.17hmr vs .22 Mag

nickcurrie21

New member
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Now, Just Relax!

I want a Red FOX Gun, specifically a spot and stalk Red Fox gun, nothing more, nothing less. Will not be used on coyotes, will not be used calling. Assuming I can stalk within 100 yards of a balled up fox on snow, which most spot and stalk red fox hunters will agree is a reasonable average stalking distance for a shot.


So we're talking fairly close, 100 yards or so. Probably will be head shots or well placed (assuming I can use my bi-pod, etc.) heart/lung shots.

What rifle should I choose .17hmr or .22 Mag? I'm a trapper, so I'm keeping fur in mind.

I already have a .17 Rem Centerfire. BUT my ultimate goal is to take that .17hmr or .22 mag, (whatever I choose) and paint it completely white scope and all, for spot and stalking on snow.

Yes I realize I"m really narrowing down my opportunities to use this rifle, that's the objective.

I've asked and did some internet searches on some .17hmr semi autos and there's nothing that's reliable out there. Not sure about .22 mag yet.

But anyways, for those of you who have actual hunting experience of shooting fox with .22mag or .17hmr's what are you experiences and what type/brand of bullet are you shooting with it? I assume there is guys out East using Rimfires for fox.

Thanks in Advance, hopefully this post doesn't get off on a usual tangent of .17hmr's.

I want just the facts, just the facts guys. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Well I read the first intro to this and the first thing that crossed my mind was "Oh Oh,Here we go again !" Now I shoot the .17HMR, and have taken a couple of yotes and a couple of fox with it. It's a fun little gun to shoot and groups really well at 100+ yards. Now, having said that I would have to agree with the others and tell you to get the .22 mag. for the heavier bullet. My 2 cents worth
 
I like the .17 HMR myself very nice round. I have killed a yote no problem with it at just over 100 yards. and a TON of jackrabbits never had a problem.
 
i shoot foxes at my cottage in pa with a .22lr cci velociter. Id go with 22 mag, beacuse it pushes heavy bullets, compared to a .17
 
Ok, Thanks Guys

I'll openly admit I don't know much, if anything at all about bullet velocities & things of the sort.

What is the advantage of a heavier bullet? I guess what I'm asking is why is a heavier bullet better than 20 gr or 17 gr bullet that is typical of a .17hmr?

If I'm not mistaken the .17hmr shoots faster than .22mag, so where does that go into the equation of deadliness or kill-a-bility?

If someone could "dumb" this down for me, that'd be great. And where do these calibers get impaired with the amount of drop? And wind drift?

Thanks a lot.
 
The heavier bullet will give you a bit more penetration dependability. at 100 yards max shot the difference in trajectory is not worth considering, so I would use the heavier bullet, just my 2 cents
Carl
 
Nick, I've heard stories about guys using shotguns for spot'n'stalk fox. I'll tell you this, they must not hunt in my neck of the woods. Flat as a pancake and crunchy snow. Give up on the idea of using a rimfire for spot'n'stalk. The .22 mag doesn't have the range and IMO the HMR doesn't have the power beyond 100 yards. Both guns work should work well for called fox but you'll get busted more times than not. Sure you might be able to get into range "sometimes" but if you are concerned about fur you must also be worried about killing most of them you see right? A guy using rimfire for spot'n'stalk is looking for a challenge not fur.

Get yourself a .22 hornet or one of the furballs. Also, my fur buyer doesn't dock fox at all for head shots with my 22-250.

I started with a .22 mag and got busted 100% of the time. And I'm not a slouch in the field.

Also get the video "Winter Magic". Good winter time predator hunting with it's fair share of spot'n'stalk thrown in.
 
Ive killed fox with both 22 mag and HMR and theyll both work good. I like the Rem V-max for the 22 mag and all three of the HMR bullets the v-max, TNT, and 20gr. I shot a nice red last year one shot dead center in the chest with the HMR did the job.
 
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Ok, Thanks Guys

I'll openly admit I don't know much, if anything at all about bullet velocities & things of the sort.

What is the advantage of a heavier bullet? I guess what I'm asking is why is a heavier bullet better than 20 gr or 17 gr bullet that is typical of a .17hmr?

If I'm not mistaken the .17hmr shoots faster than .22mag, so where does that go into the equation of deadliness or kill-a-bility?

If someone could "dumb" this down for me, that'd be great. And where do these calibers get impaired with the amount of drop? And wind drift?

Thanks a lot.



Well the 17hmr does shoot faster than a 22mag, but thats really all it does. IMO just because its a fast stepper dosent make it a whole lot deadlier.

Thee 22 mag is going to drop faster than the 17, due to shooting a heavier bullet. But wind is going to affect the 17 more because its a lighter bullet.

you said you already had a 17 rem.. I would go the 22 hornet route like Chris said if it were me, but if you wanna go rimfire, defintley the 22mag
 
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ive shot both. I think that you will get more knock down power with the .22mag.

a .17HMR and a .22Mag are the same brass, just the .17 is necked down from a .22 mag.

id go with .22 mag
 
I did my due diligence too about trying to find a good red fox round... and learned that I already had a good gun for the job at hand...

The .22 magnum. LOL! I ended up getting a .222, but the .22 mag does the job just fine for ranges up to a 100 yards and "slightly" further.

I'd say you couldn't go wrong with the .22wmr.

iSnipe
 
I have not used the .17 on fox so cant comment. I have shot some fox with my .22wmr and it worked fine using CCI Maximag 40gr hp. While I have a soft spot in my heart for the .22 hornet be careful with shot placement. I have flat tore fox up when a shoulder was hit using a hornet and either .45 gr hp or sp.

Good luck

WVM
 
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