.17 hmr worth buying

T

T

New member
i am looking at a savage .17 with wood stock and a heavy barrel. what is the effective range on ground hogs? i'm either going to buy it or a remington classic in .221 fireball but it costs 545 bucks
 
For what you are talking about shooting, I would highly recommend the .221. The .17 is no comparison at all to this and you can't reload a .17 HMR.
 
Every serious gun owner will probably eventually own a .17 HMR. All the reports are about a rifle that's fun to shoot due to it's incredible accuracy, low recoil, and super fast bullet. Varmints out to 200 yards are in trouble, especially with head shots, and head shots at 200 yards should be fairly easy, considering the accuracy.
 
I bought my hummer on a impulse buy. never have regretted it. It is a very fun gun with some practical use. If I wanted a dedicated varmiter I guess I would go with a 221. But it is nice having a pleasent rifle to shoot and have lots of fun with. I kinda think that it is fun NOT haveing to reload sometimes anyway.
 
I have the Marlin .17 and love it. It's a great little gun.I havent had a chance to kill much with it yet but the accuracy is great.For Ground Hogs I think it would be great out to about 175 yards but past that a tuff old Hog might get down it's hole with a body shot.The big problem the is V-Max shell is very explosive and tends to, at long ranges, explode on contact rather then make a kill :eek: I cant wait to get some of the new hollow points to try,they could change everything. Good luck,Joe
 
Every serious gun owner will probably eventually own a .17 HMR.
Click to expand...
22-250, you're mistaken. I'm a very serious gun owner, and I have no desire to ever own a .17 HMR.

I'm quite sure it's a fun little gun to shoot. It just ain't for me and what I like to do, which is callin' coyotes. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

DWL
 
DWL you'll want one. I thought they were gay until i was shooting pop cans at 175 yards with a rimfire. OH so you wouldn't happen to have a pistol or shotgun or .22 laying around would you? cause you can't really shoot coyotes with those, that doesn't mean you don't want one

TONY
 
Sure the .17 HMR is effective at those ranges with no wind. As soon as you get some wind that little .17 caliber bullet is going no where. I would stick to something more reliable like the .221
 
Yep Tony, I have a 22 pistol. I use it for a kill gun in case I have to finish off a coyote or kill one in a trap. I have a .22 rifle too. I use it for shooting tree squirrels. No need to blow them up with a .17 HMR. I also have a shotgun I like to shoot birds with, but I don't think a .17 HMR would work better for that either. And before you mention it, I also have a .22 mag that I like to use for foxes.

I have all the bases covered for the animals and the way I hunt. While I'm sure that the .17 HMR has it's areas of usefulness, it's just not for me. Even if you can hit things at 200 yards with it, a 17 grain bullet is very limited in what it can do at that range and I have no use for a 175 yard pop can gun!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
We let off about a hundred rounds of the .17hmr while filming the field test segment of our tape and honestly the results were rather unimpressive. More times than I can count the dog would just hobble away or just act like he had been knocked down by a strong wind!

It's an inexpensive round and fun to plink with, but not terribly exciting in my opinion.
 
Worth buying for the fun factor and for use on appropriate sized critters (prairie dogs, ground squirrels, jack-rabbits, starlings, pigeons, crows, etc.), HELL YES!

Worth buying for use on large critters (ground hogs, coyotes, badgers, etc..) HELL NO!

If you don't yet have a .22 caliber centerfire for groundhogs, that's what I'd recommend. I'd only get the .221 Fireball if you handload; otherwise, ammo is gonna be pretty expensive and rather difficult to come by, similar to the .17HMR only different /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
i have a .243 and i handload. I bought the .17hmr and i don't regret it because it is so much fun to shoot. Even though i already have a 22 magnum. But my next project is going to be an encore frame with either a .221 FB or a .17 machIV barrel. What do you guys think?

