# Rimfire Roundup



## ebbs

This post was inspired by some thoughts Wilded posted in LoCountryHunter's "Night Hunting Bill" thread regarding his preference between the 17HMR and 22WMR and I felt compelled to start a discussion about rimfire rounds.

If many of you are like me you love the fun and practice that shooting rimfires can bring. Many of them have some valuable hunting application, though limited as it may be to a point. They're great for teaching children and new shooters on, and best of all are pretty inexpensive to shoot, especially the 22LRs.









What I'm looking for are pro vs. cons of the different rimfire rounds, 22 vs 17 (LR and HM2, not just the magnums).









Here are some questions/topics that I think would be cool for discussion points:
(don't feel like these have to be followed to a "T", these are just some topical ideas to help drive the discussion and get the creative juices flowing)

1. What is your favorite and why?

2. What are the different COST aspects of shooting each one?

3. What's your favorite rimfire gun/rifle? (handguns count too)

4. Favorite rimfire round for a specific purpose? (i.e. vmax, hollowpoint, tnt, etc)

5. Do you use a rimfire scope? The BSA "sweet" riflescopes come to mind...

OR, if you've got some ideas that have nothing to do with any of the points I listed, throw 'em out there.


----------



## wilded

Instead of typing all this out again here are some opinions of mine on the .17HMR and the .22 WMR.








http://wildedtx.blogspot.com/2009/01/magnum-rimfire-wars-17hmr-vs-22wmr.html

Of course this doesn't cover the .22 LR which most of us old guys used all our life to kill stuff we should have used a bigger cartridge on.









I also now shoot a 17 MK2 which is the finest squirrel round ever developed in my humble opinion.

Here are a few more rimfire related articles I wrote on my blog for when you can't sleep and need to read something. ET









http://wildedtx.blogspot.com/2009/02/cz-452-american-in-17-hmr.html
http://wildedtx.blogspot.com/2009/04/1911-22-long-rifle-conversion-unit.html
http://wildedtx.blogspot.com/2009/10/trapline-firearm.html


----------



## bar-d

I have my dad's old Stevens pump .22 chambered for short, long and long rifle. That would be my favorite but I don't shoot it anymore.
My shootable favorite it my S&W M&P 15-22, red dot sight and 25 rd. magazine. Just an absolute hoot to shoot. Just plinking or ground squirrels.
My Savage Model 93R17 in .17HMR is my favorite small game rifle. More expensive to shoot than the .22 but dead nutz accurate with a 3x9x40 scope. If the ammo was as cheap as .22 LR or .17 MK11, I would shoot it a heck of a lot more. Like wilded, I grew up shooting the .22 short mostly because I could go to the corner store and buy a box of 50 for about 35 cents. Back then I had a JC Higgins single shot bolt action and thought it was the greatest "big game" gun a kid could have. Some sorry rascal broke into my house back in the 70"s and stole it and some other stuff. That was given to me by my dad and I would not have taken $1000 for it. I hope he was proud of himself every time he shot it.


----------



## ebbs

bar-d my dad's got an old Remington bolt action with a tubular magazine that holds 13 rounds of LR, and also shoots long and shorts too, circa 1918 I think. It is one of the few things my dad has from his granddad after he left the family in the mid 1950s.

It has no rimfire rails or weaver base holes but is spot on accurate with the iron sights. It's lightweight, skinny and a blast to shoot. Bolt still cycles like it's new and I know I've put minimum 10,000 rounds through that gun from the time I was 10 till now. The part I'm most excited about is I know that gun's gonna be mine someday! No amount of money could take that thing out of the family. Just last summer I used it and a couple boxes of .22 LR CB Caps to remove 30+ squirrels off his game feeder in the woods behind their house.


----------



## bar-d

Nothing like an old .22 to make you feel like a kid again!


----------



## Dust

ebbs said:


> 1. What is your favorite and why?


