When shooting with a .17 hmr loaded rifle, you will likely shoot from a short-range.
No matter if you are going to go for a short-range shooting or a long-range shooting, accuracy is the number one characteristic you should be expecting from the .17 hmr scope.
Besides accuracy, the best scopes for 17 hmr should boast the following characteristics as well –
- The glass clarity.
- Required magnification range.
- Large objective lens.
- Easily adjustable and audible turrets.
- Better if it offers a fast-focus eyepiece (not mandatory).
- Better if it features a side parallax knob (not mandatory).
- Waterproof, shockproof, fog proof.
- Cost-effective, etc.
Considering all those factors, I’ve shortlisted the 4 best scopes for .17 hmr and prepared this write-up to let you know their upsides and downsides.
This guide will surely help you decide on one scope if you are going to shoot with .17 hmr rounds loaded rifle.
Without any further delay, let’s dive right in.
4 Best Scopes for 17 HMR Loaded Rifles – Detailed Review
1. Vortex Optics Crossfire II Scope for .17 HMR Review
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- Multiple magnification range, objective lens size, and reticles are readily available that are suitable for dealing with .17 hmr rifles.
- The glass is quite clear to see the target effortlessly, particularly for short-distance shooting.
- Magnification doesn’t make the image blur.
- The magnification adjustment ring is well textured, firm, and turns pretty quickly.
- The objective lens rolls very smoothly.
- A well-constructed, single-piece tube scope that ensures longevity.
- Elevation and windage adjustment (¼ MOA click) knob/turret work correctly.
- The fast-focus eyepiece helps to focus the reticle quickly.
- It’s a straightforward task to learn using this scope, which makes it a beginner-friendly option. Installing this scope is a breeze too.
- Adequate eye relief and the scope’s ability to hold zero make it even more useful.
- Resetting to zero is a plain sailing task with this scope.
- The multi-coated lens helps to see in low light conditions.
- Waterproof, shockproof, fog proof.
- It’s quite reasonably priced.
- It doesn’t offer a flip-up lens cover.
- Not too lightweight.
Summary
When it’s about buying the best scope for .17 HMR, the Vortex Optics Crossfire II speaks for itself without any doubt.
For short-range shooting, its 2-7x magnification size is enough to the desired magnified view for short-range shooting with .17 hmr rounds.
Moreover, it offers some other magnification ranges and objective lens sizes like – 3-9×40, 3-9×50, 4-12×44.
Besides the dead-hold BDC reticle, it also offers a v-plex and v-brite illuminated reticle version of this scope. Nonetheless, for using it with a .17 hmr rifle, I suggest buying the dead-hold BDC version.
Vortex has a decent warranty policy, and it stands behind its customer pretty well.
Considering the performance, price, quality, and brand value, you must give this scope a try.
As it features a single-piece construction and is made of aircraft-grade aluminum, no question about its durability.
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2. Bushnell Banner Dusk & Dawn Multi-X Reticle Scope Review
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- I dig its ability to provide a clear view in low light conditions.
- Easy fingertip windage and elevation adjustment with the well-functioning turrets (¼ MOA adjustment).
- A well-constructed scope.
- Easy to install.
- This scope features decent eye relief (3.3”) and holds the zero pretty well.
- Super easy to focus, and it’s satisfactorily accurate. Kudos to the fast-focus eyepiece.
- The crosshair is dark and easily visible.
- It features quite an impressively wide field of view.
- Lens dust cover comes with the package that covers both ocular (rear) lens and objective lens.
- It’s waterproof, shockproof, and fog proof.
- The price is relatively low for what it offers.
- Not an ideal scope for high recoiling caliber. This shouldn’t bother the .17 hmr users, though.
- It doesn’t feature anything fancy like some other expensive scopes. However, it does what it’s supposed to do.
Summary
Bushnell is another reputed company in the scope industry that has been making some high-quality scopes for years now. This very Bushnell Banner Dusk & Dawn scope is no exception.
It’s a single-piece tube design having a length of 11.8,” and weight of 14 oz makes it a stable, durable, and at the same time, lightweight scope.
When it’s about using a scope for a rifle loaded with .17 hmr rounds, a 2-7x magnification range is sufficient to get the job done. Fortunately, this scope offers more than that. It boasts 3 to 9x magnification having a 44mm of an objective lens.
As expected, it’s a multicoated scope that provides a bright and clear view from dawn to dusk.
