.17 cal vmaxs

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Wolfdog91

Member
Ok so two questions
When it comes to the 20 and 25 gr Vmaxs in centerfire .17 cals what's everyone's opinions ? Hearing everything from terrible to great for a hand full of guys on another forum

And what's eveyone doing as far as shot placement with these ? Like what have y'all found to work best ...other then just a head shot ?

Vmaxs are about all I can get right now for my .17-5.56 so just wanted to hear what everyone has to say. Haven't shot anything with it yet but would like to get a general idea of what the best place to put these on a critter.
Thanks
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Never shot one with a centerfire .17 cal but I have shot several with a .17WSM. Neck and right behind the shoulder and obviously right between the eyes kills 'em dead. Had a few run 25 yards with a hit to the lungs. I'd shoot them the same place with every other .17, heck I shoot them those places with a .223 and 22-250. If you get a bullet in those lungs/a lung, they're gonna die. Might run a little but not far.

That's going by experiences shooting coyotes with a powerful .17 rimfire. A centerfire is gonna smoke 'em.

Only killed 1 grey fox with it. Quartering away running like a wild banshee. Hit it behind the last rib and it died instantly.
 
17 Remington, out to 250-300 yards, right behind the shoulder just like anything else (blue area on your drawing, lungs)… dead coyote.

300 yards was always pushing the limit seemed like. Had a few spinners out there at that range, but managed to find them. Didn’t build a 17 rem for a long range gun though, that range was expected. I’ve heard of people saying they’ve had success out to 400 with the 25s, but I dunno that for certain.

Used both the 20 and the 25s, both worked well. Best cartridge made in my opinion, for a fur gun. If I had to have one specifically for a fur friendly cartridge, that still thumped predators, it’d be a 17 rem with a 20gr Vmax.
 
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First Q: great little cartridge. Had at least one around for 50 yrs. Flat shooting lethal round on fox/coyotes out to 300 or a bit more with good shot placement.
Second Q: Never shot anything with vmax 20s as have never tried them. A few yotes with 25s but never liked them. Mostly used 25 Hornadys but also a few ‘customs’. Have a stache i’m hoarding for a rainy day.
 
Dunno what other forums mention, but what I found when I started playing with the 17’s, a lot of people mentioned a lot of things that were out of production. I said screw it and went down a path by myself. I mean the selection is really thin for 17 bullets for the most part, Hornady and Nosler is it.
With your platform I suggest the 25 Vmax chase accuracy not speed, so a lower node will be fine. The 20’s run out of steam pretty quick past 200ish.
I have not had a 17 Vmax dump a coyote like a 22 or 6mm does for the most part.

Custom may be your answer, if you can find them. Last I knew most were using drawn .22 jackets to make the 17’s, so performance may or may not be what you want going that route.
 
Up north here in the winter they don't perform well on coyote. You would be much better off with a hollow point, with a small metplat, even where you are at. You can't find Hornady 25 hp ? I see them at gun shows ,gun broker regularly. Even the old Rem 25 gr would be better than a tipped bullet.
 
As mentioned, the blue area on a broadside shot will drop them. I haven’t used Vmax bullets, and my post speaks only to the effectiveness of the .17 Remington cartridge itself at a 60 yard bait site, and my experience is limited to the 25 gr. Hornady HP. If you can find some of those bullets you will be in good shape. I’m only guessing about this, but in my mind I would shoot the 25 gr Vmax as a start, thinking the heavier weight over the 20 grainer would perhaps drive a bit deeper. Guys who have experience with the Vmax will know more than me.

I shoot a CZ 527 .17 Rem. Velocity with the 25 Hornady HP’s runs an average of 3921 fps. I drove it faster but accuracy was better when I backed off a little. The load just hammers coyotes, and as you would imagine, no exits. Those bullets are not as kind to thin skinned fox, however.

Hope you find a good bullet and load. The .17 Rem. is a great little cartridge and easy to like. Keep us posted.

Below are a few examples of the .17 Rem and Hornady HP’s.





This is a rare one that ran a short distance. Most dropped on the spot.



 
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Wolfdog91 said:
Tha ks for all the advice guys , o btw I'm shooting a KAK .17-5.56 not a .17rem pretty similar performance in a little more affordable package 😁
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Yeah, I knew you were talking about a 17-5.56. I guess I should’ve said in my comment that I don’t have any personal experience with that exact cartridge. That’s my fault. The 17rem and the -5.56 aren’t to terribly far apart. It’s not like comparing a 22lr to a 220 swift or something. You’re right, they’re fairly close. The bullets and bullet selection are the same though, so I think that’s what matters. Be different if there was a huge velocity gap.
 
crapshoot said:
@DAA Is your man for all things .177
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Well, "some things" .172 anyway :p .

I have never used .17 Vmax on coyote. Have seen maybe 15 or so coyote shot with them. Enough to make me not in any hurry to try them myself. About half of what I've seen, were with the 20's at 4,000 fps and not very many just tipped over, regardless of shot placement.

- DAA
 
The old Berger Target 25 gr Hollowpoint with Small hole and Todd Kindler Gold 30 gr are my favorite 17 caliber bullets for Predators!

Sad thing is neither one has been made in years! I wish some company would come out with a Nice 25 and 30 gr bullet again that would work wonders on the Coyotes!

Chan Nagel made some excellent 17 caliber bullets as well in his time!
 
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DAA said:
Well, "some things" .172 anyway :p .

I have never used .17 Vmax on coyote. Have seen maybe 15 or so coyote shot with them. Enough to make me not in any hurry to try them myself. About half of what I've seen, were with the 20's at 4,000 fps and not very many just tipped over, regardless of shot placement.

- DAA
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Shows how much I know about them.
 
Chance Doane said:
The old Berger Target 25 gr Hollowpoint with Small hole and Todd Kindler Gold 30 gr are my favorite 17 caliber bullets for Predators!
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A lot of people are talking about that 30gr Gold from Kindler for these 17s. Apparently I need to get with the program, I was going to stick with some 20s and 25s but apparently I’d be missing out.
 
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