All around fun/critter gun besides a 22lr?

[faster4whl]

I'm back in the market to get a new rifle. Currently I have a 30-06, 30-30, and 22lr. I mainly just looking for something to carry around for fun and shoot groundhogs, crows, foxes, etc at probably 200 yards top. Basically a farm rifle. I've been very interested in the 17hmr since it's flat shooting and cheaper ammo. I'm just a little worried it won't have enough power after 100 or so yards. Granted distance isn't everything but I know I would wish I could take a clean 200 yard shot. The next obvious option would be a 223. Seems like a very popular caliber but I'm just worried the not as flat shooting as the 17hmr could be disappointing. I'm open for any suggestions as far as caliber wise as long as ammo isn't to hard to find. Do y'all believe the 17hmr would fit my needs or what would be your next caliber of choice?

 

[MrBorland]

.223 gets my vote - it's capable well beyond 200 yards, and AFAIK, isn't as affected by the wind as that .17hmr.

 

[Skylerbone]

Sounds like you want a .204 Ruger or .22 Hornet. They'll both do well what you want done.

 

[witchhunter]

.223 is a great little round. I can load it for the same price as 17 HMR, around 15 bucks for 50. The .204 Ruger or a .17 fireball, .22 Hornet or maybe a .218 Bee? If you reload, the cost is approximately the same. If not, the .223 is usually available until recently. It is offered in several weights too from 40 to 75 as factory ammo.

 

[EchoM70]

The first thing that popped into my head was the 22 Hornet or the 17 HMR. Truth be told if it were I, I would opt for the .17 Hornet. Brass is just impossible to find right now for it.

 

[Onmilo]

.22 Hornet or .22 K-Hornet or .25/20 if you reload.

 

[benzy2]

Wait, is the concern that 17hmr is flatter shooting than 223? I don't believe that to be true from any data I've seen. The .223 is quite a bit flatter shooting.

 

[tdoyka]

20 vartarg
32gr varmaggedon with charge of h4198
.2" at 100yards

 

[sappyg]

I like the 17 hmr but tend to think of it as an extravagance. Mostly because of its limitations. It brings a lot of destruction (maybe more than needed) at short ranges and falls off quickly past 100 yards. Potentially very accurate but wind tends to effect it even at 100 yards or less. Relatively speaking, this is an expensive round for the return on investment.

Practically speaking, I would choose the 223 but, I'm not feeling so practical just right now.

I like the 17 hmr dang it! It's fairly quiet for what it does and it's a fast mover. It's the most amazing RF I've ever pulled the trigger on and capable of unbelievable accuracy. There is nothing wrong with the 17 hmr .... Practically speaking.

 

[cat_IT_guy]

The .223 is a flatter shooting, and more versatile all-around cartridge than the .17hmr. The .223 can be loaded to >3000fps with light bullets that devastate small game (compare that to the 2500fps of the .17hmr). On the other end, in some states it is legal to hunt deer with heavier, stronger bullets out of a .223. At your longer desired range of 200yards the .17hmr is far outgunned by the .223.

All that said, I've owned both and frankly.... Im not sure I have owned a .223 that was as much fun to shoot as my .17hmr was. Something about shooting little bitty groups at relatively low cost and with pretty minimal recoil and muzzle blast was just a hoot. I have a .223 now and dont have a .17hmr.... but a .17 rimfire is on the shortlist - Im just not sure if I will stick with the proven .17hmr or wait a year or 2 to see if .17wsm really gets a foothold.

 

[zerobarrier]

Since you don't have a 223 I would go for that, it is a very good round. There is only about a 4" drop from 100 to 200 yards with the 223, well at least for the rounds I load - 55gr Nosler Ballistic tip at about 2850fps at muzzle. Having said that I love my Marlin 22mag I just got, it is now my go to rifle for critters in my back yard. It shoots 0.5" groups at 75yards with hornady 30gr v-max. No problem taking small game at 150yrds. I like the 22mag over the 17hmr, but thats a whole other debate. Here is my marlin and it is quite light.

 

[garyhan]

If the hmr won't do it for you, I'd step up to a .17 hornet. Enormously fun round that provides a lot of performance for very little powder, bullet weight or recoil. The CZ 527 is a great rifle in this caliber.

gary

 

[ArchAngelCD]

When I was in the market for a rifle like you are looking for I chose a .223 bolt action rifle. I went with the .223 because of the wide availability of components, especially brass and bullets. While the .17, .204 and 22 hornets are just fine finding inexpensive components is hard and with the .17 Mag you can't reload or find factory ammo.

