• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

.17 hmr.

Warlok813

FUBAR
Minuteman
May 29, 2019
66
12
I was looking at different ammo for my .17 hmr and was wondering if anyone prefers the 20 grain bullets over the 17 grain. I have used 17 grain exclusively so im not sure. I would like to buck the wind a little more but im not sure that 3 grains is enough to really make a noticable difference. I know the .17 hmr isnt the best choice for cutting the wind anyways but I do enjoy it for hunting squirrels and various other things.
 
I've tried some 20's but none of them shot as well as the 17's. Specifically the Winchester HV ammo. This was in a Tikka T1X.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BKSSNIPER
My rifle prefers the 17 grain bullets. Couldn’t get the 20s to shoot.

Marlin 917V
 
  • Like
Reactions: BKSSNIPER
I like my 17hmr.
Great varminting/small game rimfire cartridge.
Ballistic tips and hollow points for meat spray,
FMJ or JSP for putting meat in the stewpot.
Only 2 companies manufacture 17 hmr, CCI and Winchester.
Browning is relabeled Winchester, all the rest are relabeled CCI.
Results on target vary due to minimal quality control on the production line.
It's hunting ammo, not a precision target round.
I've had some superb results with all the different bullet types and weights,
along with absolutely laughable ones due to cartridges that were poorly assembled.
We're talking CCI and Winchester rimfire ammo.
Neither of which has a reputation for producing match quality rimfire ammo. ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: CoolJJ
I like my 17hmr.
Great varminting/small game rimfire cartridge.
Ballistic tips and hollow points for meat spray,
FMJ or JSP for putting meat in the stewpot.
Only 2 companies manufacture 17 hmr, CCI and Winchester.
Browning is relabeled Winchester, all the rest are relabeled CCI.
Results on target vary due to minimal quality control on the production line.
It's hunting ammo, not a precision target round.
I've had some superb results with all the different bullet types and weights,
along with absolutely laughable ones due to cartridges that were poorly assembled.
We're talking CCI and Winchester rimfire ammo.
Neither of which has a reputation for producing match quality rimfire ammo. ;)

So Remington, Federal, and Hornady are relabeled CCI?
I did not know that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CoolJJ
Weirdly I couldn’t get good accuracy out of my CZ 455 from the 20gr loads while it’s a laser with multiple 17gr loadings (from both CCI and Winchester). Also the trajectory while still really flat for a rimfire out to 200 was noticeably more arched with the 20gr; like, more than I would’ve expected. I’ve not run the actual ballistics on them to compare just seen it at the range and in the field.

I bought a few of these
to see if they’d be a little less explosive on varmints and I’m on my third box. There won’t be a fourth.

1591388481607.jpeg




CCI 20gr game point and 17gr TNT.

Best ammo you'll find for a 17HMR.

I think my 455 likes the fast stuff: CCI A17 is pretty typically the most accurate in it though there’s always lot to lot variation.
 
Look at the 17hmr the same way you would a ballistic tip centerfire, except it's rimfire.
The same rules apply. Are they all assembled to the same specs? No.
The 17hmr are mass produced cartridges where the profit is in quantity, not quality.
Look at the differences in seating depth and angle.
Are the bullets uniform in shape or do they vary?
Is the tip bent or deformed/broken? Crimp tension?
Look at the case mouth for an irregular edge.
Check the differences in brass dimensions.
Look at how the primer is metered and applied.
That's where the variations in results come from.

The 17hmr is less affected by wind than both the 22wmr and 22lr.
Bullet crossectional area and velocities are why.
Run a comparison with y'er ballistic calculator.
Don't take my word for it. :D
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: CoolJJ
My CZ 455 Varmint likes the CCI 20gr Gamepoints and Hornady 20 gr XTP best.
Mark
 
Some claim you have to find the brand of cartridges y'er rifle likes.
I'm not a believer. I literally have tried every brand and type of 17hmr ammo sold.
It's not brand or type that my rifle "likes", but the cartridge quality it requires.
Give me well made cartridges with tight muzzle velocities
and I can produce predictable trajectories, no matter which bullet type/weight.
It's not brand name or bullet type, but cartridge quality that determines results.
There are no rifles that can magically fix cr*ppy ammo.
 
Last edited:
I used to think that too but once I started shooting longer ranges and keeping more logs (even while plinking) I found most of my rifles really do fit into a 2x2 matrix:

- some prefer brands

- some prefer weights/velocities

- some have a very specific preference of brand and weight/speed

- some just shoot everything of decent quality pretty well

That last category is rarer than I thought it was a few years ago though. Also I guess there’s a fifth category that doesn’t shoot anything well, but enough about my Rugers... :ROFLMAO:

I do think rimfires tend to look more “random” due to tolerance changes between production lots being seemingly wider than with most centerfire stuff.
 
