.22 LR vs. .17 HMR - choosing a varmint rifle.

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SoftShoe
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Re: .22 LR vs. .17 HMR - choosing a varmint rifle.

Post by SoftShoe »

gas56 wrote:so.
Although me & my friends when we were young would shoot rats in storage barns at night with .22 semi-auto rifles using birdshot and that can become very fun,..
Those were the days! Many years ago I had a group of buddies that I would go to the city dump with at night. We would park our cars abreast with the headlights facing the dump then turn them off & get out & drink beer & shoot the breeze. After about 10min we would get our guns ready (everything from 22's to AR's & AK's) flip on the lights & shoot the rats. Action was fast & furious for about 30sec until they all scurried away. We would then turn off the lights & go back to shooting the breeze for 10min & then repeat. Boy that was allot of fun!!!
Of course it was a different world back then.

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Re: .22 LR vs. .17 HMR - choosing a varmint rifle.

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SoftShoe wrote:
gas56 wrote:so.
Although me & my friends when we were young would shoot rats in storage barns at night with .22 semi-auto rifles using birdshot and that can become very fun,..
Those were the days! Many years ago I had a group of buddies that I would go to the city dump with at night. We would park our cars abreast with the headlights facing the dump then turn them off & get out & drink beer & shoot the breeze. After about 10min we would get our guns ready (everything from 22's to AR's & AK's) flip on the lights & shoot the rats. Action was fast & furious for about 30sec until they all scurried away. We would then turn off the lights & go back to shooting the breeze for 10min & then repeat. Boy that was allot of fun!!!
Of course it was a different world back then.
I bet there are some young guys still out there shooting rats for fun, and who would really care if somebody shoots rats.... unless it's in your kitchen..... :lol:
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Re: .22 LR vs. .17 HMR - choosing a varmint rifle.

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gas56 wrote:... and who would really care if somebody shoots rats....
Me! :P

But... due to the lack of natural predators (people usualy don't like even homeless cats in their blocks's basements - because of strong urine stench), let's say I accept killing them as sad neccesity for sanitary reasons.


Anyway, after long fight with myself, I finaly bought Plinkington. :) I've huntend some dinosaurs last night already (read: turkeys). :) Great fun! :D However the wobble is much bigger than I expected, for such small caliber. I guess this is to compensate for fire rate. :P
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Re: .22 LR vs. .17 HMR - choosing a varmint rifle.

Post by SoftShoe »

gas56 wrote:
I bet there are some young guys still out there shooting rats for fun, and
Think they would mind if a couple of duffers tagged along? :lol:
gas56 wrote: who would really care if somebody shoots rats.... unless it's in your kitchen..... :lol:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... 5wxqFQj76U

I cant seem to embed the vid on the forum. Is that a forum setting?

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Re: .22 LR vs. .17 HMR - choosing a varmint rifle.

Post by Generalkommendant »

Sherab86 wrote:Anyway, after long fight with myself, I finaly bought Plinkington. :) I've huntend some dinosaurs last night already (read: turkeys). :) Great fun! :D However the wobble is much bigger than I expected, for such small caliber. I guess this is to compensate for fire rate. :P
The wobble is the same for the two I think. No worries, it will fade out quickly.

I think you made the best choice!
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Re: .22 LR vs. .17 HMR - choosing a varmint rifle.

Post by gas56 »

SoftShoe wrote:I cant seem to embed the vid on the forum. Is that a forum setting?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... o5wxqFQj76U
Like this...........but put Youtube where the X's are and the short code exactly the same as above between them [XXXXXXX]o5wxqFQj76U[/XXXXXXX]
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Re: .22 LR vs. .17 HMR - choosing a varmint rifle.

Post by Sherab86 »

Generalkommendant wrote:
Sherab86 wrote:Anyway, after long fight with myself, I finaly bought Plinkington. :) I've huntend some dinosaurs last night already (read: turkeys). :) Great fun! :D However the wobble is much bigger than I expected, for such small caliber. I guess this is to compensate for fire rate. :P
The wobble is the same for the two I think. No worries, it will fade out quickly.

