If they improve the ammo for the 22Mag is that the better choice?
Buckfever
Do you mean if they improve the 17hmr ammo??? :? Like GB said, the 22 mag comes in many different bullet designs, velocities, bullet weights, etc. From mild to wild. The 17hmr is pretty restrictive, either ballistic tip HP's that explode or thin JHP's that explode. They come in varmint bullets only. Which is great for hunting varmints or paper, but for hunting meat a varmint bullet isn't a good choice.
If they improved the 17hmr to have the ammo diversity the 22 mag does, which would be better? Hmmmm, I don't know. I doubt that the 17hmr will ever have the diversity of ammo the 22 mag just because of physics. The 22 mag has a 20 grain spread with 30 grain bullets up to 50 grain bullets. The 17hrm would have to have 17grain to 37 grain bullets to have the same 20 grain spread, and I don't think there is enough throat in the chamber or standard magazines for a 37 grain 17 caliber bullet. And even if they did the 37 grain will never have the smack a 50 grain 22 cal bullet does.
Maybe it's just me, but I look at the 17hmr as a small varmint/target rifle and the 22 mag as a small game and medium varmint rifle, a meat and pelt rifle. But that's just MHO. :wink:
later,
scruffy