Amost all my rimfire is shot at 200 yards, recording muzzle velocities and results.
Visual inspection of each cartridge has become a habit.
Correlating vertical spread due to mv variations
and strays caused by visible cartridge defects
has caused me to discount brand and bullet weight as being critical to my results.
Cartridge quality, or rather the lack of, has become the primary cause of poor accuracy.
Not wind, not me, not the rifles.
There is no way to fix large variations in muzzle velocities.
Canted/damaged bullets, loose crimps, poor seating, excess jump to the leade,
primer/powder variations, out of spec brass are the true culprits.
Especially with the 17hmr, where the only manufacturers are CCI and Winchester.
They have such a stellar reputation for producing match quality rimfire, right? ;)
 
Last edited:
I had a thread going a while back about 22 mag expectations. The consensus was ammo quality is the culprit which @justin amateur i believe you may have been one of the folks to point that out. So, from reading this thread it seems the same problem exists for the 17hmr. However, common thought and experience suggests the 17 hmr is more accurate than the 22 mag. Is this true in your experience? And is it due to bullet design?
 
I get better accuracy at extended range from the 17 hmr.
Less wind drift and higher velocities seem to be the difference.
As for cartridge quality, that's just another roll of the dice.
Some days the assembly line gets it right, some days it don't. :(
 
  • Like
Reactions: rookie7
Good information, thanks. My savage seems to shoot most stuff in .17gr fairly well, of course I mostly use the CCI and hornady v-max. Odd about them being made by the same 2 companies I never knew that, the CCI really seems to have a good bit more explosive terminal performance from what I have seen personally, I dont tend to use those on squirrels cause I end up with more damage to the meat. Even the hornadys kinda require a head shot to not loose meat but the CCI seems to be a decent bit worse. Looks as though ill stick with the .17gr, just gotta find a good deal on a case of em.
 
My Savage 17hmr shoots all of the CCI (and their various labels) better than all of the Winchester ammo. All are good enough for hunting but the hollowpoints seem to group slightly better on paper. I have shot a few of the 20g options and it shot good in my rifle but not better than the 17g fodder. I stopped hunting small game with the HP's after having one fail to expand on a head shot to a squirrel effectively giving the poor little critter a frontal lobotomy. It was not funny and required additional measures to finish it off. It would be a good round for coyotes where they are larger and allow more space to expand. These were Federal (CCI). The ballistic tips expand instantly and I have never had a failure with them. Keep the bbl clean and enjoy it.
 
17hmr is considerably more accurate than 22mag. Bullet design and velocity, but the bottleneck case is superior.
My Anschutz 1720 would beg to differ ;) not saying the .17 isn't inherently more accurate, but I get better groups out of my 1720 than my 1717. But I am an average rifle shot at best and the 1720 is probably more an anomaly and not the norm when it comes to .22 magnum standard accuracy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 45cal4life
I have an Anchutz with an 18 inch barrel. I bought every single 17hmr ammo on the market. I shot 10-5 shot groups. The best group that I got was with A17hmr ammo. 20 grain ammo sucked. 1.5-4 inch groups. Most other 17 was aroud 1.25-1.5 groups. The A17 was .45
 
The most accurate and precise round in my Savage 93R17 FV at 100 yards appears to be the 17grain CCi TNT . Sub MOA groups ( 3 round groups, I know 5 is better but I`m usually limited on time and I try to stretch ammo supply ) are common and POA vs POI averages .6 ". Too explosive for squirrels, so I`m trying to dial in the 20 grain CCi Gamepoint.
 
The most accurate and precise round in my Savage 93R17 FV at 100 yards appears to be the 17grain CCi TNT . Sub MOA groups ( 3 round groups, I know 5 is better but I`m usually limited on time and I try to stretch ammo supply ) are common and POA vs POI averages .6 ". Too explosive for squirrels, so I`m trying to dial in the 20 grain CCi Gamepoint.
If you're getting sub MOA with these best get back to the store in a hurry and see if you can get more with the same lot #, next box may not do it.
Same scenario if you find 20's that work.
 
If you're getting sub MOA with these best get back to the store in a hurry and see if you can get more with the same lot #, next box may not do it.
Same scenario if you find 20's that work.
Absolutely agree and I would if they still had any. Unfortunately, they don`t. I know it`s a pipe dream most likely, but I`m hoping the TNT, being a hollow point, will somehow be more " match ammo like " in my gun. Guess we`ll see. I am, however, going to try to get more of my current lot of Gamepoint since it seems to shoot the best of the 20 grainers in my gun.
 
My new to me latest .17HMR acquisition is proving to be more accurate than my .22 Magnum so far... at least at 50 yds. I need to get back out and stretch it out to 100 & 200 next range session. The groups below were shot consecutively in one sessions
IMG_5152.jpg

IMG_5156.jpg

IMG_5157.jpg
 
I have the exact same gun. Mine wont shoot any things other than a17
I about fell over when I walked in the gun store and saw it. I still can't believe I got a ANA Custom Shop .17 HMR for $900...granted it was "used" but it was hard to tell if it had been shot.