17 hmr or 22 mag?

[justr_86]

I'm looking for a new rodent gun. I can't decide which one I want. I will be shooting rock chucks, prairie dogs, squirrels, rabbits, the occasional fox or coyote.

I know the 22 mag has a lot more of a thump to it with an effective range of about 200 yds. What will the 17 do? I know they are flatter shooting and faster.

I'm having a hard time deciding because they are so close. Leaning towards the 17 for the longer range for prairie dogs.

Thoughts? Suggestions?
Thanks.

 

[weminuche]

.22 isnt near as fast but it makes up for that in knock down power. I have both and I can shoot both out to 200yds easy. Ive found that the .22 is a better bang for your buck. Its a classic plinking round and is ALOT cheaper to shoot. .17 is a fun gun but if there is any wind at all you get alot of drift



"soon the love in her heart, will be the stink on her
fist"



FREE LEONARD PELTIER

 

[mathewsman]

The hmr is NOT an effective coyote/fox gun! It will kill them, but it will wound (leaving them to suffer) more than it kills. Rabbits and smaller...let er buck!

 

[TerynItUp]

+1 Matthewsman

.17 is a great caliber for your smaller varmints. I shoot one for prarie dogs, rabbits, etc... However, coyotes are some tough sons a guns and you wouldnt wanna go that small. Even a 22 Mag is too small in my opinion for coyotes. I personally think the best all around varmint caliber is 22-250. Thats just an opinion though.

Hunt Hard. Shoot Straight. Kill Clean. Apologize to No One.

 

[EROCK1313]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-27-10 AT 03:13PM (MST)[p]The 22 Mag is awesome at small game and coyotes too, as long as you aim true. The .17 HMR has wind drift as stated since it's lighter, but still a good smaller varmint gun for rabbits and such....not for 'Yotes though, IMO.

The 22.250 is a nice caliber, but I prefer the .220 Swift! Accurate as a son of B. Have killed all small animals out a loooong ways and deer too, though I would not really recommend it as a good deer round if its not a head or throat shot - not enough kinetic energy (bullet weight) though plenty fast.

If not the .220 swift, I prefer my trusty .22 Mag (Marlin 922M Semi-Auto), but then again; I haven't really shot my .17 HMR (Marlin bolt)nealry as much to truly appreciate it. Guess the round that works best, is the one you trust most and can use best.

Let us know what you decide. Wally World has good deals on both for bolt action...I got the .17 HMR for about $170 or so. I also have the Marlin 922M (.22 Mag Semi-Auto). It cost more (if you can find them they run from about $350-$500)but is SaWeeeeeeet and worth the cost!!

**Bonus** If you buy the Marlin .17 HMR, the clips also fit the Marlin .22 Mag Rifles as well and vice versa.


?-ERock-> ?

 

[justr_86]

I already have a 22-250. Great for yotes bit much for fox. Killed 2 deer with it and 1 shot behind the shoulder did great on both. The bullet expands too fast leaving a big hole in the ribcage though.

I have a friend with a rock chuck problem. His 12 year old got sick of shooting them last summer there are so many. That's why I'm looking for a new gun cause the 250 is a little expensive to shoot that much. And cause I have the wife talked into a new gun.

How much flatter does the 17 shoot? I had a 22 mag for a while and sold it. Loved the gun too. Many coyotes, fox, rock chuck, prairie dog and rabbit fell to that gun with 0 tracking jobs. Just thinking about trying something new and wondering if its worth it.

 

[west]

If you stick to the smaller stuff the 17 is great. If you plan on the yotes and fox go with the .22mag. Another thing to note. I don't know what it is in other states, but if you wanted to use it on turkey in wyoming the .22 mag is legal where the .17 is not


"blaming guns for violence is like blaming spoons for Rosie O'donnell being fat."

 

[mtmuley]

Not rimfires, but a .222 Remington, or even the .221 Fireball may be worth a look. mtmuley

 

[azbow]

The 17 is fun to shoot but a real pain to clean. I find myself passing up shooting my 17 because of it. That tiny hole in the tube makes it awfully tough to get a cleaning patch down it and you have to have a special rod size to do it. Stick with the 22 in my opinion.

 

[flyingbrass]

22mag bucks the wind a billion times better than the .17 HMR. Take both on a prairie dog shoot and you will see the diference. Shoot a thousand rounds through both rifles and then try to convince me I am wrong!
flyingbrass
cold dead hands
NRA Life Member

 

[justr_86]

I think I am going to stick with what I know. The 22 mag. In utah you have to use a shotgun or archery equipment for turkey. The guns main purpose will be killing rock chucks on my friends farm, and riding around in the truck with me for those unlucky coyotes and fox. I agree its too small for coyotes past 100 yds but anything under that they are in big trouble. fox arent much bigger than jackrabbits so it does great on them without blowing them up.

Its cheaper than the 17 too.

 

[hedhunter]

did you ever think about the 22 hornet? it is a great little caliber for chucks,fox.turkey,yotes and even deer.make sure you dont use hollow points on the bigger game they dont do the job like soft points will.

 

[Snuffy]

If you ant a little more punch try the .22 Hornet, have alot of fun with mine.

 

[whiskeybent]

I have a 17 remington fireball. It is way fun to shoot p dogs with. I have shot a fox with it and it dropped it like a ton of bricks. It shoots the 20 grain vmax handloads at just under 4000 fps.

 

[cauch]

I have a 17 HMR and love it! accurate gun under calm conditions. have shot many gophers out around 300 yards

 

[longshooter338]

As posted earlier 17 hmr is great for rabbits squirrels and beer cans and thats all i will employ it for i love the old ruger target grey 77 22 mag when i employ it on tribal lands in new nexico where rimfire and shotguns only are allowed it takes care of coyotes fox and bobs just fine on a side note take a look at the 22 hornett it is one tough customer

 

[hossblur]

Let me recommend the savage, I have the .17, with the accutrigger adjusted down all the way this is a great set-up for this small caliber. My four year old loves this gun as do I but I have it and the 22-250 so we take both coyote hunting.

 

[justr_86]

LAST EDITED ON Feb-01-10 AT 08:54AM (MST)[p]I have a savage 22-250 and absolutely love the gun!! I decided to pick this 22 mag up from Legacy here at the MM classifieds.

I like browsing the classifieds here, Theres some pretty good stuff with a couple pretty good deals.



NO GUTS, NO STORY!!