.22 hornet vs .17 hmr

[Ayaan Jakhura]

Hey guys.

I’m considering getting a gun to hunt light game (duiker, baboon, dove, vervet monkeys, dassie (wood chuck), guinea fowl and francolin.)

I’m wondering whether to get the .17 or the .22 or are there any other suggestions for hunting this kind of game.

 

[CTDolan]

Between the two I'd go for the Hornet unless there's a .17 HMR you really like.

As for other options one of the bigger .22 centerfire cartridges (bigger than the Hornet) would be a good choice. One of my favorites is the .222 Remington (not the magnum version but the original). It's not the most common, though (if you do not reload).

 

[Ayaan Jakhura]

Thanks for the information @CTDolan but do you think a .22 hornet or .222 would drop baboons and duiker maybe even bushbuck

 

[Ayaan Jakhura]

At the moment I have a .177 gamo Hunter 440

 

[gillettehunter]

I have a .17 HMR and have used it successfully on rabbits, prairie dogs and have seen it used on a Bobcat. I think it would be a bit on the light side for duiker and baboon. Maybe Vervet monkey up to 100 yds or so. I did a quick look with google and the .22 Hornet is far superior. The >17 is usually loaded with a .17 gr bullet. Looks like 35-55 for the Hornet. The Hornet will have about the same velocity with double the bullet weight. With decent bullets it should kill much more effectively than a .17. For Doves and Francolin you'll need to watch your shot placement with either..... For the bigger animals it should be a lot more humane/effective. Next step up would likely be a .223.
I have a 22-250 that would be a lot of fun to use on the monkeys/Baboons. Probably overkill for the birds.... Boom PUFF........ I've seen it take a prairie dog 10 ft in the air. Thats a 55 gr bullet around 3500 fps......
Bruce

 

[Ayaan Jakhura]

this one

 

[Ayaan Jakhura]

Maybe the .22-250 maybe be a good idea or a .223 because I already have an air gun and shoot a lot of birds with it I’ve also dropped a couple of monkeys and squirrels with it

 

[spike.t]

.22 hornet

 

[crs]

Ammo availability should be considered also.
My .22 hornet has taken coyotes, wild turkey, prairie dogs, and such.
It is the rifle part of my wild turkey combo gun- .22 Hornet over 3 inch 12 gauge.
Plus, it includes a .45-70 barrel insert accurate at 100 yards to minute of deer with 300 grain factory ammo. All in all, a very useful combo.
Below picture taken in a New Mexico prairie dog town:

 

[Ridgewalker]

I love the 22 Hornet! Taken many turkeys, a bobcat, several coyotes less than 50 yards, grouse, prairie dogs and I don’t know what else. But now I use a CZ 527 in 223 with handloads hot and all the way down to subsonic suppressed. It is just so versatile IMO. Ammo can be found here in the US anywhere. Not so easy with the 22 Hornet.
My 17 HMR is just too explosive on anything edible..

 

[Hogpatrol]

A friend of mine has a .17 Hornady Hornet. He whacked many a groundhog with it out to 200 yards. Something to consider if you can either get ammo or components to reload. I own and shoot a few 17hmrs. It's a great round but shot placement is very important with those light 17 or 20 grain bullets. I've seen groundhogs take hits to the body and run away. Head shots work better.

 

[jeff]

I know a guy who shot a nice pronghorn buck with a Hornet.

 

[jeff]

Thanks for the information @CTDolan but do you think a .22 hornet or .222 would drop baboons and duiker maybe even bushbuck

We shot numerous mule deer with the 222 but loaded with 70 grain bullets.

 

[JakeH]

I love the 22 Hornet! Taken many turkeys, a bobcat, several coyotes less than 50 yards, grouse, prairie dogs and I don’t know what else. But now I use a CZ 527 in 223 with handloads hot and all the way down to subsonic suppressed. It is just so versatile IMO. Ammo can be found here in the US anywhere. Not so easy with the 22 Hornet.
My 17 HMR is just too explosive on anything edible..

This is my opinion too. Depending on your loads, the .223 can be as quiet as a .22LR, be enough gun to kill a whitetail-sized animal, or anywhere in between. My .223 fills a great niche between my .22LR and my medium-game calibers. My brother is using one for his eight year old daughter’s first deer rifle.

 

[CTDolan]

With a proper bullet a cartridge of .224 bullet diameter can be quite effective.

 

[flatwater bill]

crs............what is the physical length of the 45-70 bbl insert? Where did you get it? Thanks.........and BTW..........using a 17 grain or even the 20 grain plastic tipped HMR bullet on game animals must be thought thru very carefully.............FWB

 

[Ray B]

Having seen what happens when the cost-accountants take over the production side of companies I stay away from things where my ammo source is subject to some balance sheet. I thought the 17 Mach would be a great gun, but just try to find ammo for one now. the 17HMR seems to have enough of a foothold to stay in production, but I suspect it will follow the course of the 22WMRF as for accuracy (or lack of it) and bullet choice. I'd have much more control over my ammo supply with a goodly supply or 22 Hornet brass or whatever centerfire cartridge you decide to get and supplied with a generic amount of .224 bullets, powder and primers. As such, my vote would be for any centerfire cartridge rather than the 17 HMR.

 

[Dr Ray]

222 Remington would be okay on baboons with carefully placed shots. Bushbuck - head shot.
The hornet would cause painful wounds I suggest.

 

[crs]

Flatwater Bill:
The barrel insert is 18 inches long and when fired in the larger diameter and longer shotgun barrel, makes a subdued hollow sound - not the same as a suppressor, but quieter than a .45-70 rifle.

Naturally the shotgun fires shot shells and rifled slugs too, but the slugs are not so accurate as the rifled insert barrel.
Source was MCA ( http://www.mcace.com/shotguninserts.htm ) out on the west coast .

 

[fourfive8]

If you reload, then for certain the Hornet or other small CF like the 222 Rem. May also depend on ammo supply for the 17 hmr. But even reloading components for centerfires can have supply problems. The Hornet would be fine for most everything less than bushbuck... for bushbuck the 222 or similar would be much better.

For me, the Hornets I have owned have either been feast or famine. One has been very accurate while the others fair, poor and horrendous. These have been new guns and I can only guess some factories are just not up to the task of building accurate small 22 CFs. Even a NIB BRNO 22 Hornet bolt gun never yielded acceptable accuracy. So overall I've had a 1 out of 4 record with Hornets. It really good is a good cartridge with great potential but seems to suffer some kind of misunderstanding in its manufacture. By contrast I've yet to have a 222 Rem that didn't shoot well. Unlucky?- maybe