[badboy00z]

What do you guys think about the .17 HMR? It's faster than the .22 and has a pointed tip so do you think it can penetrate an undead skull?

[mattifikation]

Can it? Yeah, probably. Will it? That's what you have to worry about...

[Mrknot]

.17 HMR...
probably would be pretty effective against Zed. Really fast, very accurate, but....
You can't reload it, so in a long-term survival situation you'd be limited to whatever you had stockpiled or were able to scrounge.
Might be fun for a while but I wouldn't count on it for the long haul.

[Assassin42]

.17 HMR is a varmint/plinking round. I would say no to it being a defense round. Same for .22LR. I served with guys that were shot with .22LR and guess what they are still walking around with the slug in them. One guy had a slug in his hand (his sister had shot him at point blank range with a rifle). The injury was usually so minor all they did was put a band-aid on to stop the bleeding. Yes the slug on the .17 is pointed but except for really close range I would not try it against a boney part of the body like a skull. Remember those things are pretty thick (some more than others). Even mobsters had to put a .22 or .25 right in your ear during a hit back in the day. Otherwise it was not guaranteed to penetrate.

That's my unprofessional opinion, backed by a career in the military (recently retired).