For Lamping Rabbits, .22Lr Vs .17Hmr

[DeerhoundLurcherMan 997]

I know there are many pros and cons for both, To make it easier I will state these circumstances ......

 

Lets say you have one dedicated rifle for foxes and one for lamping rabbits.....what would you use for the rabbit gun..

 

Edited to say please don't vote just because you have one or the other, lets have a fair comparison for the job stated, by folk who have experienced both calibres........

 

Cheers

Edited July 31, 2013 by DeerhoundLurcherMan

[alan81 110]

around here the rabbits are very wary you cant get to close to them its the .17hmr for me.

[3175darren 1,100]

I love the 22, however I use a 17hmr a fair bit on long range stuff,but the 22 for me for lamping they never hear anything,its so quiet, and you don't make too much of a mess of them,plus the ammo is good value for money,

[moleman79 0]

i have a 22lr and a 22wmr one for close range and one for long works for me

[airbourne 128]

the proof in the pudding

[shovel leaner 7,650]

IMG_00000076.jpg the proof in the pudding

Am i being thick , but i cant tell from the photo what caliber it is !!

[rimmer 33]

your being thick cant you see the entrance and exit wounds!!! dummy!!!!!

Edited August 15, 2013 by rimmer

[perthshire keeper 1,239]

17 for me if i was limeted one rifle for the rest of my life i would be hard pushed to chose any thing else! but then i have a shit .22 lol

[The one 8,483]

.22 less mess and cheaper ammo

[dadioles 68]

I don't use a lamp and tend to shoot alone on foot. I use a night vision scope dedicated to one of my CZ .22 rifles using subs. My main concern at night is noise and the hmr is just too noisy. Range when using a dedicated night vision scope is not too much of an issue as the magnification is low (about 5x) which really restricts the distance that I can head shoot rabbits to about 50 yards so again the .22 is the winner.

 

If I was shooting in a less noise sensitive area and particularly if someone else was holding the lamp then maybe the added range of the hmr would be useful but distances seem very different at night so how often do you really need to shoot at much greater than, say, 50 yards?

 

It is the same old story. You need the right gun for the job that you are doing and only you know the circumstances where you shoot. In daylight on my local golf course the hmr is essential, and the same goes for my arable permissions. You asked specifically about lamping, however, and I would say the .22lr is the most versatile weapon against rabbits at night.

[Alsone 789]

Difficult call.

 

If lamping then if near houses .22 is the better bet.

 

Other than that I'd take the HMR.

 

[airbourne 128]

 

IMG_00000076.jpg the proof in the pudding

Am i being thick , but i cant tell from the photo what caliber it is !!

 

17 mate

[Elliott 436]

Only ever use the .17 HMR because that's all I've got.. does the business though.

 

I suppose range estimation isn't as important with the HMR

[shovel leaner 7,650]

your being thick cant you see the entrance and exit wounds!!! dummy!!!!!

No . Just a bit of blood , could be either caliber !!!!

[shovel leaner 7,650]

 

 

IMG_00000076.jpg the proof in the pudding

Am i being thick , but i cant tell from the photo what caliber it is !!

 

17 mate

 

 

Thanks !! Looks like a good outing !!!!