22mag vs 17cal
I am currently taking care of a savage 22mag for a friend of mine while he is in Florida. I have taken a liking to the small powerful round. the rifle he has is a stainless savage and i am not sure of the model. Anyways, i am thinking of getting simular rifle for shooting black birds in my woods. but correct me if i am wrong but isn't the price of 17 about the same as 22 mag, and i have heard alot of good things about this 17 and i was thinking of maybe getting one of these rifles. Its primary use would be blasting birds. Would the 17 be a better choice that the 22 mag. I am looking at the 17 due to its velocity and little bullet drop. Could someone give me their opinion on wich rifle i should buy and wich company's make. i would like to keep it at around $200-250. As i am a poor college student.
-speaking of blasting birds i have always wanted to try that with my 22-250[:D]
-speaking of blasting birds i have always wanted to try that with my 22-250[:D]
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Your friend probably has a Savage 93, the 17 version (93R17) is available for a small amount more. I would take the 17 over the 22 for the reasons you listed. I have a couple of them and they are great guns. The new 17 is also available, it is a 22LR necked to 17. The Savage would be a great choice.
"My faith, my country and my family will guide me; nothing more, nothing less" -Gen. Tommy Franks
Jess Hoffman
Mooseyard Precision
LE Supply & Firearms
NRA Certified Instructor
Shawano, WI 541660 -
Go with the 17HMR or 17M2 as either's bullet is more frangible than the 22 mag or 22lr, and both shoot flatter than the 22's.
In the price range your talking, you may have a bit of a problem unless you run into a good deal on a used one.
Of course you could go with a NEF single shot. They are good, suprisingly accurate, rifles.
If you only have time to do two things so-so, or one thing well ... do the one thing!0 -
I would take my 22mag over a 17 anyday. It'll kill'um just as dead and you don't have to hold your breath when you shoot it.
I don't approve of political jokes. I've seen too many of them get elected.0 -
My brother, trust me. Do not go with a .17 caliber, they are expensive to shoot, they are dinky, they are a joke!! Go with a cheap Ruger 10/22, you can do anything you want to those guns, 100 round clips, 50 rounders, you can have fun with them, they are semi's. And 550 .22's are like.. 10 bucks.. 550 .17s would be about $550. So with this said, go with a .22
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It's not war untill someone breaks out the .50 calibers.0 -
For the life of me, iI can not understand what all the BS is about the 17cal! The 22mag has been around forever, performed like a champ, and done everything we have asked of it. Now here comes along a necked down 22mag, with a teeny little 17grn bullet, traveling at about 200 ft. per second faster than the 22mag bullet, at 36grns, and everybody is all a twitter! What the hell is all that about?
So the 17 shoots a little flatter, and we're talkin a little flatter, how does that hold up to less harder hitting, and more reliable, than the tried and true 36grn mag.? Not to mention very much more attainable, as far as ammo goes!
Please, someone explain to me how it makes more sense to go with the 17 over the 22mag!
BigBarn[:o)]
"Respect the land, and it will respect you"0 -
I shoot a .22 mag at everything from squirrels to coyotes, with no problem. It's a standard .22 bullet but with the extra zip, but I think you can get a lot more options as far as rounds go than with any of the .17's. Mine's a tack-driver, and even though it's a Marlin, I wouldn't take $300 for it (get the point).
I'm guessing you're talking about starlings or gackles (sp?) when you say "black birds." I'd get a Marlin .22 smooth-bore and shoot shotshells through it. My buddy lets his grandson do it all the time, and the kid brings em down left and right. It's also cheap to get, and ammo isn't gonna be as dear.
Hope that helps.
O Lord,
grant me the Serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change
the courage to change the things I can,
and the supreme firepower to make the difference.0 -
I agree with those who are saying stick with the .22. In most instances the .22 Long Rifle with get the job done and the .22 mag if you have to get some extra punch. But around most parts they are both cheaper than the new .17 cal. I sure don't see the big deal ... other than getting folks to buy another rifle. But then ... maybe that is not all that bad either.[:p] 0 -
A few years back i bought my father a marlin 22mag for less then 200$ and put a simmons scope 3-9x32 which cost about 40$ i was shocked when i put up a target at a hundred yards and made a three shot group of about an inch. The rifle has a thousand or so rounds through it now and a couple of dead coy dogs it can brag about but shoots just as well as the day i shot the thing for the first time. All in all i think that the 22mag is great for what it is, a cheap fun to shoot gun. I have no time behind the .17 but i can say that the 22mag drifts alot in the wind and i would only bet the .17 is worse than the .22mag in this department. Good luck with whatever you buy. 0 -
I would recomend the .17HMR any day. It might be a lttle more than what you want to spend but I bought a Ruger MK77/17 and put a Bosch&Lomb scope on it. From a bench the rifle hits a 1/2 in. swinger at 100 yds. everytime you pull the trigger. This rifle is straight out of the box and shoots this well!!!! To get a 22 mag to do this would be a great feat not to mention to hit the swinger (1/2 in. in diameter) you aim half way between the center of the target and the top. It only drops between 1/4 and 1/2 in. at 100 yds. Also wind doesn't seem to affect the bullet much that I have found.
Definately go with the 17 if your wallet can afford it!
"The only thing you do better than me is drive that Diamante, and that's just because I've never been in it!"--Little John0 -
Mattytibbs, where are you buying your 17 ammo? If you are paying $1 per round, I'll cut you a deal, and sell you some for only 50 cents a round.
"My faith, my country and my family will guide me; nothing more, nothing less" -Gen. Tommy Franks
Jess Hoffman
Mooseyard Precision
LE Supply & Firearms
NRA Certified Instructor
Shawano, WI 541660
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