.22 hornet vs .17 hmr

6mm Norma BR, 6x45 or 6TCU would probably be very good choices if you are a handloader. .222 Rem works for bird shooting, but ideally I would prefer a slower cartridge if you are going to keep the meat.
 
223 ammo is readily available, very easy to load for, inherently accurate and very versatile
 
What do you think the biggest animal I could take out with a .223 would be
Ethically? about 350-400 lb animal from a perfect shot angle (no heavy bone & less than 14" to vitals) and an ultra premium, heavy for caliber bullet. That would be for a body shot. I never take headshots as a rule unless on a wounded animal to try to drop it. Headshots have a high probablity of wounding without killing. That rules out anything larger in my opinion.
 
I am not a fan of the .17HMR but many are. I have the .17WSM and it is the most incredible rimfire ever conceived. It will take down everything you’ve mentioned. But to better answer your original question the .22 Hornet is great and would do the job well.
Philip
 
I am not a fan of the .17HMR but many are. I have the .17WSM and it is the most incredible rimfire ever conceived. It will take down everything you’ve mentioned. But to better answer your original question the .22 Hornet is great and would do the job well.
Philip

Is the .17 WSM bigger than the .17 HMR?
 
I LOVE the Hornet. Why:
1. ULTRA COOL name
2. no recoil
3. quiet - i can usually shoot it w/o ear defenders
4. it's my go to gun for my farm... I've put down alot of critters with it: skunks, pick-u-porks (porcupines), wounded critters, etc...
5. VERY accurate... I usually shoot 100 yds or less. I use:
a. a CZ 527 American (LOVE the single set trigger)
b. a Burris E1 Fullfield 3-9 (did have a Weaver fixed 6x)
c. ammo: Winchester soft point

i consistantly get 1" groups off a bench.
SUPER fun to shoot. a GREAT rifle for training for a hunt.
 
I LOVE the Hornet. Why:
1. ULTRA COOL name
2. no recoil
3. quiet - i can usually shoot it w/o ear defenders
4. it's my go to gun for my farm... I've put down alot of critters with it: skunks, pick-u-porks (porcupines), wounded critters, etc...
5. VERY accurate... I usually shoot 100 yds or less. I use:
a. a CZ 527 American (LOVE the single set trigger)
b. a Burris E1 Fullfield 3-9 (did have a Weaver fixed 6x)
c. ammo: Winchester soft point

i consistantly get 1" groups off a bench.
SUPER fun to shoot. a GREAT rifle for training for a hunt.

Sounds like a good gun thanks for the info.
 
phillip is it the .22wm necked down....or...?

It’s a .27 caliber nail-gun blank necked down to .17 caliber. Velocity-wise it blows all other rim fires completely out of the water. It’s more expensive than .17 HMR and .22mag too, but you’re getting 3000fps for the money.
 
phillip is it the .22wm necked down....or...?
No that’s what the .17 HMR is. The .17 WSM is like .25 caliber case so much bigger than any rim fire. I love it and have a nice Ruger bolt action in it.
Philip
 
Hey guys so I’ve made up my mind. I actually decided to go with neither of them. I think the right gun for me is a .22 lr made by cz I’m looking at the 455 lux. It is probably a better gun for hunting meat because it doesn’t do as much damage. I looked into the .17 wsm but it also does a lot of damage, bullets are expensive and difficult to find in africa.
 
IMG_4245.JPG


This is the gun.
 
I would not shoot a baboon or bushbuck with 22LR, but for birds, rabbits or similar it should be perfect!
 
Everyone needs at least one good .22!
 
I have a .17 HMR and have used it successfully on rabbits, prairie dogs and have seen it used on a Bobcat. I think it would be a bit on the light side for duiker and baboon. Maybe Vervet monkey up to 100 yds or so. I did a quick look with google and the .22 Hornet is far superior. The >17 is usually loaded with a .17 gr bullet. Looks like 35-55 for the Hornet. The Hornet will have about the same velocity with double the bullet weight. With decent bullets it should kill much more effectively than a .17. For Doves and Francolin you'll need to watch your shot placement with either..... For the bigger animals it should be a lot more humane/effective. Next step up would likely be a .223.
I have a 22-250 that would be a lot of fun to use on the monkeys/Baboons. Probably overkill for the birds.... Boom PUFF........ I've seen it take a prairie dog 10 ft in the air. Thats a 55 gr bullet around 3500 fps......
Bruce
Bruce
My opinion is for the hornet because you can load it with solids for the feathers game and soft points for other game. Hogdon little gun powder gives the little hornet a boost as well. The beauty of the hornet is you can load it down to 22 velocity or up to 22 mag then full house hornet. A true 3 in one gun.
If you reload it's cheaper than the 17HMR and a pound of powder will give you around 700 reloads, cheap shooting indeed.
Bob.
 

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