Critter Gitters

I won't say the .17 HMR is inherently more accurate than the .22 WMR, but I will say accuracy seems to vary less from brand to brand of ammunition. I rounded up nineteen loadings of the two cartridges and compared their accuracy in a Volquartsen Fusion, a wonderfully accurate rifle with interchangeable barrels in .17 HMR and .22 WMR. Accuracy of the .17 HMR ammo averaged from 0.35- to 0.92-inch for five, five-shot groups at 100 yards with an overall average of 0.71-inch. The .22 WMR ammo ranged from 0.47-inch to 1.26 inches with an overall average of 0.83-inch.

For hunting edible small game and for shooting all varmints ranging in size up to coyotes, I'll take a rifle in .22 WMR without hesitation. But if the rifle is to be used only for shooting varmints smaller than prairie dogs, then I'll live happily ever after with the .17 HMR. Both are great little cartridges.

.22 WMR And .22 WRF

Introduced in 1959, the .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (WMR) is a lengthened version of the older .22 WRF. The .22 WRF can be safely fired in rifles chambered for the .22 WMR, but since the latter is loaded to considerably higher chamber pressure, no attempt should be made to fire it in .22 WRF rifles.

In the U.S. the .22 WMR is presently loaded by Winchester, Remington, Federal and CCI, whereas the .22 WRF is loaded only by Winchester and CCI. For many years the .22 WMR was available only with a 40-grain bullet, but it's now offered in 30-, 33-, 34-, 40-, 45- and 50-grain loadings. Muzzle velocities range from 2,200 fps in Federal 30-grain TNTs to 1,555 fps in CCI 50-grain Maxi-Mags.

Bullets lighter than forty grains shoot a bit flatter and expand more explosively than heavier bullets, making them excellent choices for use on small varmints such as ground squirrels and flickertails. The heavier bullets seem to be a bit more effective on groundhogs, but when the target is that big, shots should be restricted to no more than fifty long paces. All .22 WMR loads are a bit destructive when used on small game for the table, and this is where the Winchester and CCI .22 WRF loads come into play. Loaded with forty-five-grain bullets at 1,300 fps, they virtually duplicate the performance of high-speed .22 Long Rifle loads, and in doing so, transform a varmint rifle into a small-game rifle.

The .22 WMR has long been popular among turkey hunters in states where rifles can legally be used to shoot them. Using a rifle to pick off a gobbler at long range is not my cup of tea, but coaxing one inside forty yards and taking it with a single well-placed bullet rather than a handful of shot from a scattergun is far more challenging and a nice change of pace to boot. Best bullet weights here are forty grains and up, and best bullet placement is where the wing joins the body. Even then, it's best to turn down shots beyond fifty yards.