At 50yds a good .22LR will give a good .17 a run for the money. At 100yds, the .17 will beat it every time. The .22LR's accuracy just begins to unravel at around 75yds. A half-MOA at 50yds rifle quickly becomes a 3/4-1MOA rifle at 100yds. `Tis the nature of the beast. However, most view the .17HMR as strictly a field round. It is highly accurate but I really don't see the point in buying one for paper punching only. Frankly, it's quite boring. The .22LR is much more of a challenge and offers a lot more opportunities for tuning, trying different loads and experimentation. Shooting half MOA with a .17 is no big deal. Shooting MOA with a .22LR is an accomplishment.