Two rimfire questions

[Shaman]

1. Can a 17hm2 barrel be reamed to HMR? Can't find HMR barrels

2. Have read several time that the ballistic tipped ammo doesn't ricochet very easily. What makes the ballistic tipped ammunition ricochet less than 22LR lead type ammo, if in fact this is true?

[Canazes9]

Can't answer the first question, but the second is true. The reason is simple, the plastic tipped ammo is hollow point ammo and the ballistic tip makes it expand even more violently. Been my experience that the ballistic tip rimfire stuff expands violently when it hits anything - in short there's nothing left of the bullet to richochet, when it hits something it pretty much blows up.

[Dale]

Yes, a HM2 barrel can be rechambered. You do need to make sure the action and magazine (as applicable) can handle the extra length and diameter of the HMR rounds.

Dale

[Shaman]

Dale, it would be for a Sako quad, so that part wouldn't matter. Not doubting you, but you are sure that there is not a problem as the bore is the same right? Don't want to waste $200 if I don't have to.

In continuance of question 2. How does the ballistic tip react to water, meaning headshots on turtles on a body of water?

[Canazes9]

Been there, done that - they usually won't ricochet. Not saying it's "guranteed" but cuts risk of ricochet dramatically. The plastic tip bullets will explode in contact w/ water.

[Shaman]

thanks Canazes

[Shaman]

Can a 22LR barrel be reamed out to a 22 WMR? I read somewhere that the difference in bore was 222 and 224, or 223 and 224. What problem would .001 have with non-match ammo?

[DDgofer]

2. Have read several time that the ballistic tipped ammo doesn't ricochet very easily.

Mostly true. But it does ricochet.

Saturday, I had two for sure out of 100 rounds.

One bounced three times. Shot low on a gopher, kicked up dust and went through him, then bounced two more time across the prairie with enough power to kick up dust.

The other shoot hit the gopher on top of the head and the bounce off could be seen kicking dust out on the prairie out behind the gopher.

[Markbo]

Shaman, that is the nominal difference in the bullets - but it is NOT linear for bore measurements. Just as an example and not being specific to your barrel, all pre 1960 Ruger Single-Sixes were fitted with 0.216" bores.

Ruger's .22 Magnum barrels are 0.223". Ruger changed all the Single-Sixes to 0.219" after hitting on the idea to make Convertible Single-Sixes, which occured around s/n 150000 range.

So... The bores of the .22LR and .22WMR are substantially different than the diameter of their slugs.

[T.D.C.]

I have an older Ruger singlesix and it is considerably more accurate with the .22 mag than in the 22LR mode.

[Shaman]

So a go on the hm2 to hmr, but not on the LR to WMR

[Dale]

[QUOTE=Shaman;124914]Dale, it would be for a Sako quad, so that part wouldn't matter. Not doubting you, but you are sure that there is not a problem as the bore is the same right? Don't want to waste $200 if I don't have to.

Hi again,

The original bullets for the HM2 and HMR are the same Hornady .172 17 grain V-max. There are other bullets available for the HMR now but to answer the question the bullets are the same.

If your turtle is on the surface and you don't have to penetrate more than an inch or so of water you should be OK. An inch of water and an inch of head is still only 2 inches, you should at least get that much penetration. The bullet will be in pieces which is why it won't ricochet but the pieces should be enough to cause fatal damage as long as they don't have to penetrate too far. The CCI 20 gr HP for the HMR has been shown to give better penetration than the 17gr V-max.

Check out Varmint Al's 17HMR page for all kinds of info including penetration and some bullets I sectioned.

http://www.varmintal.com/17hmr.htm

Dale

[gonzo gunner]

talk about fun.a friend of mine has a pond full of turtles. we used to set there with hmr's and pop them daily!! we'd love to find them sitting on tree branches or around the bank!!! shooting them on the surface of the water was a ball as well. the hmr really makes a mess of them when you hit them.

[cal74]

talk about fun.a friend of mine has a pond full of turtles. we used to set there with hmr's and pop them daily!! we'd love to find them sitting on tree branches or around the bank!!! shooting them on the surface of the water was a ball as well. the hmr really makes a mess of them when you hit them.


Those turtles sure are pretty destructive and bother lots of people. Personally I was taught only to kill something if it was going to eat it, use it in some fashion (furs) or it was something causing damage.

[TXNinVA]

I have shot at a few snakes that were swinning across the surface, not easy. I have seen no evidence of any ricochet. But I have only shot at 3 snakes in the last couple of years. 17HMR.

[Ackman]

Can a 22LR barrel be reamed out to a 22 WMR? I read somewhere that the difference in bore was 222 and 224, or 223 and 224. What problem would .001 have with non-match ammo?

Yes. I believe a 22Mag actually works better with the slightly smaller LR bore. I've had a couple done. One T/C carbine started as a tight-bored 22LR and gave only mediocre accuracy no matter what ammunition, and I tried everything. Mike Bellm - who knows a few things about chambers - made it into a 22Mag and it became just unbelievably accurate, a death ray. Another gun - Ruger 77/22 - rechambered to 22Mag shot very well. My current 77/22 uses a threaded match 22LR barrel, with the equivalent of a match 22Mag chamber. It's very accurate and also about 50 fps faster than normal. With rimfires the chamber is real important, especially the throat. And I think a tighter bore also helps accuracy.

[Markbo]

....Those turtles sure are pretty destructive and bother lots of people....

I don't know if that was tongue in cheek or not, but turtles can be extremely destructive. If you have a small pond, they can completely decimate a population of fry to the point you have no fish. The turtles then just move on to the next pond, just like they found yours.

[Larry in VA]

They will also kill every duckling that is hatched on a pond by bighting there feet off and leaving them to die slow deaths. That is why I shoot every turtle I can at my in-laws place.