.17 HMR - Availability

Availability

Cartridges for .17 HMR come with bullets that weigh 15.5-grain (1.00 g), 17-grain (1.1 g), and 20-grain (1.3 g), and come in designs such as polymer (ballistic) tipped, hollow points, soft points, and FMJ. The terminal ballistics of the lightweight expanding bullets limit the .17 HMR to small game animals and varmints. .17 HMR ammunition is less common and more expensive than the .22 caliber rimfire rounds, but this is changing as the popularity of .17 HMR rifles gathers momentum. 17 HMR rifles and ammo have continued to sell briskly. It may be interesting to note that large retailer Wal-Mart sells CCI .17 HMR in some of their suburban locations. The same cannot be said for similar special purpose cartridges such as the 6.8 SPC that are rising in popularity because of their ballistic properties.

Following the success of the .17 HMR, the .17 Hornady Mach 2 (.17 HM2), was introduced in early 2004. The .17 HM2 is based on the .22 LR (slightly longer in case dimensions) case necked down to .17 caliber using the same bullet as the HMR but at a velocity of approximately 2,100 feet per second (640 m/s) in the 17-grain (1.1 g) polymer tip loading.

A growing number of companies offer .17 HMR ammunition. CCI Ammunition loads all of the .17 HMR ammunition for the CCI, Federal Cartridge, Hornady, and Remington brands. However, the ammunition is loaded with different bullets to different specifications. Ammunition is also available from Winchester, PMC and Sellier & Bellot.

Citing safety concerns about the round's use in semi-automatic firearms, Remington issued a product safety warning and recall notice.