The cost of the .17 rimfire ammo is way too high for targets and plinking inside 100 yards IMO. The ammo makers have you over a barrel, too, with rimfire. As others have said, .223 with a reloading press makes for a better longer-range target round, and cheaper, too.
I have to *generally* respectfully but strongly disagree, UNLESS you are reloading (as you indicate). I would agree if you had said 50 or 60 or maybe even 70 yards.
.17 Hummer is actually
THE PERFECT plinking & fun-target-shooting round for inside 100 and even inside 125-150 yards, if shooting with factory ammo (comparing apples to apples with the .223).
.17 HMR ammo in quantity (500 at a time) costs around 25.4 cents per round. Some of the cheapest .223 rem ammo in quantity (1000 at a time) costs roughly
2 TIMES as much, at around 47.9 cents per round. [[EDIT: Wait a sec - I misspoke slightly here, IF if you're willing to go for the cheapest FMJ - cheapie Wolf FMJ is only 29 cents per round in quantity, but that's STILL *more than* what cheap .17 HMR costs, and the .17 is explosive HP ammo]].So I never understood why people say the .17 HMR is expensive to shoot - it just isn't - not at all when compared to a round with similar short-range (under 125-150 yard) trajectories, such as the .223 or .22 hornet or .221 fireball, etc. Reloading, I'd guess you ought to be able to match or best the cost of .17 HMR with .223 components plus your time (whatever that's worth). Sure, compared to .22lr, it's very expensive, but that's not really apples to apples, since it can do a lot more than .22, espec. in the wind. It's usually very windy here, and I've had numerous occasions where I've taken noobs/kids to the range under windy conditions, and the .17 Hummers slap a smile on their faces when they hit a charcoal briquet at 75 or 80 yards or more with virtually no skill, first time out, within a couple/three shots. A .22lr just would not do that - it's not as impressive to do it at 25 or 50 yards as you can with a .22lr.
Compared with .22 rimfires, the wind can blow your .22lr round off a lot past 50-60 yards, whereas the wind affects .17 HMR to a much lesser degree, since it has less than half the time to "work on" the bullet, since flight time is less than half under 125 yards. This increases practical accuracy past 50 yards give or take. Most people claim that the .17 Hummer is even slightly less affected by wind than the .22 magnum under 100 yards, due to reduced flight time. And accuracy is the main ingredient in making plinking fun (to me).
Going back to comparing to .22 cal centerfires.....Beyond cost, .17 HMR is quieter, less recoil, and generally more pleasant to shoot than .223 - great for taking newbies to the range. This is the second big factor in making plinking fun. The rifles that chamber it are also typically quite accurate, and the round itself is more inherently accurate than non-bottlenecked rimfires, in my understanding and belief.
.17 HMR is THE fun range round, IMO, right alongside the .22lr (unless you're just so dirt broke that .22 is all you can afford - and there's nothing wrong with that - believe me, I've BTDT). But let's not pretend that .223 is any less expensive to shoot, and certainly can in no way be said to be significantly less expensive.
As for shooting actual critters with it, the .17 HMR just ain't for hunting, in my view - it's for *eliminating pests*. It's the perfect short-range (to middish-range) blower-upper of turtles, crows, prairie dogs, and similar, if that's your thang. Turtles espec., since these are legitimate pests in ponds, and the hummer easily penetrates then hard outer shell, then gives you a show, then sends them on their way to the bottom.