I think you made the best choice!
Thanks. I even start to appreciate "worse" external ballistics. It is probably (maybe aside of handguns) closest feeling to real "sniping" the game can provide us. ;) You know - like taking corrction for bullet drop - rarely, on longer shots, and not that much actualy, but still. ;) Great fun. And I think, that especially in case of ducks, I realy started to appreciate small spooking radius. Great little rifle. Love it! :D


EDIT:

I didn't plan this at the begining, but thanks to trophy of the week competition (yeah, yeah, I managed to won for previous week :P - hence slightly bigger budget), and thanks to sales, I bought also reverse draw crossbow. :) Nice fun too! :) I choosed this one for slightly bigger range and power. Realy great tool, even if spooking radius is bigger than bows. It is still very small. :) I stay firearms enthusiast, but I thinks that crossbow will stay as constant part of my equipment for short range kills. :D I tested it today on Redfeathers. :) Tomorow I will take it on Turkeys - to see from how far I can reliably hit them. ;)
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Re: .22 LR vs. .17 HMR - choosing a varmint rifle.

Post by Generalkommendant »

Sherab86 wrote: EDIT:

I didn't plan this at the begining, but thanks to trophy of the week competition (yeah, yeah, I managed to won for previous week :P - hence slightly bigger budget), and thanks to sales, I bought also reverse draw crossbow. :) Nice fun too! :) I choosed this one for slightly bigger range and power. Realy great tool, even if spooking radius is bigger than bows. It is still very small. :) I stay firearms enthusiast, but I thinks that crossbow will stay as constant part of my equipment for short range kills. :D I tested it today on Redfeathers. :) Tomorow I will take it on Turkeys - to see from how far I can reliably hit them. ;)
That crossbow won't spook if they're about 25-30 m out. I love it. Favourite weapon in slot nr 2! You can kill reliably at 40, 50 m. After that 60 to 70, with good aim. 80 and over it's hard but doable. I've killed at 126m with it. And there are others more extreme people doing way better ofc but that's another story.

Again, great choice!
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Re: .22 LR vs. .17 HMR - choosing a varmint rifle.

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Sherab86 wrote: I stay firearms enthusiast, but I thinks that crossbow will stay as constant part of my equipment for short range kills.
ALWAYS keep a bow/x-bow with you if you are on a murder hunt (killing everything you see) in a stand! It is very useful to knock off the does that come in 1st to keep them from spooking the monster buck thats hanging back.

I read in one of your other threads you made the comment about getting bored. I would encourage you to try other types of hunting! I have been hunting IRL 40+ yrs & while I started out with rifles rarely use them now. The reason is diversity/challenge. I am a pretty fair rifle shot so if I see an animal at under 500yds hes as good as gone (I should tell y'all my Monster Muley story I shot at a measured 648yds some time, pretty funny!). What I have done in the intervening years is broadened the scope of my hunting. I still like guns plenty & have more then a few but looking for a challenge I got into bowhunting with compounds, then handgun hunting, then into traditional muzzleloading & finally into traditional bowhunting. While I dont & wont ever own another compound I still enjoy all the other types of hunting & do them regularly. My longbow is my primary tool for deer. I use specialty pistols (TC Contender/XP-100) for varmints & coyotes & flintlocks for everything from field mice to deer. I do still use modern rifles on coyotes (purpose built AR15) but that isnt really hunting, its population control. I live out in the boonies & we have a fair number of yotes that decimate the small game population & my neighbors newborn calves so I make it a point to shoot every one I see.

In any case, I encourage you to rediscover hunting in theHunter. Dont go on murder hunts, be specific like you would be IRL only taking trophy bulls. This forces you to change your tactics to avoid the does & prevent spooking which ups the challenge. Dont run from honey hole to honey hole (prime hunting spot). Take time to enjoy the scenery by walking from place to place, stopping regular to glass for game & look for treasures/mushrooms. I think if you do these things you will find yourself no longer getting bored.

