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22LR vs 17 HMR vs 17 Mach II

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29 May 2008, 01:00
Will
22LR vs 17 HMR vs 17 Mach II
Thinking about getting a CZ in one or the other for the grandkids to go plinking with someday.

Any opinions on the way to go?


-------------------------------
Will Stewart / Once you've been amongst them, there is no such thing as too much gun.
---------------------------------------
and, God Bless John Wayne.

NRA Benefactor Member, GOA, N.A.G.R.
_________________________

"Elephant and Elephant Guns" $99 shipped
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29 May 2008, 03:13
260remguy
The 17 HM2 shoots as flat out to 100 yards as does the 17 HMR, but for about 1/2 the cost. That said, 17 HM2 ammo is still about 3x the price of the least expensive 22 LR ammo, but I think that it is more fun to shoot because of its flatter trajectory.

Jeff
29 May 2008, 09:44
RollinsB
22LR.

The 17 rimfires are fun to play with but ammunition is too expensive.
29 May 2008, 10:25
keithv35
quote:
22LR.


+1

Federal hp ammo at Walmart is $12.00 for 550 rounds. Loads and loads of fun out of his single shot Cricket.











Keith
29 May 2008, 10:45
Tyler Kemp
I vote 22 LR as well. With open sights, most people can't tell much about the poorer accuracy of the bulk ammo, and some guns shoot it quite well.


Love shooting precision and long range. Big bores too!

Recent college grad, started a company called MK Machining where I'm developing a bullpup rifle chassis system.

29 May 2008, 11:50
seafire2
I have a CZ 452 in 22 LR.. with the long 25 inch barrel...

I have a 6 x 24 Tasco Target socpe on it... may sound funny, but that CZ can actually take advantage of a scope that big on it..

head shots on little bitty sage rats and chipmonks at 100 to 125 yds with it, are not an issue.. and that is using Federal or Winchester bulk ammo from Walmart...

and after 30,000 plus rounds down the barrel, it is still just as accurate as when I bought it...

it has helped many a local boy scout complete their rifle shooting merit badge.. especially a lot of them that didn't manage to qualify at summer camp...

they take this thing to the range with me and they qualify pretty darn quickly!


Life Member: The American Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

Jan 20, 2009.. Prisoner in Dumocrat 'Occupied America', Partisan in the 'Save America' Underground


Beavis..... James Beavis..... Of Her Majesty's Secret Service..... Spell Check Division



"Posterity — you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it."
John Quincy Adams

A reporter did a human-interest piece on the Texas Rangers. The reporter recognized the Colt Model 1911 the Ranger was carrying and asked him "Why do you carry a 45?" The Ranger responded, "Because they don't make a 46."

Duhboy....Nuttier than Squirrel Poop...



29 May 2008, 19:58
Bobby Tomek
I vote for the .22 LR as well. With the bulk ammo mentioned, you are looking at a round that is 1/10th of the cost of the HMR.


Bobby
Μολὼν λαβέ
The most important thing in life is not what we do but how and why we do it. - Nana Mouskouri

01 June 2008, 14:01
Dr. Lou
.22 LR!!!


****************
NRA Life Benefactor Member
01 June 2008, 15:21
pisces
For grand children - 22LR, dancing - just remember to warn them about ricochets.
04 June 2008, 23:48
zimbabwe
I have owned and shot VERY accurate 22LR's all my life and have been very happy with them as a group. When the 17MII came out I said to myself I was going to treat myself to a Kimber if they ever chambered a rifle for it. When they announced it I ordered a classic varmint and when I recieved it I mounted a nice Leupold VariXIII on it and went to the range. The first 5 rounds at 100ft was one single .17caliber hole. I have never shot a more accurate rifle PERIOD. Out to 100yds it is exceptional. I tried it on Coyotes which is what I bought it for. Only head shots behind the ear are succesful. So I ordered one of the Savage thumbhole stock models that has a pretty varigated laminated stock in 17HMR and mounted a matching 12x Leupold that I had on the Kimber and off to the range. First 5 shots gave about a .19 caliber hole (the funny trigger takes some getting used to but is terrific)so accurracy is without fault. It does a very good job on Coyotes on body shots on a regular basis. I shall probably never go back to my custom Mdl 52 Winchester. The .17's are just so very accurate with any brand of ammunition on the market today and the bullets are better than just good. They do cost more to shoot but I can scrape together enough to keep them fed. I shall probably keep the Kimber just because I always wanted a Kimber 22 and they are no longer making rimfires but the .17HMR is the one to use for small game. Just my personal opinion of course.


