.17 Mach 2

[Ridge Runner]

in 1992 I had a full house ruger 10/22 target gun built and literaly took hundreds of squirrels with it, couple years ago I got an x-mas bonus and while trying to figure out what I wanted I saw savage had just started making a LH 17 hm2, on impulse I ordered one, along with a weaver v classic 4x16 with 1/4 MOA dot, I shot the rifle for the first time and the first 3 shots measured .223" at 50 yds, I've taken probably a dozen chucks with it (the largest about 14-16# at 148 yds) and about 30 squirrels. here is my general thoughts on the 17 hm2 and what I've saw from others who used the 17 HMR.
in the hmr, the 17 gr v-max is good for nothing edible, or game over about 8 pounds, the bullet is going to fast and just turns to dust on impact, the 20 gr normaly doesn't shoot as well as the v-max, and while it will penetrate fox's and such it doesn't expand enough to reliably kill them.
Now you slow that 17 gr down 300 fps in the hm2 (2200-2250 fps) and it is the best squirrel gun made bar none, my LH custom ruger spends its life in the safe now and the 17 hm2 also does better on groundhogs due to the lower velocity does slow down expansion while enhancing penetration. I've shot through about all the groundhogs I've shot that were under 10 pounds , and doesn't tear up small game much at all. I watched a buddy shooting longtailed blackbirds one day with an HMR and on solid center body shots the 17 v-max usualy didn't exit, on raking shots it tore the bejesus out of them.
This is the rifle that we read at its introduction was suitable for all game up to and including small deer, that was the internet hype that was designed to sell rifles.
Now my opinion on why the hm2 came to be, and this is only my opinion here
Hornady saw what a catastophe the 17 gr v-max was in the HMR but they had allready invested in the tooling line to produce the 17 gr v-max, it was a total failure in the hmr, and was useless for the 17 centerfires (wrong diameter to start with .177 vs .172 for the cf's) so they necked down a 22 stinger case and found a viable use for the 17 gr v-max by slowing it down those 300 fps.
RR