New To .17 HMR, Ammo Idea Please

[Basstar]

I'm looking for a starting point for ammo for my new CZ 455 Varmint.

I will only be shooting targets but I see Game Point, FMJ, 17 grain, 20 grain, etc.

Probably whatever ammo I purchase will be more accurate than I so am I just as well off buying the 17 grain FMJ or will any of the bullets damage the rifle barrel?

Thanks

[octanejunkie]

17gr Hornady or Federal are a good starting point

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[kisssofdeath]

I would say, in the beginning, anything is game to try.

[BLOC]

None of the commercial ammo will hurt your barrel.

For punching paper targets, your rifle will tell you which ammo it likes so your best bet is to try several brands/styles, though it's my understanding that most if not all the .17 HMR ammo is produced in one factory and marketed under different labels, with the only variation being in the bullets used.

[Basstar]

Thanks everyone.

[RMS65]

Good luck. They all suck. There's no rhyme or reason on quality. Sometimes one will seem better than another. Then get different lot and the results will reverse. So far my most consistent results come from the 17 grain hollow points (tnt) loads regardless of whose name is on the box. I have never used anything from Winchester which is the only other producer 17hmr. They have a worse reputation than the cci stuff which is all over the place in quality.
I love the cartridges concept but the lack of quality ammo makes it frustrating. I often get 3 sometimes 4 shots through one ragged hole the other 1 or 2 randomly go 3/4" away. That's at 50 yards. Gives me the fits.

[jaia]

Good luck. They all suck. There's no rhyme or reason on quality.
Sometimes one will seem better than another.
Then get different lot and the results will reverse.

That pretty much covers it.
CCI and Winchester are the only makers of 17 hmr.
All they make is rimfire ammo for hunting/plinking.
All the other brands are just relabeled CCI or Winchester.

Folks who claim otherwise are optimists.

Here's what happens for 50 shots at 200 yards...



17HMR

Browning 17 grain ballistic tip 17hmr Link to post

### CCI A17 17 grain 17 hmr Link to first 50 Link to second 50

CCI FMJ 20 grain 17hmr Link to first 50 Link to second 50

CCI Gamepoint 20 grain jacketed soft point 17hmr Link to post

### CCI TNT 17 grain hollow point 17hmr Link to post

CCI TNT Green Lead Free 16 grain hollow point 17 hmr Link to post

CCI VMax 17 grain ballistic tip 17hmr Link to post

CCI VNT 17 grain ballistic tip 17hmr Link to post

Federal V-Shok V-Max 17 grain polymer tip 17hmr Link to post

Federal V-Shok TNT 17 grain hollow point 17hmr ### Link to first 50 Link to second 50

Hornady NTX 15.5 grain lead free 17hmr Link to post

### Hornady V-Max 17 grain ballistic tip 17hmr Link to post

Hornady XTP 20 grain hollow point 17hmr Link to post

Winchester Super X 20 grain 17 hmr jhp Link to post

Winchester Varmint HV 17 grain polymer tip 17hmr Link to post

[Basstar]

Originally Posted by jaia

Good luck. They all suck. There's no rhyme or reason on quality.
Sometimes one will seem better than another.
Then get different lot and the results will reverse.

That pretty much covers it.
CCI and Winchester are the only makers of 17 hmr.
All they make is rimfire ammo for hunting/plinking.
All the other brands are just relabeled CCI or Winchester.

Folks who claim otherwise are optimists.

Here's what happens for 50 shots at 200 yards...



17HMR

Browning 17 grain ballistic tip 17hmr Link to post

### CCI A17 17 grain 17 hmr Link to first 50 Link to second 50

CCI FMJ 20 grain 17hmr Link to first 50 Link to second 50

CCI Gamepoint 20 grain jacketed soft point 17hmr Link to post

### CCI TNT 17 grain hollow point 17hmr Link to post

CCI TNT Green Lead Free 16 grain hollow point 17 hmr Link to post

CCI VMax 17 grain ballistic tip 17hmr Link to post

CCI VNT 17 grain ballistic tip 17hmr Link to post

Federal V-Shok V-Max 17 grain polymer tip 17hmr Link to post

Federal V-Shok TNT 17 grain hollow point 17hmr ### Link to first 50 Link to second 50

Hornady NTX 15.5 grain lead free 17hmr Link to post

### Hornady V-Max 17 grain ballistic tip 17hmr Link to post

Hornady XTP 20 grain hollow point 17hmr Link to post

Winchester Super X 20 grain 17 hmr jhp Link to post

Winchester Varmint HV 17 grain polymer tip 17hmr Link to post

WOW!!!!

Excellent info here and I will research it.

Much appreciated, Sir.

[DRob]

HMR ammo has been badmouthed from the start by some who can't seem to comprehend that it was never intended to be "target ammo". It's a small game hunting round and, by mass production standards, is remarkably accurate. I've seen posters here who make great claims about loads that don't do well in my guns and blast the load I've found to shoot well in every HMR I've owned. Those guns have included CZ, Anschutz, Ruger, Marlin, and Savage and all of them have been accurate enough to take prairie dogs out to 200 yards. The bottom line is there is no one load that works best in every gun. Try 'em until you find one you like then stick with it and ignore the naysayers.

[gmd1950]

Dead on DRob.

[octanejunkie]

For what it's worth, Russell Reed, competitive shooter, Mexican-matches and reloads .17HMR and shoots out to 450 yards in competition using the Garrow Firearms Development 17HMR AR Upper

Here is the article
https://www.ammoland.com/2018/12/gar...t-17hmr-upper/

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[jaia]

Reloading rimfire....I guess everyone needs a hobby.


If I was going to reload 17 caliber, it'd be centerfire.

[stockranger]

Originally Posted by octanejunkie

For what it's worth, Russell Reed, competitive shooter, Mexican-matches and reloads .17HMR and shoots out to 450 yards in competition using the Garrow Firearms Development 17HMR AR Upper

Here is the article
https://www.ammoland.com/2018/12/gar...t-17hmr-upper/

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Russel slings them things out to 800!

Just from my observations reading range reports over the years, it seems to me that the 17 gr. TNT is often the best shooter. In my gun the TNT is the best, but it is dang near a tie with hornady 20 gr. xtp. CCI and Hornady Vmax are just behind those. Since hornady vmax is often the cheapest by a lot, its not worth paying almost double for .2 moa accuracy improvement.

[octanejunkie]

@stockranger

I started with Federal 17gr VMAX based on his review of the Garrow upper by Eric Mayer on varminter.com

I would love to see more ballistic info and experiences with 17HMR in an 18" barrel

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[DRob]

Good read from Bullberry Barrel Works:

https://www.bullberry.com/17-hmr-velocity-data