Winchester markets its Rimfire 15.5-grain NTX for varmint and small game hunters. The NTX bullet is polymer-tipped and contains no lead, so this is a load for shooters who need or want a lead-free bullet. It carries a G1 BC of .115 and leaves the muzzle at 2,550 fps. Zeroed at 100 yards, it lands about 2.5 inches low at 150.

Compared with Hornady's lead-free Varmint Express 15.5-grain NTX, the Winchester is close to a twin. It starts 25 fps faster, and at 150 yards a steady 10 mph wind blowing across the range pushes both bullets about 9 inches sideways. Compared with Hornady's Varmint Express 17-grain V-Max, a heavier polymer-tipped bullet that is not lead-free, the Winchester leaves the muzzle at the same speed but loses it faster. By 150 yards it is moving 1,554 fps against 1,621 for the V-Max, and the same wind pushes the V-Max about 8 inches.

Buy the Winchester if you want a lead-free .17 HMR bullet for varmints and small game. Hornady's Varmint Express 15.5-grain NTX is an even swap if varmints are your main target, the use Hornady markets it for; the two drift the same in wind. Pick Hornady's 17-grain V-Max if lead-free does not matter to you and you want about an inch less drift at 150 yards. For small game with a heavier bullet, CCI markets its Gamepoint 20-grain Jacketed Soft Point for that use; it leaves the muzzle 175 fps slower than the Winchester.