What can you do with a .17 rimfire rifle?
- Thread starter kcub
- Start date
I love the .17hmr cartridge. Sure, its more expensive to shoot than a .22 lr, but it does a much better job. It is accurate out to 200 yds and I have taken several medium sized hogs with it. They work wonders on rabbits, squirrels and coyotes.
They are a fast, flat shooting cartridge that acts as an explosive hypodermic needle when they hit your intended target.
What kind of use do you have in mind for it?
They are a fast, flat shooting cartridge that acts as an explosive hypodermic needle when they hit your intended target.
What kind of use do you have in mind for it?
I would recommend a bolt action .17HMR so that you can get the full accuracy potential from the round. Also, having a scope is the best way to get the precision from the cartridge.
As far as rabbits, it will tear a decent hole in their stomach but it doesn't damage the meat to terribly. It is plenty accurate for head shots though. I have a 3/8" spread at 100yds all day long with my Savage Heavy Barrel .17HMR.
Lever guns are "fun" but when it comes to actual precision... I wouldn't recommend them. At least for head shots on squirrls. Lever guns would be just fine for coyotes and body shots on rabbits... but for the detail work, I prefer my bolt guns.
Also, Alexander Arms has a .17HMR AR platform that is superb. One of my friends has it and it is just as accurate as my bolt gun.
Regardless, I have no doubt that you will grow to love the cartridge as I have. I'm also a big fan of the .17WSM. It has become my favorite rimfire round. The ballistics at 200yds is the same as a .17hmr at 100yds.
If you want to stay with the .22 caliber, I would recommend the .22WMR also known as the.22mag. They have a little bit more ass end behind them, albeit you give up a little bit of speed. Hornady makes a 35gr round which is only a few hundred fps slower than the .17hmr, and you have double the weight behind it. Out to 100 yds, I would take the .22wmr any day over the .17hmr. Past 100 yds, is where the .17hmr really shines.
My largest Hog to date was taken with my .22mag at 40 yds. It was a headshot on a 400lb boar. He was quartering away, and i put the bullet right behind his ear into his brain pan. He dropped instantly.
That being said, the world is your Oyster when looking at those 3 rimfire cartridges. Also, Franklin Armory makes a nice .17WSM AR platform. Franklin makes a proprietary magazine for it, and as far as I know, they are the only manufactures of the .17WSM AR platform.
Take a look at the Savage B-Mag if you are wanting an inexpensive semi auto .17WSM rifle.
As far as rabbits, it will tear a decent hole in their stomach but it doesn't damage the meat to terribly. It is plenty accurate for head shots though. I have a 3/8" spread at 100yds all day long with my Savage Heavy Barrel .17HMR.
Lever guns are "fun" but when it comes to actual precision... I wouldn't recommend them. At least for head shots on squirrls. Lever guns would be just fine for coyotes and body shots on rabbits... but for the detail work, I prefer my bolt guns.
Also, Alexander Arms has a .17HMR AR platform that is superb. One of my friends has it and it is just as accurate as my bolt gun.
Regardless, I have no doubt that you will grow to love the cartridge as I have. I'm also a big fan of the .17WSM. It has become my favorite rimfire round. The ballistics at 200yds is the same as a .17hmr at 100yds.
If you want to stay with the .22 caliber, I would recommend the .22WMR also known as the.22mag. They have a little bit more ass end behind them, albeit you give up a little bit of speed. Hornady makes a 35gr round which is only a few hundred fps slower than the .17hmr, and you have double the weight behind it. Out to 100 yds, I would take the .22wmr any day over the .17hmr. Past 100 yds, is where the .17hmr really shines.
My largest Hog to date was taken with my .22mag at 40 yds. It was a headshot on a 400lb boar. He was quartering away, and i put the bullet right behind his ear into his brain pan. He dropped instantly.
That being said, the world is your Oyster when looking at those 3 rimfire cartridges. Also, Franklin Armory makes a nice .17WSM AR platform. Franklin makes a proprietary magazine for it, and as far as I know, they are the only manufactures of the .17WSM AR platform.
