17 HMR Question

J

jhorn

New member
My teachers always said that the only stupid question was the one not asked… so here it goes. I just was given a Marlin 17 HMR by my brother in law. I have never even shot one and am a little confused. The Barrel says the caliber is 17 HMR. When I went online and looked at ammo they had a ton of different ones. My question is what is the difference between 17 HMR and 17 Mach 2? Is there any or is this just the name brand? Can I shoot any 17-caliber ammo?
Thanks I am sure somebody can give me an answer. Oh and I will be using it for rabbits and game that size. I use a savage .223 for predators.
 
Mach 2 is a necked down 22lr. HMR is a necked down 22 mag. Very different. I shoot my Savage HMR more than I shoot my 10/22 now. There are a few different types/sizes of bullets, try them all to see what one your rifle likes best.
 
Basically, the 17 Mach 2 is a completely different animal (and in my opinion, one doomed to extinction). You cannot fire 17 Mach 2 rounds out of an HMR and HMR rounds will not chamber in a Mach 2. I use my HMR quite extensively on fox and it will kill coyotes but I have to be more careful of range and shot placement than I do when I hunt with my Swift!
 
And, like other calibers, be prepared to try out a variety of ammo to see what your's likes best. It seems that a majority shoot the Hornady brand 17 grain VMax shells the most accurately. But, there are others which some other guns may shoot more accurately.

The fact that the vast majority of .17 HMR ammo is loaded by CCI, and rebranded and sold under other names, doesn't mean it all shoots as well.
 


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