If you don’t want to spend a lot and are looking for the best budget scope for .17 hmr, this Bushnell Banner Dusk & Dawn scope is one of your best bets.
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3. Vortex Optics Diamondback Tactical Scope Review
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- It comes with a sunshade.
- Easy to use. The side parallax knob makes it even easier to deal with long-distance precision shooting.
- Multiple magnification range, objective lens size, and reticle type are readily available.
- It features the first focal plane, a glass-etched reticle, hence shooting quickly at any magnification level is a breeze with this scope.
- I must mention the advantage the fast focus eyepiece gives to focus the reticle quickly.
- The extra-low dispersion glass ensures excellent glass quality. As a result, it gives a clear and sharp view at any magnification level.
- This scope offers substantially long eye relief.
- It holds zero and is pretty accurate.
- The turrets are solid, positive, and very audible for the price.
- The multicoated lens makes it easily visible in low light conditions.
- Waterproof, shockproof, and fog proof.
- It’s quite affordable for what it offers.
- You have to be perfectly centered and at the correct distance to get the sharp and crisp image.
- The reticle could have been a bit thicker.
Summary
This Vortex Optics Diamondback scope is one of the best scopes for .17 hmr caliber loaded rifles. Moreover, it’s equally useful for long-distance shooting.
You have the liberty to choose from two magnification range settings and objective lens sizes (4-16×44, 6-24×50) and two reticle types (EBR-2C MOA, EBR-2C MRAD).
I dig the crosshair of this scope. The fast-focus eyepiece is quite smooth that you can use without any trouble whatsoever to focus the reticle.
The only major complaint about this scope is the eye box had to be forgiving. You really have to be perfectly centered on getting the best view.
Otherwise, I believe it’s quite a handy scope for a .17 hmr caliber loaded rifle. Moreover, as it gives enough eye relief, you can use it with high recoiling round loaded rifles too.
Vortex offers probably the best warranty and stands behind the warranty without any question asked. So, considering all these positives, you should definitely give it a go.
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4. Primary Arms Classic SFP Rifle Scope Review
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- It’s pretty easy to use rifle scope.
- Precision shooting is even easier and quicker with this scope. Thanks to the side parallax knob feature.
- The illuminated reticle helps to spot the reticle effortlessly. I must mention the brightness of the illumination.
- You can adjust the illumination with ease using the excellent and smooth settings knob.
- This scope boasts flip-up lens covers.
- The elevation and windage knobs are smooth and audible. In fact, all the knobs, including the magnification knobs, are pretty easy and smooth to move.
- A nice heavy-duty mount comes with the package.
- Pretty decent eye-relief (low 3.5”, high 3.3”).
- A shockproof, waterproof, and fog proof scope.
- It’s relatively easy on the wallet.
- No major downside.
Summary
Primary Arms is another great company in making rifle scopes. It offers a decent warranty for its products and stands behind the company pretty well.
This Primary Arms Classic scope is one of the most cost-effective scopes for .17 hmr caliber loaded rifles.
I must mention the nice black finish and robust construction of this scope.
It offers 4-16x magnification with a 44mm objective lens.
This scope features a second focal plane, a mil-dot reticle.
The illuminated reticle having 12 brightness settings come in handy in low light conditions.
The turrets are crisp, audible, and offer ¼ MOA click adjustment.
It holds zero pretty well. The glass is pretty clear.
Altogether, from the price point, you can’t go wrong with scope. It features every bell and whistle anyone expects from a .17 hmr compatible scope.
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What to Consider When Choosing the Best Scopes for .17 hmr?
Construction and Material
The construction and material used in making the scope for any rifle are vital.
If it’s a single-piece tube construction and made of aircraft-grade aluminum, you can rely on that scope in durability and stability.
Quality Lens
This is perhaps one of the most vital aspects that you would want to make sure about.
The lenses at both ends (eyepiece and objective lens) must be clear and provide bright and crisp images in any magnification setting.
You can forgive if it gets blurry slightly in 16x or 20x magnification settings. But that shouldn’t give any trouble in viewing the target.
The lens should be multicoated for quality light transmission to provide a comfortable view in low light conditions.
Free From Outside Material
The scope must be waterproof, fog proof, and shockproof. Otherwise, that’s not going to work in all weather conditions.
Fortunately, most of the quality scopes boast these attributes. All the scopes I’ve listed above are water, fog, and shockproof.
Magnification Power
When it’s about shooting with .17 hmr loaded rifles, very likely you are finding a suitable short-range scope.
