Rimfire .17 or .22

[gingerb0y 0]

I did search to see if this topic has been brought up before but could not find anything maybe it has.

 

I am in the position to be purchasing a rimfire rifle for general pest control this will be first ever rifle.

 

 

What do people think/prefer .17 or .22 ?????

Edited February 21, 2010 by gingerb0y

[Leicester hunter 0]

I did search to see if this been brought before could find anything maybe it has.

 

I am in the position to be purchasing a rimfire rifle for general pest comtrol rabbits etc first ever rifle.

 

I have always preferred .22 pellet guns over .177

 

What do people think/prefer .17 or .22 ?????

 

Hi mate and welcome.

 

Assuming that you have a licence, land with permission (written and passed for calibre by police etc etc) the choice really is yours. What i mean is, what type of shooting are you into? Vermin/target?

 

The .22 is great for rabbit/pigeon etc to about 60 yds in reality. Anything over 60 yds (upto 120-150) the .17HMR will excel due to the difference in "fire power".

 

Generally on a first application (if you havent got already) most people (i believe) will say apply for both. .22 for shorter range and .17 for longer range.

 

Hope this is a little help.

[Guest dazzb]

no contest for me on rabbits i would choose .22 especialy if your shooting them in numbers, i have both, the cost of the ammo for .22 is less than half plus the .17 does to much damage, you wiil get more range with the .17 but upto 100 yards i think the .22 is deadly

[stevethefish 80]

Hi I use both, why dont you apply for both? The .22 is ideal for the shorter range at 70-80yds its head shot every time, the subs are very quiet and picking rabbits off at the side of each other is so easy, i have shot 5 or 6 before they realise whats happening. When it comes to the .17, its much more expensive at 20p+ per shot as apposed to peanuts for .22 subs. However the killing power and accuracy at distance is unrivaled with the .17 I often shoot rabbits at 200yds with the .17 but 120-150yds better for clean shots, if the cross is on it its dead. The .17 will make a mess of the rabbit and a kill is almost guaranteed wherever you hit it, I am not advocating shooting yee haa fashion, but just stating a fact. I have hit rabbits on the spine and ripped it out with the .17.

So the choice is yours as they say but if you can affort to buy both then do so, the .17 is easier to get passed due to the lack of richoshets too as the bullet will disintigrate on impact due to the ballistic tips.

You should have no worries about getting them both passed as they are different types of rifle with different applications.

If you are not sure ask someone to take you out and have a blow, or if your near me your welcome to come and shoot mine!

Edited February 21, 2010 by stevethefish

[Deker 3,478]

I did search to see if this topic has been brought up before but could not find anything maybe it has.

 

I am in the position to be purchasing a rimfire rifle for general pest control this will be first ever rifle.

 

 

What do people think/prefer .17 or .22 ?????

 

 

These are different guns and do different things so you have to ask what do I want??

 

The .22lr can be very quiet with subs and a moderator and is an excellent rabbit gun, in the right hands perhaps up to 100 yards, although most seem to zero around 50 or 60 yards. Ammo is in general terms approx 1/4-1/3 the price of HMR. High Velocity ammo tends to spray around and be less accurate than sub sonic ammo primarily because the twist rate of the vast majority of .22lr of 1-16 is better suited for sub sonic ammo!

 

HMR is another excellent rabbit calibre, particularly the 17g Ballistic tips. It is also very accurate in the right conditions and with time you should be capable of 100yard and perhaps 150yard head shots on bunny! It is noisy whatever you do to it moderator wise, and ammo is a lot more expensive than .22lr, and it doesn't like cross winds.

 

So you need to decide what best fits your requirements, I have one of each, and a .22WMR as I have a lot of different problems to deal with, one is not better than the other, they are different, and all have their strengths and weaknesses!!

 

 

Get BOTH if you can, but as a GENERAL calibre you will not beat the .22lr for versatility!

Edited February 21, 2010 by Deker

[stevethefish 80]

Forgot to add wherever you shoot, be safe!

[gingerb0y 0]

Thanks everyone really informative replies I think I may go for both if I can

[andyf 144]

I did search to see if this topic has been brought up before but could not find anything maybe it has.

 

I am in the position to be purchasing a rimfire rifle for general pest control this will be first ever rifle.

 

 

What do people think/prefer .17 or .22 ?????

Yes as the others have said, both calibres have their uses, best use a .22 for general work, Rabbits particularly, I had

a 17HMR for 2 years but sold it on because it was no use to me, the ammo is £12 a box (50) it's not reloadable and it bursts Rabbits open and sends

copper shards from the jacket all over the place. Also it's very noisy and can't kill Foxes cleanly. But that said it is very

accurate and pleasant to use, I replaced mine with a 22.250, Fox rifle supreme, and with reloaded fmj bullets OK for gathering

Rabbits still in one piece.

Anyway I would advise you to apply for both, and then get a .22 to start with, then when funds allow get '17' to see if what I said was right?

It's half the fun!

All the best

AndyF