I have a 22LR, and a .17hm2. My next gun will be another .17hm2 in MK2 or in AR form, and then a Remington 597 or AR in WMR. The HMR will be the last thing to go to the safe, and I am not even shopping for one. Don't see the point of the HMR in my neck of the woods, and the owners don't really "encourage" me to buy one either.



ebbs said:


> 2. What are the different COST aspects of shooting each one?


.22LR cheap to really expensive
.17hm2 will be $4-5 online, and more in the stores. Most people with the hm2 will get better accuracy at the same price with the hm2 ammo



ebbs said:


> 3. What's your favorite rimfire gun/rifle? (handguns count too)


 Only have a 10/17 that is light enough to throw around, and just bought a 10 lb. Mk2 in .22LR for bench stuff.



ebbs said:


> 4. Favorite rimfire round for a specific purpose? (i.e. vmax, hollowpoint, tnt, etc)


.22LR will be used for shooting quietly, and for distance practice. Hoping it will like an ammo that is cheaper than hm2. the hm2 with only .5" rise at 50 yards from a 100 yard zero will be the hunter. The WMR if it gets added will be for bigger stuff that needs a rimfire



ebbs said:


> 5. Do you use a rimfire scope? The BSA "sweet" riflescopes come to mind...


 Centerpoint 4-16x40 from walmart on the 10/17, and will probably put a Vortex Crossfire in 6-24 on the MK2


----------



## Nighthawk2b

I like the .22 LR, primarily because there are some neat military training rifles chambered for it. I have a Romanian M 69 that is an awesome "wandering" rifle. My first handgun was a Ruger Super Single Six Convertable, wish I hadn't had to sell it.


----------



## youngdon

Welcome to the forum nighthawk2b.

Those single six's were great guns then and still are. It would have still been deadly accurate.


----------



## bones44

I have the Ruger 10/22 WMR and love it. The only problem I'm having is finding aftermarket parts for it. I would really like to get my hands on one of the new .17's but finances are tight.


----------



## wilded

Ruger was trading the 17HMR bolt action of your choice for those ruger wmr for a while and may still be. They are worried about liability. FCYI



bones44 said:


> I have the Ruger 10/22 WMR and love it. The only problem I'm having is finding aftermarket parts for it. I would really like to get my hands on one of the new .17's but finances are tight.


----------



## youngdon

Ed is right, all the manufacturers have pulled semi-auto 17HMR's off the shelves and are no longer making or marketing them. Apparently they have been known to or are capable of causing injury to the user and /or by-standers. I believe the 17Mach2 is still available in a semi auto but it is nowhere near the round that the 17HMR is.


----------



## bones44

I wasn't aware of that at all. I do know that since they've been discontinued they've about tripled in value. Thanks for the info !!


----------



## youngdon

My health and well being is far more precious than any rifle,(and so is yours I presume) no matter the collectable value.


----------



## bones44

Actually I went to my buddy's shop and traded it in today. Ruger has washed their hands of it from the info there gave. I got a sweet Savage .17HMR bull barrel and scoped out even up. Sounds crazy but yea I value my safety for sure. I liked the gun but wasn't that attached to it. Thanks for the heads up guys !! Btw he has 2 others in his shop that he can't move. Everyone wants a sporter or tactical nowadays.


----------



## youngdon

I will look forward to a range report.


----------



## Furtaker

I am using the 22 mag Remington Model 597 semi auto for night time calling. Im using the vmax bullets by hornady. When I first starts call I used the marlin 22mags and had great luck. I could have bought the 17 HMR for the same price in that model but didnt like the fact that I was always shooting through high grass 90% of the time. The 17 HMR Marlin I have is a tack driver on the range but just doesn't have what I need behind it to be able to find a yote in the dark. The 22 mag is just proven time after time and (if it an't broke dont fix it) comes in.


----------



## On a call

Hey Fur I have a 597 also...what great gun !


----------



## bones44

youngdon said:


> I will look forward to a range report.


