.22 Calibre or .17?
 

I am looking into getting a small calibre firearm for gopher shooting and target practice. I have plenty of experience with .22 rifles and I have never shot a .17 calibre. I know .17 calibres are more expensive in the long run due to ammo but I can never confirm this. Can anyone provide me with input? If you recommend a gun, what model? Keep in mind I need something affordable...bolt action, with a clip. I dont want to spend over $350 on the gun (brand new). Any recommendations would be great!

Thanks

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17's are fun. Unfortunately you can buy nearly 500 rounds of 22 ammo for almost the same price as 50 rounds of 17hmr. You choose.

17 definatly more power now 22 magnum to a 17 theres a topic for debate

x2

I really like the appearance of the Winchester Wildcat .22 - Seen it advertised for under 300 in bass pro catalogs. http://www.winchesterguns.com/produc...18C&mid=525100

Savage and Marlin are also good/great rifles for under your price.

.17
 

Buy a CZ ........

I believe WSS has the Winchester wildcats in Edmonton for $269. The heavy barrel varmint is $319 if my memory serves me correctly. They come with 4 clips.

I have both and my .22 hasn't been shot since I got the .17. It's DEADLY! Over 2500fps vs 1200fps for the .22 ammo I have downstairs.

how do the 17s perform on the windy prairie?

I was there a week ago and the ones they had in stock had to be shipped back to the factory b/c of a problem with the bolt. They might have some new ones there now tho. Definitely a nice feelin' rifle. Though not as good as my Anschutz.:evilgrin:

after having a .22 and now having a savage .17hmr, I will never look back, 150yrd shots no problem, windy days well it has a little effect, I do not mind paying 16 bucks for 50 rounds though. Allmost all my shots are kills. oh ya and the effect it has on the little guys, just tears them apart.

good to know , still like my rimfire though . Wind will take my .22 bullet some days quite a bit off target I would have thought the smaller bullet would drift more

It's all about ammo costs and how much you shoot!!!!!

.22 ammo is $3.00 per 50
.22 bulk - still great stuff for target practice/plinking is $25/500

.17 HMR ammo is $15 for 50.

I've had my .22 for about 3 years and I have shot about 5000 rounds through it..

I'm going to say that ~3500 was bulk and 1500 was bricks or single 50 count boxes so... $175 for bulk ammo and $90 for the other stuff. Total cost for 5000 rounds = $265.

Now lets look at 5000 rounds of .17 HMR @ $15 per 50 = a total of $1500...

I'd go with a Marlin model 925 or model 925R or Savage Model MARK II-G or the Winchester Wildcat .22 in .22LR for your price range. If you want to spend a little more I highly recommend a CZ 452 in the model you like best. If you want the 17 HMR I'd still pick from Savage or Marlin lineup.

for the price of a savage, i think you great a great little gun, that accu trigger really makes that trigger pull great.
I do agrea with Jerry, how much are you going to shoot?
It is fun to go out and go through a brick of .22 and know you only spent 30 bucks.
The wind it is hard to say on the .17, i do not feel that it effecs it too much out to say 100 yd, but 150 + you sure notice it on a windy day.

Depends on how much your going to shoot it. I shoot my 22 ALOT I bought 15'000 rounds a few years ago, at the time I think I paid 169$/5000 and have used that up and since then started on another 5'000 rnd case. I do a lot of plinking with 22 rifles and handgun so for me it's an easy choice. 22

An accurate .22 bolt action with a 3x9x40 scope is a great gopher rig. In a good gopher patch you can go through 300 shells for under $20. If you use a semi auto you'll shoot even more. The longer shots at 100 plus yards they are great fun learning the windage and elevation. Most of the time they won't know whats happening and just stand there or move a round a little so you usually have a few shots to range them. When you drill one at 200 yards with a .22 it is really satisfying.

17 for me for gopher shooting as I like the sniper action where you can set the bipod up and blast out to 150 no problem. But I still take my 10/22 for fast action shooting and to let the 17 cool down.

Love these Questions!
 

Man I just love when people ask "which is better".

The answer is: (like others have posted) depending on what you do......