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Re: .22 LR vs. .17 HMR - choosing a varmint rifle.

Post by Sherab86 »

SoftShoe wrote:
Sherab86 wrote: I stay firearms enthusiast, but I thinks that crossbow will stay as constant part of my equipment for short range kills.
ALWAYS keep a bow/x-bow with you if you are on a murder hunt (killing everything you see) in a stand! It is very useful to knock off the does that come in 1st to keep them from spooking the monster buck thats hanging back.

I read in one of your other threads you made the comment about getting bored. I would encourage you to try other types of hunting! I have been hunting IRL 40+ yrs & while I started out with rifles rarely use them now. The reason is diversity/challenge. I am a pretty fair rifle shot so if I see an animal at under 500yds hes as good as gone (I should tell y'all my Monster Muley story I shot at a measured 648yds some time, pretty funny!). What I have done in the intervening years is broadened the scope of my hunting. I still like guns plenty & have more then a few but looking for a challenge I got into bowhunting with compounds, then handgun hunting, then into traditional muzzleloading & finally into traditional bowhunting. While I dont & wont ever own another compound I still enjoy all the other types of hunting & do them regularly. My longbow is my primary tool for deer. I use specialty pistols (TC Contender/XP-100) for varmints & coyotes & flintlocks for everything from field mice to deer. I do still use modern rifles on coyotes (purpose built AR15) but that isnt really hunting, its population control. I live out in the boonies & we have a fair number of yotes that decimate the small game population & my neighbors newborn calves so I make it a point to shoot every one I see.

In any case, I encourage you to rediscover hunting in theHunter. Dont go on murder hunts, be specific like you would be IRL only taking trophy bulls. This forces you to change your tactics to avoid the does & prevent spooking which ups the challenge. Dont run from honey hole to honey hole (prime hunting spot). Take time to enjoy the scenery by walking from place to place, stopping regular to glass for game & look for treasures/mushrooms. I think if you do these things you will find yourself no longer getting bored.

Well, this is not so much because of the game, but due to my character. :P Due to limited budget, and old PC, I have rather limited list of favorite games, and I rotate between them. ;) So this is not like that I'm bored for good. I simply need a change from time to time. :P I have the same issue with my hobbies and interests. :) I've become intersted in firearms years a go, but only recently (about half a year, more-less) I've returned to "study" the subject. :D Earlier I had a phase for aviation, if I recall correctly - another old passion. ;)

So I probably never grown up. ;)

I didn't have (and still don't have) a bow in the game, so prior to buying Plinkington and a crossbow I wasn't doing "murder hunt" really. Well, maybe aside of small game, like ptarmigans, rabbits, etc. :P

My interests in firearms brought me to the game in the first place. I've started to really enjoy virtual hunting later on (but due to my personal believes, so to speak, I would never do this IRL). And I have to say, I felt in love with this crossbow. :P Together with Plinkington it is great set for small game - great for turkeys. :)

I also track my Personal Best females of most animals in the game (by a score, when aplicable, or by a weight) - and crossbow allows me to hunt them without that much risk of spooking males. So I appreciate this. But I rather do not intend to overuse this feature. For example, whitetail doe with small weight estimation still won't interest me, and I rather will try to evade her, insteed of shooting her. :)
But I don't have to tell you, that finding that trophy bull/buck/stag/rooster, etc. can be rather hard - so sometimes it is fun simply to shoot. ;)

I like to toy with different hunting styles. :) But I simply feel best wiht distance as my friend. But from time to time I take my shotgun and go to hunt with buckshot or slugs. :) And now with crossbow too. :D This is definitely more challenging, hence more rewarding. I love the fact, that I need to compensate for drop with a crossbow, and to lesser degree with a Plinkington. This is what I would expect from "sniping", actualy. But with in-game render distance, this can only be done with "low-power" weapons, so to speak. :P
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