17 cal vs 22 mag

[Rowdie]

So I didn't want to hijack the long-range rifle thread. I'm hearing we need more nonpolitical threads anyway.

So I now live on the edge of a Pdog town and would like to get a 22 mag semi-auto or a 17 cal. I heard 17 cal came in rimfire and this is the first site I went to.

https://www.coyotelight.com/the-wonderful-world-of-17-caliber-rimfires/

I'm intrigued by the 17 rimfire and was if anyone has any personal experience? Also I'm wondering if anyone can help choose which rabbit hole to go down.....22 mag or 17? I have little experience with either of them. I won't be taking too many shots over 200 yards.

Now I'm using my 223 bolt. I need to clean it but on no wind days I've hit 6 or 7 in a row out past 200 yards.

 

[SupressYourself]

I wouldn't discourage anyone from getting another rifle, but what is the use-case here?
Sounds like you have a capable 223. Are you just wanting something quieter for more chances at closer pdogs?

22 Mag is kind of the "308" of magnum rimfires. It's not the newest or flattest shooting, but it gets it done, and ammo is (usually) plentiful.

17 HMR and 17 WSM are newer, "better" designs, but within 200 yards, you're probably not going to notice much difference. And I don't know about the HMR, but I've heard the WSM ammo can be really hard to come by.

 

[ktm450]

i have a henry lever acation17 hrm with a 3x9x40 scope. its a tac driver for me. super fun gun, usually take that for pdogs, have shot coyotes as well with it but not my weapon of choice for that.

 

[LBrandt]

Wind can be a real factor with the 17 but its fast. I have a Savage in A-17 and a Henry Golden Boy in 17 also> Fun gun's to shoot. I also have an old Marlin bolt with the Mico-groove barrel that is an absolute tack driver. Ammo is about the same cost and easy enough to get. Both calibers will turn gophers into little bear rugs with the right ammo and the cost is about 25 cents a round. On P-dogs dont expect the big blow up like the 223. LB

 

[Smuscha]

No experience with .22 mag but .17 hmr never leaves the front seat. I have it in the savage A17 with bsa sweet 17 scope. Once sighted in the turret is surprisingly accurate for what the scope cost. 100 yard zero and they are little tack drivers. Great little varmint rifle out to 150, haven’t pushed much past that. Ammo seems pretty readily available. Used to be 12 bucks for a brick but now it seems to hover about 15-17. Run either CCI or Hornady and don’t notice a difference.

Do have a Henry lever in the .17 too but have never pulled the trigger on it.

 

[Rowdie]

I wouldn't discourage anyone from getting another rifle, but what is the use-case here?
Sounds like you have a capable 223. Are you just wanting something quieter for more chances at closer pdogs?

22 Mag is kind of the "308" of magnum rimfires. It's not the newest or flattest shooting, but it gets it done, and ammo is (usually) plentiful.

17 HMR and 17 WSM are newer, "better" designs, but within 200 yards, you're probably not going to notice much difference. And I don't know about the HMR, but I've heard the WSM ammo can be really hard to come by.

Yes, I plan on using it for the closer pdogs. I want semi-auto so I can just keep shooting if I miss the first shot. Also, I need/use my lead sled for my bolt 223. There are times I j would like to fire some quick accurate shots without it. I have a 22 semi-auto that won't pattern at all. I bought it used out of a WY pawnshop. It just sucks not being able to hit shit with it. There are nights I have yotes close. I'd like to be able to fire a bunch of accurate shots quickly. I don't need to blow them up, and want cheap abundant ammo.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Youll get better accuracy from .17 from my experience. They use more consistent bullets and terminal performance is much better also out to 100m. Also if you get one thats fairly heavy, you can watch your hits in your scope easily and thats fun, blackbirds really pop with those little 17s I hear... Same with gophers and ground squils.

