Right now with the lack of .22 LR ammunition seeming to be everywhere, I found an alternative recently at my local gun shop in the form of an H & R single shot in .17 Mach 2. I had never really given this caliber a lot of thought since to me it seemed to be kind of a gimmick, but I have to say it intrigued me. I've had a couple of .17 HMR's over the years but never really found a use for them, and the .17 Mach 2 doesn't have the reputation for being as destructive on small game like the .17 HMR does, although head shots are still preferable. The rifle was being sold cheap, and more importantly, the shop had a huge supply of ammunition, and for months no one had bought a single box of it according to the shop owner. So I bought the gun and a good stock of the ammunition. I could have gotten it all, although I wouldn't because I am sure eventually another shooter of the round will come looking for some.
The gun has a very good trigger, something I found on an older H & R I once owned in .22 Hornet, but usually few and far between on these guns. I added a Simmons 4X Whitetail classic scope, and used Traditions mounts for it which were high enough to clear the hammer. I took one of those cheap elastic cartridge carriers for the butt stock and stuffed it with soft cloth and the scope lines up perfectly with my eye.
I took the gun and a box of ammo to the range the other day, and in retrospect I should have waited because it was pretty windy and these .17 rounds were getting pushed around even at the 30 yards where I was sighting it in. The scope is on to be sure, but trying to get an accurate group size will have to wait for a calmer day. It's an excellent alternative to the .22 Long Rifle for right now, which ammunition is hard to find and even if you have plenty, you can't replace it that easily right now.
The gun has a very good trigger, something I found on an older H & R I once owned in .22 Hornet, but usually few and far between on these guns. I added a Simmons 4X Whitetail classic scope, and used Traditions mounts for it which were high enough to clear the hammer. I took one of those cheap elastic cartridge carriers for the butt stock and stuffed it with soft cloth and the scope lines up perfectly with my eye.
I took the gun and a box of ammo to the range the other day, and in retrospect I should have waited because it was pretty windy and these .17 rounds were getting pushed around even at the 30 yards where I was sighting it in. The scope is on to be sure, but trying to get an accurate group size will have to wait for a calmer day. It's an excellent alternative to the .22 Long Rifle for right now, which ammunition is hard to find and even if you have plenty, you can't replace it that easily right now.