You don’t need to focus on an extraordinary performance in the 16x or 20x magnification range. Any scope that performs excellently in 7x magnification is good to go for 100 yards range shooting.
Objective Lens
After the magnification power, it’s quite essential to choose the right objective lens.
It should be large enough to give a decent field of view. Similarly, it shouldn’t be too large either. Otherwise, it will cause discomfort to the shooter.
While anything between 40mm to 50mm is an okey-dokey number, to me, 44 mm is the ideal objective lens size to deal with for both short and long-range shooting.
Reticles
Several types of reticle patterns are available for different rifle scopes these days.
There is no hard rule when you are choosing the reticle pattern for .17 hmr rifle scope. However, most of the caliber specific scopes for .17 hmr are BDC based on the reticle.
If the reticle is illuminated, then it gives a better target view in low light conditions.
Between the first focal plane and the second plane, anything works as long as you agree with it. With that said, I prefer a second focal plane reticle for short-range shooting to a first focal plane reticle.
Quick Focus Eyepiece
Quick focus eyepiece (aka fast-focus eyepiece) is an excellent addition to the scope. However, it’s not something the scope must feature.
What does a quick focus eyepiece mean?
It means the eyepiece itself rotates. It helps to focus the reticle to your eye in a quick time. You can turn the eyepiece until the reticle becomes razor sharp.
The Vortex scopes on my list feature a fast-focus eyepiece.
Adjustable Turrets
Moving the reticle up and down or right and left is quite an essential task to ensure precise and accurate shooting.
When you plan to shoot from around 150 yards or so, determining the drop of the bullet is crucial.
That’s why smooth and audible windage and elevation adjustment are something anyone expects from a top-notch turret.
You can Also Read: Scopes for 30-06 Reviews
Weight and Size
It’s better to go for a lightweight option for a .17 hmr loaded rifle between heavy and lightweight scopes.
All the scopes I’ve listed here are lightweight, and they are ideally sized to fit for the .17 hmr rifles.
Price Range
You don’t need to go for those expensive scopes for a .17 hmr loaded rifle.
Any well-functioning scope that costs less than $100, like the Bushnell Banner Dusk & Dawn scope will get the job done correctly.
Good for you! All the above-mentioned scopes are pretty cost-effective and essay on the wallet.
Frequently Asked Question: Scopes for 17 hmr
What makes a scope great for 17 HMR?
Like any other scope, a 17 hmr rifle friendly scope needs to provide all those standard features like -
- Bright sight picture.
- Smooth and audible turret adjustment.
- Large enough objective lens to get the desired field of view.
- MulticoatedMulticoated lens.
- Decent eye relief.
- Lightweight, easy to use, etc.
Moreover, fast focus eyepiece and side parallax adjustment make it even more user-friendly.
Accuracy is one of the best benefits a .17 hmr scope should offer. It’s because characteristically, the 17 hmr caliber is brutal if it hits the game's meat. You have to hit the head, and there the scope needs to help in shooting accurately more than anything else.
If it’s a .17 hmr caliber-specific scope, the BDC calculation is done for you.
What is .17 hmr?
HMR stands for Hornady Magnum Rimfire. In 2002 Hornady introduced this .17 HMR that was built by necking down the .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (.22 WMR).
As the name suggests, it’s a rimfire cartridge, which is relatively fast and accurate. A .17 hmr boasts a flat trajectory.
What is the Range of a .17 HMR?
Using a .17 hmr loaded rifle, you will hit the target successfully anywhere from 100 yards to 300 yards. The optimum range is 250 yards to 300 yards. After 300 yards it has a drop of about 8.47”.
How does rimfire work?
The rimfire cartridges don’t have any center striking surface/primer like the centerfire cartridges. The entire back of the rimfire cartridge acts as the striking surface.
The rimfire cartridge is made of thin brass. These cartridges are mostly used for varmint hunting and plinking.
Rimfire cartridges are not reusable as they become permanently deformed after shooting.
Final Words
So, this is it!
In this article, I’ve tried to point out all the benefits and pitfalls of the 4 best scopes for .17 hmr.
I’m sure you didn’t miss out on the buying guide and FAQ section to get all the answers you might have had about selecting the right pick.
Despite having a few hiccups, I believe, from the price point, you can’t go wrong with any of those.
If you want me to vote one, I will go for the Vortex Optics Crossfire II Scope.
