torn between

[lee8375dogs 9]

Today i went to my local gun dealer as i have just received my ticket ater about 6 months on my licence i have a ,17hmr and a 222 .I went to my dealer today to look at buying a browning or cz .17hmr he asked me what i wanted it for i told him i shoot rabbits pigeons crows and the odd fox .He then said i would be better off with a 222 as this was a better allrounder for what i wanted he said the ammo is a bit more expensive but that i would get a better gun ..I then went on to noise and mods in his opinion he said both rifles were about the same on noise levels. He did mention that mods for a .17hmr are about £60 and mods for a 222 were about £250 is this correct as i find this hard to beleive what do you guys think as i am very green when it comes to firearms as i have always owned air rifles and shotguns the only conclusion i have come to about .17hmr is you either love them or hate them everybody i speak to about .17hmr say in good weather conditions they are fantastic but a bit of breeze and they are hopless

[zx10mike 137]

with your background i think a hmr would make you happy,its a much safer round.probably about half the ft lbs of energy of the 222 but that said the 222 for longer range. you may have to home load the 222 to get decent accuracy.just my opinion

[lee8375dogs 9]

thanks for that mate how accurate is a 222 and at what range cant you get the gun accurate with factory ammo i dont quite understand i dont really want to load my own

[willum 89]

if your wanting to eat the bunny's or take them in the 22 is a better round as it does'nt smash them up to much and the rounds are cheaper by half the price compared to the hmr . as far as the .17 and 222 go for mods the price difference is that the ballistics in the 222 are far higher than the hmr and theres more workmanship and material gone into the 222 mod plus it is proofed aswell generally but for fox the 222 is a decent round and far more suited for humane dispatch rather than the light small hmr rounds jmo .willum

[TWOTWOTHREE 152]

Hi

222 in my opinion as you have noise issues with both types, the hmr it will always have that crack,and the cf is alot quieter than factory, with a good moderator but still loud enough to empty a field full of rabbit.how come u didn't fancy a 22lr too ?They are quieter than some air rifles mate. The.17 is a fun little round, nice and flat shooting but out of the three cal's I use it is the least used,good for long range crow bashing on a still day,regards the 222, I shoot 223 I scope at 1" high at a 100 ish yds then it's cock on at 200 yds, around inch and half groups with

factory ammo,it does for me. without the 22 rimmy in the picture i would choose cf, dearer to buy and feed but does it all and at a longer range if needed, better for your foxing too

Atb 223

 

[stillair1 16]

Hi if your shooting more than a few rabbits, I would choose the hmr. .222cf ideal for fox, but expensive to run re a pound a pop for ballistic tip rounds against 25p for hmr. Dealer is on the money for cf mod price though I would say around £125 for a good hmr mod such as dm80 or wildcat. Hmr will take crows out 150+ yds, .222cf will turn pigeon into a puff of feathers.

[tegater 789]

Lee. Because you say you want to use your new rifle for pigeon and crow, with the occasional fox, then out of the two rifles you can have then in my opinion the hmr is ideal. You will take crows out to 200, with practice, in ideal weather and the wind effect is true, rbut learn to read the wind, and that is just somehing else to add to the equation, and your bullet will be on Target.

If you are more fox than crow, go with the .222.

[lee8375dogs 9]

Thanks for those comments the more i have been thinking about it a hmr would be the prefered rifle for me as i quoted in my first post i have shot air rifles for many years in rain or shine and i have adapted to the weather conditions am i wright in saying the hmr would be the same as an air rifle thanks for the comments they did help me make my mind up

[SportingShooter 0]

Lee, don't worry about the accuracy of a .222. It won countless bench rest competitions in the 50's and 60's and is a renowned round for accuracy

 

I have one BTW.

[matt_hooks 188]

Please don't think I'm having a go, but how, with extremely limited knowledge of what you are actually applying for, did you get an FAC granted?

 

As for a choice between .17 hmr and .222, as everyone says, are very different beasts. The .17 fires a light projectile very fast, but because it's light it loses velocity and therefore accuracy quite quickly (and energy, I forget the figures, but the light bullet loses velocity like you wouldn't believe, and at about 150 yards the .22lr has more retained energy) and so foxes are only an option at relatively short ranges compared to the much more powerful .222. The .222 is fast, flat and hard hitting. You could take foxes with the .222 at ranges you could only dream of with the .17.

