.22 wmr vs .17 hmr
 

I have spent the last few days reading multiple articles on witch round is better but most articles only deal with comparing the round for hunting. From what i have read the .17 has a flatter trajectory and is more accurate outside 100yds but is about 30% $ more. I know there not cheep rounds in comparison with the .22 lr but i think something with alittle more punch will keep me enjoying the rifle for longer.

This is my first firearm and im looking for a small caliber bolt action rimfire rifle for use only at the range. I have narrowed my gun down to the Savage arms 93BTVS but i am now stuck on witch round. I like to bump up to a .223 but it's not in the budget for a graduating college student with a poor economy.

Thanks

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A .22 Long Rifle will easily go several hundred yards with surprising accuracy out of a good rifle. A .22 magnum is wasted at the range, but is very useful for game up to Roebuck size.
The .17 hmr is better at long range small game, but is also .a waste of money for just range use.

Go with the .22 LR, it will be cheap and will teach you virtually everything you need to know about rifle shooting.

There are so many fine rifles and pistols in .22LR it is stunning. My truck gun on the weekends is a very cheap Remington .22 semi auto (think $90.00) that I've owned for 15 years.

It is very accurate, trouble free, cheap to shoot and fun. It has a lot of wear and tear but we keep it clean:)

Make sure you shoot first, then buy.

Thanks for the help guys

I have been shooting for about 12 years got started with cub scouts but that was the last time of shot a .22. I shoot often with friends and family but I wanted to wait till i was older to get a rifle of my own.

My only concern is that i will get bored with a .22. Im only planning on shooting once or twice a month about 50 rounds each time so the cost of the round isnt the biggest factor. should i just wait another year and save for .223 i just can justify spending over $500 before a scope and accessory's for something that will not see to much use.

I enjoy the larger guns and i just dont ant to feel like im shooting a bb gun when im out shooting with the friends

This will probably be my only rife for several years so i ant to get it right
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Everyone needs at least one .22 rifle. I have larger caliber rifles and handguns including an Ar15 .223, but the .22 is what I shoot with the most as it is cheap and for most varmints, it does the job admirably. Whether you think you want something larger than .22 or not, again.... YOU NEED TO OWN at least one .22 (along with at least one shotgun).

I completely agree that you should get a .22

Here's why,

A. It's cheap, heck you can prob get the .22 and something else at the same time.
B. It's fun and CHEAP to shoot.
C. It will teach you everything you need to know.
D. There are tons of variety within the .22 family. I have .22 pistols and rifles. It's better to standardize on an ammo type than to have all diff kinds.
E. The wife (at least mine, loves shooting the .22s, not so much the bigger calibers).
F. You can get subsonic rounds and shoot them in your basement or backyard.
G. You can get a Ruger 10/22 and customize the heck out of it.

Savage is a great choice. Their bolt action rifles are the best bang for the buck out of the box. The AccuTrigger is fantastic.

I would either go with the .22 LR or a .223. The .17 is too sensitive to wind. One thing I would not worry about is what other people think about your gun when you are at the range. If you get into pissing matches with other hobbyists, you will spend too much money. This is true for the range as well as any other hobby that involves gear (race track, cycling, hunting ...)

Regards,

George

Just bought (another) .22 here. They're fantastic for learning the basics, staying sharp and just generally having fun. So they don't go "bang" as loud as some of the bigger calibers. So what? Plus the ammo is dirt cheap (even today) which is a good thing. Get a couple and stock up. Pretty soon those might be the only guns left legal anyway...

The 22 Hornet is a classic old cartridge developed in 1930 by the Boyz at the Springfield Arsenal in Springfield, MA ...little recoil and little report...it was the first Varmit cartridge produced.

You can find a Savage 23D for abut $200 to $300...

Ruger and Kimber made BA in 22H as well.

First of all Dan, where in Illinois are you?

I have a Savage 93R and a Ruger 10/22. I've owned a few .22LR rifles.

I don't touch the Ruger much, the Savage is such a better gun. It is a laser beam.

Rifle day at the range is my Savage and my AR15.

If budget is a concern, forget .223. You're talking almost 10X the ammo cost. It is a whole lot more gun, but you also need to consider where/when you can shoot it. Many indoor ranges allow .22lr, and every outdoor range I've seen allows it. Not so with .223.

Just got back from shooting in the desert. Ruger 10/22 is a hoot - cheap to buy and cheap to shoot. Have a Marlin 39A .22lr lever gun coming. Not cheap to buy but cheap to shoot. I don't know any of the other ones, but bolt action doesn't send me...that is totally a personal thing.

As for shooting with others, I view shooting a .22 like driving a low hp car. There is no greater satisfaction than out-shooting/out-driving someone who has more "hp." And with a .22 you can afford to go to the range a lot more often - which is far more important than anything else wrt getting good.

All true. For about $300 you can buy about 5,000 rounds of 22lr (good stuff, not crap either). The same amount will barely buy you 500 rounds of .223 these days, and there's a lot of garbage .223 floating around that people are trying to get rid of while the prices are high.

I'm in Peoria IL

the range that we use now is great, 2 rifle ranges and several shotgun and handgun ranges. $50 yearly membership cost with nice shelters, benches, and restrooms.

the price of the rounds isn't too much of a problem it is the cost of the gun. I'm trying to stay away from used unless I know some of the history and how it was treated

thanks for the input i will look more into .22 long rifle and try to shoot some rounds downrange b4 i make a decision

Dan, if you want to come over on a Saturday you're welcome to shoot my Savage. I shoot at Darnall's--which is 10 or so miles west of Bloomington.

Do you have a range in Peoria that lets you shoot .50 BMG? That top picture looks an awful lot like an Armalite AR-50.

I think you have this totally backwards. The gun is a one-time cost. The ammo is ongoing. Focus on the cost to shoot, not the cost of the gun.

buy a .22 and then buy a M91/30 and 440 rounds of ammo for under $200. You get the "big gun" and something more practical.

Midwest Exchange has a location in both Bloomington and Peoria. I've found they have the best prices on used firearms in the area, bar none.

yea that is a Armalite AR-50 at the range open house, im not sure if it is allowed other than special occasions

Thanks very much for the offer but im over in the quad city's for school and pretty swamped with hw until easter

Savage offers the thumb trough model i posed above in a .22lr so i might look into that as an option. I really enjoy thumbhole rifles i have shot a remington XR-100 rangemaster a while a go a shot my person best at 100 yds. i find them very comfortable to shoot especially for longer times.

Dan
If you're only going to have one rifle get a decent .22. The other calibers are for when you can afford to branch out.
Jim

Better for what? What do you want it for?

For shooting paper recreationally a .22 is pretty darn hard to beat, and impossible to beat for learning.

BTW, that is a beautiful rifle.