17hmr for coyotes?
- Thread starter hunt0168
- Start date
22magnum22
Well-known member
Kidding or not, I killed a fairly large boar hog with my 17 HMR late last year. I was not intentionally hunting hogs but the opportunity presented and I took it. Head on frontal between the eyes at about 40 yds. He ran another 40 and gave it up.
hunt0168
Well-known member
Yeah, I’ve killed a few things with mine too. Crows, woodchucks, 1 red fox, 1 grey fox and 2 coyotes. It’s not my weapon of choice for coyotes by any means but it’s what I was carrying at the time the opportunity arose.
I just know the topic has been beat to death in the past, and it still comes around on occasion. Figured it wouldn’t hurt to stir things up a little? All in jest of course. To each their own as far as I’m concerned.
Spurchaser
Well-known member
A .22LR between the eyes or ear hole will kill anything from hogs to deer within acceptable ranges. Definitely not my choice of weapon for either, but like you said, make do with what you got at the time, lol. I’m the odd man out on this forum…I use a .308 for everything.
hunt0168
Well-known member
That’s for sure an extremely effective alternative. No shame in that.
hunt0168
Well-known member
I still have mine. Targets and crows are about all that it sees anymore. And that isn’t all too often. I just have a hard time getting rid of guns! Lol.
William Suter
Well-known member
17HMR is a great round for pond turtles. And a bunch of fun. Not my choice for game the size of a coyote, but if that's what I have in hand when the opportunity shows itself, then that's what I would use.
With cows, horses and houses all around me. I normally use the Hornet, but a couple months ago, I was changing scopes on it, so I picked up the HMR. I dropped coyote at 40 yds, that jumped up and did the dance. I rolled around and threw a shot at the second coyote leaving the area. It jumped and twisted, but it was a poor hit. The first yote had run off. I found it the next day, but never found the second one. That was my first and last HMR hunt. I really can't think.of a use for it. It is not as accurate as my 22LR I rather 22 Mag. So. It's probably hitting the chopping block
William Suter
Well-known member
Very few will say a 17HMR won't kill a coyote but I'm wiling to bet they will say there are far better choices. Putting a round in a coyote or pigs ear is not always as easy as it sounds. But if you do I'm pretty sure it will drop.
The .17 HMR is lots of fun in the squirrel forest and prairie dog field. It's not a coyote rifle in my mind. Once though, while sitting for a squirrel in a pecan grove on our long lost south Texas deer lease, I had a sow and her three piglets wander by. I shot all four of them in the ear hole with 17 grain Vmaxes out of my little .17 HMR. I will say we had some great BBQ after that...
I think bullet construction, weight,
type, etc plays a big part here? A 20 gr hp/sp with a tougher construction is gonna act differently than a 17 grain plastic tip. A friend got one when they came out, and started using it on PA groundhogs. Groundhogs can be tough to DRT if ur not using enough destructive energy in the body. Ive shot them w 30-06 deer loads, and they ran 30 yds to their holes w a big hole in them. Ive shot them w a 125/130 Speer hp in the same gun, and turned them into a bloody rug not needing much fleshing to tan. What my bud found was the 20s penetrated much better, due to probable tougher construction, and probable slower speeds w that construction. And they killed better on body shots. IIRC they were less accurate for him too than the 17's. Expansion is prob less at longer distances id guess, like a lot bullets where the speed drops?
type, etc plays a big part here? A 20 gr hp/sp with a tougher construction is gonna act differently than a 17 grain plastic tip. A friend got one when they came out, and started using it on PA groundhogs. Groundhogs can be tough to DRT if ur not using enough destructive energy in the body. Ive shot them w 30-06 deer loads, and they ran 30 yds to their holes w a big hole in them. Ive shot them w a 125/130 Speer hp in the same gun, and turned them into a bloody rug not needing much fleshing to tan. What my bud found was the 20s penetrated much better, due to probable tougher construction, and probable slower speeds w that construction. And they killed better on body shots. IIRC they were less accurate for him too than the 17's. Expansion is prob less at longer distances id guess, like a lot bullets where the speed drops?
I purchased a Bergara B14R 17 HMR with the 20” heavy steel barrel last year and didn’t get around to shooting it much until I recently picked up my Dead Air Mask HD suppressor. I upgraded the trigger to a TiggerTech Diamond 2 stage and put it in a Magpul Pro 700 chassis. It’s on the heavier side. It’s shooting Hornady 17 grain V-Max around 2,644 FPS. Extremely fun, accurate, and quiet. I zeroed a Thermion 2 XP50 to a near zero of 55 yards/far zero 123 yards for a +/- 1.9 inches out to 160 yards. It’s ready to take out some random critters that keep eating the deer corn at the hunting camp! If I see pigs or coyotes I’ll feel comfortable taking accurate head shots within 100 yards.
DiRTY DOG
Well-known member
9/10 shots in 0.54" @ 100 yards.10th shot opened it up to 0.80". Rimfires have flyers, or it could have been a breeze.
15.5gr NTX and 17gr Vmax is a fantastic fox & bobcat round out to 100 yards. The NTX penetrates slightly more. Neither are suitable for dropping coyotes with confidence.
15.5gr NTX and 17gr Vmax is a fantastic fox & bobcat round out to 100 yards. The NTX penetrates slightly more. Neither are suitable for dropping coyotes with confidence.
hunt0168
Well-known member
Keep at it Dirty Dog, you’ll get better with trigger time. Lol…
Seriously, Nice shooting!
I started this thread as a joke and it’s seen more traction than I expected. The HMR is a fun accurate round and can and does drop game with good shot placement. Just isn’t much wiggle room.
DoubleLungRage
Well-known member
You hit a critter in the head with a garden pea going 2,600fps it's going to do some damage.
Nice shooting! Have you tried 20gr ammo? I ordered some Hornady 20gr XTP to test out. Assuming it shoots good too, not sure how much of a difference 20gr XTP would be over 17gr V-Max on small critters or a head/ear shot on a coyote or pig. Also, it's been a little surprising how the 17 HMR ammo is shooting about 100+ FPS faster than advertised.