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Info on the 17hmr?

Depends on what ur wanting it for. look at the post which rifle? in this forum and there is one person who put up the balistics between the 17 HMR and the 22 mag the 22 mag has better balistics in my opionion. But every person is different, so make sure you are happy and not everyone else! just my 2 cents
 
I have a heavy barreled savage in stainless. It is one mean shooter. With no wind and a good rest it will shoot 1/2in groups all day long at 100yds. Squirrel hunting with it is a head-shot only proposition but can be done at 75 to 100yds. I have only shot crows and squirrels with it so far so.
Please keep in mind that the 17HMR is: pretty loud, pricey to feed and more violent compared to a 22lr.
But it is also: faster, flatter, and more powerful.
Good luck,
 
Forgot to mention i'd be varmint hunting with it. seen someone posted a pic on here of a coyote he shot and i was amazed the gun would do that much damage. thanks for the info guys.
 
i have killed many with the 17hmr [yotes] it will do it if you pick your shots out to 100 yrds[even though some called me a liar and said it wouldnt do it]neck and head shots you have to drag the stinky things off cause they fall right there,they will go a little ways with heart lung shots,better choices out there yes, will a 17 do it yes[with limited shots]
 
the .17 will shoot better, but the . 22 mag hits harder. If the wind is blowing or you try to shoot through tall thick grass or brush forget the .17.
 
The .17 Ive shot would make a good cat gun, but other than ground hogs and stray cats ther just to small a bullet to pack a hard punch.

I shot a stray dog with a .17, from all the hype I heard I thought a heart shot would work, the shot was from about 30/35 yards, the dog barley flintched and trotted off.

As stated if you can do head shots it'll work but thats it, I'll take a .22 mag anyday over a .17.

Not hate'n,,, just say'n.
 
I love my 17.I have the Marlin,I've only shot at 1 coyote with mine. about a 75 yd shot,right in the chest,it took off balls to the wall for about 40 yds and took a roll in the dirt. I was useing the 20gr hornady XTP bullet,its designed for penetration,rather than fragment.I'd recommend this bullet if your gonna shoot coyotes or fox or bobcat. As for accuracy, I can consistantly hit empty 12ga hulls at 150 yds with mine,shooting off of bipods.
 
Knightrider, I really thought that was better left alone. My intention wasn't to call you a liar. I figured you got confussed in the debate and your story changed... that is why my comment I don't believe you. Sorry you took it the wrong way.
 
I'm gonna break a self imposed rule that I would not add to discussion about the .17hmr seems everybody has a side and they are dead set on how they feel so here it goes. My Dad is a farmer and has groundhogs, coyotes, and feral dogs that roam his land. I bought him a .17 savage and 2 boxes of 20gr Hornady ammo. I sighted it in at 100yds and told him to go forth and kill. He called a month later and was blown away by the performance. He had killed 6 ground hogs, 1 coyote and 1 feral dog. He told me that if it is 100yds and under he puts it in their ear and watches them flop. When he stretches it out he puts it various distances up the ears and watches them drop. He has since killed 4 more coyotes and 2 more dogs he said that he shot 4 in the chest and they run as if unhit for 10-30yds then drop like struck by lightening. He doesn't know it is not suitable for coyotes at up to 150yds and the coyotes don't know they shouldn't be dead. He has not lost an animal yet.
 
Yotehntr said:
Knightrider, I really thought that was better left alone. My intention wasn't to call you a liar. I figured you got confussed in the debate and your story changed... that is why my comment I don't believe you. Sorry you took it the wrong way.
Click to expand...
its all allright,it is what it is ;)
 
I bought a Handi-rifle in .17hmr on sale at BPS. Super fun gun to shoot. Probably not big enough for serious varmint hunting, but its hell on tree rats.
 
I bought a Savage 17hmr about 7 yrs ago,(I think it's a 93v17 in camo) when we found out my wife was pregnant with our first girl. I got it for her to shoot when she gets older. I shoot it on occasion. I have not shot anything bigger than a coon, but it is deadly and deadly accurate on that size game. The only thing I have shot is the 17 grain. I haven't used the 20 grain, but I may buy a box, check my zero, and try it.
 
