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.17 HMR vs .22 WMR: Maker-Page Loads and SAAMI Specs Side by Side

By Cole Harlan, EditorUpdated Nov 5, 2026How we verifyEditorial standards

This page puts .17 HMR and .22 WMR side by side using only our own ammo guides, .17 HMR ammo (18 loads) and .22 WMR ammo (24 loads), plus the cartridge specs SAAMI publishes in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.1, its rimfire standard. The guides copy bullet weights, velocities, energies and test barrels from maker product pages (checked Nov. 4–5, 2026). We don’t rate or rank cartridges, and we don’t subtract one maker’s velocity from another’s, because their test barrels differ.

How to read this page: every number is copied from a maker page or from SAAMI, and a test barrel length sits next to every velocity (or says the maker lists none). A dash (—) means the maker has no load in our tables for that cartridge. Fire only the cartridge your firearm’s maker says it is chambered for.

SAAMI specs side by side

These are the figures in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.1, as already recorded in the SAAMI sections of our .17 HMR and .22 WMR guides. Pressures are as SAAMI lists them.

Measure	.17 HMR	.22 WMR
SAAMI name	17 HORNADY MAGNUM RIMFIRE [17 HMR]	22 WINCHESTER MAGNUM RIMFIRE [22 WMR]
Drawing issued / revised	06/25/2002 / 02/06/2025	05/29/1979 / 01/19/2025
Maximum average pressure (transducer)	26,000 psi	24,000 psi (SAAMI uses a standard deviation of 2,400, a 10% coefficient of variation, for this cartridge)
Crusher pressure	None listed in our .17 HMR guide	None listed in our .22 WMR guide
Cartridge overall length	1.330 in min to 1.365 in max	1.315 in min to 1.350 in max
Case length	1.064 in (−.008)	1.055 in (−.008)
Bullet diameter (as SAAMI prints it)	.1725 in (−.0035)	.2245 in (−.0040)
Bore / groove diameter	Not yet verified (not in our .17 HMR guide)	.219 in / .224 in
Twist and grooves	1 in 9.00 in, right-hand (marked optional), 6 grooves	Not yet verified (not in our .22 WMR guide)
SAAMI velocity test barrel	Not yet verified (our .17 HMR guide does not record SAAMI’s rimfire test barrel)	24 in (SAAMI’s standard rimfire rifle test barrel)

SAAMI measures pressure by transducer (psi) and, for some cartridges, by crusher (CUP). Compare psi with psi and CUP with CUP, never across. A “None listed” row means our guide records no figure; it is not a statement about the cartridge.

Load ranges by maker and test barrel

Each line groups one maker’s loads that share a test barrel, so a velocity is only ever shown with the barrel it was measured in. Ranges are bullet weight and muzzle velocity as the maker page prints them. Do not read across makers: their barrels and bullets differ. For how barrel length moves velocity, see our barrel length vs velocity data.

Maker	.17 HMR loads in our table	.22 WMR loads in our table
Federal	test barrel not listed: 3 loads, 17 gr, 2,530 fps	test barrel not listed: 5 loads, 30 to 50 gr, 1,000 to 2,200 fps
CCI	test barrel not listed: 9 loads, 16 to 20 gr, 2,375 to 2,650 fps	test barrel not listed: 13 loads, 30 to 46 gr, 1,050 to 2,200 fps
Remington	test barrel not listed: 3 loads, 17 to 20 gr, 2,375 to 2,550 fps	test barrel not listed: 3 loads, 33 to 40 gr, 1,910 to 2,000 fps
Hornady	24 in test barrel: 3 loads, 15.5 to 20 gr, 2,375 to 2,550 fps	1.875 in vented test barrel: 1 load, 45 gr, 1,000 fps 24 in test barrel: 1 load, 30 gr, 2,200 fps
Speer	—	test barrel not listed: 1 load, 40 gr, 1,050 fps

Same maker, same line, both cartridges

Where one maker sells the same product line in both cartridges, the loads are listed side by side exactly as the maker pages print them. We match lines by the maker’s own product-line name in our guide tables. Compare only within a row, and check the test barrel in each cell.

