Affiliate Disclosure: AmmoCave.com sometimes gets paid for listings, through sponsors or affiliate programs like Lucky Gunner, Optics Planet, Brownells, Cabelas, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Rainier Arms, Palmetto State Armory, Sportsman’s Guide, Ammo.com, Ammo Man, Primary Arms, MidWayUsa, Amazon, eBay, etс. Clicking a link helps keep AmmoCave.com free, at no extra cost to you!
Authors: Each article is verified by AmmoCave's expert team. Professional hunters, firearm trainers, gunsmiths, and gun experts write the articles. AmmoCave Team independently researches, tests, reviews, and uses recommendations from our community of gun owners. We may earn commissions from shopping links.
Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any agency's official policy or position. The articles are for informational purposes only, share your opinions about Best 17 HM2 Ammo in the comments and join the discussions. Let's share 💬 our ammo & gun experiences together!
What is 17 HM2 Ammo? 🤔
Hornady Mach 2, is a small caliber rimfire cartridge commonly used for target shooting, varmint hunting, and recreational plinking. This .17 caliber round offers an excellent combination of accuracy and velocity with minimal recoil and low noise.
Features 🔥
The 17 HM2 Ammo is a type of rimfire ammunition designed for small-game hunting and target shooting. Here are some features:
- ✳️ High Velocity: It offers significantly higher velocity than other rimfire rounds, making it well-suited for long-distance shots.
- ✳️ Consistent Performance: This ammo is known for its consistent performance over a wide range of temperatures and environments.
- ✳️ Accurate Aiming: The 17 HM2 round also provides excellent accuracy due to its flat trajectory, meaning that users can trust their shots even at greater distances.
- ✳️ Low Recoil: Despite their high velocity, such rounds offer very low recoil which makes it easy to control when firing multiple shots in sequence or when using light firearms.
- ✳️ Cost Efficiency: Due to its lightweight construction, the ammo is generally more cost-efficient than other types of rimfire ammunition on the market today.
Benefits ✨
17 HM2 ammo is a powerful round, providing excellent stopping power and accuracy.
- 🔶 It provides superior penetration capabilities compared to other rimfire cartridges, making it an excellent choice for hunting small or medium-sized games such as coyotes or foxes.
- 🔶 This round has less recoil than larger calibers, making it well-suited for newer shooters or those who may find larger rounds uncomfortable to shoot with. This reduced recoil also helps to reduce muzzle rise when shooting multiple rounds quickly.
- 🔶 This ammo is also very easy to reload using components readily available online or in gun shops, allowing shooters to save even more money.
- 🔶 The cartridge is designed with a very efficient chamber design that allows for minimal fouling of the bore over extended periods of use, resulting in fewer cleanings required between shooting sessions and longer periods of reliable accuracy from your firearm with each firing session completed.
- 🔶 The design of the casing on the bullet also allows for easier extraction from firearms after being fired due to its sharper angle design on the case head.
Bullet Drop & Trajectory 🎯
- 🔰 When it comes to bullet performance, the 17 HM2 ammo drops noticeably faster than most similar caliber rounds. This is due to its lighter weight and higher velocity.
- 🔰 This ammo typically has a muzzle velocity of around 2000 FPS.
- 🔰 Due to its fast speed, it has a much flatter trajectory than other rounds in its class. It also allows shooters to reach out farther with greater accuracy. However, this flat trajectory also makes wind deflection more of an issue – a factor that must be taken into account when shooting at longer distances.
⭕ Overall, the 17 HM2 round is an excellent choice for small game hunting and target shooting. With its fast-moving bullet and flat trajectory, it offers the accuracy needed to hit your mark time after time.
Our Selection 4 Best 🎯 .17 Hornady Mach 2 Ammo – Editor’s Choice
1# 17 Hornady Mach 2 (HM2) – 17 gr V-MAX – Hornady
This is the perfect round for those looking for pinpoint accuracy. The 17 HM2 round from Hornady uses the best Hornady V-MAX bullets available. These bullets feature a premium polymer tip and streamlined design that provides exceptional accuracy at long range. The muzzle velocity is 2,100 ft/sec and the impact produces dramatic expansion. Each round is brass-cased, boxer-primed, and non-corrosive. Get 50 rounds in every plastic box.
2# 17 Hornady Mach 2 – 15.5 Grain NTX Rimfire Ammunition 83176 – Hornady
Searching for ammunition that is specifically designed for varmint hunting? Look at the Hornaday Varmint Express Rimfire Ammunition. These bullets provide rapid fragmentation and deliver consistent performance at all velocities. Each cartridge is hand-inspected to ensure there are no imperfections or flaws. Cartridges are carefully loaded to make sure you get the accurate velocity and optimal pressure you need. Brass is selected to ensure the best quality delivering consistent performance. Buy Hornady ammo to get bullets that are accurate, consistent, and always dependable.
3# 17 Hornady Mach 2 – 17 Grain V-MAX Rimfire Ammunition 83177 – Hornady
Want to purchase powerful and accurate .17 caliber rimfire ammunition? Pay attention to Hornady Varmint Express Rimfire Ammo. These high-quality cartridges are perfect for taking down varmints at long range, thanks to their superior velocity and trajectory. Loaded with only the highest quality brass, primers, and propellants, Hornady .17 caliber rimfire ammo is sure to meet your needs and expectations.
