22 Mag or 17HMR?

[Erick]

I am looking at getting another rifle for Fall Turkey and possibly varmints. Since you can't use a 22 LR on turkey, which would be better? I am definitely going to suppress it but wonder how effective it will be with either since they are such high velocity rounds. Would the 17HMR do to much damage to the meat?

 

[easy]

When I shot ground squirrels in CA, 17HMR would blow them apart. 22WMR would kill them, but not blast them. 17HMR was more accurate and had greater reach.

 

[Biggsly]

I agree with easy. I do not hunt anymore, but when I did the 22 mag was a great turkey killer.

 

[Hobbes]

.22mag is the best choice.
Not sure how successfully either will be suppressed.

 

[Okie4570]

.17HMR has greater range, accuracy, AMMO AVAILABILITY.....................absolutely exploded the two fall turkey that I've seen shot with it though. If you're not going to shoot it much, I'd go .22 mag.

 

[Toney]

The 17 is very accurate if the wind isn't blowing.
I like the 22mag

 

[TwoForFlinching]

My 17HMR is my favorite of all my guns. Quite the distance prairie dogger in favorable conditions (less than 15mph winds), but I agree that 22mag would be a better turkey round. That 17 is devastating to soft tissue within the first few inches.

 

[Erick]

Great advice guys!

 

[ronny]

You might consider head shots.

 

[Erick]

You might consider head shots.

I was out with my 5 year old son scouting and generally playing around last month. I put my savage .22 on a Caldwell Fieldpod in the stand just in case we saw a (insert name of legal game/varmint).

I hit the slate call just to see if I could get a tom to gobble back. We had three bust out of the timber, head right at us. He said, daddy are you going to shoot one?! I explained all the rules we would be breaking including hunting before season and using the wrong gun. As they got within 10 yards, it was a little hard not head shooting the nice tom.