TONY
 
What advantage does a .221 fireball have over .223 ? I doubt that there is much and you will always be able to find inexpensive components and ammo for a .223.
 
I use to shoot golphers at 200-250 yards with a .223 until I got a laser range finder. They were more like 150 yards. I tried a .22 Mag, but could not find one accutate enough. After glass bedding and a trigger job My Marlin 17VSS is all anyone could ask for for shooting little criters. It will hit a dime every time at 100 yards I also agree with DogBeGone that it is a little light for Groung Hog size beasts. Go for a .223 You will like the .223 for it's low cost, accuracy, recoil, noise and sure kills.
 
I bought my wife a .17HMR NEF Sportster. Hey! I have been the one using it! The most accurate rifle we own. Two weeks ago I cleaned out a family of Nutria for friends. (They were eating up their floating dock.) I used the .17HMR on all of them. From 90 yards to 120 yards. All but one were one shot kills. The largest one, about 20 lbs, was not moving but still breathing after a 120 yard shot. It required a second shot. The 17HMR is more accurate than my Marlin 25MN, so I use it instead. My thought is that an accurate shot is more important than anything else. Would sure like to try the .17HMR Hollow Point though, but can't find any! - Ernie
 
the 17 hmr is great i have shot praire dogs in wind at 150 yards but it would only nail the small ones i think it would be great for squirrels i have shot clay birds at 230 yrds its just plain fun but.....for mr. ground hog i would absolutly go with the 221 , more range, more power, more splatter, more '' humane '' plus how many people you know have a fireball
 
Well, Boys...I am not a diehard varmint or anything hunter. In fact, before I got my Ruger 77/17, all I did was upland game or wasting .44mag ammo. Of the dozen or so guns I own, the .17 is without a doubt the most fun I have ever had with my clothes on. Will it kill a coyote? Hell yes. will it kill a grizzly? If you put it in his ear, maybe. Who cares? There has never been one gun for everything, and there still isn't. But if you want to put stretch marks in the fun zone, the .17 is a sure bet. Last weekend, I spent half a day shooting sage rats. It eviscerated 90+% of the hits, several landed in two distinct pieces. You can call it what you want, I say adequate. Did I hit every 200 yarder I took? Hell no, but I hit enough to know it wasn't the gun's fault. I will try it on coyotes, nothing larger, and I will look into a .223 or maybe a .221 now. But my love affair with the .17 is here to stay. You won't be cheating on your centerfire by spending some time with the hummer, but that may not stop you from feeling guilty about having that much fun with it......I can live with the guilt.
 
OKAY my turn, my turn, I have a 17HMR neat little model 77/17 it is. But what it isn't, is a predator gun, sure it could kill a coyote and it will raise havoc on some reasonably ranged squirrels. However if I was going to choose between the 17 HMR and a 221 FBall I would just jump up to the 223 and have a great predator and squirrel gun.

That little 17 grain pill just does'nt really have much going for it beyond the 100 yard mark and if the wind does pick up your done. I've owned the 221 FBall and really enjoyed it, I'm looking forward to owning another some day.

The .17HMR is a fun gun to have when you have the other ones that will do a better job.
 
I bought one just because a guy needed some money, bought a savage heavy barrel composit stock rings bases and a 4 power nikon scope for 225.00 great deal i think. The gun had 5 rounds through it, a week later i bought the guys 17hmr pistol (tarus) for 200.00. NEVER FIRED. mY 7 YEAR OLD SON IS HELL ON PRAIRIE DOGS with it. Fred
 