SCI Life Member
NRA Patron Life Member
DRSS
08 June 2008, 16:26
Red C.
For the grandchildren plinking, get the 22LR. I have a 22LR and a .17 HMR and my grandson likes shooting the .22LR as much as the .17 HMR plus I can afford to let him shoot the 22LR it to his heart's content. The difference in the cost of the ammo is SUBSTANTIAL! Wink


Red C.
Everything I say is fully substantiated by my own opinion.
08 June 2008, 20:29
mehulkamdar
Will,

I have several 22 lrs but I bought a Brno Model 2 action from a member on these forums and decided to build a 17 HM2 on it. This will be for my wife who is small made (5ft 2" in height) and an American boy should easily be her size and much stronger. The reason I chose to go with the HM2 was that the rounds fit in the magazine perfectly and also because the cost of HM2 ammunition (as members have pointed out here) is much lower than that of the 17 HMR. I also think that for my wife who is a beginning shooter, the flatter trajectory of the HM2 will make it easier to shit stuff at ranges longer than 50 yards. It should be the same for the boys.

Hope your grandkids have great fun shooting along with grandpa and do post pics of them enjoying themselves.


Keithv35,

Those are some of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen. The little guy's smile is worth a billion dollars! Cool


Mehul Kamdar

"I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."-- Patrick Henry

08 June 2008, 21:14
333_OKH
For some actual hunting of vermin the 17s are great, but then there is the cost. For a youngster the 22LR is as good as it will ever get. My little girl and her Chipmunk/Cricket with the red dot scope will be out this week again.
09 June 2008, 06:10
keithv35
quote:
The little guy's smile is worth a billion dollars



Thanks Mehul! He's an ear to ear grin when he's out shooting.

Keith
09 June 2008, 06:38
390ish
I shoot a sako 94. I like to set up five different targets at 50 yards, like a mix of cans and clay pigeons and apples an see how fast I can break them shooting offhand. Great fun and cheap. That rifle does not seem to know the difference between eley and dynapoint. My vote is for a quality 22.
09 June 2008, 09:10
Collins
Make the kids "Buy" their ammo, chores or such... They will make every shot count and thank you for getting them a .22

You can get 8 .22's for each .17 HMR. I love my HMR, but I'm not buying more ammo for it. Viva the .22LR


Collins
Airgunner / 458 SOCOMer/ 45-70er / 458 Lotter

www.actionairgun.com LIVE NOW

09 June 2008, 22:39
TEANCUM
quote:
Originally posted by seafire2:
I have a CZ 452 in 22 LR.. with the long 25 inch barrel...

I have a 6 x 24 Tasco Target socpe on it... may sound funny, but that CZ can actually take advantage of a scope that big on it..

head shots on little bitty sage rats and chipmonks at 100 to 125 yds with it, are not an issue.. and that is using Federal or Winchester bulk ammo from Walmart...

and after 30,000 plus rounds down the barrel, it is still just as accurate as when I bought it...

it has helped many a local boy scout complete their rifle shooting merit badge.. especially a lot of them that didn't manage to qualify at summer camp...

they take this thing to the range with me and they qualify pretty darn quickly!


Seafire2

That's great to see your involvement in the Bopy Scouts with their shooting merit badges. I also have done some work with this great organization for boys. I hope that the Boy Scout Organization will continue it purpose and not get sidetracked with some of today's negative issues. It is a great help to young boys to enjoy the outdoors and helps to prolong the hunting traditions of our country. Good on you.
10 June 2008, 00:40
seafire2
Thanks Teancum...

an older boy I helped wrap up his last merit badge had his eagle court of honor on Saturday...

