Catering for shooters who love precision and those who love power, Remington Ammunition have released two exciting new rimfire rounds in 17-grain HMR and 40-grain WMR.
Now shooters can find the exact ammo to suit their preferred rifle calibre and hunting style. Pete Moore from PCM Guns compared their performance, and who would benefit from which bullet.
Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd_MyTNNofMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd_MyTNNofM
Accuracy vs power
Remington 17HMR ammunition remains hugely popular with its unerring accuracy and “shoots like a laser when conditions are right,” Pete explained.
Preferred by close-range shooters, Remington .22 ammo has been praised for its power and accuracy within 50m. In this context, it’s more reliable and stable overall.
Using different rifles
Pete used his Ruger M77-17 All-Weather rifle and a lever-action Ruger 96-22M for the test.
“I’m not really a .22 Magnum person,” continued Pete, describing the 96-22M’s trigger as “heavy and firm, without being draggy”. He stated that the gun’s accuracy would improve with a free-floating barrel.
Comparatively, with a tricked out trigger, custom stock and other mods, the M77 could achieve incredible 0.5” accuracy at 100m. However, using the 96-22M with its out-of-the-box setup conditions provided a kind of impartiality.
Test conditions
Pete shot the .22 rounds at 50 yards for clearer grouping. “Also, I only had a spare 6x power scope for the 96-22!” Given that he zeroes his rifles to 100m, it was simple to extrapolate 100m grouping figures.
“If a round’s good enough to hit a piece of clay pigeon at 100m, it’s certainly good enough for shooting rabbits".
The results are in!
Remington 17MHR
The 17MHR rounds achieved high speeds of 2713 ft/sec, low speeds of 2703 ft/sec, averaging 2706 ft/sec. Standard deviation was a “pretty good” 5.7 ft/sec. Remington quotes 2550 ft/sec velocity - 150 ft/sec below Pete’s results.
Grouping was 0.631” at 100m - standard for a good HMR. With 281 ft.lb energy the rounds shot a little over spec: good news for long-range shooters.
Remington 22WMR
Using the 96-22M, the 22WMR rounds achieved high speeds of 1818 ft/sec and low speeds of 1780 ft/sec, averaging 1806 ft/sec. Standard deviation was 17.1 ft/sec. Remington quotes a 1910 ft/sec velocity - again, about 150 ft/sec different to performance. Grouping was a less accurate 1.007” at 50 yards.
Power is where the 22W shone, achieving 297 ft.lb energy. Across shorter ranges, it carries more energy and can even carry further, "22WMR is a good tool - on foxes at close range, for instance.”
Which round?
Around 100 m seems to be the 22W’s effective accurate range, owing to the bullets being less ballistically effective than the more tapered ballistic tipped 17MHR rounds.
Many close-in varmint shooters prefer a .22 Magnum rifle with .22 Remington rounds, largely because of the extra impact they achieve within optimum ranges. However, the Remington 17MHR rounds will suit hunters who prefer their extended range and scope for precision headshots.
Overall, Remington’s new ammo provides solid results that can exceed specification with the right firearm. Priming and ignition are clean and consistent, overcoming historic issues with several batches of HMR.
Which round you choose is really down to you and how you want to shoot. “It’s swings and roundabouts,” Pete reflected.
The numbers at a glance
Remington 17HMR /17-grain rimfire ammunition with a customised Ruger M77-17 All-Weather rifle:
- 3-shot grouping at 110 yards
- W / H: 0.492” / 0.395”
- ATZ (INCH): U: 0.13 / R: 0.05
Remington 22WMR/40-grain rimfire ammunition with a lever-action Ruger 96-22M rifle:
- 3-shot grouping at 50 yards
- Group: 1.007” (1.923 MOA)
- W / H: 0.973” / 0.400”
- ATZ (INCH): U: 0.44 / R: 0.45
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