Upgrading From .22Lr?

[toxo 160]

I've thought about this a lot lately, mainly because there are so many variables. I only want to shoot bunnies. (The sods are staying farther and farther away) but there's still a lot to think about.

What will they give me for the size of my perms (they're not huge)?

Don't want to make too much noise.

Everyone getting rid of HMR because of shite ammo or availablity.

Locally, not much in the way of availability huge back orders on hmr. Mach2? Don't be silly. wmr? Not much.

Part of me thinks reloading might be interesting but the most of me is thinking... nah!

 

Today I had a bit of an epiphany. Everything above .22LR is going to be supersonic and make noise so there's no getting away from that. So why not step up to hyper/ultra velocity in .22LR? I know it's not ever going to be as flat as the centerfires, even the small ones but it'll be flatter than the subs. Trouble is I can't remember anyone saying that the faster .22s are accurate. So come on guys, are any of you shooting faster .22s that are accurate? please let me know.

 

[goldfinger 135]

Hello toxo,the .17HMR is the perfect bunny round if want to cover all distances, up to150 mtrs its pretty much point and shoot,every firearms dealer I know recommends using Hornady V-Max I've never had a problem with .17 ammo,its reasonably priced for bunny shooting provided you not shooting them in large numbers,I've shot this round in all weather conditions and never had a problem, in conjunction with .22 subs you have in my opinion a perfect pair combo for all bunny situations.Anything above these two calibres is I consider over kill and over expensive for rabbits.

[slipper 116]

I had some eley high velocity that I shot out of my cz not to bad accuracy wise but not as good as subs and if you're not worried about the noise then crack on if all your after is rabbits and a few extra yards

[andyf 144]

HV .22 is the easy next to no cost option for you.

BUT they are very noisy, just buy a box of 50 and try them, if you can live with the 'crack' you get the easy 100 yard zero accuracy you

say you need.

The best I've found are definitely CCI Velocitor, followed by Winchester Lazer.

As you said any of the 150 yard plus calibre's are supersonic and compared to the 22 Sub's badly noisy, but if you are going to go through the

hassle of a variation for another rifle it may as well be for something with a LOT more power and range.

A moderated .222 or .223 would be sound advice, I've got a 22.250 and that is very good for fox, but that & all the other CF 22's turn Rabbits into

a pink 'Davy Crocket Hats'.

[toxo 160]

I might put in for a hmr, wmr and a .222 and see what they throw out.

 

In the meantime I can lay hands on some Win SupaX Xpediters and they are mean. Nickel plated, copper jacketed hollow point with a 34gr bullet and a mv of 1640 I guess that'll wake the neighbours. I know you can't get these any more but it'll give me some idea of the noise.

[Elliott 436]

I haven't tried any supersonic ammo in my 22LR so I'd be curious to know how you get on. I had a HMR but sold it and bought a 223.

 

The WMR might be a good option for you. I think its having a bit of a comeback, especially now that there's more ammo available for it. I understand Hornady are doing a 30-odd grain V-Max that's getting good reviews. The advantage of the WMR is that it's capable for the odd sub 100 yard fox too.

 

I've been toying with replacing the HMR with either a WMR or 22 Hornet

[Deker 3,478]

HMR has its issues with no doubt, but both my .22lr stay as sub sonic tools these days, the HMR is a big step up on the .22lr and much better than .22lr with HV.

 

[toxo 160]

I haven't tried any supersonic ammo in my 22LR so I'd be curious to know how you get on. I had a HMR but sold it and bought a 223.

 

The WMR might be a good option for you. I think its having a bit of a comeback, especially now that there's more ammo available for it. I understand Hornady are doing a 30-odd grain V-Max that's getting good reviews. The advantage of the WMR is that it's capable for the odd sub 100 yard fox too.

 

I've been toying with replacing the HMR with either a WMR or 22 Hornet

 

I'll post here when I've tried it Elliott. Why did you get rid of the hmr? A bit of an enigma in that half the users think it's the best thing since sliced bread whilst the other half are either fed up with the lack of ammo or flaws in the ammo itself. Paul

[toxo 160]

HMR has its issues with no doubt, but both my .22lr stay as sub sonic tools these days, the HMR is a big step up on the .22lr and much better than .22lr with HV.

