a few .17 Rem questions.

A

adkmountainken

New member
i recievied a Remington model 700 bdl in .17 Rem today. topped with an older 4x12 Redfield scope. 7 boxes of factory Remington loads at 25 grains. rifle has been shot EXACTLY 12 times and i know the owner well, all 12 empties placed back in box, rifle is %100 mint with barley a scratch, made in 1971. first the factory ammo is from 1975 and very clean but was wondering if it is ok to use loads that old? i will be hunting fox and coyotes here in the Adirondacks and expect shots from 50-150 yards or more. i have read a ton on 17 Rem ballistics and have wanted a rifle like this for a long while, finally found the PERFECT one. ok now in a perfect situation and a dog standing still where to you put the cross hairs put him down quick with the .17? vitals or head shot? would love to hear from you guys that hunt with the 17 and your thoughts. please add some pic's and stories if you could. just ordered a bi pod for it too.



 
Very nice adkmountainken. Looks like my first 17 Rem. back in 71. The Rem. powerlokt ammo was as good as you got back then and it will work very well for you. That was a great bullet then and would be even now. Very fur friendly on Coyotes and Fox. A hit in the vitals is way better than in the head in my opinion.
 
I got one of those old Remington's last year and let me tell ya, I love that dern gun! Only killed two yotes with it so far but seems the same shot placement I used with bigger bores work. I did head shoot one back in November. It was up on a hillside about 150-160 yards. Didn't really have any good shots til she stuck her head out from a tree. I really had to look to find the entrance, and there wasn't a pass thru. Any other round would have made for some tough skinning around the head.
 
Hornady 25grn hpts and varget are a great combination. If you reload, always use rem 7 1/2 primers and shoot for the vitals. Hydrostatic shock is key with the 17s. That and never hold off fur.
 
Wow, congrats on that nice old remmy, and in 17 too. I think you should play the lotto tomorrow as well. I've been wanting a 17 rem as well, great addition.
 
Congrats on the rifle! I've shot a lot of predators with the .17 Remington. As others have said, bullet placement is key. Heart/lung is best, low, just behind the front leg. Try to avoid heavy meat, like the leg muscle, as well as the bone. You will occasionally have a coyote yelp when the bullet hits, with some spinning and even the rare runner. They will drop quickly if the bullet was placed well, so don't stress it.

Eric
 
I tried the 17 rem for coyotes many years ago and found it lacking for my type of hunting in Montana.
For called in coyotes at very close range under 50 yards on chest shots I have had bullets blow up on impact making a horrendous surface wound with. Killed yes for sure but hides nearly ruined.
On shots longer than 200 yards I got less than satisfactory inconsistent results.
I once called in two coyotes that wouldn't come closer than 200 yards. I shot one aiming at the lung area. That one yipped and spun so while the other one watched I shot it the same way and it did the same thing. I expected them to drop after the spin but no go. The both lit out in opposite directions. I tracked each one and in about half a mile each stopped bleeding.
I went back to the shot location and found where they were standing when I shot. I followed the line of sight and found where the bullet hit the snow after passing through the coyote. I was able the follow the bullet trail in the snow and recover the bullet. The bullet did not expand at all and the only marks no it were the rifling marks. They looked like they could have been loaded again.
This was with the 25gn Remington bullets hand loaded to right around 3900 fps as I recall.
I believe the Remington bullet was not a jacketed bullet but was a plated bullet but am not sure about that.
Anyway that was my experience with the 17 Rem on coyotes. Shots from 50 to 150 yards killed like they were struck by lightning but here in Montana that limited range is quite a handicap.
It may fill your needs if in your area range is limited. Beware the very close shots that may cause bullet blow up.
For fox I think you may find its too much if you want the hides. For fox a 22 hornet with a flat nose cast bullet 45 to 50gn at about 2000 fps works a treat. I have a 22 CCM that with a 50gn bullet swaged from 22 long rifle cases is a perfect fox gun. With this rifle and 50gn swaged bullet at about 2000 fps on a broad side hit I usually find the bullet perfectly expanded under the hide on the off side. That is about perfect performance on fox. It does nearly as well with a cast bullet but they don't kill as quickly as the bullets swaged from 22 RF cases.
 
Perfect fox and coyote gun, shot placement is important. I always go for the vitals, much better than head shot. I would go ahead and use the ammo you got with rifle, lots of ammo sets around for years before using.
 
Nice score! Shoot those bullets sparingly. They're as good as it gets for factory fodder and when they're gone, they're gone.

In the poor shot selection category chest shots are second only to head shots.
Shoot em in the vitals and they'll go down.
The 17Rem won't bowl em over like a 243/6MM/etc but for saving fur it's about as good as it gets IMO. Especially when you ad Fox to the equation.
 
Ive got a couple hundred coyotes on my 17 rem with 25 gr berger handloads. Hold in the ribs behind the shoulder and middle of the chest on a frontal. Cant speak to Bullshops results but normally its a bang flop cal. Anything under 300 is usually on the ground before the report of the gun. Occasionally u get a spinner. Very rare to get a runner. I like to run my rounds around 4000fps sighted in for 2" high at 100 this will put u 4" low at 300. Ive killed them out to 380 yards but 99% of mine get shot between 100-250. Cant say Ive ever really felt handicapped due to killing range when calling with it.

zero recoil you'll see the bullet light the coyote up like a jolt of electricity
 
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I have the same rifle, with a couple of modifications....
I've shot many coyotes with my .17Rem and haven't lost one yet(knock on wood).... Little hole going in, no exit and the vitals turned into liquid.
90% of my coyotes I can't find the entrance hole and when I pick them up they sound like a jug half filled with water.
I was shooting 30gr Bergers but I recently switched to 27gr Kindler Golds.
If anything happens to this rifle, I will buy another one just like it.

 
Lungbuster- how do you like the 27gr golds? I wasnt thrilled with them. I was getting an exit about 40% of the time. Accurate though.
 
Mid 1970s, we were night calling in the OK panhandle when my buddy shot one that was head down, staring at the spotlight.
Rick aimed at the eyes. We heard the hit and walked to it.
Little blood seepage around the eye, held him up by his legs and he sloshed....
That gun and load will work for you, even today.
 
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I shot a few truck loads with my first 17 and the Hornady 25 grain HP. Great combination. I liked it so well I built a left handed one this year on a Charles Daly action. I have to stock it so it hasn't gotten to the field yet but the stock will get done this winter.

You found a great gun. Enjoy.
 
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