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CCI TNT Green 17 HMR 16 gr Lead-Free HP

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Ammo Reports Team 6 17 HMR

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Official Specs

Data from CCI’s official product page (cci-ammunition.com). No independent verification — see Submit Your Data below.

Data note: The Ammunition Depot listing for this product contained no velocity, energy, or SKU data — only the UPC. All specs on this page are sourced from CCI’s official product page. Muzzle energy is not published by CCI for this load; at 16 gr and 2,500 fps the calculated muzzle energy is approximately 222 ft-lbs. The BC of .090 is notably lower than lead-core .17 HMR loads — see the BC section below.

Semi-auto compatibility warning: CCI’s official page includes this restriction: “To avoid serious injury do not use in semi-automatic firearms without consulting with your firearms manufacturer.” Verify compatibility with your specific rifle before use.

Downrange Ballistics

Published by CCI. Zeroed at 100 yards, sights 1.5″ above bore line.

This is the only .17 HMR load in this report series for which CCI has published a full downrange velocity table. The velocity drop from 2,500 fps at the muzzle to 1,642 fps at 100 yards — a loss of 858 fps over 100 yards — is significantly steeper than lead-core loads with higher BCs. See the BC note below.

The BC .090 — What It Means in Practice

The ballistic coefficient of .090 for this load is the lowest published BC among all .17 HMR loads covered in this report series. For comparison:

A BC of .090 means this bullet loses velocity and energy faster than any other .17 HMR load in this series. The downrange table above shows this concretely — at 100 yards the bullet is traveling at 1,642 fps, having shed nearly 35% of its muzzle velocity. By contrast, the 17 gr V-Max retains significantly more velocity at the same distance.

Practical implication: the TNT Green’s effective range for reliable terminal performance on varmints is shorter than lead-core alternatives. For most practical hunting situations inside 75–100 yards this is not disqualifying — but shooters expecting lead-core performance at 125–150 yards will be disappointed. The trade-off is a fully lead-free bullet for areas where it is legally required.

Variants

This page covers CCI TNT Green 17 HMR 16 gr Lead-Free HP, 50-round box.

The “TNT Green” designation is CCI’s brand name for their Speer TNT Green lead-free bullet line across multiple rimfire calibers. In .17 HMR, this is CCI’s only lead-free offering. The Ammunition Depot listing labels this product as “Lead-Free HP” without the TNT Green name — both refer to the same load (UPC 76683009517).

Other CCI .17 HMR loads with separate report pages:

• CCI VNT 17 gr — lead-minimizing (not fully lead-free)
• CCI TNT 17 gr JHP — lead-core open hollow point
• CCI 17 gr V-Max — lead-core polymer tip
• CCI 20 gr FMJ — lead-core range load
• CCI Game Point 20 gr JSP — lead-core hunting load

Best Uses

Good fit:

• Hunting in California and other states with mandatory lead-free regulations on public land
• Condor habitat zones and areas with scavenger-protection regulations where lead contamination of carcasses is a concern
• Hunters who choose lead-free ammunition on principle regardless of local law
• Varmint hunting inside 75–100 yards where the BC disadvantage is minimized

Not the right tool for:

• Semi-automatic .17 HMR rifles — CCI explicitly warns against use without manufacturer confirmation of compatibility
• Long-range varmint work beyond 100 yards — the BC of .090 produces significant velocity loss and wind drift at distance
• General hunting where lead is not restricted — lead-core loads outperform this one at distance and cost less
• High-volume shooting — at ~$0.48–0.52/round it is the most expensive per-round .17 HMR option in this series

Reliability Notes

Not enough community data to draw conclusions. This section will be updated as submissions accumulate.

General notes:

• The Speer TNT Green bullet is a fully lead-free, copper-alloy hollow point — harder than lead-core designs, which produces more consistent bore dimensions but can increase fouling in some barrel types
• CCI’s rimfire primer system (their core manufacturing strength) applies here — even compound distribution around the rim is a production focus that reduces misfire rates
• The semi-auto compatibility warning from CCI is unusual and worth taking seriously — the harder lead-free bullet may generate different pressure or feeding characteristics in gas-operated actions; bolt-action use is the safest default until your specific rifle manufacturer confirms compatibility
• At 16 gr this is the lightest bullet in the .17 HMR lead-free category; the weight is a natural consequence of using lower-density copper alloy instead of lead

Competitors

Report pages for the loads above are in progress and will be linked here when published.

