17hmr vs. 22mag rehashed

[poncaguy]

I have 2 Savage 17 HMR's and one H&R 17HMR.They are just a blast to shoot, super accurate, deadly on armadillos...........

[Mike Pearson]

Although the .17 HMR has an accuracy edge, the .22 Mag is plenty accurate. If I wanted to shoot crows and pigeons at 150+ yards, I'd go with the .17 HMR (flatter trajectory, better wind-deflection). However, if I was shooting on a farm (I was raised on a farm myself and I KNOW the pest opportunities that come your way), I'd probably pick the .22 Mag because of it's better punch and it's less expensive to shoot. Factor in coyotes and feral dogs and I KNOW I'd go with the .22 Mag.. Come small game season, you can use it with full metal jacket solids on squirrel & rabbit without destroying too much meat. The .22 Mag is a better farm/working cartridge IMO. --- Mike

[Mike Pearson]

You tell me if you think a groundhog or coyote will not go down hard, hell the only thing I worry about is tearing things up too much.
I'll even go farther, I would rather be shot with RN .38 or fmj .9mm than that
22mag

Around here both groundhogs and yotes are shot at 150-200 yards.  At that range your rimfire is out of gas.  No doubt about it.  As for your preference I hope you never have to be shot with either,  but both .38 and 9mm have both speed and weight over your .22 mag.  Both will do more damage.  No question, no debate.

Keith, you make good points. No one can deny the truth in what you're saying. However, there is another view. On a farm, shots frequently and often come at modest ranges. Not always to be sure but frequently and often. A .22 Mag is marginal for coyotes but out to a hundred yards with a well placed shot, it will get the job done. If a guy is having problems with coyotes and the shots are 150 yards or more, then he needs to be thinking of something like a .223. As far as feral dogs go, no rimfire is adequate but are you going to do? If you see a pack of dogs tearing one of your calves or sheep apart, and all you have in your hands is a .22 Mag (because 98+% of your usual pest problems are woodchuck and under in size), are you not going to intervene? Most of us here would do what we had to do with what is in our hands at the moment. I might, at that point, start keeping a .223 at my beck and call if the problem persists but for that moment in time, I would make do with my .22 Mag or whatever else I had in my hands. --- Mike

[poncaguy]

Since I posted last, I have bought a Ruger lever action 22 Mag. Now, one of my favorite truck guns, not as accurate as my 17's, but close. Got  my 17 Mach 2 back from my grandson since he joined the air force, it's a Handi rifle, gave him my Handi 17 HMR for it since I have 2 Savage 17 HMR's. Wanted it back because the ammo is cheaper..........

[ratgunner]

I have both a .17HMR and a .22mag. And you wont know the difference in real hunting situations. They BOTH do the job.

[wreckhog]

The 22 mag is far more popular for folks eating what they kill. Even legal for deer in Maine. If you just want small game dead, the 17hmr wins. Plinking? Get a .22lr.

[dks7895]

I bought a Marlin 917V in .17HMR a few years back.  My goal with this rifle was the same as yours, vermin control at the farm.  It was very accurate, but was way too much for little critters and not enough for bigger ones.  I sold the .17HMR and bought a Stevens 200 in .223 Rem.  It is more accurate, reaches further, and plenty gun to put down any vermin.  The recoil is virtually nothing, and ammo is relatively cheap as well.  Little critters get the .22LR

[Gene R]

If I'm shooting at paper, or shooting varmints from a rest them the 17 HMR is best no questions asked..

But when in the field and shooting with out a rest the 22 mag wins every time, it is more accurate than I am capable of. I have even killed a hog with mine about 6 years ago, riding through a friends farm we saw a 125lb hog under the oak trees about 75 yards from the truck, leaned across the hood and placed one in his ear. He was still kicking when we got to him, put one more in his ear from 10 ft and it was over. This doesn't mean it's ahog gun by any means, but it sure is a better field/do it all gun.

I carry a 22lr most often though, most shooting done for practice and it is cheap and will kill most verman I come across.