17 HM2 doomed to oblivian or simply bound for "cult like following"

[newfalguy101]

Title says it all.

Every since Hornady brought out the HMR I thought it would be cool if they necked down the .22LR the same way.

A few years after the HMR, lo and behold, it happened, first ( as I understand the history ) by Aguila followed by Hornady.

I have been wanting one for years, but, hadnt really given it a whole bunch of effort as life tends to get in the way sometimes...know what I mean??

Anyway, a couple weeks ago I picked two boxes of HM2 ammo.

Well, since I have the ammo, I need something to run it through!!!

It seems nearly every company has quit chambering the HM2 and even used guns are few and far between.

There area few on Gunbroker that are fairly decently priced ( I am looking more entry level than high end.... ), but the more I ponder it, the more I wonder if I should just pass as it seems to be a dying cartridge.

Your thoughts??

Do you have one??
Like it??
Hate it??
wanna sell it cheap??
Wanna sell it for twice its weight in gold??

 

[whetrock]

I've got a NEF Sporster in 17 HM2 and while this rifle was very inexpensive it is capable of decent accuracy for a rimfire at 50 yards ( think 1 MOA or so) and while it is slow to load the rifle has proven to be very reliable even when ammuntion decides to fail (split necks mostly) also it currently sports a Wally world Centerpoint (same thing as a leapers) scope and all in all given the price and optics I've got a bit of respect for the rifle and will most likely keep it around as a "Beater". I also got in touch with my inner DIY spirit and gave it a rattle can paint job.

Here's a crappy Iphone pic of my sporster sans the scope

 

[safebustr]

I think it is headed to the same place as the 5mm Remington.

 

[russ69]

I have a Contender in HM2. I'm afraid with no guns being made this one will end a short life.

 

[Tim the student]

I have one (Marlin 717M2, IIRC), and I like it a lot. Its a good little gun.

It does what I want it to.

That said, I'd sell it for the right price. PM me if you want to talk about that.

 

[trueg50]

It really depends on ammo prices I'd say.

If the price stayed at what the Eley 17 mach 2 was being sold at ($6 a box), I think it would do great, but all the places I look at sell for $8 and up, which is right about what the cheaper 22WMR loadings are going for. While I don't think $2 per 50 rnds is going to kill the caliber, I don't think the ammo companies are helping them selves, and could risk losing customers of the little 17.

EDIT: Nevermind, it looks like after all the popularity of the dis-continued (and cheap) Eley rounds, the price for CCI and hornady has gone down quite a lot to the $6-7 range.

 

[waterhouse]

I own one, CZ 452 American, love it. I hope the little round makes it but there do seem to be fewer guns made in it every year. I bought about 10,000 rounds for mine, so I should be set for a while either way.

 

[Furncliff]

Out to 150 yards the hm2 and hmr run really close...


Anyone remember the shoot out between Sony's Beta format and the VHS format. The 17hm2 is beginning to look the same. Fewer and fewer guns are being made, and that's usually bad news for a caliber. I went for the HMR partly for this reason. I don't shoot enough for the difference in price to matter. But meat hunters seem to prefer the 2 , since it doesn't destroy as much meat as the hmr might.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

And the bad thing is, being a rimfire, when they quit making ammo, that's pretty much it. If it were a centerfire, you could figure out some way to get brass and reload.

 

[Twmaster]

You can still get guns. Albeit limited choice.

I ordered a new Savage MKIIFV in 17HM2 from Bud's last week. It arrived at my FFL today.

Cabela's has CCI and Hornady ammo on the shelf.

I hope it sticks around a while. I bought a bulk buy of 500 rounds for starters.

 

[gbran]

In a positive sign, Hornady recently released a non-lead version (NTX) of the 17m2. I hunt a lot in a lead ban area, so I picked up 9 boxes. They must not think it's going extinct.

 

[HGUNHNTR]

If the 22 Hornet and .222 are still around, I'm sure it will survive.

 

[goon]

Personally, I don't see the appeal of the round or the gun. My cheap shooting is done with .22LR and nothing is as cheap to shoot as it is. I also do my small game shooting with it. If I were to seek out a rifle for knocking off varmints farther than 100 yards, I'd probably choose a round with a little more authority than the HM2.
But that's just me.
Best of luck to those who like the round though.

 

[natman]

I think it is headed to the same place as the 5mm Remington.

Probably not quite. It wouldn't surprise me if Savage stopped making rifles, but since the ammo is based on an existing case (CCI Stinger) and the bullets are the same as the 17HMR, it's not hard to tool up for an occasional run of 17HM2 ammo. At worst I see it being like 22 WRF; they'll come out with a seasonal run of ammo every couple of years.

 

[newfalguy101]

If the 22 Hornet and .222 are still around, I'm sure it will survive.

Course both of those are centerfire and for quite a few years were pretty much a handloader only proposition.................

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Which is a point I made earlier -- centerfires likethe .22 Hornet or .222 Remington can hang on for a long time, because they can be handloaded long after factories stop offering loaded ammo. But once ammo for a rimfire becomes unavailable, it's all over.

 

[22-rimfire]

Like someone said, I think it is doomed to go to the same place as the 5mm rimfire and I would love to have a new rifle in 5mm.

 

[FROGO207]

Not everyone has a need for this caliber. Same thing as not a lot of people have a need for 50BMG. If you want a .17 cal for your needs and it works well good for you. Me I'll use .22 for close range or go with something that has a little more wallop in centerfire and common like 223 or step up to 22-250 when needing more distance for the price difference of ammo. FWIW I just sold a Savage bolt 17HMR and a single shot NEF 17HM2 cause they were never used but to sight them in.