Take a look at the Savage B-Mag if you are wanting an inexpensive semi auto .17WSM rifle.
Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
I watched a guy kill prairie dogs quite easily at 100 yards, and with a bit of holdover, get clean kills at 200. Lasered distances. .17 Mach II.
Art Eatman said:
I can verify that as well, that little Mach2 impressed me. Too bad it's an all but dead cartridge. I never got into the .17 rimfire rifles, I was already invested in the .22WMR and .223. The .223 as a reloader is far more versatile than the high speed .17 HMR.
Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
taylorce1, I wuz talkin' 'bout Justin when you were on the laser. 
I hope your bones are healing okay.
I hope your bones are healing okay.
Art, I figured you were talking about that day. I'd like to do it again PD's have been on a comeback by dad's place. I have a small patch 6 miles from my house that I need to find out who owns, and been invited to lay waste to a large colony near Prichett CO. Anyway, which it's going to have to wait until I'm more mobile, hopefully I get a cast in three weeks should help things.
I moved to outside of Las Animas CO to be closer to work.
I moved to outside of Las Animas CO to be closer to work.
I started shooting a 17hmr this past summer on P-dogs. I really like the caliber. Performs WAY better then a 22lr. The 17grain vmax bullets are just explosive at anything under 200 yds. I watched my buddy hit 3 dogs at a laser ranged 306yards. We went down and found em to see bullet performance at that distance. Each dog had a exit hole just bigger then a Quarter and was dead at the entrance to its hole.
The hollow point bullets avail do NOT give that kind of performance. I think the hollow points have thicker/tougher jackets and dont expand as violently. Very small exits and not great terminal results on P-dogs.
The vmax box shows a picture of a P-dog, the HP's have a picture of a Coyote. I think the HP's are designed for deeper penetration on larger game and the Vmax is for explosive fragmentation on small game
The hollow point bullets avail do NOT give that kind of performance. I think the hollow points have thicker/tougher jackets and dont expand as violently. Very small exits and not great terminal results on P-dogs.
The vmax box shows a picture of a P-dog, the HP's have a picture of a Coyote. I think the HP's are designed for deeper penetration on larger game and the Vmax is for explosive fragmentation on small game
FrankenMauser
New member
My .17 HMR experience is limited, but the time that I did spend with one didn't really impress me.
Some loads shoot about twice as flat and don't drift quite as much as the most comparable .22 WMR load, but that's about it.
Many other factors are pretty close.
But there are a few negatives, in my opinion. Some of the first to come to mind:
1. Price. .17 HMR ammo seems to generally be $17-20+ a box, while .22 WMR is $15 or less. (I buy mine at no more than $7/box, with the last brick coming in at $4.50/box.)
2. Copper fouling. When you copper foul a .17 caliber barrel, it has a dramatic impact on performance. And, since there is significantly less surface area in the small bore, a little bit of copper has an even bigger impact than it would in a .22 caliber barrel.
3. .17 WSM is much better. There's no point in wasting your time on .17 HMR (if you don't already own one), when its selling points are put to shame by .17 WSM. If you want a flat-shooting .17 rimfire, the only one that makes sense is .17 WSM. (Just don't buy the Savage B.Mag. It's an unbelievably cheap, crappy design; which was made worse [or verified?] by being plagued with quality issues for the first year...)
Don't let ammo availability drive your decision.
Not long ago, there was no .17 HMR to be found, while .22 WMR was MIA.
What ever you decide (if you decide to dive in), buy it cheap and stack it deep.
Some loads shoot about twice as flat and don't drift quite as much as the most comparable .22 WMR load, but that's about it.
Many other factors are pretty close.
But there are a few negatives, in my opinion. Some of the first to come to mind:
1. Price. .17 HMR ammo seems to generally be $17-20+ a box, while .22 WMR is $15 or less. (I buy mine at no more than $7/box, with the last brick coming in at $4.50/box.)
