22 WMR vs. 17 HMR

P

Panfisher

New member
Found a nice little rifle in a local shop the other day, Savage .17 HMR. I have an old Marlin 25 in .22 WMR that hangs over the door most times. Thinking about trading it in on the little Savage. The savage is blued with a camo synthetic stock. It will have no specific purpose except to ride around with me to eliminate things like stray cats, armadillos etc., with an occasional short range coyote thrown in. How do the 2 rounds compare.
 
"...eliminate things like stray cats..." That's most likely illegal. How do you know it's a stray.
Anyway, you probably won't get much as a trade in for an M25, but .22 Mag is more common and a bit less expensive.
Whether the .17 is good coyote medicine sparks huge debates on the assorted forums. Most say it's too light to be reliable. It'll do it but it requires solid hits in Wiley's vitals.
 
Hold on to the Marlin and buy the Savage outright. Pretty sure unless you sell it to a friend you might only end up with $50-75.

The only real advantage I see is 22mag is sometimes hard to come by compared to 17hmr which almost nobody seems to own. Of all the gun guys I know only one owns one. The $200+ difference is better spent on ammo.

As for shooting cats some here because of country, state, providence are in areas where they frown on that but other places in the world say shoot em all. If you want to identify a stay cat the usually don't have collars. That's my rule one coyotes too.
 
I one of each the 17 hmr is faster and flatter. Usually the ammo for the 17 is easier to find. A 17 grain bullet will knock a large hole in a jack rabbit or ground squirrel.

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The 17 HMR is great for small critters like squirrels, rabbits and cats. It's a bit iffy for anything bigger than a fox.
 
Kind of what I was thinking. Mostly just wanting something new. And I have zero concern about whether or not shooting feral cats are legal but thanks for the thought. If I saw a cat with a collar on I would be laughing too much to shoot it anyway.
 
I vote for the idea of having both. The 17 is great fun to shoot and is extremely accurate. But for hunting it simply does not throw enough pill. You cqn easily hit stuff at 150-200 yards,but quick kills are another matter.
 
While I might use the .17 to hunt little critters with I just don't need bother rifles. Will have to see what they might give in trade, don't plan to simply give the old .22 Mag away. If I were to hunt vermin with a little rifle I would step up to my Hornet. I just sort of like the idea of that fast little bullet and everyone I have talked to that owns one talks about the accuracy of them.
 
I haven't had very good results with shooting coyotes with the 17 HMR. The 22 WMR wasn't spectacular but I think it was better than the 17.
If your Marlin is accurate and functional, I can't see much of an improvement trading it for the Savage.
FWIW
Any cat more than 1/4 mile from a residence is fair game in my area. I've even shot a few I recognized from my own house that ventured past that "safe zone".
 
My house is the last one out of town for quite a ways, and a nice large turn around just past me. My old .22 WMR is so so accurate, I know a big part of my desire is simply to have a new rifle to play with for a while and trying to justify it with a trade in. If i can make it a couple weeks I may make it hough the urge to own something new. And I have plenty of hawks, snakes, foxes and coyotes to keep mice and rat numbers down.
 
What is there differences? 17 HMR share the same brass as a 22 WMR.
Between the 17 cal & 22 cal >ten grains apart in bullet weight.
Being both are rim fire. Both have limited ability's.

Do I see a benefit in trading one in so to purchase the other? No. But?
This thread isn't about me. It's about Panfisher. "You do what pleases you."
 
I've seen the numbers.

I've played with both cartridges.

I've bought both types of ammo.



In the end, the owner of the .17 HMR that I played with decided it wasn't worth his time.

And I still have absolutely no reason to give up on my much-loved .22 WMR.

I like the heavier bullets.
I like the "new" bullets that we got for .22 WMR after the 'rimfire resurgence' that occurred due to the .17 HMR coming on the scene (thank you .17 HMR, even if you suck otherwise ;)).
I like knowing that, at the very least, I'm shooting more than a dried lentil at my target.

The best use for .17 caliber rimfire ammunition is pulling the (.172") bullets and shooting them in .177" pellet rifles. Accuracy usually isn't great; but the fun factor is higher than using the ammunition as intended.
 
"Enjoy your rodents and snakes Mobuck."

I doubt very much that "rodents and snakes" more than 1/4 mile from my house are much of a threat. Check with your local bunny cop and see what he/she says about feral cats.
 
I own more than a few 22WMR rifles, both bolt and lever action and love them regardless of ammunition availability.
Bought bolt actions for both of my sons as their first 'very own' firearms on their 10th birthdays, Marlin 25 for the oldest and Savage 93 for the youngest.
That Savage with the accu-trigger is a tack driver compared to the Marlin with any ammo.
FrankenMauser is right about the new ammo available too, wowza! :D
My Winchester 255 and Savage/Anschutz 141M absolutely love that stuff!
All be it just my opinion, but the 22WMR is a stretch for coyotes though I have used it successfully on them, I wouldn't consider smaller still.

I've never had any inclination to purchase one of the 17s, though if the Savage had that trigger it may sway my decision in your situation.
Personally I would probably keep the Marlin and purchase the Savage outright as suggested, but I'm gluttonous regarding firearms.
 
Thanks Gentlemen. For some reason now I am wanting to dust off the old Marlin .22 WMR and shoot it a little, good icy day goal.
 
Well I think I might have settled the issue for me. Took the old Marlin out, flopped down inside the door of an old grainary (to stay off he icy ground) and put 3 shots into my target about 60 yards away. Pulled the first one about an inch high but the next 2 were pure money and right next to one another. Yeah it's ugly, and the trigger is a little heavy but I remembered why I still have it, it's one of those that seems to hit more thinks than it should. Even looked at it and considered refinishing the stock but then I might not want to drag ir around some of the places it goes now. Still shooting up a supply of CCI Maxi Mags I bought for my Y2K stash (appears I have had the rifle a while). Don't mean I won't end up wih a .17 HMR but guess the old Marlin still has a home.
 
I understand.
I have a few rifles that never let me down, and always do what I ask.

The Marlin 882 is one of them. (With my Bubba-gunsmith trigger job.)
 
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