I wasn't able to attend, but just dropped by the event before it started and congratulated him...

He is planning on going into the military this fall... conmpleting his eagle scout rank will help him dramatically in his military rank advancement...

Too bad scouting is not 'in vogue' anymore...

I love it when some dumbass hippie in his late 50s or early 60s criticizes it for being a 'paramilitary organization" that just teaches young boys to grow up and be 'baby killers'....

If I managed to keep my cool when I see them tell a young scout that, I'll tell them that no, it is much more important for the future of America for them to follow the roll model of a guy like him....

to teach them to grow up and learn you don't need a bath except once a month, you don't need to waste money on barbers or razor blades... you don't need to worry about if you clothes look clean,

you need to learn how to grow, sell and distribute dope and other drugs... you need to talk about eating healthy and saving the environment while your own house looks like a friggin dump and you treat your own body like a toilet you never flush with all the drugs you filter thru it...

You need to learn to hate your country and glorify its enemies...

It is important to the natinoal economy to know how to abuse welfare...

Its important to know how to blame everything on everybody else, than think about taking personal responsbility for your own actions...

Yeah, I can see where what boys learn in scouting is undermining our country and their personal future....

Instead we need to teach our youth to embrace the hippie life style and ideology.. it is both good for our nation and them as an individual.. homer

( Seeing some hippie guy make fun of a Scout in uniform Saturday has this fresh in my mind...)


Life Member: The American Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

Jan 20, 2009.. Prisoner in Dumocrat 'Occupied America', Partisan in the 'Save America' Underground


Beavis..... James Beavis..... Of Her Majesty's Secret Service..... Spell Check Division



"Posterity — you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it."
John Quincy Adams

A reporter did a human-interest piece on the Texas Rangers. The reporter recognized the Colt Model 1911 the Ranger was carrying and asked him "Why do you carry a 45?" The Ranger responded, "Because they don't make a 46."

Duhboy....Nuttier than Squirrel Poop...



10 June 2008, 03:35
Will
Well said.


-------------------------------
Will Stewart / Once you've been amongst them, there is no such thing as too much gun.
---------------------------------------
and, God Bless John Wayne.

NRA Benefactor Member, GOA, N.A.G.R.
_________________________

"Elephant and Elephant Guns" $99 shipped
“Hunting Africa's Dangerous Game" $20 shipped.

red.dirt.elephant@gmail.com
_________________________

Hoping to wind up where elephant hunters go.
11 June 2008, 22:50
Mikelravy
Pick the caliber you want. I bought my son a CZ 452 and he loves it. I'm thinking of getting another one for myself. I don't think there is anything any better out there at a price I could justify.
16 November 2021, 22:28
Charlie64
.

Bumping this as I am looking for a .22 LR for rabbits and vermin ....

CZ, Anschutz, Tikka ??

Any thoughts and please remember I am Europe / RSA based and not USA so its not a drive to Walmart and here we go!!

Thoughts / advice appreciated.

Charlie

Ps I have never owned a .22LR so this is a first!

.


"Up the ladders and down the snakes!"
16 November 2021, 23:19
TomP
quote:
Originally posted by RollinsB:
22LR.

The 17 rimfires are fun to play with but ammunition is too expensive.


Federal Punch for 22 LR, fast enough...


TomP

Our country, right or wrong. When right, to be kept right, when wrong to be put right.

Carl Schurz (1829 - 1906)
19 November 2021, 01:05
crbutler
I have an Anschutz and the thing is scary accurate.

Probably a bit heavier than the other offerings, but no where near a typical centerfire sporter.

A magazine fed one would be a good option and you could use it as a target gun.

Given European limitations on numbers owned, I’d get a higher cost one that’s more accurate than you need rather than buying a more economical one.

I’ve seen some nice CZ’s but they aren’t in the same league as the Anschutz guns.

The .17 rimfires are not good choices for meat guns- they have their place for varmints but are too destructive IMO for edible small game.

