I am looking for a new rifle to use for shooting ground squirrels. In the past I have mostly used a Ruger 10/22 and have also shot friends Rugers and Savages in 17HMR and one 17HM2. I am considering either a 17HMR or a new 22LR. Which would have better results on ground squirrels, I will only be using the the rifle on ground squirrels nothing else. Does the the increased ballistics of the 17HMR justify the extra cost of ammo over the 22? I appreciate the comments. Thanks.
Ground squirrel rimfire
- Thread starter CodyB
- Start date
Ackman
New member
The 22lr kills groundsquirrels. I've killed tons of them with various .22lr's and it's not very exciting. To me it's not so much of a hunting round but rather just for plinking. A couple friends use the 17HMR on squirrels and like it, while I'm using a 22Mag. Side by side the 22Mag hits harder and makes a bigger gutpile. To me it's irrelevant if the 17HMR will shoot a bit flatter at 150 or whatever....hit something even groundsquirrel size at that distance and not much happens anyway, just plop and fall over. I prefer the 22Mag, and ammunition costs about 1/2 as much.
Originally Posted By: CodyBI am looking for a new rifle to use for shooting ground squirrels. In the past I have mostly used a Ruger 10/22 and have also shot friends Rugers and Savages in 17HMR and one 17HM2. I am considering either a 17HMR or a new 22LR. Which would have better results on ground squirrels, I will only be using the the rifle on ground squirrels nothing else. Does the the increased ballistics of the 17HMR justify the extra cost of ammo over the 22? I appreciate the comments. Thanks.
I have 22LR rifles and 22Mag rifles and a couple 17 HMR's
The 22 Mag is better for longer shots than the 22 LR and the 17 HMR is a little bit better than the 22 Mag at just a little longer ranges. The wind is not a friend to the 17 HMR. Ammo for the 17 HMR is about the same as the 22 Mag. at least the way I buy it, it is.
From having used all three, If I had to choose now, one over the other with what I know about how they preform I would go with the 22 Mag. It is better in the wind than the 17 HMR but the range is a tad bit shorter and can be effective on yotes out to about 75 yds ( for stopping power ) I know ya could reach out and touch a yote at 125 yds easily with the 22 Mag. but IMHO it lacks the stopping power out past 75 yds.
Best thing to do is get one of each and the use the one that fits the shots being taken at the time the best.
DAB
I have 22LR rifles and 22Mag rifles and a couple 17 HMR's
The 22 Mag is better for longer shots than the 22 LR and the 17 HMR is a little bit better than the 22 Mag at just a little longer ranges. The wind is not a friend to the 17 HMR. Ammo for the 17 HMR is about the same as the 22 Mag. at least the way I buy it, it is.
From having used all three, If I had to choose now, one over the other with what I know about how they preform I would go with the 22 Mag. It is better in the wind than the 17 HMR but the range is a tad bit shorter and can be effective on yotes out to about 75 yds ( for stopping power ) I know ya could reach out and touch a yote at 125 yds easily with the 22 Mag. but IMHO it lacks the stopping power out past 75 yds.
Best thing to do is get one of each and the use the one that fits the shots being taken at the time the best.
DAB
Omnivore
New member
Once you shoot an HMR, the 22lr seems a bit blah. I still like to spray lead with the 10/22, but the HMR is scary accurate. I personally have not had the wind be as much a factor as others it would seem. the 17 HMR will explode ground squirrels.
As far as the cost goes, your 22lr is going to kill any ground squirrel you hit with it out to as far as "you" can shoot. So if your just going on the cheap ammo factor, the 22 is more than enough. My 10/22 I use a red dot on so its fairly deadly out to around 75 yards, the 17hmr has a 6x18x50 on it and I can dial it in to a quarter at 150 yards very consistently.
Inside 50 yards only because of the red dot on the 22 and the higher power scope on the HMR there is no comparison on a moving target. 22 hands down for rodents.
If you already have the 10/22 I would get an HMR just because....hey wait I did!!
As far as the cost goes, your 22lr is going to kill any ground squirrel you hit with it out to as far as "you" can shoot. So if your just going on the cheap ammo factor, the 22 is more than enough. My 10/22 I use a red dot on so its fairly deadly out to around 75 yards, the 17hmr has a 6x18x50 on it and I can dial it in to a quarter at 150 yards very consistently.
Inside 50 yards only because of the red dot on the 22 and the higher power scope on the HMR there is no comparison on a moving target. 22 hands down for rodents.
If you already have the 10/22 I would get an HMR just because....hey wait I did!!
sharkathmi
New member
I haven't read all of the other posts but will say, all of these choices will kill your squirrels. If there are buildings around and you are worried about ricochets, I would go with either of the 17's. Either 17 will put the smack down on a squirrel, the HMR will have more power, the M2 is cheaper. I wouldn't get either of the 17's in a semi auto. I have a friend who has timing problems with his 10-22 in 17M2. He keeps blowing the bases off the casing.
