22 LR to .17HMR conversion

mattd007

mattd007

New member
I have a Ruger 10/22, there is a gun show in Vegas this weekend and I was planning on picking up a new stock and bull barrel for it. A guy at the gun shop told me I should get the conversion to .17 HMR, would there be any advantage to me doing that? I just use it for rabbits, maybe on some fox. Pros and Cons on the conversion? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
You can convirt a 22 lr to a 22WMR/17HMR(for a ruger 10/22), the instructions are at rimfirecentral.com. I dont remember exactly what involved, but you will perminantly mame your gun. It is much more recomended to conver a ruger 10/22M to 17 hmr but very expensive. I would recomend you go and spend $250-300 and just buy a savage or marlin SS bolt rifle. Yet another option mught be buying an 80% receiver and converting that so your origional action stays unmolested. Now a 17hmr will be tough on small rabbits ans squirrels, and youd be at a point where for cost you could probably go to a savage 223 or similar. The WMR and HMR are great fun, but a 22lr has its place also, and i would keep it. Its hard to give up being able to plink 500 rounds for $10. The same brick of ammo is pushing $70+ at minimum. Id consider buying a few boxes of velociters and trying them out, they will be slightly faster than a normal 22. Tell me more? What is your use? And why?
 
robbor- I have wanted a bull/stock conversion for the 10/22 for the longest time. I was just seeing if there would be an advantage, but I guess a 22lr on a fox will take it out! What are these velociters you are talking about?
 
Wow that was fast! It would be alot of trouble, and thats an understatment. a 22 would work on fox as they are very small and thinned skinned as I shot one with a 22-250 and it just about cut it in half. You need good shot placment, so a scope and comfirm where it is sighted in and a bipod. There is an advantage to a bull barrel, mainly that it is a match chamber, and the weight helps with balance and shake. I did slightly miss a few years bad and hit a fox in the butt with a 22 and over the side he went and was never found. You might look into a SS bull barrel from greenmountain I believe they are pretty cheap(for 22lr). A CCI veloviter is the new fastest 40 grain bullet for the 22lr. They shoot about 1450+ fps verses the normal 1200. They really pack a wallup for the 22lr and cost about $4 a box of 50. They also tend to shoot good. They also make a stinger that travels about 1600 fps but normally shoot poorly. The velociter would be your best bet if they will shoot good. Personally I would evaluate your rifle, Get your ammo, shoot (4) five shot groups with the velocitors, that is either prone on the ground with rock solid rest and proper breathing or off of a bench(50 yards), exhale, steady your self then fire. If you can hold less than 1" at 50 yards you should be ok. If not consider doing a trigger job by buying I believe a sear and read up on lightening you trigger to about 2.5lbs or so. Go over to rfc and read some of the how to articles for accuracy/triggers. If that $30 fails then a new barrel would help. Most can do fine with their factory rifle. And for fox most of your shots shoud be right at 50 yards if you are talking greys. Next you go and practice with your bipod, real life, shoot at a paper plate. Fox are tough and can run, my buddy made a bad shot and gutted one, everything was hanging out and he still ran off and was not found. I usually get my shots at fo at 20 yards or less where a 22lr would do. YOu can also looking into barrel floating if possible with your rifle, and a good cleaning. PM me if you have more q's or want me to elaborate. I can also help you find some of the articles/threads if needed.

http://www.gunsandammomag.com/in_the_field/gungear_cci_22/
 
Quote:
The 10/22 can be converted to 17M2 you will need a 10/22 magnum to go to HMR. RFC has all the specifics.



CORRECT. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

NOWHERE is it recommended (or even smart /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif) to try to convert a 22LR to a HMR. A Mach2 conversion is an easy fix, but you can forget the HMR if you have a 22LR. Different receiver, bolt, etc.
 
As stated earlier, it would probably be very detrimental to your action to try the 22lr to 17hmr conversion. The bolt and ejection port on the Mag is longer and is rated to handle the higher pressures generated by the 22 mag. The 22lr is not and not only will the pressures from the 17 hmr damage the bolt, but it will probably also ruin the bolt buffer (the piece in the rear of the action behind the bolt that stops its rearward travel). I don't even know if you can convert the mag to accept the longer hmr case.

I too was once bitten by the 10/22 conversion bug, but when I started looking into it, you really have to drop a lot of cash to make a shooter out of them. They are cool though. Your money might be better spent on a CZ American bolt action 22lr or 22mag for about the same money as you would spend on all the 10/22 parts. Plus they are supposed to be real tack drivers from what I have heard and read. Just my .02

If you decide to pursue the upgrades, Green Mountain barrels are really good and are much more affordable than the Volquartsen barrels. Also you are better off buying the parts seperately and doing the work yourself rather than buying a custom drop in trigger unit. You'll save a lot of money that way.

Kyle
 
Quote:
I have a Ruger 10/22, there is a gun show in Vegas this weekend and I was planning on picking up a new stock and bull barrel for it. A guy at the gun shop told me I should get the conversion to .17 HMR, would there be any advantage to me doing that? I just use it for rabbits, maybe on some fox. Pros and Cons on the conversion? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif



Back to the original question.............

Would there be any advantage to converting to a 17Mach2 for use on rabbits and fox? NO. The Mach2 is a little too light for consistent use on fox. It would be fine for rabbits, but not necessarily an advantage over the 22LR when using the CCIs and other "hot" 22LR loads.

Do some research on converting 10/22 rifles. Like was said above, www.rimfirecentral.com is a good source for this information. But as was also said, unless you are in LOVE with your 10/22, you are going to dump a BUNCH of $$$ into it to get a big improvement in accuracy, with no return in stopping power.

IMHO......just shoot the Ruger as it is with hotter loads, or get a new 17HMR Savage for $200.
 
As far as I know there is no company that sells a hmr/wmr conversion for a 10/22 lr, all are DIY or a close variation including a few bought parts. You can however do a 17m2 conversion and there are tons of companies selling them. The HM2 is not the HMR. Yes, to many $$$ sent doing a conversion. Buy a bolt gun, and dont look back.
 
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