Do I HMR or not.

[Big Al]

I have recently purchased what I could only describe as an 'as new' Sako 75 Hunter in .222, I would be surprised if it has fired 100 rounds. At under 6.5lb it feels like a rimfire, I plan to cut the barrel down from 22" to 18" so that it handles a bit faster and again feels more like a rimfire once the lightweight moderator it came with is fitted.

 

I chose .222 over .223 because of the fact I felt the slightly smaller case capacity it would be more efficient to download and run at .22 Hornet speeds or even less if needed, also the longer neck and inherent accuracy of the case appealed. Even a 35gr NTX running at a similar speeds will significantly outperform an HMR in terms of wind drift and with better drops, equally the case can be loaded anywhere up to full .222 performance which I hope will make for a very versatile small lightweight truck/walking rifle.

 

I really wanted the HMR to be the 200yd rifle so many said it was in the early days, the truth though was something very different.

[bewsh]

No mention of .222 or .223?

 

 

 

i use a .222 as well as the WMR/.17M2

its good and with 45gr scierras and some left over H322 is cheap to feed but it is noisier for the urban areas and you won't be getting much for the butcher on a sub 100yd rabbit! even head shot the shock into the body is vicious!

[CliveWard]

Hi Raifuru,

 

I know exactly what you mean. I've been begrudgingly working my way through the last few hundred rounds of 'variable' Hornady ammunition for the .17 HMR. The light at the end of the tunnel is that I have a new stock of CCI hollow point 17 grain to start in on once the old tat has been used up. I find the CCI better in my rifle, much more consistent and doesn't try to make the rifle explode and kill me if I don't personally check every single round.

 

I've got so fed up with it I've been using the .22LR to clear most of the Bunnies after harvest.

 

I'll start using the .17 HMR again in the next few weeks as things are starting to grow and the extra range will be useful (plus the thermal rifle scope is set up for it).

 

For a 'bit of both' type shooting I use the .22H

 

 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

 

Clive

[Alycidon]

I had two hmr's at one point, sold one to fund a fireball. I was testing a current batch of hmr ammo last weekend which seemed to be no better than 1" at 100yds, in a rifle that used to be capable groups half that size. I have to say I'm a bit peed off with it at the mo. Thankfully the fb is working as it should.

 

 

An inch at 100 yards in a factory hunting rifle is perfectly acceptable. If you want to start getting down below that then you are getting into single shot precision rifles at many times the price.

 

A

[Andrew]

 

 

An inch at 100 yards in a factory hunting rifle is perfectly acceptable. If you want to start getting down below that then you are getting into single shot precision rifles at many times the price.

 

A

Generally true, but not necessarily so in the case of the HMR.

I have three HMR's which, when the ammo was good during the first few years of production, would group well under an inch at 100. My Ruger 77/17 with the Green Mountain barrel grouped 1.5", 1", 1.25", and 1.75" at 200 yards one calm desert morning. The accuracy that seduced many into buying HMR's has been lost to bad quality control. Now many struggle to get MOA. It's discouraging.~Andrew

[soother223]

Generally true, but not necessarily so in the case of the HMR.

I have three HMR's which, when the ammo was good during the first few years of production, would group well under an inch at 100. My Ruger 77/17 with the Green Mountain barrel grouped 1.5", 1", 1.25", and 1.75" at 200 yards one calm desert morning. The accuracy that seduced many into buying HMR's has been lost to bad quality control. Now many struggle to get MOA. It's discouraging.~Andrew

I agree. Had a hmr the first year it was launched ! A ruger with a lovely wood stock, had to wait six months for ammo to arrive in the uk! It was deadly accurate! 1/2 groups were easy as long as I kept it clean. After around 2 yrs it was like a blunder bus ! Part ex'd it for a new shotgun and the guy in the shop examined the bore before going ahead with the deal, he said it was in great shape and well looked after. So it had to be the ammo!

I think that anyone who goes the 17 route is definitely after precision! Inch groups are not precision in my book.

[stillair1]

Nail hit firmly on the head chaps.I have half a box of sellior and belliot lurking in the back of my cabinet I will be trying them on a still day shortly.

[Murph]

I wouldn't have a 17 hmr about me.the 22lr with subs is hard to beat for rabbit control

[gbal]

22 lr sub sonic is an effective control cartridge to 75 yards or so,maybe a bit further for a very good wind reader.