All that being said, if ricochets are not a problem, 22LR HP's will be the cheapest route.
Good hunting!
Mark
All that being said, if ricochets are not a problem, 22LR HP's will be the cheapest route.
Good hunting!
Mark
204Dude
New member
I use a 22 long rifle and 17 hmr for ground squirrels. The 17 hmr will kill squirrels out to 150 yards but if there is any wind I can't hit squat. Mabee it's just me. When ammo is $12 for 50 I consider this a waste.
I would go for an accurate 22 long rifle. Ammo is way cheaper and the squirrels are dead when hit. The 22 does not make a gut pile but for that I use centerfires. I can load 204 and 223 for nearly as cheap as the 17hmr costs and hit squirrels a heck of a lot further with a lot more consistency than my 17 hmr.
Just my 1 cent.
I would go for an accurate 22 long rifle. Ammo is way cheaper and the squirrels are dead when hit. The 22 does not make a gut pile but for that I use centerfires. I can load 204 and 223 for nearly as cheap as the 17hmr costs and hit squirrels a heck of a lot further with a lot more consistency than my 17 hmr.
Just my 1 cent.
I sold my Savage .17 HMR and bought a Savage bull barrel .22 LR and enjoy it much more for gophers at the lower yardage. Also a nice challenge to hit paper at 100 yds. The .17 was a great shooter but at the price of HMR bullets, its tough to justify for gophers and it not really a good coyote load. Bought a .223 for a little more zip/power at the longer ranges.
warpig602
Active member
In real world terms, if 11 bucks for 50 rounds of ammo is a factor, maybe you should reconsider how bad you really want to kill squirrels. I think the most squirrels i've shot at in a given day is proably 50 or fewer. ITs hard to find an activity that you can have fun doing all day that only costs you 11 bucks.
Another factor to consider is versatility. As a general rule I try to buy a little more gun than needed for my intended purpose. My take is why buy a gun chambered for a round that is good for 50-100 yds when I can get one that is good out to 150-200. I also think the 17 would do better on larger game than the .22 i.e. crows,jack rabbits,bobcats etc. Not that a .22 wont kill them, I just think the 17 would do it more efficiently.
Another factor to consider is versatility. As a general rule I try to buy a little more gun than needed for my intended purpose. My take is why buy a gun chambered for a round that is good for 50-100 yds when I can get one that is good out to 150-200. I also think the 17 would do better on larger game than the .22 i.e. crows,jack rabbits,bobcats etc. Not that a .22 wont kill them, I just think the 17 would do it more efficiently.
The only downside to the CZ 452 training rifle is that it comes with a 5 round mag. When your in the ground squirrels I did like having a little more fire power to suppress movement in the sage brush. So I did buy an additional 10 round mag and with the two to of them I'm able to keep up with most situations. My son has a 10/22 with a 25 round mag and its superior in firepower but certainaly not near as accurate.
Buckstuffer
New member
I like my 925m with 33 gr v-max shoots good.
warpig602
Active member
Originally Posted By: girvinYou have to wonder when the .22 mag came out did people whine as much about the price of magnum ammo compared to the regular .22, as they do now about the price of .17 hmr shells as compared to the .22 mag.It does get painful after while.
I think the biggest complaint is that the 17 and 22 mag are pretty close in ballistics that people ask "Why pay more for a similar round?" im not one of them, just thinking from their perspective. People didnt whine about prices from 22lr to 22 mag because you could see the performance difference for the price, not so much with the 17 and 22 mag. Me personally, I dont care at all. I like the 17 HMR and for 10 or 11 bucks for 50 rounds Im completely happy. For those that dont think its worth the money....they can get a 22 mag or 22 lr.....but why pay 20 dollars for a 1k rounds of 22lr when you get get 2k rounds of .177 pellets for the same price!
I think the biggest complaint is that the 17 and 22 mag are pretty close in ballistics that people ask "Why pay more for a similar round?" im not one of them, just thinking from their perspective. People didnt whine about prices from 22lr to 22 mag because you could see the performance difference for the price, not so much with the 17 and 22 mag. Me personally, I dont care at all. I like the 17 HMR and for 10 or 11 bucks for 50 rounds Im completely happy. For those that dont think its worth the money....they can get a 22 mag or 22 lr.....but why pay 20 dollars for a 1k rounds of 22lr when you get get 2k rounds of .177 pellets for the same price!
Last edited:
SodakJim
New member
I used a CZ 452 Ultra Lux in 22 LR for ground squirrels out to 100 yards. Even the cheep Rem bulk ammo, it shot very well in this 28 in barrel. This one has a 3-12X40 Bushnell Trophy that worked very well. We had good populations of these pests in eastern Washington. The long barrel is much quieter than some of the shorter models. I have a couple 10 round polymer magazines that help when the action is fast. I have a Brooks trigger installed and it has been glass bedded. The rings are Milletts.