Depending how your shooting is, for close work a semi auto .22 (dunno if they are legal there) is good if you have groups bursting out. A Ruger 10/22 is probably the best for that option, if not as good accuracy wise as the Anschutz, it can be amazingly close.

The Ruger is cheap here, but I don’t know about over there.

quote:
Originally posted by Charlie64:
.

Bumping this as I am looking for a .22 LR for rabbits and vermin ....

CZ, Anschutz, Tikka ??

Any thoughts and please remember I am Europe / RSA based and not USA so its not a drive to Walmart and here we go!!

Thoughts / advice appreciated.

Charlie

Ps I have never owned a .22LR so this is a first!

.

19 November 2021, 07:07
B L O'Connor
quote:
Originally posted by Will:
Thinking about getting a CZ in one or the other for the grandkids to go plinking with someday.

Any opinions on the way to go?
For a grandchild, I'd get a CZ. Great price-point/accuracy ratio and a great rifle for a kid.

I have a CZ 452 and it's a one-holer at 50 yards and often around 1.5 in at 100 yards.

Mine is ammo-sensitive, but the difference between best and worst is not that great.

For a plinker and a squirrel rifle out to 100 yards it's just great and I've killed a lot of ground squirrels with it.
19 November 2021, 09:09
NormanConquest
For my kids + grandkids I always started them off with a single shot 22 at the age of 10. Right or wrong, my rules. Semi-autos are always loaded. Bolts, sometimes. My last Grandson I gave a BSA Martini w/ a bull bbl. that I did a D+T for a scope mount. This was one of the batch that SKB brought into the US from Brittain a few years back. I have always felt that a single shot for a young novice was a good idea. Besides the safety factor, it also makes you a better shot.


Never mistake motion for action.
19 November 2021, 20:00
skl1
quote:
Originally posted by Charlie64:
.

Bumping this as I am looking for a .22 LR for rabbits and vermin ....

CZ, Anschutz, Tikka ??

Any thoughts and please remember I am Europe / RSA based and not USA so its not a drive to Walmart and here we go!!

Thoughts / advice appreciated.

Charlie

Ps I have never owned a .22LR so this is a first!

.


All three will likely be very accurate. The Anschutz might be more accurate, but I'm not sure you can count on it especially in a sporter-weight gun with non-match ammo. The Anschutz and CZ can both be had in aesthetically pleasing configuration. The Tikka is a great gun and accurate, but I don't like how it looks. If money isn't tight and you're not going to cry every time you pull it through the briars, go ahead with the Anschutz. If not, maybe the CZ?
20 November 2021, 00:24
B L O'Connor
It turns out that commercial rabbit hunting is a "thing" in the UK, or was a thing.

The trick is to avoid contaminating the meat. That's accomplished by (1) head-shooting every animal and (2) a unique way to gut the animals.

Here's a video by a commercial hunter which covers the entire process of commercial hunting (permits, gun storage, etc.)

He uses a plastic-stocked CZ 452 with a good scope on it. He shoots out to 75 — 100 yards and if there's any question about the accuracy or effectivness of the CZ, this might provide some insight.

The video is slightly over an hour, and I'd recommend beginning at minute 6:00 (the end of non-shooting formalities) where the actual shooting begins.

When and if you get tired of watching the shooting footage, you can skip to the gutting footage at minute 57:29.

JFWIW.
20 November 2021, 14:34
Saeed
22 LR without any question.


www.accuratereloading.com
Instagram : ganyana2000
20 November 2021, 16:34
Charlie64
.

Thank you all for the advice and comments....

Decision is a .22 LR and now looking at options...

Cheers and appreciate the help!

.