Not much beyond 100 max though,and simply unethical-as well as ineffective-at 150y.The HMR -or any rf is not the answer,though HMR with decent ammo will give more range than lr- at distances of this sort (150 y,and even less) is cf territory,starting with 17 Hornet and up,as distance increases.

 

Otherwise it's like pi**ssing into the wind,sort of gets the job done,but is pretty messy.Do it right,man up and get the proper tools (for shooting!) :-)

 

gbal

[verminshooter29]

I'm still working my way through a batch of old hmr ammo and haven't had any issues yet. Thank goodness. Also using my mach 2 plenty too without any problem. Hornet has to be here any day.not a big believer of selling at a loss so they can sit tight

[Hatzi]

After owning and/or reviewing 6 of them I can conclude ONE FACT. The ammo is so untrustworthy the fundamentally sound gun/calibre concept is destroyed and useless to anyone who has learned centrefire reliability, regardless of calibre.

[verminshooter29]

Surely the ammo makers must be getting feed back as to what's happening.poor effort if they don't do something to fix it.

[gbal]

After owning and/or reviewing 6 of them I can conclude ONE FACT. The ammo is so untrustworthy the fundamentally sound gun/calibre concept is destroyed and useless to anyone who has learned centrefire reliability, regardless of calibre.

+1 on this-in the sense that currently HMR is suspect. But even with sooper dooper ammo,beyond 125/150 yards-it's completely outclassed by cf cartridges -commercially available loaded-or even better as reloaded ammo,-starting with 17 Hornet,and on up-just a different league.Perhaps those raving about 17HMR have never shot a cf,or at distances beyond 150y.

100 y ards +/- a bit,then its ok,but that's all-it's not better,even at those ranges,and if you say 'fox' -not at all. Bite the bullet,it's just not first rate.

gbal

[Andrew]

Surely the ammo makers must be getting feed back as to what's happening.poor effort if they don't do something to fix it.

Truth hurts, but here it is.

 

They Don't Care.

 

If they did, they would have done something about it by now. The ammo went from poor to quasi hazardous about 5 years ago and Hornady keeps cranking it out at warp speed. HMR gun sales are way down here. You'd think CCI/Hornady group would put their efforts into 22LR or 22WWR ammo but they don't. Either of these two are scarce as hell here but the shelves sag with relatively inexpensive HMR. In a country begging for 22LR they continue to produce record amounts of miserable HMR. Go figure... ~Andrew

[Brickhill]

I can remember all the hype when .17HMR first came in. There was a pretty big scramble to get one. Times have changed it seems. For sure there are a helluva lot of vermin controllers out there who still use it and use it a lot.

I like to speak as I find, so here goes. I've shot many rounds and many hundreds( could be thousands maybe?) of rabbits with it. I have never had a case split or a bullet left in the barrel, all good. I don't miss much with it either and get very very few circumstances where a follow up shot is required. I accept .17HMR may not be "first rate" but it does the job at comparatively low cost.

I'm also a fan of .22LR and use this round quite a bit but usually in different situations. Sometimes trends with calibres come and go as the latest and greatest come on to the market or return to favour. I'll be sticking with mine as it does the job for me.

[David Hancock]

To answer Verminshooter29's question - Jason Hornady refuses to reply or answer questions sent by email about the fallability of this specific ammunition type.

 

Am I surprised, no not really in light of the VW scandal. Consumers are chimps !!

[snaggletooth]

I can remember all the hype when .17HMR first came in. There was a pretty big scramble to get one. Times have changed it seems. For sure there are a helluva lot of vermin controllers out there who still use it and use it a lot.

I like to speak as I find, so here goes. I've shot many rounds and many hundreds( could be thousands maybe?) of rabbits with it. I have never had a case split or a bullet left in the barrel, all good. I don't miss much with it either and get very very few circumstances where a follow up shot is required. I accept .17HMR may not be "first rate" but it does the job at comparatively low cost.

I'm also a fan of .22LR and use this round quite a bit but usually in different situations. Sometimes trends with calibres come and go as the latest and greatest come on to the market or return to favour. I'll be sticking with mine as it does the job for me.