Maker line	.17 HMR	.22 WMR
CCI Gamepoint	20 gr Jacketed Soft Point, 2,375 fps, 250 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 52	40 gr Jacketed Soft Point, 1,875 fps, 312 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 22
CCI TNT Green	16 gr Speer TNT Green Hollow Point, 2,500 fps, 222 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 951	30 gr Speer TNT Green Hollow Point, 2,050 fps, 280 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 60
CCI V-Max	17 gr V-Max®, 2,550 fps, 245 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 49	30 gr V-Max®, 2,200 fps, 322 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 73
CCI VNT™	17 gr VNT, 2,650 fps, 265 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 923CC 17 gr VNT, 2,650 fps, 265 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 959CC	30 gr VNT, 2,200 fps, 322 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 929CC 30 gr VNT, 2,200 fps, 322 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 969CC
Federal BYOB	17 gr Jacketed Hollow Point, 2,530 fps, 242 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 770BTL250	50 gr Jacketed Hollow Point, 1,530 fps, 260 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 757BTL250
Federal Varmint & Predator Speer TNT	17 gr Speer TNT Jacketed Hollow Point, 2,530 fps, 242 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P770	30 gr Speer TNT Jacketed Hollow Point, 2,200 fps, 322 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P765
Remington Magnum Rimfire	17 gr Jacketed Hollow Point, 2,550 fps, 245 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 20023 20 gr Jacketed Soft Point, 2,375 fps, 250 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 20025	40 gr Jacketed Hollow Point, 1,910 fps, 324 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 21170 40 gr Pointed Soft Point, 1,910 fps, 324 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 21172
Remington Premier Magnum Rimfire	17 gr AccuTip-V, 2,550 fps, 245 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 28464	33 gr AccuTip-V, 2,000 fps, 293 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 21184

What the sources say when you choose

These are points taken from the figures above, each with the page it rests on. They are not recommendations or scores.

If pressure rating is your question: SAAMI lists a maximum average pressure of 26,000 psi by transducer for .17 HMR and 24,000 psi by transducer for .22 WMR. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.1.
If bullet weight is your question: the .17 HMR loads in our table run from 15.5 gr (Hornady Varmint Express Rimfire NTX 83171) to 20 gr (Remington Magnum Rimfire 20025). The .22 WMR loads run from 30 gr (Federal Varmint & Predator Speer TNT P765) to 50 gr (Federal BYOB 757BTL250). Sources: those maker pages.
If you want to see the printed velocities: the slowest and fastest .17 HMR muzzle velocities in our table are 2,375 fps, test barrel not listed (Remington Magnum Rimfire 20025) and 2,650 fps, test barrel not listed (CCI A17 949CC). For .22 WMR they are 1,000 fps, test barrel not listed (Federal Personal Defense Punch Rimfire PD22WMR1) and 2,200 fps, test barrel not listed (Federal Varmint & Predator Speer TNT P765). These come from different barrels and bullets, so we show them side by side without subtracting.
If you are comparing against a box or a chronograph: of the .17 HMR loads, 15 with no test barrel listed, 3 list 24 in; of the .22 WMR loads, 22 with no test barrel listed, 1 list 1.875 in vented, 1 list 24 in. A shorter barrel than the one a maker lists will likely give lower velocities than the box; see our barrel length vs velocity data. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.1 and the maker pages in our guides.
If chamber fit is your question: SAAMI publishes a separate cartridge drawing for each, with case length 1.064 in (−.008) for .17 HMR and 1.055 in (−.008) for .22 WMR, and cartridge overall length 1.330 in min to 1.365 in max and 1.315 in min to 1.350 in max. Check the cartridge named in your firearm’s manual or marked on its barrel. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.1.

Not yet verified

Makers and loads missing from either guide’s table (for example Winchester or SIG Sauer, where a guide says so) are listed in the “Not yet verified” section of that guide.
SAAMI reference velocities are not copied in our guides, because the PDF text does not clearly pair each weight with its velocity.
A dash in the range table means the maker has no load in that guide’s table, not that the maker sells none.
Maker status (in stock, discontinued) is not shown here. See each guide for the status wording on the maker pages.
Prices, recoil, accuracy and hands-on results are not in our data, so this page says nothing about them.

See the full tables in our .17 HMR ammo and .22 WMR ammo, the barrel length vs velocity data, .22 LR vs .22 WMR, .22 WMR barrel length vs velocity, the new ammo of 2026, all ammo releases and all comparisons.

Frequently asked questions

What is the SAAMI maximum pressure for .17 HMR and .22 WMR?

SAAMI lists 26,000 psi (transducer) for .17 HMR, and 24,000 psi (transducer) for .22 WMR, in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.1.

Which test barrel do the makers list?

It varies by maker and load. Our tables show the barrel each maker page lists next to every velocity, and many pages list none. See the ranges table above.

Which is better, .17 HMR or .22 WMR?

We don't rate or rank cartridges. This page copies maker-page figures and SAAMI specs side by side, and it does not cover price, recoil or hands-on results.

Where do these numbers come from?

From our own ammo guides (.17 HMR ammo and .22 WMR ammo), which copy maker product pages, and from ANSI/SAAMI Z299.1.

SAAMI specs side by side

Load ranges by maker and test barrel

Same maker, same line, both cartridges

What the sources say when you choose

Not yet verified

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

Sources

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