 

[muzzyhunter]

I have an A17,its an accurate little gun,but initially would jam within 3 rounds,I sent it in to Savage,spent 5 months at thier factory(was told a parts issue),when it came back no more jam issues,shoots great.Before I sent this rifle in,I had read lots of jamming issues,this was when they first came out,from the way mine works now,i would assume they worked out the kinks!!
Also have the Marlin 60 50th anniversary edition(little fancier model)also shoots great,a little picky on ammo,doesnt like real cheap stuff,hard to extract unfired rounds with that stuff,but will spit out anything fired through it,another accurate little gun and much quieter than the 17hmr.

 

[Zogman]

I had a CZ 17 hrm. Which was a great gun but I didn't use it very much. Before that I had a Howa 223 that I used a lot the most fun for under a 150 yards Federal factory had a 40 grain hollow point that was awesome. Flickertail and Striped gophers just EXPLODED. Awesome fun.

 

[Rowdie]

So all you guys shooting the 17's I take it are center fire? Has anyone tried the rimfire 17's?

 

[LBrandt]

I bought 25 round clips for my A17 but with the blow-back bolt you cannot shoot it like a Ruger 10/22 they are not that fast cycle. LB

 

[Wirehair]

Have the Savage A17 as well. Absolutely a blast to shoot! I stick with the CCI A-17 ammo and have had zero issues with jams. Only downside is that it does not take long to run through several boxes of shells @ $0.25 / round. Agree with posts above that wind is an issue beyond 100 yds.

 

[luvcatchingbass]

Have used my buddy's .17 to shoot a few P dogs when we go out mule deer hunting, there is a couple towns we drive by when out. It does the job for knocking them down. Not a semi-auto its a Savage with a heavy barrel, they do a decent job on muskrats too. Keep thinking about picking one up for the fun of it and the girls can shoot it, it would just be supplemental to the .22LR arsenal I have and add a suppressor that would be the giggle switch for me.
What I picked up a couple years ago was a Rugger 5.56 for a pickup/ranch gun to deal with coon, skunks, yotes, woodchuck. Anytime I run across one of the vermin I either don't have it or grab the 12ga or 10/22 fastest, dispatched a woodchuck with Heritage .22 revolver this past summer.

 

[gillraker]

I had a .22 mag for years, bought a 17HMR and the first trip shooting prairie dogs sold me on the 17HMR, my partner was shooting a 22 mag that day and traded it for an 17HMR the next day. Ammo is a bit more expensive for the 17HMR, but I feel the trade-off is worth it.

 

[Rowdie]

https://www.academy.com/p/rossi-rs22-22wmr-semi-auto-rimfire-rifle

This is about the cheapest I could find new. I really appreciate your comments, especially comparing the two.

 

[BrokenBackJack]

So all you guys shooting the 17's I take it are center fire? Has anyone tried the rimfire 17's?

No, my 17 is a Rim fire. 17 HMR.
Savage 93R17 with a bull barrel and thumb hole stock.
Real tack driver right out of the box. It really impressed me.
Real quiet also.

 

[Browneye]

I have a heavy barrel 17 hmr with a sweet 17 scope on and I really like it. I feel you may be happier with a bull barrel bolt than a semi auto because the accuracy may be better and you may not have the need for quick follow up shots. Like you use the 17 out to 150 or better then I use the .223. Problem I have is when I shoot by myself past 225 or so I can't see my misses so its tough to adjust to be able to walk it in. I then feel like I'm just burning up ammo at that point. The 17 you can usually see your misses in the scope.

 

[Prairie Doggin']

I've got 4 17 HMRs and a 17 WSM, all Savage, all accurate. The WSM gives you a little more reach. The Savage BMag (17 WSM) was garbage when it first came out, but not sure if it's improved any. I have a different model with better stock, and like it pretty well. Bypassed getting my boys 22s and went straight to 17 HMR. It is way more accurate with the same non-existent recoil.

Used to be able to pick up a new Savage 17 HMR for about $200, but haven't priced one in a while.

 

[jtillman]

I also have a Savage 93R17 with a bull barrel and thumb hole stock. It's a great setup for how we hunt the Pdogs....but for those that want to set up and shoot long range for them, the 17's are NOT the way to go.

 

[Rowdie]

Thanks, I may get the 17 in Semi-Auto but not sure If I'll like the 10 round magazine?