.17 HMR

About .17 HMR

.17 HMR is a .22 Magnum case necked down to a 17-grain bullet at around 2,550 fps, and the result shoots remarkably flat for a rimfire. Out to 150 yards it is dramatically easier to hit small targets with than .22 LR, because the trajectory is forgiving enough that range estimation errors stop mattering.

It is a specialist's small-game and pest cartridge and not a practice round — ammunition costs several times .22 LR and the tiny fast bullet is destructive on edible game. Wind is its weakness: a 17-grain projectile drifts more than its speed suggests, and honest .17 HMR shooters spend more time reading wind than dialling elevation.