17 HMR or 17 Mach 2 Ricochets????????????

[mebejets]

does anyone have data on ricochets with either the 17 hmr or the 17 mach2?  i have an area that is close to houses and golf course.  it kinda worries me everytime i shoot there.  i've been using 22 long rifle and 22 mag and hear ricochets every once and a while.  i choose my shots wisley but still worried.  will get new rifle to stop this if either of these will stop the ricochets.  amazing this is even off dirt with grass and disced dirt.

marcus in Kalistan

[Glanceblamm]

I don't have any data on this but it seems that those little hmr bullets have a lot of fragmentation in the form of pieces of the jacket around the backstop.
My .22WMR seems to be a lot less likely to ricochet than my .22LR (which can be notorious for this)
My worst offender for the ricochet would be the CCI CB Short with the lead round nose bullet moving @ 710fps out of the muzzle...I have heard these strike objects after bouncing of the sod 10yds ahead of me!

I think that the best precaution to take would be the number one rule when shooting which is to make sure of your backstop.

[LaOtto222]

I have no experience with the 17 M2, but do with the 17 HMR with the plastic tipped bullets. I have found that they do not ricochet. I would imagine that if the distance was far enough and the angle shallow enough that the 17 grain pill would glance off rather than blow up. But at any reasonable distance I have found them to simply blow up. I use a 17 HMR in situations where I absolutely do not want a ricochet. I am careful about what is out in front me, but ricochets can come off at odd angles, especially if the hit a rock. To be safe I use the fragile bullets that will blow up into small  pieces so they have no chance of going off into a direction that I have no control of. I have had 22 rim fires come off at fairly sharp angles (sometimes over 30 degree) from where I was shooting. I really do not like that unpredictability.

[quickdtoo]

I've not had any yet with either shooting the ballistic tip stuff, but I haven't shot the XTP and Gamepoint ammo much, but they would likely be prone to ricochet and the FMJ ammo even more so. 

Tim

[Ladobe]

Way late getting in on this one.

I've shot ground squirrels up to past 300 yards with the 17 HMR's quite a bit.   Even that "shallow" I've never had a skipper with the V-Max pills, but have had a few with the Speer TNT's.

Only shoot V-Max in my 17HM2's and never had any skippers with them.

[Tencubed]

I know of no bullet that will not ricochet if the conditions are right.  Even the very thin skinned bullets will bounce once the velocity has bled off to the point the bullet will no longer come apart on impact.

Best bet is too not shoot where a ricochet may cause a problem.  The possible consequences of a bullet, even a nearly spent one, hitting someone in their yard is not worth the risk.  Way better to pass up the shot or find another place to shoot.

Mike

[MOGLEY]

I have shot both at crows on the beach (coastal). I live on an island and have made shots at all angles imaginable. I have yet to have a skipper with either one.Started with 22's so yes I know the difference. I love the mach 2 and HMR. Cats and squirrels and crows just simply drop dead when hit. That little bullet just liquifies everything in them. Awesome round.
 I use 243 v-max 75gr and 22-250 v max type bullets on the same shooting areas for the 3to 400 yards shots and have not even had any skippers with them. I shoot with a spotter and if I don't hit my mark, all you see is the bullet turn to dust.

[torpedoman]

I know of no bullet that will not ricochet if the conditions are right.  Even the very thin skinned bullets will bounce once the velocity has bled off to the point the bullet will no longer come apart on impact.

Best bet is too not shoot where a ricochet may cause a problem.  The possible consequences of a bullet, even a nearly spent one, hitting someone in their yard is not worth the risk.  Way better to pass up the shot or find another place to shoot.

Mike

17's tend to quit fragmenting at about 75 yds and they will ricochet (my experence your may be different)