The new .17 Mach 2!!!!!!

.17 Mach II priced the same as .22 LR??? Dream on! No way! This is why I'm not sure of the future of this round - the ammo costs almost as much as .17 HMR (which gives higher performance), so if you want a higher-performance platform than the .22 LR, why not simply keep the .22's as plinkers and low-cost "fun guns", and go right on up to the .17 HMR for the faster stuff?

A quick comparison of ammo costs (these are from Natchez Shooters Supply):

CCI .17 HMR 17gr Speer TNT HP - box of 50 for $8.95, or 17.9c per round.

CCI Maxi-Mag .22 WMR HP - box of 50 for $5.98, or 11.96c per round.

CCI Mini-Mag .22 LR HP - box of 50 for $3.71, or 7.42c per round.

CCI Blazer .22 LR - box of 50 for $0.89, or 1.78c per round.

Natchez don't show the .17 Mach II in stock yet, but I'll lay long odds it will be priced at or above the .22 WMR level.

It will debut at around $5 a box of 50, last I heard. Those .17cal bullets are not cheap to make, and only Hornady and CCI own the equipment to make them.

I think that unless it ends up being hideously expensive or has a fouling/cleaning problem the cartridge will succeed.All you need to look at is the plethora of .22 cal centerfires.I mean really,I can only think of a half dozen right now....

One of the main blessings of the 22 LR is there is considerable range of $ and accuracy in the various ammo product lines. If the cheapest 17 M2 gets down to 4$ a box and you shoot a brick in range session you spent $40. At $.99 a box of 50 that brick in 22 LR ammo would have been 10 $.
Shooting a lot is THE way of the 22 LRgunner. I think shooting a unit that is 4 times as expensive may be an issue. BTW $4 will get you a very good quality box of Wolf ammo as opposed to something from the bargain basement. That’s why I wonder if both the 17s will survive.
I can see the HMR making the cut but I don’t know about the little one.

Wondernine, as I understand it, Hornady is selling bullets to everybody but CCI as they are the only ones tooled up to make them. The only difference in the different brands is the color of the polymer tip.

I wonder if any of the ammunition manufacturers have thought about buying a goodly supply of those 17 cal bullets from Hornady and developing a plastic sabot for them that could be loaded in a std 22 case.

If it worked they, might have an overnight sensation.

S-

Yes, CCI has the HP. There are now 20gr loadings for the .17hmr as well. I just recently checked out RFC and noticed that the .17 Aguila has been released. It's a slightly different version of the .17hm2. You can buy ammo right now for $4 a box, 10/22 barrels are available from Green Mountain. If you want to wait for .17hm2 barrels, you can shoot the .17 Aguila in them as well.

I personally own a Ruger 96/17. The only thing I want the .17hm2 for is my 22/45.

YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO BEAT THE .22LR IN PRICE!

That's a bold statement (pun intended) and it will hold true forever and ever..

sometimes on sale, the cost of a brick of .22LR's come out to be less than 1.25c / round..

I think we will see the 1 cent barrier for .22LR's broken.

Remember, there's more .22LR's made and shot per year than ALL OTHER CALIBERS COMBINED. trust me, that alone makes it nigh impossible to beat the .22LR.

the beauty of the little .17 is that is can be adapted to so much of the current .22lr hardware.
I can't wait to get my hands on a 10" barrel for my Browning Buckmark. This may sound crazy to some of you folks but I take my gopher shooting seriously. a .17 would give me some real advantage over my .22 silhouette model with the 4x Leupold and the mini bipod. My wife worries about me when she comes home and finds me hiding prone in the landscaping or low-crawl stalking the little rascals in the yard. Think mini prairie dogs and quarter-sized head shots at 50 yards with a scoped pistol.

Alert:
Thread drift warning

When the HRM came out I took a wait and see attitude.
So many maunfacturers are making 17 HRM rifles now and theyr are already well...cheap in some cases, I think the HRM will stick, especially since the competition is the 22 mag. Time will tell and enough of that hasn't passed yet. I like and shoot 22 Hornet so the dye is cast for me but I find myself thinking an HMR might be fun. Untill I have financed all my 22 projects...no 17, no way, no how.

The 22LR vs the 17M2 is a different deal all together. The Mach 2 doesn't come in short, long and LR and like twoblink said I agree there is a limit to how cheap 17 ammo can be made as the bullet is more complex and more expensive to make. Also part of the cost equation is that I have to believe the ammo makers are spending considerable effort to QC that 17 ammo. Far more than they spend on all but their best 22 LR ammo. More QC= a better product but often at a higher price.

Is the performance of the Mach 2 so much better than the 22lr that buyers will guarantee it a place in the sun? I think it's a harder case to make than the HMR. I will say one thing. The 17s may have some scientific edge over the 22 LR and mag in achieving non-toxic ammo. That would gain both a permanent market slot.
Smallgroups

All the fun is in watching the game to see how it turns out.

I hope Ruger picks it up in their 10-22 as a factory option and prices it the same.

It would be hard to not like one in the target configuration, exactly like the 10-22T currently produced, except in a .17 cal.


Good Shooting
Red

I don't think you'll ever see HM2 approch 22LR prices for one reason. Jackets. You have to have copper jackets at 2100 FPS, at the slower 22 LR velocities you can get a way with blobs of lead and copper washed blobs of lead which are always going to be cheaper to produce barring huge EPA fines on lead.

I dont know why but i just cant get excited about the 17's maybe it cost maybe its not but i will say if they ever get down to the bulk pack 22 cost for ammo 8.95 for 550 shells i will buy one but till then ill pass.