 

 

I'd love to get an HMR that does what it says on the tin Deker but i'm reading the ammo isn't as good as it used to be leaving aside the availabilty or the split necks issue. Considering everything is going to be noisy, the HMR would be my first choice.

 

I'm forced to make haste slowly anyway because I'm not letting go of my ticket for variation until I've stocked up on ammo because it could take a while to come back. I'm not gonna stock up until I've finally got around to testing the 5/6 brands I've accumulated to find out what my Annie likes best which, if doing the chrono bit as well will be best part of a day, preferably one when I'm not freezing my nuts off.

[Elliott 436]

 

 

I haven't tried any supersonic ammo in my 22LR so I'd be curious to know how you get on. I had a HMR but sold it and bought a 223.

 

The WMR might be a good option for you. I think its having a bit of a comeback, especially now that there's more ammo available for it. I understand Hornady are doing a 30-odd grain V-Max that's getting good reviews. The advantage of the WMR is that it's capable for the odd sub 100 yard fox too.

 

I've been toying with replacing the HMR with either a WMR or 22 Hornet

I'll post here when I've tried it Elliott. Why did you get rid of the hmr? A bit of an enigma in that half the users think it's the best thing since sliced bread whilst the other half are either fed up with the lack of ammo or flaws in the ammo itself. Paul

It wasn't so much about ammo problems, although I did experience a few squib rounds. Considering I shot over 1,000 rounds you might consider that reasonable.

 

The main reason for selling was just to move up to 223 for a proper fox calibre. I fancied a Tikka T3 Varmint and had a bit of value in my Anschutz 1517 HMR.

 

I then bought a secondhand CZ452 22LR for £150 and and found that pretty spot on for daytime rabbit shooting out to 100 yards.

 

I quite like the HMR but for the noise I'd prefer to have something with a bit more whack which is why I'd consider the Hornet or WMR as a replacement

[jacknife 2,005]

Never had a problem with my HMR or the ammo

 

A dedicated HMR mod does help as most people with them like me use a .22lr mod so noise reduction is not what it could be

 

 

I have never listened to what others recommend as like you say some love a calibre and some hate it......i think you just need to try it and decide for yourself

[Tremo 138]

I owned a HMR. It lasted about six months and then it had to go. I had so much trouble with the ammo, and being honest, I found the accuracy to be a let real let down. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I don't believe so. Perhaps I just had a dud one .......... it was an Anschutz 1517 though? Who knows?

 

Anyway, I'm just about to pick up a new WMR. It should give me that 150 yard tool that I need and as another poster said, it is fox capable at realistic distances.

 

If you can hang on I'll let you know what I think.

 

ATB

[CharlieT 32]

I've had a HMR since they first came out, I guess about 12/13 years ago and have fired many thousands of rounds without a problem. Yes, there are the odd split necks, but I just ignore them as they have never caused a problem, after all it's only a quirk of the manufacturing process.

[Deker 3,478]

I've had a HMR since they first came out, I guess about 12/13 years ago and have fired many thousands of rounds without a problem. Yes, there are the odd split necks, but I just ignore them as they have never caused a problem, after all it's only a quirk of the manufacturing process.

 

 

I have to say I'm in the same camp as Charlie here, I think my HMR is about 7-8 years old, and delivers excellent accuracy and consistency.

 

I fully accept the ammunition (not the rifle) has issues, I have had a couple of hang fires, but no squib shots, I know others have had some. I now have well over 100 split cases (after firing) but these have never caused any issue on the shot itself.

 

I have not checked for split cases prior to firing.

 

The HMR performs a very useful role for me.

 

[Alsone 789]

.22LR HV is a long way from subs in loudness terms. Not heard it back to back with a HMR to compare, so Deker or others with both can probably chip in here, but HV .22 is FAR from quiet.

 

Also the reach of the .17's is better if distance is the issue.

 

At the risk of getting flamed for crossing the boundaries of suitability slightly, if you're not keen on HMR, .17 Hornet is worth a look for long range rabbit as the ammo is good off the shelf, if expensive compared to rf. At least it is reloadable though!