.17 HMR for sniping gophers is just about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on, and it kills them dead even with marginal hits. I have not had a cripple with the .17 the way I did with a .22 occasionally.

Spent many years with a .22 for field and competative shooting as a youngster, got the .17 when they first came out, tried it, sold the .22 and have never looked back.

Of course I (personally) don't really consider the cost of the ammo, it comes with the choice and is secondary IMHO, because I equate it to those who buy the latest 8 cylindar gas hog and complain about how much they spend on gas!:rolleyes:

Hey wow thanks for the input. Please feel free to keep posting opinions and your experiences with these rifles. As for the .17, how capable are they of knocking down larger game....such as coyotes?

17 for coyotes
 

I love my .17 for gophers, starlings & such but it's not ideal for coyotes. I have whacked one on occasion at very short range when it was what I had available and it did the job, but there is just not enough energy/penetration from a frangible 17-20 grain bullet to be sure of a clean kill on anything much bigger than a gopher if it's out there a ways.

ive had great success with the hmr as a coyote gun 13/13. you just have to realize that it does have limitations. you wont hit the boiler if your doing a texas heart shot.
but Id suggest that 125-150 yards broadside to be a 'confident' shot on a coyote. it leaves a softball sized goo ball inside the ribcage and ventilates everything in its wake.
foxes, badgers is a no contest
all hail the 17hmr as the greatest invention in the rimfire world:D

I purchased a .22Mag last year and sold my .22 (both bolt-action heavy barrels).

I am finding that I don't notice the Higher cost becuase I really don't shoot that much for it to make a big difference. Are you really shooting or going to shoot that much?

In fact my next rimfire might just be a .17HMR.

for me its 22, i have not tried a 17 but i assume its a really neat fun gun to shoot. but for the price of ammo and i like to go out and blow a brick a day when im gopher hunting. $17 per 500 Winchester Super X is unbeatable... if i want to see a gopher really rip a part id use my 7mm rem mag. which coincidently one just popped his head up infront of my target at my private range a week ago and my rifle was spot on so needless to say it made 2 half gophers. :) Fun yes but gophers are only worth 4 cents a gopher to me :) I liek to go through a few thousand a year though so it depends on how much you shoot.

Quote from M4verick "I know .17 calibres are more expensive in the long run due to ammo but I can never confirm this. Can anyone provide me with input?"

I can't believe so many responded to this. 22 lr $17/500, 17 HMR $16/50, what can't you confirm? Don't want to seem unwilling to help but ........!!!

Why not get one of each? I have a CZ 22mag and a Savage 22LR, next spring I plan on getting a 17 HMR. All my gopher shooting situations should be covered. :cool: I guess not everyone can justify this though.:cry: For the amount of money you want to spend I would say get a Savage with good glass.

Ruger 10/22 Carbine with a Bushnell sportsman 3-9 and you will be on budget and happy with your descision:love:

.17 all the way!! I have a savage with a 50$ bushnell rimfire scope. Whole setup cost around the $350 mark. I havn't touched my 22 since I got it. Have blasted gopghers at 150-200 yards no problem(on calm days) and even some furhter ones. I have had gophers launch 6 feet in the air with the 17!! The thing is like a laser, point and shoot!!

i have both a .22 and .17hmr sure the .17 is more money to shoot, but its also a lot more fun. johninab and myself where taking gophers this sumer at well over 150 yards. plus its fun to see them do back flips 4 feet in the air after you smack them. if your in the edmonton area send me a PM and i'll take you out and let you try out the .17.

.17? .22?
 

....i've been putting 8-10 thousand rounds a summer thru my cz .22 and just can't afford the .17. a friend has the .17 and i've shot it a few times. its a fun gun, but imho, not worth the extra cost when i'm shooting as much as i do.

I have both and love the 17, but the price of ammo had me pulling out the marlin 39a, this summer for gophers. another rant. We have friends in texas that can buy 17 ammo for $12/50 even with exchange rates about even we are $16-$20/50. free trade? they won't shipp across either.Hornady came out with 22 mag bullets pumped up to 2400 fps and about $8/50 maybe the best of both worlds.And the wind drastically affects the 17 bullets, the lighter 17gr v-max it is really noticeable.