Haven’t really followed any threads on 22’s since I haven’t been in the market for decades. Well, my ole Coast-to-Coast 22 finally died. Have a pair of Remington that are both unreliable. Don’t like the Ruger stocks on the 10/22 that checked out.
So my primary use is pests. Chimpmunks, pine squirrels, wood chucks. As I thought this out more, started thinking a 22mag. Most shots are 50-90 yrds and a 22lr isn’t as flat as I would like. Got me thinking about a 17hmr instead.
Opinions?
Love the .17HMR. A buddy has a savage bolt 93R17 F. Fun to shoot, great trigger and accurate. He has an older Leupold 4x scope on it.
Go the .17 . Something about it seems like a faster more accurate shooter than the .22 or .22 mag . I’ve taken a coyote and a bobcat with it .
Randy, I have a Henry 22 Mag Lever that is accurate and fun to shoot. I also have a Henry .17 Lever and a Savage .17 Heavy Barrel. All of these have a scope and would serve you well. For the money I would go with the Savage .17.
If you,re a Lever guy I would go with the Henry 22 Mag
Have an old marlin bolt with a clip that works great, with a crappy old scope on it. It’s main purpose is pest control. It even has a flash light taped to the barrel with electrical tape for late night dates with pests. But one time was out in the yard with the neighbor and he let me borrow his ar 22 to dispatch a chuck. Not gunna lie, never a huge ar platform fan, but holy schnitzel dispatching a chuck behind a wood pile that needed a second shot realized how wicked effective they are in pest control combat. Especially having chickens, a garden and bird feeders. He keeps a few of those really quiet, light load rounds around which are kind of interesting to shoot but not good on chucks. Great on chippymunks at close range though.
A marlin 22lr is my favorite firearm shot the heck out of it and still works. My savage .17 hmr shoots wicked flat. Used an A17 before, and that was fun for quick follow-up shots.
I just did a lot of research on this myself. Here is the short version of what I found. The .17 is faster and flatter shooting bullet. However even a small amount of wind can affect the trajectory. The 22 Mag, is a little heavier and not quite as flat shooting but not effected nearly as much by the wind. They are very similar loads. I went with the 22 mag and the Ruger Precision Bolt action rifle. One review I saw said “if you’re shooting at paper, get the .17. If your shooting critters, get the 22 mag”. I can’t remember the source of the quote. Also note I’ve had a 22 mag for a long time and was really satisfied with it (Marlin). Just upgraded to something that would fit a suppressor.
The 17 HMR has been my go to rifle for the small varmints ever since I bought it 20 years ago and I would doubt it drifts more than 22 WMR as it has much less surface exposed to the wind and it spends less time to get to target. The only 22 WMR bullet that should come close to the HMR would be the 30 gr Vmax for wind drift. The 22 WMR beats the HMR with bullet energy at any distance but at the 50-90 yards the 17 HMR will kill anything you listed.
Quite a few years ago I hung up a frying pan at about 200 yards for a target and the 17gr HMR and the 30gr WMR Vmax were the only bullets that would punch a hole through it, the 40gr WMR would dent it.
If you plan to eat anything you shoot at under a 100 yards with the HMR, shoot for the head
I’ve shot both and really feel its almost a coin flip between them. Found a Howa that got my attention today
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I would suggest looking at tikka and CZ as well. Very accurate and with the CZ you can get some with nice wood if you prefer that over the plastic stocks.
Browning T bolt
I have a love/hate relationship with the .17 HMR. Believe me, I have seriously considered a divorce and it’s all beyond the aforementioned wind issue. It’s maddening. When conditions are right, the .17 is what you want it to be, but add in a little wind and it’s an exercise in frustration as far as one shot hunting kills go.
Hi Randy! Long time no chat!
I’ve got some background with both calibers in question and I’ve found that I too lean toward the 22mag. Biggest reason? Versatility. You can shoot 30, 40, 45, and 50gr bullets so there’s a little more there for dialing in what your rifle likes. I have one that shoots 30gr, one that likes 40gr, and one that likes 50gr. My favorite is the 30gr shooter… A Henry lever with a 24″ octagon barrel. The gun slices 70-100 shots like none other I’ve ever owned. If the majority of your shots are going to be under 70yds, it would be gold! I have a Marlin bull barrel 17HMR and honestly, what throws me is slope.
I shoot 30 to 50 pests/varmints on my property annually, without hunting. Just right place, right time. Shotguns take care of 50% but the rimfires split duties on the rest. All depends on which one I keep close any given day. But uphill, downhill, or flat, the Henry with 30gr just never seems to miss. Last May, after stacking up 8 – 1 shot kills in a row between 42 and 73yds, I finally missed the kill zone on a running shot. Wounded the critter enough that shot #2 finished it. 47 & 53yd shots. I’ve aimed at the head of a cottontail and pierced the ears with the 17HMR, but hit ’em dead on with the 22mag, same shot opportunity. Slope appears to be a factor for me, so I tend to stick with what works most consistently.
I save the heavier grain rounds for specialty critters like coons, coyotes, and beavers. A 17HMR will get the job done if you hit them, but for me, I just do better with the 22mag.
Lastly, if you find yourself looking for a new 22LR and aren’t afraid to spend a little, I have a Ruger M77/22 in 22LR that shoots the wings off flies! I retired my old Remington 582 a few years ago and I chose this as its replacement. I also have Henry Golden/Silver Boys and they’ve been fun on paper, as well as out the window. For the closer window shots, I’ll even run shorts through the Golden Boy successfully. 2 cottontails fell 2 weeks apart to short range 22 shorts, iron sights.