 

That said, if you are shooting to eat, then the .17 is less likely to make instant bunny puree.

 

As for the .17 being a "safer" round, I call BS. This is the kind of illogical thinking that hampers a lot of FEO's. If a shot is safe, it's safe, whether you're firing an air rifle or a .338 Lap mag. If it's not safe, then you shouldn't be squeezing the trigger.

[lee8375dogs 9]

I CAN SEE WHAT YOU ARE SAYING THEY ARE TWO DIFFERENT BEASTS BUT BEFORE I APPLIED FOR MY CERT I DID QUITE A BIT OF RESEARCH I HAD ALL INTENSIONS OF BUYING A HMR BUT MY LOCAL GUN DEALER THREW A SPANNER IN THE WORKS AND JUST GOT ME THINKING BUT THIS WEB SITE IS FOR HELP AND ADVICE AND YOUR VEIWS ARE APPRECHIATED

[The Seeker 3,048]

If I were in your position I would go for a .22 rim fire for rabbis etc and a .222 for fox and leave the HMR,

 

I have a ,

.22 rf , .17 HMR and a .223, the HMR is the one I would do without of the three rifles

 

ATB

Seeker

 

 

[SportingShooter 0]

If I were in your position I would go for a .22 rim fire for rabbis etc and a .222 for fox and leave the HMR,

 

I have a ,

.22 rf , .17 HMR and a .223, the HMR is the one I would do without of the three rifles

 

ATB

Seeker

 

[zx10mike 137]

Please don't think I'm having a go, but how, with extremely limited knowledge of what you are actually applying for, did you get an FAC granted?

 

As for a choice between .17 hmr and .222, as everyone says, are very different beasts. The .17 fires a light projectile very fast, but because it's light it loses velocity and therefore accuracy quite quickly (and energy, I forget the figures, but the light bullet loses velocity like you wouldn't believe, and at about 150 yards the .22lr has more retained energy) and so foxes are only an option at relatively short ranges compared to the much more powerful .222. The .222 is fast, flat and hard hitting. You could take foxes with the .222 at ranges you could only dream of with the .17.

 

That said, if you are shooting to eat, then the .17 is less likely to make instant bunny puree.

 

As for the .17 being a "safer" round, I call BS. This is the kind of illogical thinking that hampers a lot of FEO's. If a shot is safe, it's safe, whether you're firing an air rifle or a .338 Lap mag. If it's not safe, then you shouldn't be squeezing the trigger.

 

 

muppet.i think its a safer round the police think its a safer round, my firearms dealer thinks its a safer round.but of course your right.half the ft lbs energy of a 222 and wont bounce like a 22 sub.in a perfect world all land would be rolling hills but when you have flat fields you want to know that from an elavated position with nothing in view you can controll rabbits knowing the bullet was broken up on impact and any richotches will be low energy tiny particals that after three hundred yards will be done . there not going to bounce like a 22 sub stay in one piece and kill someone 900 hundred yards away even tho as in leicester it struck a man in the head with less than 16 ft lbs of energy and killed him whilst picnicing with his family.you try and give someone advice knowing these facts and some smart arse says your talking bs.why not say to look at it from anouther angle or my opinion not say bs when the police and myself both know what happened.i have shot a 22 and they bounce.think pal ,just maybe you dont know it all.you even said in your own post because the .17 is light it loses velocity and energy quit quickly

Edited November 13, 2011 by zx10mike

[jamie g 17]

the 222 is a great little rifle. low recoil. great accuracy and as the recoil is low you can get away with a nice light walk about rifle.

 

you don't need to spend £250 on a mod for it. a dm80 mod for the 222 is around £150 new. you can get secondhand ase mods for around £180

i wouldn't want it to shoot rabbits all the time though with 222 not cost affective and will do to much damage to rabbits. even head shots can still bruise the neck and down the back which isnt good if you want them for the pot.

 

22 hornet is a good all rounder but facotry ammo is dear and would be best to reload for it. which is big no ! as you said you didnt want to