 Initial sighting in 20Gr Hornady xtp 1" groups at 100 yards. No benchrest just rail of my truck. This gun is a real pleasure to shoot. The accutrigger really makes a difference. So far so good !! Tom


----------



## youngdon

Thats pretty good shooting by both the gun and you. Do you use sandbags or just hold it there.


----------



## bones44

Just setting it on the rail. Didn't have alot of time to set up anything fancy. First time ever using the accutrigger. I think that has a huge impact. It was like shooting a gun I've owned for years. Hopefully this storm doesn't hit us too bad and I can get out to really put it thru the ringer!!


----------



## youngdon

You can make a sand bag using an old pant leg (jeans last forever) sew one end shut and fill it with cat litter, fill it up but don't pack it tight, then sew the other end shut. I bought a broken bag of cat litter for a couple dollars twenty years ago and they (even with my sewing job) are still intact. They will keep the truck rail and the gun from getting scratched and steady the gun.


----------



## ebbs

That's a great idea! I suck at sewing, but my wife loves doing homemade things that add to my hobby. Thanks Don!


----------



## youngdon

Glad to help. Does she shoot too? Prolly not right now though huh.


----------



## ebbs

youngdon said:


> Glad to help. Does she shoot too? Prolly not right now though huh.


She loves to shoot. The ARs are her favorite second to the 22LR handguns. She's trigger happy to the max. Haha, I can barely get them away from her to shoot for myself when we're out. She also doesn't mind keeping the magazines loaded so I sure don't mind having her around for that.


----------



## knapper

I have seen my father hit empty shotgun shells in the air with a marlin lever 22lr. My favorite is a Ruger 10/22 with a heavy barrel and Houge stock. I shoots like no others except the target rifles. Match ammo for a 22lr is expensive too.


----------



## wilded

Fill your sand bags with rice and they will sit where you put them and hold a rifle super steady. You also have a few days carbs in an emergency to go with whatever else you find to eat. Most of my clients that have used my bags through the years always ask what is in them so they can do it to their own bags. I also buy leather elbow pads at the fabric shop to put on my homemade canvas or pillow ticking bags. ET


----------



## ReidRH

I have a Ruger 10/22 that is about 30 yrs old and a .17 Hmr Love them both!!


----------



## bgfireguy

ok Here's a post about 3 months after you guys but I LOVE .22 LR preferably but .22 overall. I love the fact that you can walk into even wally world and pickup a box of 550 rounds for 15$ and plink away all day. Between myself and my father in-law I actually have about 4 22LR rifles and at least 1 10 shot new england firearms revolver. The one that I keep at my house is my favorite and its my Marlin Model 60 semi-auto. Im actually getting ready to convert this out of the original wooden stock into a polymer druganov sniper style one (pics to follow soon). My father in-law gave me a 22LR that is actually built to look like an M-16A1 and it is AWESOME. I'll take pics of all these weapons asap. They live on about 3 acres for their house and sit on about 1200 acres of farmland that belongs to the family so I go out shooting for whatever and whenever I want. And having a 4 y/o daughter of my own, 5 nieces (1,4,14,15,15 y/o as well as the teenage girls boyfriends who always come around go figure) and two nephews (14 and 17 and the 17 is one of my hunting partners) 3 brother-in-laws(we ALL hunt), a father in-law whose a cop and a wife that works for a county sherrif and is a revolver pistol champion (I know a bit long winded there) I thing you get the picture that we all shoot and shoot alot. Our favorite thing is to actually have everyone bring their .22, boxes of ammo and anything else they wanna shoot and we all just play and plink for the day. We set up steel, paper, cans and milk jugs, and those self sealing varmint shaped spinner targets at varying distances for a day of fun. This is usually how we spend our holidays together. Plus a game of guns n horse always goes a long way.


----------



## youngdon

I'll look forward to the pics of your 22's bg, especially the model 60. I have one I bought for $68 and it will out shoot any 10/22 I've come across, and how did Ruger not have a last shot hold open ?


