.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.
What is the .17 HMR?
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. The bullet is an entry from the app’s bullet library, so the calculator opens with it already selected. 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
.17 HMR key figures
- Muzzle energy
- 246 ft⋅lb
- Supersonic to
- About 270 yd
- Point-blank range, 6 in zone
- 203 yd (176 yd zero)
- Point-blank range, 3 in zone
- 164 yd (143 yd zero)
Point-blank range is how far you can hold dead on and still hit a target zone of that height, using the zero shown. Work it out for your own load with the maximum point-blank range calculator , or see how the .17 HMR stacks up in the cartridge comparison chart .
.17 HMR trajectory table
| Range (yd) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft⋅lb) | Drop (in) | Elevation (MIL) | Elevation (MOA) | Wind 10 mph (MIL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 2,375 | 213 | -0.5 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 0.2 |
| 50 | 2,207 | 184 | 0.1 | -0.1 | -0.3 | 0.4 |
| 75 | 2,046 | 158 | 0.3 | -0.1 | -0.4 | 0.7 |
| 100 | 1,892 | 135 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.9 |
| 125 | 1,746 | 115 | -0.9 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| 150 | 1,608 | 98 | -2.6 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 1.5 |
| 175 | 1,480 | 83 | -5.1 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 1.9 |
| 200 | 1,363 | 70 | -8.6 | 1.2 | 4.1 | 2.2 |
.17 HMR drop chart with a 50-yard zero
The same load zeroed at 50 yards instead of 100, for shooters who use that zero.
| Range (yd) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft⋅lb) | Drop (in) | Elevation (MIL) | Elevation (MOA) | Wind 10 mph (MIL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 2,375 | 213 | -0.6 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 0.2 |
| 50 | 2,207 | 184 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
| 75 | 2,046 | 158 | 0.1 | 0.0 | -0.1 | 0.7 |
| 100 | 1,892 | 135 | -0.3 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.9 |
| 125 | 1,746 | 115 | -1.3 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 1.2 |
| 150 | 1,608 | 98 | -3.0 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 1.5 |
| 175 | 1,480 | 83 | -5.6 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 1.9 |
| 200 | 1,363 | 70 | -9.2 | 1.3 | 4.4 | 2.2 |
Learn more
New to reading a table like this? These guides explain the numbers: