204Ruger

If you had to choose which would be your favorite go to rimfire. I already have a savage 9317 .17hmr and was seriously considering a .22wmr. I like the speed of the .17 hmr compared to my .22lr's but would also like to have a rimfire with a little more ooomph once and a while. I mainly punch paper but plan on going to shoot up some p-dogs this upcoming year.

I like the hmr better for pd's......

more ooomph? go centerfire.......

The 22Mag is not a bad choice but if I wanted more than the 17HMR I would go with the new 17Hornet or the original 22Hornet center fires. I love the 17 MachII and 17HMR. I have both and shoot them a lot. When I want more I go to my 17 Remington center fire or the 204 Ruger - I love them both as well. I used to have all the 22 center fires - some were doubles - more than one of each. I sold them all off after I purchased my first 17 Remington at 4,000+ fps some 35 years ago. Love the fast flat shooting and no recoil to knock me off seeing the varmints disappear instantly and very explosively the same instant I touched the trigger. If you want to stick with rim fires I would consider the 5mm rimfire over the 22 mag. My personal opinion. Have a Very Merry Christmas.

huntsman22 wrote:more ooomph? go centerfire.......

I have plenty of centerfires. Just feel the need for a new rimfire.

Well then.... Maybe you should wait for the new Winchester .17 offering.

I prefer my HMR over my WMR most of the time. There is nothing wrong with my WMR I just like the HMR better is all. The WMR will give you more ammo to choose from with a wider range of heavier bullets for more thump.

If you can find a Rem 591/592 5MM Rem Mag you will find a serious RF thumper. The rifles are hard to come by since they haven't been made since the 70's but the ammo is readily available once again.

Winchester is supposed to be announcing a new 17cal RF that reportedly runs a little over 3000fps with a 25gr bullet.

17 HMR is my go-to rimfire cartridge for out to 100-150 yards on my varmint hunts. Its a laser to 100, crosshairs dead on and boom, dead squirrel.

Another vote for the .17HMR. Gary

If you intend to do any rat shooting as you mention, I'd say the 17HMR will give you more of what you're looking for.

The 22WMR has more whomp closer, but the explosive bullets of the HMR, along with the extra 100 yards of usable range makes it the better choice for a rat rifle. I have and use both, one of mine is a Ruger 77/22 Mag-17HMR switch-barrel rig, via a Lilja 17HMR barrel. In the rat patch, it almost always wears it's HMR barrel.

This is the rifle wearing it's 17HMR barrel, Moyers trigger, Leupold VX2 4-12X during a particularly hot rat shoot a couple of years ago:



There was a pile of HMR brass on the ground at my bench that day. Here's a shot of the carnage on the two-track....lots more out in the alfalfa....this took place in a span of about 45 minutes when the squirrels were gettin' frisky:



That HMR worked great that day, range varied from about 125 to 225 yards, with a total over 200 squirrels.....all well within the 17HMR's capability. Would have been a tad too much for the 22WMR in this instance. YMMV, good luck with the quest.

Wow that's awesome! And I'm with you.....I like my 17 hmr better than the 22 mag.

I started shooting prairie dogs in 1949 with a 22 RF rifle. When the 22 WMR rifles.came out I got one. I used the two 22 RF rifles untill I got a 17 HMR . I liked what the 17 HMR did but there were a lot of shots within 100 yards so I got a 17 HM2 rifle to save a few $$ on ammo. Now the 22 RF rifles stay at home when I go out shooting . The 17 RF rifles are so much flatter shooting than the 22 RF rifles. I like the little 17 RF rifles but Im going to get a 17 Hornet for shots past 150 yards.

Looks like I'll pass on the rimfire purchase at this moment. Maybe ill just start my 10/22 project instead

If you're like me you will sink more money into a 10/22 than a 17 HMR!

You won't get any additional OOMPH from a 22LR over the 17HMR but I do applaud your decision to go in a different route altogether. Can't wait to see your 10/22 when it's done!! Good Luck with the build & don't forget to post pics!!