I think the 17hmr is a very fun gun to shoot and is amazingly accurate for a rimfire. I found a very interesting link as far as the "killing power" of it that you might find interesting... Click Here to figure it out on your own... Click here to read the whole version... or a copy/paste of the Killing power compared to the 22 mag... (even the 22 mag is a bit weak for an ethical kill)
[size]
Killing power[/size]

Assuming a proper hit in the animal's vitals, killing power is determined by a complex of factors including (but not entirely limited to) the width and depth of the wound channel. This, in turn, is influenced by bullet energy, frontal area, sectional density, and expansion characteristics. In other words, it is a complicated matter that is still not entirely understood.

There have been many systems devised to compare the killing power of rifle cartridges, most of them by people with a pre-existing bias of one sort or another. The best and least biased of such systems of which I am aware is the Optimum Game Weight (OGW) formula devised by Edward A. Matunas and published in the Lyman 47th Reloading Handbook. Matunas tried to account for a variety of factors, not just caliber or kinetic energy or momentum, the major failing of most killing power formulas.

Like all such systems, OGW is not perfect. I find that it seems to be most reliable when dealing with mainstream centerfire rifle cartridges on the order of the .243 Winchester, .270 Winchester, .30-06, and .338 Win. Mag. Since we are dealing with much less powerful small bore cartridges in this comparison, I suggest that we view the following OGW information as a comparative tool, not as an absolute guide. That, in any case, is usually the best approach when dealing with killing power formulas.

The OGW figure estimates the optimum live weight of the animal for which the cartridge is best suited at any given range. Note that the OGW weight is not the biggest animal the cartridge will kill, merely the optimum size animal for that range. Also note that individual bullet performance is not a factor in calculating optimum game weight; it is assumed that the hunter will choose an appropriate bullet for the job at hand. And it is also assumed that the bullet will hit the heart/lung area of the animal; brain or spine shots would obviously result in much higher OGW numbers, but they are not considered. Here are our two best long range loads for OGW comparison:

[size] * .17 HMR, 17 grain = 7 pounds at muzzle, 5 pounds at 50 yards, 3 pounds at 100 yards, 2 pounds at 150 yards, 1 pound at 200 yards.

* .22 WMR, 40 grain = 17 pounds at muzzle, 9 lbs. at 50 yards, 5 pounds at 100 yards, 3 pounds at 150 yards, 2 pounds at 200 yards.[/size]

The OGW figures indicate that the .22 WMR has superior potential killing power at all ranges. We could summarize by saying that the .22 WMR has about as much killing power at 100 yards as the .17 HMR does at 50 yards. Since its MPBR is limited to about 125 yards, the .22 WMR is probably the better choice for large varmints and small predators within the limit of its MPBR. Beyond the MPBR, accurate bullet placement becomes increasingly difficult as the range increases, and bullet placement is the most important factor in actual killing power.
 
ive got a .17hmr and i love it. ive shot rabbits in new mexico with it and if it wasnt a head shot dnt even bother picking it up bc there is nothing to eat on them. ive shot squirrel and blew them in half. shot a few ground hog they didnt even know what hit them, also shot a few foxes with it and again they never knew what hit them. long range ive shot out to 100 and it done fine. it is easy to bore site also do it and go to the range and your within an inch or so at 100 and thats with the 17 grain ballistic tip.
 
over the years i've aquired a marlin 917s 17hmr and 25mn 22mag.
the 17 will consistantly shoot sub 1" groups at 100 yds with 17gr vmax & 20gr xtp while the 22 mag is lucky to get under 2" groups at 100 yds i don't remember what kind of ammo did the best in the 22. tried just about all the ammo option available for both.
after playing with both a lot i never seem to grab the 22 anymore. i'ld sale it if it wasn't a sentimental peice.

with the 17 bullet choice is important the 17gr vmax explodes (great for small stuff) while the 20gr xtp will hold together a little better and work much better on bigger stuff like yotes.

the only reason i ever hunt yotes with a rim fire is cause of the laws during various game seasons. if it's leagal at the time i go with the old faithful 308. Eventually i'll get another .223.
 
knightrider said:
i have killed many with the 17hmr [yotes] it will do it if you pick your shots out to 100 yrds[even though some called me a liar and said it wouldnt do it]neck and head shots you have to drag the stinky things off cause they fall right there,they will go a little ways with heart lung shots,better choices out there yes, will a 17 do it yes[with limited shots]
Click to expand...

What ?? Someone called somebody a "liar"?? Never around here. ;) :cool:

I assume ,as I haven't been in here in a few days that you posted the pic of the yote meeting the 17 HMR?
 

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