[10454]

I am looking at buying a new rifle, but I can't decide I caliber. I am stepping up from a 10/22 with a Volquartsen Carbon Fiber barrel, CPC bolt, trigger work, VX-II scope, and a thumbhole stock. Would you guys recommend going with .17 HMR or .22 Mag for reasons of accuracy and varmint extermination? Thanks

 

[10454]

Lol, yeah, I read some of them, but there never seems to be a definitive answer. I know it is going to be one of those two calibers, and I don't really care about which is available in which type of rifle, because I already have a few picked out in each caliber. I just need to know if there is much of a difference between the two. So basically, which one will be able to kill varmint at a longer range, with more consistency? (I don't know if that specific question was answered, but I couldn't find it) Thanks, and sorry for the trouble.

 

[10454]

Well my .22 does pretty good up to 100 yards, so I guess I will be looking for longer range. Probably shooting squirrels, prairie dogs, and the like. This actually brings up a few more questions for me. For just destroying stuff below 100 yards (such as watermelons, potatoes, and other "explosive" fruits), would the .22 mag or .17HMR be better? Also, you said to stick with the .22 mag below 100 yards, why is that? And finally, would a .17 HMR or .22 mag have enough impact to kill a coyote with a head shot at 100 yards and above? From the videos I have seen of exploding prairie dogs, it seems like they would. Thanks again.

 

[10454]

Cost, basically. If I could find a .223 with quick reload, either auto, lever action (if there is even a .223 like this), or bolt action with a high-cap mag that does not cost that much, then I would consider it. The problem is, all the .223s are more expensive than .22 mag or .17HMR, but I would really like the killing power and trajectory of a .223

 

[10454]

Where I live, I can't use centerfire for anything over coyote, so I don't need to be concerned about deer. The biggest thing is that I want an accurate rifle with some more punch than a .22LR, but I still what to be able to just shoot targets with it without going broke. I guess I will just see what my options are for .223, this seems to be the most appealing. Thanks for all the help guys. :t