----------



## bgfireguy

I have no idea and thats one of the greatest features about the marlins. Gonna go by one for my daughter but the only cut down kid sized ones ive seen are ruger 10/22. Id mush rather get her a marlin IMO


----------



## bgfireguy

So if you guys have any suggestions about a .22 rifle in kids size that I can get my daughter started on please let me know. And ebbs if/when you read this great review on that ruger 22/45. Thinking about getting one now.


----------



## youngdon

There are definitly some advantages to the ruger, lots of upgrades, and I like the magazine vs. the tube ( I tend to pick a lot less out of the dirt withthe mag. ). You could always cut the stock down on the 60. I have used a fine tooth mitre saw to cut a few in my day. A little sand paper and a bit of stain and sealer. I've even sanded a few recoil pads to fit on a few. She certainly wouldn't need the protection but the anti slip properties of a rubber pad are helpful to a youngster.


----------



## bgfireguy

You know I never thought of that. And being that I'm swapping out the stock on mine and will have an extra maybe I'll buy a second Marlin 60 and cut that one down for her. She absolutely loves shootin with me and mama.


----------



## youngdon

Just don't cut to much off, remember she'll grow like a weed the minute you cut it.


----------



## bgfireguy

Yes sir. And thanks don for all the advice, tips, and help youve given to me across all of the pt site on different topics. especially my one hunt spot.


----------



## youngdon

Glad to help you bg.


----------



## showmeyote

Im thinking of buying my daughter a cricket. There a single shot and they have all kinds of upgrade. Of course she wants a PINK one.


----------



## ebbs

showmeyote said:


> Im thinking of buying my daughter a cricket. There a single shot and they have all kinds of upgrade. Of course she wants a PINK one.


Ruthi got the pink one for her birthday last year and man it's a shooter! The LOP is still a little long for her, but with Daddy's help she's really getting the hang of it. The rear aperture/peep is really easy for them to use with the front blade site. We shoot it with the CCI CB rounds because they still get 750fps and are real quiet just making a "pop" sound as they fire on the primer.


----------



## youngdon

Maybe she could do a guest review of it for us, you'd have to take journalistic liberties of course.


----------



## ebbs

youngdon said:


> Maybe she could do a guest review of it for us, you'd have to take journalistic liberties of course.


Don, that's a great idea! Just took photos for a review anyway, but I'm gonna interview her for it too! GREAT IDEA!


----------



## youngdon

Thanks, I thought so. Anyone who has kids should sit with them and watch it. It'll make for some good one on one firearm instruction time.


----------



## ReidRH

My son Dallas saved his own money and bought his Cricket at 6 yrs old he is 13 and still shoots it and kills squirrels with it his is outfitted with a scope and a sling. I will never forget the first sqirrel he took and the look on his face!


----------



## ebbs

youngdon said:


> Maybe she could do a guest review of it for us, you'd have to take journalistic liberties of course.


Hey Don, your wish is my command!!!!!!

http://www.predatortalk.com/hunting...th-rifle-review-hausofguns-com.html#post31867


----------



## wilded

Here are some rimfire articles you guys might enjoy. ET















http://wildedtx.blogspot.com/2008/12/old-time-classic-rimfire-rifles.html

http://wildedtx.blogspot.com/2009/01/lowly-22-rifle-as-survival-weapon.html

http://wildedtx.blogspot.com/2009/02/cz-452-american-in-17-hmr.html

http://wildedtx.blogspot.com/2009/01/magnum-rimfire-wars-17hmr-vs-22wmr.html

http://wildedtx.blogspot.com/2009/04/1911-22-long-rifle-conversion-unit.html


----------



## youngdon

ebbs said:


> Hey Don, your wish is my command!!!!!!
> 
> http://www.predatortalk.com/hunting...th-rifle-review-hausofguns-com.html#post31867


I wish to see the two of you in the "can't touch this dance video", but I'll settle for the hokey pokey !!!


----------

