Cartridge ballistics

.17 HMR ballistics chart

The .17 HMR trajectory with a 17-grain V-MAX: drop, wind drift and retained velocity from a 100-yard zero out to 200 yards.

Overview

The .17 HMR necks the .22 WMR case down to .172 and launches a 17-grain polymer-tipped bullet at roughly 2,550 fps - more than twice the velocity of a .22 LR. That gives it a genuinely flat trajectory to 150 yards and makes precise hits on small targets far easier than any standard-velocity rimfire.

The trade-offs are cost, a bullet with very little mass, and real wind sensitivity: the tiny 17-grain projectile is deflected several inches by a light crosswind at 100 yards and sheds velocity quickly past 150. It is an excellent small-vermin and target cartridge inside 200 yards and not much use beyond that.

Typical uses: Small-vermin control, squirrel and rabbit hunting, and rimfire target practice inside 200 yards.

Sample load

The trajectory below is calculated for this representative factory load in a standard ICAO atmosphere. Your rifle will differ — enter your own chronographed velocity and verified BC in the calculator for numbers you can dial.

Bullet
Hornady 17 gr V-MAX
Muzzle velocity
2,550 fps
Ballistic coefficient
0.125 (G1)
Zero
100 yd

Open this load in the calculator

.17 HMR trajectory table

Zeroed at 100 yd. Drop is bullet path relative to line of sight; elevation is the come-up to dial. Wind column is a 10 mph full-value crosswind. Italic rows are subsonic.
Range (yd) Velocity (fps) Energy (ft⋅lb) Drop (in) Elevation (MIL) Elevation (MOA) Wind 10 mph (MIL)
252,375213-0.50.51.80.2
502,2071840.1-0.1-0.30.4
752,0461580.3-0.1-0.40.7
1001,8911350.00.00.01.0
1251,745115-0.90.20.71.2
1501,60798-2.60.51.71.6
1751,47983-5.10.82.81.9
2001,36370-8.61.24.12.2

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