Comments on: 17 Mach 2 (17 HM2) — More Affordable Alternative to 17 HMR

By: Norm Peck

Norm Peck — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 07:51:03 +0000

I’ve had a Savage Mk II I did the trigger lightening mod several years ago in 17 HM2 that’s an honest .6″ rifle (5 @ 100 yds) and works nicely in marmots in closely spaced farms; quiet, accurate, deadly and no ricochetes. I’m about to add a 17 HM2 barrel to a CZ 455k to go upscale a bit. Got a good deal on the Savage because the seller thought the caliber was on a downhill slide.

By: Mehul Kamdar

Mehul Kamdar — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 02:23:13 +0000

Thank you for this post! Some gunwriters have a habit of writing the 17 Mach2’s obituary every now and then, and it is good to see a well written counterpoint. I do see 17 Mach2 ammo regularly at Academy and other stores in Houston TX these days, and that does tell me that it is at least retaining popularity if it isn’t becoming even more popular. I have a mint Brno Model 2 action only that I will build a 17 Mach2 custom rifle with a reverse taper barrel and a full stock to hide the reverse taper and give it a classic look once I identify the right gunsmith to do the work for me. Your post gives me just the impetus that I need to become more active in looking for a gunsmith now. Thank you!

By: ELR Researcher

ELR Researcher — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 17:31:47 +0000

Alternative – compare (at current Ammo Seek prices) CCI Velocitor 22 LR to CCI V-Max 17 Mach 2. The Velocitor is 9.5% less expensive/rd and produces 19.6% more energy at 50 yds and 26.8% more energy at 100 yds…and you don’t need a new rifle or a new barrel.

Editor: Good point about the Velocitor. But compare the speeds. The Velocitor is rated at 1435 FPs, but that’s still way lower than the 17 HM2’s 2100 fps. Interestingly, CCI rates the Velocitor bullet at 0.125 BC — on the high end for 22 LRs (and about the same as a 17gr 17-cal bullet). The 17 HM2 is offered with a polymer-tipped bullet, that is arguably much better vs. varmints (more explosive effect). Most importantly, the 17 Mach 2 has significantly less drop and drift at 200, making it a much better choice for varminting for small critters. The flatter trajectory really helps in the varmint fields, when you are moving back and forth at different distance targets, and there may not be time to laser-range and then click your turrets as a critter pops up for a few seconds.

200-yd drop Velocitor: 36.4″
200-yd drop 17gr 17 Mach 2: 16.3″
200-yd drop 20gr 17 HMR: 11.4″

https://www.mcarbo.com/22LR-Ballistics-Chart
https://www.mcarbo.com/17-hmr-ballistics-chart.aspx

Link: https://www.cci-ammunition.com/rimfire/cci/velocitor_hp/6-47.html