I'm interested in getting either a semi-auto .22 Mag or a semi-auto .17 HMR.
For whatever reason ammunition for the .17 HMR is both more available and a little bit less expensive per rd than the .22 Mag/WMR. On the various ammunition search engines (gunbot, ammoseek and wikiarms) .22 mag is 0.24 cents at its least expensive and .17 HMR is 0.19 cents a rd at its least expensive.
Getting a semi-auto .17 HMR pretty much means buying a Savage A17. There are a couple other semi .17's around, but those pretty much require buying a .22 Mag rifle and getting it greatly customized or buying a custom Volquartsen semi from the beginning which is $1,100.
https://www.volquartsen.com/tags/8-volquartsen-rimfire-rifles,15-complete-firearms,18-17-hmr
Screw all that.
Here's a comparison of the CZ 512 vs the Savage A22 (the Savage in .22 Mag vs the .17, still pretty much the same gun).
I wish that they had the CZ 512 in .17 HMR, but they don't. Hell, if I'm going to be making wishes in regards to rim fire mags (and not a billion dollar winning lottery ticket) I'd wish that they still made the CZ Brno ZKM-611 and that they offered that in .17 HMR ... but they don't. When I worked at AZ Sportsman in the late 90's they had one of those and I fondled it just about every day. Wish I'd bought it. If I remember right it was like $279 bucks. Now they're $1k to $1,100 bucks ... But I digress.
As far as the actual rifle I don't like the way the Savage A17 looks or feels, but it does seem to be both reliable and accurate.
Other .22 Mag rifles are the Magnum Research .22 Mag. It's basically a copy of the Ruger .22 Mag (which is no longer in production) and some of their models have a carbon fiber bull barrel. I've heard varying things about the reliability on those though. Plus you're limited to >40 grain bullets. Other YouTube videos have shown some examples of Magnum Research rimfire model rifles as having extractor problems. So not so sure about those.
So if I get a .22 Mag it'll probably be a CZ 512 and it'll just be the wood stock model since with the Tactical model you have to take off the rail to get to the barrel and action each and every time you clean it.
Skip to 4:40 of this video to see the disassembly of the CZ 512 Tactical
Another option for a .22 Mag rifle would be the Kel-Tec CMR-30. Advantages of that would be that it has a collapsible stock and a 30 rd mag.
The use of either one of these rifles would be some high powered plinking. Sort of like how I used to use the M1 Carbine that I had. Something with more pop than a .22LR, but less than a .223 Rem or 7.62x39.
Probably wouldn't ever hunt with it.
So looking to nail the caliber down. Which one do you think? .22 Mag or the .17 HMR?
For whatever reason ammunition for the .17 HMR is both more available and a little bit less expensive per rd than the .22 Mag/WMR. On the various ammunition search engines (gunbot, ammoseek and wikiarms) .22 mag is 0.24 cents at its least expensive and .17 HMR is 0.19 cents a rd at its least expensive.
Getting a semi-auto .17 HMR pretty much means buying a Savage A17. There are a couple other semi .17's around, but those pretty much require buying a .22 Mag rifle and getting it greatly customized or buying a custom Volquartsen semi from the beginning which is $1,100.
https://www.volquartsen.com/tags/8-volquartsen-rimfire-rifles,15-complete-firearms,18-17-hmr
Screw all that.
Here's a comparison of the CZ 512 vs the Savage A22 (the Savage in .22 Mag vs the .17, still pretty much the same gun).
I wish that they had the CZ 512 in .17 HMR, but they don't. Hell, if I'm going to be making wishes in regards to rim fire mags (and not a billion dollar winning lottery ticket) I'd wish that they still made the CZ Brno ZKM-611 and that they offered that in .17 HMR ... but they don't. When I worked at AZ Sportsman in the late 90's they had one of those and I fondled it just about every day. Wish I'd bought it. If I remember right it was like $279 bucks. Now they're $1k to $1,100 bucks ... But I digress.
As far as the actual rifle I don't like the way the Savage A17 looks or feels, but it does seem to be both reliable and accurate.
Other .22 Mag rifles are the Magnum Research .22 Mag. It's basically a copy of the Ruger .22 Mag (which is no longer in production) and some of their models have a carbon fiber bull barrel. I've heard varying things about the reliability on those though. Plus you're limited to >40 grain bullets. Other YouTube videos have shown some examples of Magnum Research rimfire model rifles as having extractor problems. So not so sure about those.
So if I get a .22 Mag it'll probably be a CZ 512 and it'll just be the wood stock model since with the Tactical model you have to take off the rail to get to the barrel and action each and every time you clean it.
Skip to 4:40 of this video to see the disassembly of the CZ 512 Tactical
Another option for a .22 Mag rifle would be the Kel-Tec CMR-30. Advantages of that would be that it has a collapsible stock and a 30 rd mag.
The use of either one of these rifles would be some high powered plinking. Sort of like how I used to use the M1 Carbine that I had. Something with more pop than a .22LR, but less than a .223 Rem or 7.62x39.
Probably wouldn't ever hunt with it.
So looking to nail the caliber down. Which one do you think? .22 Mag or the .17 HMR?