4# 17 Hornady Mach 2 – 17 Grain VNT Rimfire Ammunition 948CC – CCI Ammunition
CCI VNT .17 Hornady Mach 2 Rimfire Ammunition is specifically designed to offer flat trajectories, superb long-range accuracy, and explosive terminal performance on impact. The CCI VNT bullet design features a very thin jacket combined with a precision-built polymer tip that creates a devastating effect on varmints. This ammunition is perfect for hunting or shooting at the range and is sure to provide consistent CCI priming.
Important to Know 💡
😉 17 HM2 ammo, also known as Mach 2, is a versatile rimfire cartridge created in the late 1990s. This small but powerful round is suitable for varmint hunting, plinking, and target shooting.
🔍 When choosing this ammo, there are many important factors to consider, including bullet type, the material used in construction, muzzle velocity, the weight of the round, and price point.
- ⌛️ Bullet types range from high-speed flat-nosed projectiles to hollow-point bullets intended for game hunting.
- ⌛️ The materials used can affect both accuracy and cost; copper-jacketed lead or all metal alloy or polymer constructions are available.
- ⌛️ Finally, the weight of the round can affect accuracy and recoil; generally, heavier rounds will offer better ballistics and less felt recoil.
FAQ 😎
Conclusion 😊
17 HM2 ammo is a great round for self-defense, hunting, and target shooting. It offers excellent accuracy and stopping power in a lightweight package. We’ve provided you with some of the best ammo on the market so that you can find the perfect round for your needs. We hope this information was useful for you. Good shopping! 😀🛒
I recently grabbed some ammo labeled as .17 Hornady Mach 2 instead of the 17 HMR that I was intending to buy. I’m not familiar with this type of ammunition and I’m curious to know more about it.
When I was searching for 17 HMR ammo this year, I almost made the same mistake of picking up some .17 Hornady Mach 2 rounds. It was a new type of ammunition to me, and I was surprised to learn that many major manufacturers produce it. I’ve seen rifles designed specifically for HM2 rounds from Savage and the Ruger American series.
Since I ended up with several cases of .17 Hornady Mach 2 ammo, I decided to build a custom firearm specifically for it. I went with a 10/22 build, using a mach2 barrel, and designed it as a pistol with a 10″ barrel length. It turned out to be a fantastic range toy and loads of fun to shoot.
I’m currently considering purchasing a 17 Mach 2 barrel for my CZ 457 rifle to use for squirrel hunting. I live in an area where 17 Mach 2 ammo is readily available. Can anyone offer some insight into the advantages and disadvantages of using this round for hunting? From what I’ve read so far, it seems like the 17 Mach 2 is an ideal round for squirrel hunting due to its extremely flat trajectory and low noise level. I plan to use a suppressor, just as I already do with my 22. Any thoughts or advice on this?
I used the 17 Mach 2 for hunting for 5 years. Based on my experience, I would say that it’s important to have the discipline and skill to aim for headshots only. If you do this, then you should have no issues. However, if you hit the front shoulders of the animal, the meat will be ruined.
While I don’t have much experience with squirrel hunting, I do own a 1911 chambered in 17 Mach 2 and I can confidently say that it’s an amazing little round. Based on my experience, I believe that it would be a perfect choice for squirrel hunting. The only concern that I have is the availability of the round, but if you have confirmed that it’s readily available in your area, then I would recommend going for it.
I’ve been considering purchasing a bolt-action rimfire rifle for long-range shooting, mostly for punching holes in paper and plinking. I wanted a round that’s flatter shooting than .22LR, and after doing some research, I’ve been looking at a .17 HMR. However, the price of .17 HMR ammo is about $0.30 per round, which is not much lower than .223/5.56. So, I started looking at .17 HM2, which is about half the cost of HMR at around $0.16 per round.
From my understanding, the reason for the scarcity of rifles chambered in .17 HM2 may be due to a combination of factors including popularity and manufacturing cost. Since the HM2 is essentially a .22 Stinger case, it may be cheaper to produce compared to the .17 HMR. Additionally, since rifles chambered in .17 HM2 are not as common, manufacturers may produce them in smaller quantities and not flood the market. I hope this explanation makes sense.
I have a Ruger Wrangler single action 22lr revolver and I’m wondering if it’s safe to shoot 17hm2 without making any modifications to the gun. I know it’s not recommended for semi-autos due to less blowback, and for bolt guns, you should swap the barrel. But what if I don’t make any modifications to the revolver? Will it be dangerous or harmful to the gun in any way? Or will it simply be less accurate because of the barrel?
In my opinion, based on my understanding of firearms, firing a 17HM2 round through a Ruger Wrangler single action 22lr revolver without any modifications will likely result in a blown-out case neck, sticky case extraction, lower velocity and accuracy, and a lot of soot and unburnt powder in the barrel and chamber. While it may not be dangerous due to low pressure, the bullet will not engage the rifling properly, leading to poor accuracy. However, this is just my guess as I haven’t tried it myself.
I haven’t personally tried it, but I would assume that firing a 50BMG from a 12ga or a 223 out of a 300blk would result in a similar outcome. Since there isn’t enough pressure to build up, the bottleneck area of the case would stretch to conform to the chamber, and the projectile would travel down the bore with greatly reduced velocity and without proper stabilization, likely falling to the ground shortly after leaving the muzzle.