22LR or .17HMR

[jjgrappler]

Which is a better caliber to buy for a plinking rifle? I want to be able to sling the gun over my back and take it on hikes with me and for camping. I have reallyh no knowledge of the 17 hmr

[sjl127]

22lr - most common, cheap ammo

[normanvin]

22lr much cheaper than 17 hmr

[blendingnoise]

from researching which caliber I want for my first rifle I ended up with .22lr. It seems much better suited for plinking and target shooting and is cheap. The others I was told to only look into if I was interested in hunting etc as the bullet expands when it hits something. Hence better suited for varmit hunting. It also has a flatter trajectory than the .22 which helps the hunters more than target shooters who already know what ranges they are shooting at. This is how I understood it.

[Joe Smith]

Even with top of the line ammo you are saving with the 22lr.

[normanvin]

do you have a gun in mind yet? can't go wrong with a ruger 10/22

[PisnNapalm]

Originally Posted by normanvin

do you have a gun in mind yet? can't go wrong with a ruger 10/22

+1 on the Ruger 10/22. I have one and you will probably want to atleast change out the hammer. I put in a Volquarsten (VQ for short) target hammer. It cut my trigger pull from about 8-9 pounds down to about 3.

Check this thread for pics of mine and others. Also.... rimfirecentral.com is an incredible weath of info about the 10/22 and most other rimfire rifles and pistols.

[Jake^]

.22, especially for plinking. For small game, Velocitor and Stinger have decent performance, and 40 GR bullet in the Vel.

[mc30707]

The Marlin model 60 is an inexpensive good quality rifle in 22 lr

[ar15jules]

like the others have said, unless you plan on "plinking" groundhogs and such, get the .22 I also have a Ruger 10/22, here is a good buy on one.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...?Item=89153513

Jules