I'm getting under 1/2MOA groups @ 100 yards and just over 1/2MOA groups @ 200 yards. It's a fun gun to shoot and load for! (Howa 1500 BTW)

 

[bscott29]

The 17hmr I used to own was used for killing groundhogs around barns. If it wasn't a head shot there would be a blood trail all the way to their hole. This was usually under 40 yds. I traded it for a 22mag and it had way more knock down power as far as I'm concerned. That being said you need a 223, 204 or 22-250. If you want to try rimfire check out the new savage in 17 winchester supermag.

 

[LUCKYDAWG13]

by me the store shelf's are just starting to have 223 and 22lr on them but the 17hmr
seemed to be there all the time. the same with 243 too but as far as a fun gun to shoot
i like a lever action or a semi auto

 

[redneck2]

Went on a prairie dog hunt last fall. My friend had a .17HMR. Bought a bunch of ammo. After using it the first afternoon, he switched over to my Varminter AR. The .17 really loses steam past 150 yards. We were easily getting hits at 300+ yards with the .223

 

[Ky Larry]

I'd probably go with a .223 or, if you reload, a .243 Win. Ammo, brass, and bullets are readily available for both. The light bullets in .243 are the laser beam of death for small varmints and with heavier bullets, it's a fine dear cartridge.

 

[krupparms]

The. 223 seems to be the way to go especially with ammunition supply questions now days!

 

[Cee Zee]

I've been able to buy .223 for well over a year. I can buy pretty much all I want or need. Even the really good stuff that wasn't around for a while is back now. I just bought some of it recently. I don't reload so I buy cartridges I like real well like Black Hills stuff.

A .223 is a great choice because of it's popularity if nothing else. There are more ammo choices and there is more ammo available in places you will never see .22 Hornet and rarely see .17. I like both of those calibers actually. But I own a .223 for a reason.

I think I'd go with a .220 Swift or a .22-250 over a .17 actually. You'll get a lot better killing power down range with those calibers.

 

[dubbleA]

If you live in a state that allows .224" centerfires for deer I would opt for the .223 Rem for it's dual purpose role.

If not the 204 Ruger would be a great choice. It's a laser at 200 Yards and an easy cartridge to load for.

 

[Milkmaster]

My first reaction to your question was the 22WMR. Lots of fun, relativle y cheap to shoot and much flatter than the 22LR. My second notion was the .223

 

[Legionnaire]

.223 bolt would be my choice, given what you already have.

 

[BullfrogKen]

faster4whl,

If you're not opposed to buying used, the old Savage combination guns make great field pieces. My Father in Law has one in 22 Hornet over 20 gauge, and a .222 over 12. We both have .22lr over 410s, and they're very versatile.


If you want to push the edge of unique, I had a Contender rifle barrel made in 32-20. Granted, I handload for it, but that round is good to go up to about 250 yards with a 30 cal 110 grain Hornady V-Max with a healthy, yet safe powder charge. Very light, very compact little carbine, very accurate, with a healthy range and devastating on small game at that distance. There was no risk of an inhumane death using it. The better ballistic coefficient with that 30 cal round over the 20s and 22s made it resist wind deflection a little better, too.

 

[OrangePwrx9]

faster4whl,

If you're not opposed to buying used, the old Savage combination guns make great field pieces. My Father in Law has one in 22 Hornet over 20 gauge, and a .222 over 12. We both have .22lr over 410s, and they're very versatile.

The Savage combination guns (Model 24) are tops as game getters. I have .223/20 ga. and .223/12 ga. The rifle barrels are both MOA accurate with iron sights, but the shotgun patterns aren't the best. Biggest drawback is you can't mount a scope without severely diminishing the utility of the shotgun barrel.

The ideal 24, IMHO, is the .22RF/20 ga. model. Wish I had wised up to that sooner.

 

[tuj]

another vote for the 17hmr. Extremely accurate out to 100 yards (think regular sub-MOA groups off the bench with factory ammo, which is all made by CCI aside from Winchester's crap ammo). Much past 150, it is still accurate, but affected by wind and loses terminal velocity.

I enjoy shooting 17hmr more than .223.