 

 

I find the same myself, mine isn't a "tack driver",in that it doesn't tiny groups, but its more than adequate for rabbits and corvids out to 125 yards and @ 16p a shot it's relatively cheap, and available off the shelf. I've tried .22lr and found it didn't suit my ground or style of shooting, the hmr does. I had plenty of split cases on firing, but don't feel they had any major influence on accuracy, and I've only ever had one hang fire out of around 1000 rounds. There'll always be a place for one in my cabinet.

[gbal]

I agree about the 22rf.Very economical 60-75 yard rabbit control cartridge (longer yardage needs a fairly good shot-and a miss doubles the cost!!! :-)

 

But once into three figures distance,the 22rf is out of its effective envelope.

 

Yes there are fads (17HMR may well be one ,if ammo quaity doesn't improve),but the Hornet (now really replaced by the newer 17Hornet) and the 222rem predate the HMR by decades,and this class (223 eg) will endure,and simply outclass it as distance increases. The 222 will be more expensive-maybe not much in it for the Hornet,handloaded-and missing much less...... as specified,as distance increases from 100y on out.At 200,only the 224 class are viable.

Those who don't shoot at that distance,fine.I don't shoot rabbits at 50 y with a cf,by plan-but it surely does the job if need be,and continues to do so for anothe 100y (Hornet) and 200y (222) with pretty much the same hit % as 22rf at 50y. Under 15y,air rifle, 1y a stick; running cost minimal,though there was some running sometimes.

:-)

 

Gbal

[stillair1]

On the consistence of ammo front, by chance I still have half a box of s&b. Just out of curiosity I measured a sample of 15 for the oal and also 15 from a box of more recent hornady. To double check I also measured on the ogive :-.

s&b 2.077, 2.075, 2.075, 2.074, 2.076, 2.075, 2.076, 2.076, 2.075, 2.077, 2.077, 2.079, 2.075, 2.076,2.077.

hornady 2.068, 2.067, 2.063, 2.060, 2.066, 2.056, 2.061, 2.070, 2.062, 2.066, 2.062, 2.066, 2.062, 2.067, 2.070.

[parkyboy]

On the consistence of ammo front, by chance I still have half a box of s&b. Just out of curiosity I measured a sample of 15 for the oal and also 15 from a box of more recent hornady. To double check I also measured on the ogive :-.

s&b 2.077, 2.075, 2.075, 2.074, 2.076, 2.075, 2.076, 2.076, 2.075, 2.077, 2.077, 2.079, 2.075, 2.076,2.077.

hornady 2.068, 2.067, 2.063, 2.060, 2.066, 2.056, 2.061, 2.070, 2.062, 2.066, 2.062, 2.066, 2.062, 2.067, 2.070.

no surprises there then....Hugh.

[spanner]

_{Centrefires just aren't volume Rabbit tools that is a simple truth, 22lr and HMR are which is the point of them. I got rid of an HMR to buy a Fireball which is fantastically accurate for the odd Rabbit and long range Crows but realised in real life I just didn't want to spend all my time reloading ammo that destroys rabbits. Crows and the odd Fox became my only use for the Fireball as I shot Rabbits with the 22lr after a while. Just bought another HMR and 200 rounds of Hornady and Winchester and inspected them all they look fine, first two boxes shot fine accuracy wise and didn't kill me. This is my 4th HMR all told and they certainly fill a niche that no Centrefire can unless you have unlimited funds for factory ammo and you don't eat what you shoot. Small Centrefires are great and I love the Fireball for Crows but they don't replace Rimfires if your main use is Rabbit.}

[dave thorniley]

spanners right I shoot a 17rem for the odd rabbit but you cant beat a rimfire for the bunnys .

[SWShooter]

The 17HMR has its place.................in history

 

I use .22LR for bunnies / cheap ammo and of course they can be sub sonic , for long range varmint / Reynard .204 .

[Vermincinerator]

Im with spanner, i too shoot a 17 fireball and agree its excellent for crows maggies and the occaisional rabbit at moderate ranges (out to 300yds) but the HMR comes in to its own for bunnies from 15-150yds thats why i put in for a variation for another one beginning of December.

 

Ian.

[Murph]

The 17HMR has its place.................in history

 

I use .22LR for bunnies / cheap ammo and of course they can be sub sonic , for long range varmint / Reynard .204 .

Plus1 on this. I've shot my friends hmr a good few times and always thought it was a caliber trying to be something it was not. Too loud for rabbiting and underpowered for foxes. 22lr up to 100-120 yards and 223 for anything over.