How can .17 have more stopping power than a .22; please explain in simple terms?

Answer 1

DESIGN. You are comparing a standard .22 to a hopped up .17.
It was made to have a long casing behind the bullet to make room for more powder. The bullet itself is small so with a lot more powder to send it flying, the bullet has more impact. That little bullet is FAST!

The same could be done to the .22. Actually the m-16 is hopped up .223.

Answer 2

The .17 HMR travels at 2700 fps the .22 lr travels around 1100fps. the .17 wieghs 17 grains so needs the speed to deliver the power at the end of it`s journey, the .22 carries a 40 grain bullet so deosn`t need the speed to deliver it`s energy the wieght of the bullet does this.The main difference is not the knock down power but the flight of the bullet the .17 is flat to around 150yds and only drops about 3/4 of an inch at 200yds after wichit as slowed down to a point where the stopping powr is greatly reduced. the .22 as a more curved trajectory but at 200 yds is still carrying the wieght and the kinetick enrgy to knock down well. at three hundred yards if you could hit a rabbit the .22 would kill it the .17 wouldn`t.

Answer 3

If a .17 has more stopping power than a .22 Long Rifle it is simply because the .17 is based on the .22 Magnum cartridge which has more powder and sends the bullet flying faster. It does not have any more stopping power than the .22 Magnum it is based on, since the .22 Mag. shoots a wider, heavier bullet also moving very rapidly.

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Answer 4

The formula for kinetic energy is 1/2 mass times the square of the velocity. So, you can see that a change in mass will not make nearly as much change in the kinetic energy as a small change in the velocity. This is because the kinetic energy changes as a linear function of the change in the mass but it changes as the square of the change in velocity. What this means in the case of the .17 VS the .22 is the .17 bullet is a bit lighter but is fired at a much higher velocity. The greater kinetic energy of the .17 bullet is due to the significant change in its velocity compared to the velocity of a .22 bullet..

Answer 5

It's a simple matter of physics. Kinetic energy, the amount of force a projectile can deliver, is a factor of mass and velocity.

The formula is: KE = MV^2/2 where m = the mass of the projectile and V = the velocity of the projectile.

A .17 cal bullet has less mass than a .22 cal. bulllet but if you increase the velocity of the .17 cal bullet you will increase its kinetic energy and give it "more stopping power" than a .22 cal bullet.

Answer 6

The .17's leave the muzzle at a higher velocity than comparable .22's, but down range the heavier .22 projectiles retain thier velocity better and therefore have more energy at longer range.

Answer 7

At the same velocity they can't. At longer ranges the .22 will hit harder. But within the ideal ranges,a .17 can have more "stopping" power.i.e.,Deliver more foot/pounds of energy to the target by having tons of velocity. It's easier and slightly more efficient to speed up a .17. Look up such items as bullet expansion,velocity retention,sectional density,and energy at impact. You will find that mathematically it becomes quite simple,and yet deeper investigation adds complexity.

Answer 8

It has more speed when it comes out of the rifle.

The bullet weighs less but the casing uses more powder to propel it faster.

At 50 yards the .22LR is going about 990 feet per second delivering about 80 pounds of energy.

At 50 yards the .17 HMR is going about 2100 feet per second delivering about 180 pounds of energy.

For example what would hurt more... if I threw a baseball at you using only half my strength or throwing a tiny marble at you using my full strength? I think the marble would hurt more, its kinda like that.

Answer 9

A .17 hollow point will tear the crap out of something! A .22 is fast, but not as fast as a .17. Therefore, the .17 calibar will tear into the target faster, resulting in potentially more damage.

Answer 10

In simple terms Velocity--Feet Traveled per second. The faster speed coupled with the smaller diameter you have a better chance upon Penetration of the Bullet splintering up and ricocheting off more bones and organs!!!!