.22 mag vs .22lr vs .17hmr

[shadowhunter]

Looking for a grouse/hare plinker to pack with me on my mulie spike camps.

checking out the little badger in .22mag but I also already have a base model savage 64 .22

thinking I may mount a red dot or compact scope but still open to ideas.


then i see the love for the 17hmr.

just dont see to many 17’s in light rifles.



What are your thoughts,

Im leaning to the little badger .22mag with a compact 4x fixed….

[ghost]

i have a little badger in 22lr. its a great little gun

[islandhunter]

I have the little badger in 22lr as well, its pretty good. I changed the plastic rail for an aluminum one which will cost you like $70. The sights are pretty cheap(poor) too.
I also have a henry mini bolt which makes a nice pack gun.

[marcus44]

I love my 17 HMR, recommend the Hornady 20gr hunting rounds though, less meat damage for those less than ideal shots. I look for the longer shots as well, 50+ yards.

The 22lr is a great gun for grouse, less meat damage on less than ideal shots.

[REMINGTON JIM]

22 Mag more knock down power in case of a Bear Attack :tongue: RJ

[Chewie]

I’m going to throw my hat into the 22LR circle. Ammo is available almost everywhere. Can knock down a deer if your starving. Don’t really know why it would take anything bigger for grouse.
I watched some videos on YouTube and the penetrating power that the round has is actually amazing for the size of it.

[bighornbob]

You are mule deer hunting and spike camping too boot. Forget shooting grouse and hare. Save that for different hunts. Concentrate on the mule deer.

bhb

[B.C.Boy(100%)]

Why pack two guns?
Check out Hammond Game Getter, much easier.

[Iron Glove]

Looking for a grouse/hare plinker to pack with me on my mulie spike camps.

checking out the little badger in .22mag but I also already have a base model savage 64 .22

thinking I may mount a red dot or compact scope but still open to ideas.


then i see the love for the 17hmr.

just dont see to many 17’s in light rifles.



What are your thoughts,

Im leaning to the little badger .22mag with a compact 4x fixed….

Little Badgers come in 17HMR now too. Got one late last year, can't wait to try it out on grouse.
Son uses 17HMR exclusively on grouse and bunnies, cost more than .22 but more range and deadly. Unless it's a poor shot that blows the poor game apart. :frown:

[ACE]

You are mule deer hunting and spike camping too boot. Forget shooting grouse and hare. Save that for different hunts. Concentrate on the mule deer.

Agree with Bob . . . concentrate on Mule deer.

​.22lr . . . . does the job, available.

[shadowhunter]

You are mule deer hunting and spike camping too boot. Forget shooting grouse and hare. Save that for different hunts. Concentrate on the mule deer.

bhb



Agree with Bob . . . concentrate on Mule deer.

​.22lr . . . . does the job, available.


I get where you guys are coming from. But to be honest my sept hunts are mostly grouse focused and 4pts come later, I am out deer hunting but take a fair amount of grouse with my .308 because I simply love grouse meat and find them a nice way to come home with something.

i dont plan on packing it in november but I pass up too many with the .308 because of the boom factor. I packed my savage .22 and it worked with subsonics, just want a dedicated setup with a bit more “reach”.

I can always count on grouse and hare at my region 3 spots where as 4pts are few and far between…..

[Kos]

I’ve shot every grouse with my cz 22lr never skips a beat, I personally prefer iron sights over a scope when shooting them, sights works a bit better for me sometimes I have troubles finding them in the scope when they’re in some thick stuff

[SSG-man]

What's that saying?
A bird in the hand is better than 2 deer in the bush......no, that's not it .

oh well a bird in the pan is better than tag soup.

[Gateholio]

Unless I was planning on shooting grouse at 50 or more yards I would stick with a 22LR.

[Norwestalta]

22 Mag more knock down power in case of a Bear Attack :tongue: RJ

Aguila 60 gr :wink:

Pocket rocket with a 500gr steely. Cheap ammo at any dollarama. Free ammo along any gravel road if you're not picky.

22 is plenty good.

[Brew]

I like the 22mag myself

[dino]

I'm with ghost. I pack the little badger lr 22 also. I have a red dot on it and shoot the 500ft fps quiets. Sounds like something spitting when I shoot. I still see the same amount of game but have more fun shooting those big fat grouse in the sub alpine. I enjoy the all day hikes so much more since I started carrying it and eating fresh grouse on a stick over a lunchtime fire .
5stars!

[Redthies]

17 HMR is overkill on grouse unless you are shooting a looooong way, which is almost never the case with grouse. Stick with .22 LR. I have a Henry SGC (small game carbine) which comes with Skinner sights. It’s an awesome little gun.

[.330 Dakota]

If you go .17 check out the 17 WSM, I bought a used Ruger 77 in that cartridge, 20g bullet @ 3000fps, whack coyotes over 200 yards with authority. Kills grouse too, lol

[Singleshotneeded]

Hey Dakota, I've heard of that .17wsm...was mulling it over for turkey hunting. Is it accurate in your Ruger 77 and is ammo easy to find?
It'd have to be really accurate with it's speed for grouse, head shots ONLY! :-)

[wideopenthrottle]

I have always thought that way too...but with the price of fuel I may want the few extra pounds of meat ...I may have to bring fishing gear too for the first time ever..heheh
You are mule deer hunting and spike camping too boot. Forget shooting grouse and hare. Save that for different hunts. Concentrate on the mule deer.

bhb