- May 26, 2009
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I agree the .17 HMR is a good round. The negatives I see are the light bullet doesn't buck wind very well on long shots, and the ammo is somewhat more expensive than .22 magnum. The ones I've fired were very accurate....."What's the best gun" is something like" what's the best food" or "what's the best tool."
For an accurate, inexpensive rifle with enough power to kill predator-sized game cleanly, and with little noise and no recoil, I'd recommend a .17 HMR. It has the same powder capacity as a .22 magnum, but will push a bullet at 2550 feet per second. The light (17 grain) bullets are frangible so there is very little ricochet risk and they don't over penetrate. The Savage model 93, with a 2 or 4 power scope would be ideal.