2. Copper fouling. When you copper foul a .17 caliber barrel, it has a dramatic impact on performance. And, since there is significantly less surface area in the small bore, a little bit of copper has an even bigger impact than it would in a .22 caliber barrel.
3. .17 WSM is much better. There's no point in wasting your time on .17 HMR (if you don't already own one), when its selling points are put to shame by .17 WSM. If you want a flat-shooting .17 rimfire, the only one that makes sense is .17 WSM. (Just don't buy the Savage B.Mag. It's an unbelievably cheap, crappy design; which was made worse [or verified?] by being plagued with quality issues for the first year...)
Don't let ammo availability drive your decision.
Not long ago, there was no .17 HMR to be found, while .22 WMR was MIA.
What ever you decide (if you decide to dive in), buy it cheap and stack it deep.
brasscollector
New member
The 17WSM is impressive, especially for a rimfire. I had looked into getting one before I bought my 17hmr and still got the 17hmr. 17WSM ammo is a bit more expensive than 17hmr $15-$17/box whereas I get my hornady 17gr v-max for $14/box. The deal breaker between the two for me was ammo availability. I could only find 17wsm at cabelas (30 miles) or a mom n pop shop about 15 miles away. There is so much 17hmr ammo around my area people use cases of it to hold doors open. I load up on the 17hmr at my reloading supply store so there's no special trip.
. I load up on the 17hmr at my reloading supply store so there's no special trip.
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I have a Winchester 94-17 so Henry isn't your only option for a .17HMR lever gun. Granted you'll have to search for a 94-17, but it's worth it. The 17HMR is a flat shooting exceptionally accurate round out to 200 yards or so. I use a scope on my bolt and lever 17's to maximize their potential. The 17 will tear up a rabbit, or squirrel so if you're looking for food take a head shot. That isn't an issue with the .17HMR. I prefer the 20 grain when hunting. If you're going after ground squirrel, or other varmints anywhere in the vitals is devastating. I still hunt small game with my .22LR's or my .22WMR., but the 17 HMR is far superior ballistically and I'm at the point in life that the cost of the ammo isn't an issue. I like to hunt with it and I'll pay to play. As for hogs and coyote... I use my 5.56, or 6.8SPCII. The 17 is just too little gun to ensure a clean kill without a head shot. Sure is fun on raccoons and smaller furry critters though. I shoot the 17WSM as well. It is more expensive to play with and harder to find, but is an amazing round that will give you added range and the ability to take larger game. I still enjoy shooting my .17HMR though. If CZ chambered a rifle in .17WMR it might make a difference to me.
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Hunter Customs
New member
My friend uses his 17HMR to shoot Starlings, he calls it his high speed BB gun.
KCub
The Winchester 1885 low wall is my favorite of the three guns. That's because is such a great looking rifle, has an excellent finish, extremely smooth and extremely accurate. I am surprised how fast a round can be loaded, fired, and ejected with it. Great fun to shoot.
The CZ 452FS is very nice looking and my only bolt action gun. It is relatively small and very accurate. The action is smooth and well finished. Not real excited about the plastic magazine,but that's the only fault I have.
The Henry Golden Boy, like all Henry's, has as smooth an action as you'll find on a lever gun. It is also very accurate and fun to shoot.
I like all three guns, All good shooters. All accurate. All fun to shoot. If I had to choose between them it would be in the order listed.
The Winchester 1885 low wall is my favorite of the three guns. That's because is such a great looking rifle, has an excellent finish, extremely smooth and extremely accurate. I am surprised how fast a round can be loaded, fired, and ejected with it. Great fun to shoot.
The CZ 452FS is very nice looking and my only bolt action gun. It is relatively small and very accurate. The action is smooth and well finished. Not real excited about the plastic magazine,but that's the only fault I have.
The Henry Golden Boy, like all Henry's, has as smooth an action as you'll find on a lever gun. It is also very accurate and fun to shoot.
I like all three guns, All good shooters. All accurate. All fun to shoot. If I had to choose between them it would be in the order listed.