Price Reality

• Typical retail range: $24–26 per box of 50 (US market, 2025–2026)
• Per-round cost: approximately $0.48–0.52
• Lead-free premium: $3–5/box more than equivalent lead-core CCI loads — consistent with the lead-free premium seen across all calibers
• vs. Hornady 15.5 gr NTX: comparable pricing, with Hornady typically running $1–2/box more; both are the only factory lead-free options currently in production for .17 HMR
• Fair price benchmark: under $25/box is reasonable for a specialty lead-free load; above $28/box without supply disruption is overpriced

Prices change. Check the Where to Buy block for current listings.

Where to Buy

Affiliate links. These do not influence ratings, data, or any editorial content on this page.

• Ammunition Depot — add link
• MidwayUSA — add link
• Brownells — add link
• Palmetto State Armory — add link

FAQ

Why does CCI warn against using this in semi-automatic rifles?

CCI’s official product page states: “To avoid serious injury do not use in semi-automatic firearms without consulting with your firearms manufacturer.” Lead-free bullets are harder than lead-core projectiles. In gas-operated semi-auto actions, harder bullets can generate different pressure profiles and feeding characteristics than the rifle was designed around. The Savage A17, for example, was optimized around standard .17 HMR loads — CCI’s caution suggests the TNT Green may behave differently in such platforms. Always contact the rifle manufacturer directly before running this load in a semi-auto. In bolt-action rifles, this concern does not apply.

What is “TNT Green” and how does it differ from regular CCI TNT?

CCI TNT (SKU 0053) is a jacketed hollow point with a lead core — a traditional expanding bullet. CCI TNT Green uses Speer’s TNT Green bullet, which replaces the lead core with a copper-alloy compound, making it fully non-toxic. “Green” in the name refers to the lead-free, environmentally conscious construction — not a color. The terminal performance goal is the same (hollow point expansion) but the bullet construction is fundamentally different. The BC difference (.090 for TNT Green vs higher values for lead-core loads) reflects the density difference between copper alloy and lead.

Is CCI TNT Green fully lead-free or just “reduced lead”?

Fully lead-free. The Speer TNT Green bullet uses no lead in its construction — it is a copper-alloy hollow point with no lead core. This distinguishes it from CCI VNT, which is described as “Varmint No Trace” (minimizing lead residue in the target) but uses a lead-core bullet with a polymer tip. For California hunting compliance and condor habitat regulations, the TNT Green qualifies as nonlead ammunition; CCI VNT does not.

Why is the BC so low at .090?

Ballistic coefficient is strongly influenced by bullet density. Lead is significantly denser than copper alloys — a lead-core bullet of a given size and shape will always have a higher BC than a copper-alloy bullet of the same shape. At .17 caliber and 16 gr, the TNT Green’s all-copper construction produces a lower BC than any lead-core .17 HMR bullet. There is no design workaround for this — it is a physical property of the material. The downrange velocity table on this page shows the real-world consequence: 858 fps of velocity lost between muzzle and 100 yards.

Do I legally need this load for hunting in California?

California’s Nonlead Ammunition Regulation requires lead-free ammunition for all hunting that requires a hunting license, statewide. This load qualifies. The CCI TNT Green and Hornady 15.5 gr NTX are the two currently available factory lead-free .17 HMR options. Always verify current California DFW regulations before your hunt — rules can change and this page may not reflect the most recent regulatory updates.

Submit Your Data · Real-World Results

Manufacturer velocity figures are measured under controlled lab conditions — barrel length, temperature, and lot number all affect real-world performance. The data below comes from community submissions tied to specific test conditions and reviewed before
publishing.

Once this page reaches 3 approved submissions, aggregate velocity
and confidence level will appear here automatically.

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Results vary by firearm, barrel condition, ammunition lot, and environmental factors.
Submitted data is for reference only.
AmmoReports does not guarantee accuracy of user-submitted results.

Last updated: April 2026 · Data confidence: Low (0 submissions) ·