# the truth about .17 hmr



## J.R. (May 30, 2007)

okay this may sound stupid and this may have been asked before buuuutttttt.

whats the deal with the .17 hmr?

okay i hear it has a great range and is very accurate

but since its a light bullet woulndt it be affected easily by wind and such?

so is this accurate round really all it is i mean you cant shoot it in most indoor ranges since its high powered and its preety expensive.

ive been thinking about getting a .17 hmr and i dont know any one who has one personally but ive heard from a friend of a friend that he got into the trend of .17 cal and is really disapointed. but ive also heard that its great so i was wondering of you had any advice?

so whats the truth?

and can you take a coyote out with a .22?

im really confused


----------



## hagfan72 (Apr 15, 2007)

Yes, it is vulnerable to a stiff CROSSWIND, but the claims of it being worthless in the wind are overrated. I love mine, shoots minute-of-prairie dog out to 200 yds. I have yet to take a shot at a 'yote with it, but I will as soon as i can. A friend of mine shot two boxer-sized dogs at 40yds and they were both bang-flops.


----------



## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

I can't say much about the 17 HMR...but...

Can you take a coyote out with a 22?

I suppose you can, but I wouldn't do that personally.


----------



## hagfan72 (Apr 15, 2007)

Yes a 'yote will fall to a .22LR, and yes, I am speaking from experience. 55yard shot, through both lungs, bang-flop, Stinger out of a Marlin single shot bolt action.

Now I want to try the hummer.


----------



## 94NDTA (May 28, 2005)

J.R. said:


> okay this may sound stupid and this may have been asked before buuuutttttt.
> 
> whats the deal with the .17 hmr?
> 
> ...


8.99 per 50 rds is a little expensive for a rimfire. I have one, and while it is accurate, the only use it really has is harvesting small animals at great distances. Yeah you can shoot it at the range, and yes, it is really accurate, but for the price of the round, you could be shooting a .223 for cheaper. Plus, you can reload it.

What will you be using it for?

My experience is that wind doesn't affect it as much as I thought it would, being a small round.

My biggest disapointment is it packs no punch. I wouldn't shoot anything over 20 lbs with it. I would not shoot a coyote with a 17hmr or .22lr


----------



## Bore.224 (Mar 23, 2005)

hagfan72 said:


> Yes, it is vulnerable to a stiff CROSSWIND, but the claims of it being worthless in the wind are overrated. I love mine, shoots minute-of-prairie dog out to 200 yds. I have yet to take a shot at a 'yote with it, but I will as soon as i can. A friend of mine shot two boxer-sized dogs at 40yds and they were both bang-flops.


Now c'mon Michael Vick you are already in trouble as it is!!


----------



## Bore.224 (Mar 23, 2005)

J.R go to Varmint Al's website and look for the info on .17 HMR test!!


----------



## hagfan72 (Apr 15, 2007)

Bore.224 said:


> Now c'mon Michael Vick you are already in trouble as it is!!


LOL, only problem is, these dogs were chasing a doe and a fawn, and unfortunately they had already done a pretty good number on the fawn by the time he saw the commotion.


----------



## hagfan72 (Apr 15, 2007)

94NDTA said:


> ...but for the price of the round, you could be shooting a .223 for cheaper. Plus, you can reload it...


Where are YOU getting your .223 rounds that are as cheap as 9 bucks for 50 rounds????


----------



## 94NDTA (May 28, 2005)

hagfan72 said:


> 94NDTA said:
> 
> 
> > ...but for the price of the round, you could be shooting a .223 for cheaper. Plus, you can reload it...
> ...


Thats about the price of wolf .223 ammo. Sportsman has them 20 for $4.59


----------



## J.R. (May 30, 2007)

i wanted a .17 hmr for gophers, badgers and coyotes or any other small game pest that wanders through my sights. and i wanted a small, quiet round 
and since its accurate and powerfull i thought it would be nice. well thanks for the imput.

i guess everybody has different opinions so i thought that asking everybody would be better than talking to the man behind the counter.

again thanks for the imput it really helps to know about this type of thing.


----------



## weasle414 (Dec 31, 2006)

I love my 17. I'm not gonna lie, I think I'd rather shoot that thing than just about any of my other guns. I shoot it at squirrels a bit and use it for coyotes (although I've yet to get one in close enough for me to feel comfortable with taking it with such a small round.) I really do like it for squirrels in open woods, last week I took down a squirrel at 75 yards right behind the shoulder, blasted both lungs and the liver. I couldn't do that with my .22 I can tell you that much.

As for using a .22 for coyotes, I don't think it's wise. I've heard of it done and I've got a couple friends who use them for coyotes, but neither of them have shot a dog with them yet. If you get it in close enough and can place your shots well, maybe it'll be good, but you could just as well be shooting a 12 guage with 00 or 4 buckshot at those ranges.


----------



## dlip (May 16, 2004)

The only two coyotes I have ever killed were with a 22 lr. I did NOT kill them as clean as I would have liked. Both were running shots, but we had been having problems with them getting after the cattle so a broadside shot wasn't a priority for me. Both shots were in the back from behind and they ran a little ways before they finally died.


----------



## HATCHETMAN (Mar 15, 2007)

It's a very "fun" & accurate little gun, capable of killing nearly anything in the forward sight plane. As discussed it is vulnerable to wind, and there is nothing you can do with the .17 that can't be done with reduced loads throught the .223 & with much more versatility if you're a handloader. I would only really recommend one to you if you have the need for a gun for "urban" varmint warfare, or need one to build a supressed version for urban pest control. Supressed versions are far superior to centerfire rounds in close quarters, and now strongly becoming the short-range choice for nuisance deer & depredation snipers because of the low noise signature. Put yourself past 100 meters, and the .223 is a much more versatile gun IMO. Fun to shoot, but a very expensive hobby. By the way, you can load .223 ammo CHEAP...far cheaper than you can buy it almost anywhere. Since I've started tinkering with the .223 I haven't touched the .22 lr, and sold the .17.


----------



## ndm (Jul 22, 2007)

If you want a rimfire for coyotes the only choice in my opinion is the 22 magnum. I used the 50 grain federal hollow point bullets at night with good results out to about 100 yards. I think the HMR is a great cartridge but its made for small game. Any centerfire is a much better choice.


----------



## TANATA (Oct 31, 2003)

WHY shoot a 17 HMR for coyote. Go buy a 223. They don't have much punch and fly all over in the wind. No need to have a lot of talk about it. When it comes down to all the work it takes to go hunting and the money spent on it these days, I don't want to go home cause I brought a smaller sized gun and couldn't get the job done.


----------



## Bore.224 (Mar 23, 2005)

J.R Sounds like the perfect cartridge for you would be the 22 Hornet. Good out to about 200 yards from what I hear and not as loud as a .223. the 22 hornet will push a 40-45 grn slug at about 26-2800 fps with around 800 fpe. That shoud be good for coyote and anything smaller. Only bad news is around 30 plus dollars for a box of 50 rounds.

Look at the ruger 77/22 hornet or the Browning micro-Hunter.


----------

