Remington .17HMR AND .22WMR

There’s nothing new about the .22WMR (Winchester Magnum Rimfire) or the .17HMR (Hornady Magnum Rimfire). The HMR’s 17-grain ballistic-tipped bullet has a higher velocity and a 0.125 ballistic coefficient (BC), giving it the edge on effective range (200m on a good day), accuracy, and trajectory. Even though the WMR’s standard 40-grain load is slower, it carries more energy, and its lower BC (0.114) can have a negative effect on accuracy much over 100m. But as ever, it’s horses for courses.

Fresh ammo

Although both calibres offer various bullet weights, on test are the .17HMR 17-grain ballistic-tipped Accutip-V and the .22WMR 40-grain pointed soft point (PSP). These are not improved designs, but proven recipes that work, and I was keen to see the quality of the current product. I was not disappointed.

Ammo comes in 50-round, individually compartmented, sliding-topped plastic boxes, and is clearly marked. Rifle-wise, I used my original, Ruger 77/17 All-Weather with its 20” barrel, custom thumbhole stock, and improved trigger. For the WMR, another Ruger, their lever-action 96/22 M (Magnum), with its 18.5” barrel. It’s a more basic design, with a heavy trigger. I would have to work hard to get the best out of it, as the only scope I had for it was a 1.5-6x24. In fairness, I tested it for a 50 yard zero and noted groups at 100 yards.

Chrono time

Remington quotes the following figures: .17HMR - 2550 fps/250 ft/lbs, .22WMR - 1910 fps/332 ft/lbs. In reality, things were a bit different. I shot, three, 3-round strings in each calibre to get a realistic average as follows.

.17HMR
String 1: H 2705, L 2674, Av 2668, SD 15.5 fps
String 2: H 2730, L 2694, Av 2712, SD 18 fps
String 3: H 2713, L 2703, Av 2706, SD 5.7 fps
Average: 2695 fps/279 ft/lbs, SD 13 fps
Group @ 100m: 0.631”

.22WMR
String 1: H 1832, L 1792, Av 1810, SD 20.1 fps
String 2: H 1818, L 1780, Av 1806, SD 17.7 fps
String 3: H 1853, L 1821, Av 1837, SD 22.6 fps
Average: 1817 fps/300 ft/lbs, SD 20.1 fps
Group @ 50 yards: 1.007”

Highs and lows

Results for the WMR were as expected, with some good energy figures. The accuracy potential was limited by the rifle’s unavoidably heavy trigger, and from a comparable Ruger M77/22 M with a 20” barrel, I’d guess that 1900 fps/328 ft/lbs is achievable, as would be groups of around the inch at 100m.

The .17HMR results were unusual, but not unexpected, as I’ve encountered similar velocity increases from Hornady’s 17-grain V-MAX loading, which were not individual deviations from the norm, but consistent across a batch. I checked by mixing up the ammo and taking random rounds to see. I also inspected the fired cases for cracks, which was a common problem with HMR a few years ago, but again, no problems. But it does illustrate the need to check any new ammo over the chrono to see what it’s actually producing.

Conclusion

Overall, two good loadings for the rimfire magnums, with the unexpected bonus of more speed and energy from the .17HMR.