"Up the ladders and down the snakes!"
25 November 2021, 02:24
Palladin8
During Obama's administration you couldn't find 22 anything where I lived or near by states. Pretty much anywhere in the nation. What there was a large supply of was 17 HMR. I picked up a Henry lever action in 17HMR so I could have something to plink and take bunnies with. It's a fun gun to do just that with. It's not as cheap to shoot as the 22LR but it seems like it's fairly easy to get my hands on when 22lr or Mag is not.
26 November 2021, 04:16
Atkinson
Ive had a few of the 22 magnums, still have a 5mm, Neither of which do a thing that the 22 LR wont do just as well, except on paper...unless you hunt a lot of turkeys..The cost of ammo is ridiculas with the magnum and 5MM...The kids will never know the difference..Go with the 22 L.R. unless its YOU that has a hankering for a 22 magnum, thats the only reason to own one, like a 25-20 or 32-20 just another man toy..and lots of fun rotflmo


Ray Atkinson
Atkinson Hunting Adventures
10 Ward Lane,
Filer, Idaho, 83328
208-731-4120

rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com
18 January 2022, 23:56
Heym SR20
22lr everytime. But for the grandchildren what about a nice little pellet gun. Something like the Weihrauch HW30 - a nice little spring gun - will give endless hours of plinking pleasure for pennies. Over here you can buy 500 pellets for the same cost as 50 22lr cartridges.

Noise is less, and so too is the power. And for children that is a good thing. Whilst all guns can kill, a pellet gun will not send a pellet very far. A 22lr can send a bullet over a mile.

My grandfather had a 22 lr which was a special treat to use. But he a 177 BSA Cadet that use a tin of 500 pellets over a few days on the farm.
25 January 2022, 21:32
wymple
Not relevant to this discussion, I suppose, and I think the 1st powder gun should be a .22, I started all the kids & grandkids on BB guns & pellet rifles. Even today I can buy 500 pellets for 6 bucks, and 1100fps is easily available. I did buy my 3rd son the Savage bull bbl .17HMR with the thumbhole stock, and is beyond accurate. His favorite rifle. I bought my last grandson a lever action Henry with the octagon bbl and it's a nice piece, very slick.
25 January 2022, 23:36
carpetman1
3 of the things to consider for youth would be fit, weight and recoil. The CZ are lighter than many others. Recoil in the rounds you mention not a factor. Fit--what would be ideal is buying an extra stock to cut down and keep the original for later. Depending on your financial situation, ammo cost could be another factor--the kids can go through a bunch of it--remember when you were a kid if you had a bb gun?

I have a couple rifles for youth that I think are great choices. One is an Ithaca model 49 in 22 lr. This is a single shot lever action. Working the lever only ejects the shell but does not cock it. Even when cocked, the round can be ejected. Being a two piece stock, it is very easy to fashion up a shorter butt that fits the youth, again keeping the original for later.

The other youth rifle I have is a Remington 600 in .222. I had an extra stock and cut one down for youth. If you reload and especially if you cast bullets, fare for ammo not too bad. Has the advantage that they also use it for deer.

By all means a pellet rifle is a worthy candidate.
26 January 2022, 07:18
dougfinn
All my rim fires are CZ. Can’t beat accuracy. As far as calibres go, I’d get a .22 for plinking, target shooting and grouse hunting. .17 HMR for hunting.
02 February 2022, 02:48
Idaho Ron
I have never owned a decent 22LR. This year I decided to get one. I have a CZ455 varmint 17HMR. That rifle is scary accurate. My first thought was another CZ. But availability is non existent and if you can find one it is priced 3x regular price. I decided to try a Bergara BMR.




I put a Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-24x50 FFP scope on it.
So far I have only shot 50 yards. All of my 22 shells very from 60 years old to about 5 or 10 years.
My first group after sighting in was with these Winchesters.



These old shells didn't do well at all.



These Match bullets didn't do so well either.



These were some other old bullets I tried






The only new shells I have tried are these.





The last group is cherry picked. I'm not going to try to BS you. I have groups that are spectacular then the next group will be around 3/4"
This group was also the CCI standard velocity





I can't compare a CZ 22LR to the Bergara 22LR. I don't have a CZ.
That said I think that the Bergara is a decent rifle. At some point I will probably get some more match grade ammo. But in reality I have thousands of these old bullets I got from my grandfather and will shoot those up. before I get more new ones.