It’s not necessary to own so many options, and if I were to thin the herd, I’d keep the Henry 22mag and the Ruger M77/22. I’d be willing to let the 17HMR go, even though it’s had some glory moments too. It’s just less consistent for me.
I went with the Howa in 22mag. Gave up on the semi automatic for a bolt. Never needed the semi, so it falls in line with my style.
Dropping a Burris 4-14×42 on it. Should be a fun plinker
Excellent! I hope she treats ya right!
I know this is an old post but just thought I’d add little.
I’ve been testing some .22lr bullets of the standard velocity range, nothing over
1280 fps, and all 40 grain bullets save for a 29 grain .22 short round that made it into the 8 bullet round up.
These targets were all shot this morning using a Ruger American in the standard bolt action rifle fitted with a Vortex Crossfire 2X7 scope. Range 50 yards. Light wind at my back.
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I always appreciate looking at groups. Amazing what they say when you really look at them.
Finally settled up on Amcore for my 22mag. It’s picky to say the least. But this load is keeping me happy. Been cleaning up on problem critters.
Its amazing how many people run out and buy a gun and one kind of ammo and just settle for whatever accuracy they get.
Its amazing how many people run out and buy a gun and one kind of ammo and just settle for whatever accuracy they get.
Years ago when I first started reloading, I learned quickly many of the flaws in rifle manufacturing. It’s crazy the variations you run into
Its amazing how many people run out and buy a gun and one kind of ammo and just settle for whatever accuracy they get.
I know this goofball, that when ammo doesn’t match his gun, he’ll go shopping for a gun that’ll shoot that round! 
I went with the Howa in 22mag. Gave up on the semi automatic for a bolt. Never needed the semi, so it falls in line with my style.
Dropping a Burris 4-14×42 on it. Should be a fun plinker
How do you like the Burris scope?
I know this goofball, that when ammo doesn’t match his gun, he’ll go shopping for a gun that’ll shoot that round!
Somebody needs to slap him up side the head.
The cheapest part of the equation when it comes to rimfire is the ammo…. unless one is leaning into the ultra-refined target stuff and I ain’t in that camp. I’ve got a grandson with a son of his own that can blow the stuff off that I’m not going to shoot again. Or I might toss a box or two of the same stuff in the case with the rifle when I head to the cabin and use it for raven and crow fun. Or the ever-present red squirrels and I get bored.
I’ve added another three or four bullets to the 8 shown and plan to shoot them on Weds when I hit the range with the smokeless muzzy and some new bullets. After trialing these new .22 shells I’ll probably decide on a couple shells that get what I want and stock up on them. So far I’ve shot one hollow point and I have three others now and another solid to try.
The trigger on the smokeless muzzy and this American are almost identical pull weights so shooting the .22 does a lot to keep me honed on trigger pull with the muzzy. Never too much practice.
I love .17 HMR. Perfect combination of bullet cal, bullet length, velocity, and rate of twist. Super accurate. Ive taken 13 stripe ground squirrels well over 100 yards off shooting sticks in a seated position. I normally shoot the 17 grain bullets and almost always the Hornady brand, although I believe most all brands are made by CCI. It makes ready work of small game also, just make sure for head shots or you will have meat damage for sure. I do switch to the 20 grain bullets when I take the rifle racoon hunting, and it kills them just fine. And to open a can of worms, I have cleanly killed more than 1 coyote with it using the 17 grain bullets and shooting them in the boiler room. Disclaimer, when I go coyote hunting I take a centerfire. Those before spoken coyote kills were just incidentals while hunting something else. I own 2 Savage 93 series and like them both. One is the flimsiest rifle I have ever owned, but boy does she shoot. The other is a heavy barrel rig. The savages are prone to extractor wear and failure just so you know. The fix is cheap and easy though. Winchester makes a super sexy .17 hmr single shot, but is not inexpensive.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Randy Wieland wrote:</div>
I went with the Howa in 22mag. Gave up on the semi automatic for a bolt. Never needed the semi, so it falls in line with my style.Dropping a Burris 4-14×42 on it. Should be a fun plinker
How do you like the Burris scope?
Love it. In all I have about 20 or so Burris scopes ranging from Verocity to the high end and some F-class. Bought a few lower mid range scopes this year and very happy with them. Very clear and hold zero well
Hows the 22 treating you Randy?
You know me, I have been doing crazy stuff with mine
JH
Hows the 22 treating you Randy?
You know me, I have been doing crazy stuff with mine
JH
Jeff, its been a great paint brush, but it only splatters red – lol Haven’t done anything extraordinary with it. It truly is just a barn gun. Sits ready all the time and takes out coon, woodchucks, pine squirrels,…as needed. If its within 125yrds, put the crosshairs on it and touch it. When time allows, I’ll probably do a trigger job on it. thats my only complaint on this little howa
I wish Ruger didnt make such good magazines. I end up getting them because I can fill up enough mags to spend a whole day at the range. They have nothing on the smoothness and accuracy of my Rem 597 though. But I had to buy 4 of the extended Rem mags to get 2 that worked consistently. Ruger needs to take a note on the dual rail that Rem uses though cuz I polished it up a bit after a few years use and its better than ever. 35 years of .22 and its still a fun day at the range plinking.
Nice!!!! My neighbor put a 597 on a thumbhole Boyd stock for his daughter. fun little semi auto. I don’t recal what models my two Rems are, but they are a hot mess.
I still shoot my Winchester 190 semi once in a while, it’s actually pretty accurate. I bought this in the basement of a Montgomery Wards store back in 1973.
My current 22 LR is just crazy.
JH
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