Anybody use 17 caliber???

[Anonymous Poster]

Here in Michigan the .17 rimfire has been getting a lot of talk as being the greatest varmint gun ever. I don't get it. I looked one over the other day at a friend's house, and understand even less. Sure doesn't look like anything I'd try to kill coyote with. Probably fun and cheap to shoot targets with, but if you want something dead, without having to track it far, use something that will knock it down and make it stay there. When the woodchuck hunting got serious around here, the .22 mags went away and out came the centerfires. No more blood trails down holes, just carcasses.

 

[Boondox]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply! Till last year we had a Marlin in .35 Rem, which was a great rifle from my point of view, but way too heavy for my wife to handle, safely or not. (Though one winter night when the coyotes were scratching at the coop and I was out of town she used it -- mostly to scare them off -- and knocked herself right off the side porch from the recoil!) As you might have guessed by now, she's not big or strong, but given a "wife-sized" firearm she's patient enough to make every shot count...or to pass.

I've placed the chicken coop directly between the house and the pond, so we have a huge earthen berm as a backstop behind a very clear field of fire.

Yes, the .17 Rem was the round I was looking at because of its residual energy and flat trajectory at that range. But it looks like the .22 Hornet is also worthy of consideration.

Again, thanks for the information!

Pete

 

[Boondox]

Egon -- I've taken a couple of coyotes with the .35, but have always passed the shot when armed with the .22. Even if they are filching a hen now and then, I just won't shoot if there's no sure kill involved. Call me a wus, but I just can't bring myself to wound something when I don't have the time to track it down and finish the job. So for me, the .22 is out. Besides, it has a target barrel that puts so much weight forward my wife can't use it.

I need to think about this some more...

Thanks, Pete

 

[Egon]

Those are not bad reasons.

There is also a .222 ??? [ someone out there will know what caliber I'm talking about ] That is fast, exploding hollow point and does not have much recoil. Its a little better than the Hornet.

Egon

 

[diggerjim]

A very high velovity small caliber round using hollow point bullets would provide accuracy and the bullet itself would self destruct when it hits anything.

I've heard tales of bullets exploding on contact with blades of grass, water droplets, grasshoppers, twigs, etc. I had an experience years ago with my 22-250 which was handloaded nearly to the max. We had part of an old house on the farm that remained after we moved the new one in. It had sat on an remote location on the property. After listening to all those tales I thought it would make a great backstop for some target practice. I placed the target on the outside wooden siding, backed off a hundred yards and commenced to practice (I mean sight in my scope) yeah right. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Anyway after shooting about twenty rounds I checked the tartget, good placement. Then for some reason I went in /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif , the bullets had missed the wall studs, penetrated the siding, plaster lathes, plaster, hit the exterior wall entering the plaster (some were keyholed), plaster lathes, plaster and after going around to the back of the old house I found that all had exited. /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif This was lead tipped not armour peircing. Moral of the story is that I no longer believe in the "blowup" theory. I'm sure deflection is a much better explanation. Just a word of caution to all sportsman, make sure the "backstop" will do the intended.

I'm sure the 17 rem. will penetrate much more than most think!
Better safe than sorry.
Jim

 

[diggerjim]

Sorry that was supposed to come out in blue not bold./w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif Its all that darn mouses fault. He made me do it. Don't want to offend anyone as I prefer not to use bold. Should have my galsses on but cant find them /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif .

Jim

 

[DocHeb]

<font color=blue>Sorry that was supposed to come out in blue not bold.</font color=blue>

AT LEAST YOU WEREN'T SHOUTING /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Hydraman]

Unless you have some other reason, the .223 is an excellent round, and the fact that the Gov't has adopted it for its use just about insures that it will be around for a very long time. And ammo can generally be purchased at very reasonable prices. I know that ammo costs can be prohibitive for some.
I picked up a .222 last summer, and ammo is basically $10 per 20 rounds at Wal-Mart. But then I am into reloading, so I save a lot on ammo costs.
If you are not into reloading, then anything that the Gov't uses can generally be a little cheaper to shoot.

 

[RanchMan]

Splitfire_O -

<font color=blue>... use something that will knock it down and make it stay there.</font color=blue>

I hear ya (and concur). I've always been a big believer in using enough gun for the job. Don't ge me wrong, I actually think the .17 HMR has a place, and as you point out, would have a high "fun" factor - but for coyote size stuff, I'd go centerfire for sure.

 

[JDGREEN4ME]

My father always used a .222 for deer...he got his share of them with it over the years also...was always his favorite rifle.