the 22lr is going to be the way to go. From what I'm hearing and a few pics I've seen online, the 17hmr does a lot of damage to tiny animals.

[dbHunterNY]

22LR without a doubt.  anything bigger than a woodchuck out past 50 yards and you just get something else.

[Larry]

i have both a 22 and a 17 hmr if you are going to eat em 22 the 17 rips them up. the 17 does work good on fox kills them with no pass thoughs 

[philoshop]

The 17 does a lot of damage, but with a decent rest you can make consistent head shots on squirrels or rabbits at 100 yards. I don't eat the heads.

[shawnhu]

17HMR has quite a bit of selection for ammo. You can get the V-Max and its variants, or go with a FMJ and anything in between. There's TNT hollow points and Small Game hollow points as well as non-toxic rounds as well.

I've had good results with the small game rounds, as they are essentially hollow TNT hollow points that's filled with extra lead and don't expand as much as the TNT or V-max.

The 17HMR really is a precision tool that needs to be used as such. Like said earlier, there's nothing that beats saving meat than a headshot, and the accuracy and flat trajectory of the HMR will deliver.

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