I had better interject some real world experiences on Varmints with the 17 HMR here before reality as we know it completely disappears from the face of this earth! I recently went on a 4 day Varmint Safari to eastern Montana. I killed in ONE DAY 6 species of Varmints with my Ruger 77/17V! I use the Remington ammo in my Rifle and not only is it very accurate it is very lethal on Varmints when the bullet strikes an appropriate spot on the Varmint! I will expand on accuracy and lethality now - again real world, witnessed, actually happened, experiences here! My Ruger 77/17V with a Weaver 15X (KT15) scope has a 5 shot 100 yard best grouping of .502"! I have not as yet shot a group at 100 yards with this Rifle LARGER than 1.000"! Remember we are talking RIMFIRE cartridges here! The Hornady ammo shot second best in my Rifle followed closely by the CCI. Outstanding accuracy this from a factory Ruger! Second point Varmint lethality! With this cartridge you are going to have to strike the Varmint in a lethal spot to quickly and humanely kill it! I can easily do this with this accurate and heavy Ruger Rifle! With one shot I killed a large Badger at 175 lasered yards with the 17 HMR! This shot was witnessed and 20 minutes later duplicated by my witness when he took another large male Badger with one shot from his Ruger 77/17V using the Hornady ammunition! I was able to strike my Badger (as he was looking directly at me) in the Adams Apple! He never moved at all once hit! The Badger simply lay there at the mouth of his den! Back to my 4 day long recent Varmint Safari. On one ranch on one day I killed Prairie Dogs, Ground Squirrels, Jack Rabbits, Cottontailed Rabbits, flying Varmints and Rock Chucks! I killed the two 4 to 5 pound Rock Chucks at 120 yards and 100 yards (again lasered) both with one shot! I was about to put a second shot into one of the Chucks as he was squirming towards his den but his tail began flagging and he quit squirming in under 10 seconds from the original shot. No second shot needed! I killed Prairie Dogs with my 17 HMR to 160 yards on this trip and lasered a 202 yards one shot kill on a large Prairie Dog for my friend and his 17 HMR. No the 17 HMR won't juice'em up and mist'em up like a 220 Swift (but we all know how long a Swift barrel will last Prairie Doggin and how much a barrel replacement for a Swift is nowadays, don't we?). We both use plenty of scope power on our 17 HMR's mine has the straight 15X Weaver and my friend uses a variable 4 to 16X Weaver on his and we both are patient and experienced Varminters and both place our shots into vital areas of our intended Varmints as often as possible!
Both of us longtime Varminters are very impressed with the 17 HMR and both are happy relatively new owners of these Varmint guns. No complaints so far anyway!
I have killed Ground Squirrels to 200 yards with my 17 HMR and am sure that 250 yard kills on them would be possible and humane.
I have talked to dozens of 17 HMR owners who all agree that the 17 HMR is the most accurate rimfire we have ever had anything to do with. I visited a site yesterday (Rimfire Central) that has a very popular area (MOST popular of all their areas?) dedicated to the 17 HMR. Please go there and view the SENSATIONAL 100 yard five shot groups folks have posted there! Simply sensational some of these groups!
I have only had my 17 HMR about 3 months now but out of all the Varmint Rifles I have ever owned (somewhere between 125 to 175 Rifles) this one has to be just the most fun of them all!
Zero recoil (spot your own hits), cool barrel (no worries about heat mirage and barrel wear), great accuracy, no reloading worries, no searching for ejected brass on the prairie, long shot strings (I go 50 rounds then clean), lethality on the Varmints and its a new and fun gun! I just love the thing!
I have yet to shoot either a Fox or a Coyote with mine. I am waiting for late fall and better pelts! I will say this I would not hesitate to precisely place a 17 HMR projectile into the heart lung area of a Coyote at 150 yards! I don't think much further than that would be prudent though! Even in the absolutely dead defunct and worst economy in the U.S. here in Montana the stores can't keep them on the shelves and here like everywhere the 17 HMR ammo is at times hard to find and not user friendly price wise! I hope and predict that will change!
Let me reiterate place your shots exactly where they should be with the 17 HMR and the Varmints will expire! Its not like shooting a Prairie Dog with a 220 Swift where just about any hit is lethal - shot placement is critical with this cartridge! In the vitals and they expire!
Long live the 17 HMR!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
 
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