target shooting, hunting small game, and even carried for defense. With its long track record, a variety of cartridges has been developed for this rimfire case by various companies. Although an old cartridge, today there are some Long
Rifle rounds that use unusual bullets that are great for hunting. In my experi- ences with all types of LR rounds, I see this cartridge as a 50-yard to 100-yard rimfire suitable for small critters such as ground squirrels and other small game
Table 1: Equipment Used with Rifles
Chronograph: Oehler 35P. Temperature: 65 degrees F. Humidity: 73% Muzzle of firearm was 10 feet from the first screen. All scopes set to 16 power
17 Mach 2: T/C Contender, 23-inch T/C barrel Scope: Millett 6-25x56
17 HMR: T/C Contender, 23-inch T/C barrel Scope: Alpen Apex 6-24x50
22 WMR: T/C Contender, 23-inch Bullberry Match barrel Scope: Burris Black Diamond 6-24x50
22 LR: T/C Contender, 23-inch T/C Match barrel Scope: Millett 4-16x56
Table 2: Muzzle velocities and groups at 50, 100 and 200 yards
*Sight-in round for a zero at 50 yards. Drop refers to how many inches the group dropped at 100 and 200 yards from the 50-yard zero. Ammunition
MV 3-shot group in inches plus drop in F.P.S. 50 yds. 100 yds. 200 yds.
*17 Mach 2 17-gr. Hornady V-Max 1,999 17 Mach 2 17-gr. CCI V-Max
1,978
17 HMR 17-gr. Rem. AccuTip-V BT 2,540 *17 HMR 17-gr. Winchester V-Max 2,440 17 HMR 20-gr. Win. Gamepoint 2,362 17 HMR 20-gr. Hornady XTP 22 LR 32-gr. CCI Stinger
2,323 1,551
22 LR 33-gr. Rem. Yellow Jacket 1,375 *22 LR 37-gr. Win. Super Speed HP 1,325 22 LR 40-gr. Win. Hyper Speed HP 1,310 22 LR 40-gr. Power Point HP
1,272
22 WMR 30-gr. Hornady V-Max 2,245 22 WMR 30-gr. Federal Sierra JHP 2,235 *22 WMR 33-gr. Rem. Accutip-V 2,058
0.45 1.00 -1.0 7.00 -16 0.40 0.55
0.30 1.10 00 0.55 0.85 0.65 0.35
3.50 -6
in this weight class. 22 WMR: Introduced in 1959 by
Winchester, this Winchester Magnum Rimfire (WMR) currently seems to be making somewhat of a comeback in terms of the ammunition available and firearms so chambered. I am impressed with the effectiveness of this cartridge regarding its performance on prairie dogs and ground squirrels. Based on my experience shooting on the range and in the field, I see it as a viable 125- to 175- yard cartridge for such hunting. Concerning availability, at one
time this round was a standard cham- bering in Thompson/Center Arms Con- tender handguns and rifles. Today it is not, and when I tried to get 14" and 23" barrels for this comparison, I was out of luck. I hope once the T/C custom shop reopens or becomes a part of the S&W custom shop, custom barrels so cham- bered will be available again … or, better yet, as a standard chambering option. By offsetting the barrel, a rimfire cartridge can be fired in the newer Encore so that may be a possibility for this old timer that currently is gaining acceptance for varmint hunting. 17 HMR: This cartridge, devel-
0.70 1.60 -4.5 Extreme drop 0.50 0.35 0.50 0.50
0.50 0.90 -1.30 3.00 -18 Table 3: Equipment Used with Handguns
Chronograph: Oehler 35P. Temperature: 56 degrees F. Humidity: 44% Muzzle of firearm was 10 feet from the first screen. All scopes set to 7 power
17 Mach 2: T/C Contender, 14-inch T/C barrel Scope: Thompson/Center 2.5-7x
17 HMR: T/C Contender, 14-inch T/C barrel Scope: Burris 3-12x with target knobs and adjustable parallax
22 WMR: T/C Contender, 14-inch T/C barrel Scope: Burris 3-12x with adjustable parallax
22 WMR: T/C Contender, 10-inch T/C barrel Scope: Simmons 2.5-7x
22 LR: T/C Contender, 14-inch T/C barrel Scope: Redfield 2.5-7x
Page 60 Spring 2012
oped by Hornady, goes back to 2002. Formed from the 22 WMR case necked to 17 caliber, it was designed to take on the 22 WMR which had been losing ground back then. For comparison, it does shoot flatter than the 22 magnum, but … it is loaded with a lighter bullet, a 17-grain V-Max. In my experience with it on varmint hunts out West, I see this as an excellent 150-yard to 175-yard cartridge that is extremely accurate and effective on small animals. Out there at such ranges on prairie dogs and ground squirrels, I have been impressed from day one on how effective it is in terms of wound channels when fired in both handguns and rifles. 17 Mach 2: This cartridge was in-
troduced by Hornady at the 2004 SHOT Show in Las Vegas. What was interest- ing back then was that it was a big deal. At that time, many rifle manufacturers vied to be the first to offer it chambered in their firearms, so there were a lot of options available from the start. Based on the 22 LR CCI Stinger case necked down to accept a 17-grain bullet, it appeared that it would be devastating on small, thin skinned animals with that excellent V-Max bullet … and it
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