17 HMR field performance

[chh]

After nearly getting shot be a friend of a friend that I let hunt, I have pretty much quit letting anybody hunt my property. That incident with the muzzleloader was too close, sounds like he needed a good thumping. A coworker was unfamiliar with muzzleloaders and a friend and "expert" was showing him his. Put a cap on and "killed" his hot water heater. He was still on shock at work the next day and as of the last time I talked to him refuses to own a muzzleloader.
I've had very good luck with the Sierra "Blitz" bullets in .223. Haven't found anything but shreds in the sandpile.
I keep hearing good things about the .17 HMR but haven"t shot one yet. I hardly ever shoot my 22 mag as it is. I generally carry a .223 handy rifle or my bull barrelled 22-250. I know what they do to coyotes.

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm a pretty big fan of the 22LR for plinking, target and varmit shooting. I've killed coyotes at 50 yards with it and most everything smaller, but mostly, I just use it for targets.

I like the balistics of the .17 and can see how it's more accurate with more power. What is the price of .17 ammo?

Most of my varmit shooting today is with my 30-06 as I'm shooting coyotes and hogs out at 100 to 150 yards. Not allot of need for anything else, but it's always interesting to hear about other calibers.

Eddie

 

[WTA]

I guess you all have made up my mind to finally order a 17 and test it out. I'm looking at the savage rifles right now. I'll let you know later which one I decide on. I really doubt it will be safe enough to use here but maybe at our other place. At least we got trees there to stop one just in case.


Look at the savage 93R17 classic. It's not one of the cheap ones but I think is the one I will get. It's got the accutrigger and looks nice. I like the new savage rifles a lot. I've rebuilt a few model 10's into sniper rifles for some cops now and they sure like them too.

EddieWalker:You got some big hogs in that area I know. I had a lease near you years ago when I was still active duty. I'm glad to hear you aren't one of the ones carrying one of the big magnums around to shoot them. Up here everybody except me has some kind of huge magnum caliber for these little deer and pigs. It's scary. I found a live shell laying on the ground at my last least that I still have. It's on my what not to do board in the shop. It's twice the size of my M-1 30-06 bullets. That scares me! I always figured if you can't kill it with a 308 or an 06 then you need to learn to shoot all over again.

 

[EddieWalker]

WTA,

I'm not much into guns or shooting, but really enjoy hunting. Shooting is just part of it and something that I'm capable of, but that's about it. The idea of shooting for fun just doesn't exist for me, but pulling out the .22 and letting somebody else shoot it is something that I enjoy. Especially if I can help them improve there accuracy. That's really fun!!

I hunt with two calibers. Most everything is with my 30-06, but on special hunts I'll use my .338mag. I know my 30-06 will kill an elk, but I also know that I have more range and knock down power with the .338mag. I've shot elk from 50 to 500 yards. That 500 yard one was in Montana and across a draw that my buddy shot first. He hit him with his 7mag and I backed him up. The difference between the two calibers was like night and day.

On my Safari to Namibia, I brought the .338 and had all one shot kills. My friend, but a different guy, also shot a 7 mag. He's a great shot, but had a few problems with the bigger antilope and wildebeest. They are just very tough animals over there.

I generally not a big fan of the magnums and Weatherby calibers. There is a line that I've seen crossed too often by people who shoot those calibers in order to make up for a lack of marksmanship. I shoot under an inch at 100 yards and consider that to be acceptable. My wife is better then I am. I can't tell you how many guys I've seen at the range who are happy if they get most of there shots on the black of a target at 100 yards!!! The magnums make it even worse and it shows at the range.

I bought my wife a bolt action Remington 30-06 for her birthday, so now we both hunt with the same caliber and same ammo. Hopefully soon, we'll try an out of state hunt together. I just need to find a good hunt for us to go on that wont scare her away from doing it again. LOL

Eddie

 

[Dallas_Lilly]

I hunt coyotes with a call quite often and occasionally a bobcat comes in. Foxes come in quite often. My 14 year old brother has a 17HMR and I hunt with him often. I used his rifle on a stand last year while he took a snooze in the truck. A coyote came in at about 100 yards an hung up facing me. I shot him in the chest and he ran about another 50 yards to my right. I got another shot of and shot him in the vitals. I do not believe that if I did not get the second shot of I would not have killed that animal. I do not think the .17 has enough weight to it to cause real damage if you have to shoot in a not so perfect area of the animal.

 

[WTA]

Those 338's hurt! I'm building a 338 lapua Mag now but only in an attempt to build a better sniper rifle that will go past 1000 yards easily. I get to that with my 308 easily but not past. The lapua should be easily good to a mile. At least the British think so. I sure wouldn't want to be in their sights.

I got a polar bear a long time ago with a 308 though and I always figured if it can put that monster down so fast then it's good enough for me. It was almost 500 yards across open ice too.

This 338 I'm building now is going to have one serious muzzle brake on it. I'm still working on the design and making prototypes but it's looking similar to the brake on a tank barrel. I already have arthritis in my shoulders pretty bad and don't want to make it worse. This gun will weigh about 25 pounds too. That always helps. It's not meant for hunting animals though. Only the kind that shoots back anyway. The whole idea of a sniper rifle is to put bullets on target outside the range of the one you are aiming at.

Most of the coyotes I've gotten here on our farm have been off my horse BTW. He's ran more down than I have shot but lately I've been carrying my sons 45 colt winchester on the horse. Or my 45 acp pistol. A horse can run long past the time a coyote wears out and get you close enough. It's kinda fun too. 45 bullets of any type usually don't require a second shot on a coyote.
Here's a pic on him a couple years ago when I was chasing down coyotes with My M-14.

 

[Bigbear]

I have the 17HMR in a lever action Henry Golden Boy. Also have same gun in 22LR, 22Mag, and they are all fun to shoot, very accurate and ultra smooth action. As far as the 17HMR, it has taken several squirrel, up to 100 yards, one made a mistake of sitting on a stump down at our 100 yard backstop. Also taken groundhogs, crows and 1 yote. The yote was about 75 yards, standing broadside, so a good shot was possible, couple flops and it was over. I have found the 17HMR to shoot a little flatter than the 22Mag, but this is only out to 100 yards of testing. For squirrel hunting, it is now my favorite, but, do try for head shots. A couple friends of mine are left handed, and really like the Henry. The 17HMR, will work for yotes, but in my opinion, a 223 is better suited. I also load 223 with varmint grenades, now that's another story. BEAR

 

[Sigarms]

My own brother in law put a 50 cal muzzle loader bullet between my legs once. It was close enough to tear my britches on both sides of my crotch. That was about 7 years ago. He THOUGHT his rifle was unloaded and fired a cap to clear the vent but it was pointed in my direction and my son was standing right behind me. My bil was in the Army too BTW. I kicked his butt so bad that day right in front of the whole family that none of them will talk to me anymore. He had it coming

Here I thought I was the only one with the fabulous in laws (mine are cousins though).

 

[coobie]

I have a 93 bvss savage 17hmr with the accu-trigger topped with a 2X7 mueller scope and love it,very,very accurate rifle.With that said I am a 22 hornet fan.I own 4 hornet rifles ruger,browning sako 78,and CZ.I think I just might have a 22 hornet fetish,LOL.Do some reading on the 22 hornet,great round IMHO.coobie

 

[xlr82v2]

I'm with you, Coobie. Give me a Hornet, or, even better, a K-Hornet, anyday over the 17HMR. Even a 22WMR. On paper, it looks good, but I'm still not convinced. My brother in law has one... so hopefully he can get some real world results with it.