# 17hmr vs coyote and\or fox



## satch55 (Aug 28, 2009)

hey i was wondering if any one ever had actual feild results shootin a coyote or a fox with a 17 hmr ,, and was wondering what a coyote or fox would do with a well placed heart and lung shot i will be using hornady 20 grain xtb bullets thanks tell me what u think


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## xdeano (Jan 14, 2005)

For coyote I wouldn't use it, but it does a dang good job on fox. I have shot several with it and they all went down. I'd stay with the 20g bullet though. I've also shot a few large ***** and it drills them pretty hard also.

in conclusion, No to Coyote, yes to fox.

xdeano


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## satch55 (Aug 28, 2009)

hey thanks but if i did shoot a coyote with it would it bleed enough to track it


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

If you hit a coyote right, he's going to die, even if you hit him with a pellet gun.

Marginal hits, the 17 hmr is not gonna fare so well.

Use the best tool for the job, and the 17 hmr is not the best tool for coyote work.


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## satch55 (Aug 28, 2009)

xdeano said:


> For coyote I wouldn't use it, but it does a dang good job on fox. I have shot several with it and they all went down. I'd stay with the 20g bullet though. I've also shot a few large ***** and it drills them pretty hard also.
> 
> in conclusion, No to Coyote, yes to fox.
> 
> xdeano


 hey thanks if i would shoot a coyote would it bleed enough to track


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## satch55 (Aug 28, 2009)

hey thanks guys would a 223 wth fmj bullets do the job right


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

satch55 said:


> hey thanks guys would a 223 wth fmj bullets do the job right


No. FMJs are probably the worst bullet choice one could make. Their terminal ballistics are horrible, they punch a hole, thats it. They do not transfer much energy to the target, they do not mushroom, or fragment causing multiple wound channels. Very very poor choice for a hunting bullet.

Now a .223 with hollow points, or one of the varmint style bullets would be a MUCH better choice. There's so many bullet choices in this caliber the world is literally your oyster. No reason to shoot FMJs in a .223 with all the choices out there.

Don't worry about tracking. Use a caliber and bullet style that will dump them in their tracks, or at least, allow them to run only a short distance.


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Well said everyone!


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## satch55 (Aug 28, 2009)

barebackjack said:


> satch55 said:
> 
> 
> > hey thanks guys would a 223 wth fmj bullets do the job right
> ...


 thanks again i am thinking of using remington soft points or buying hornady v max for the 223 i just dont want to blow a huge hole in a fox i live in PA and our foxes are small


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## Snowgooser (Mar 28, 2008)

I have zero experience with a .17 but I have a very close friend that used to shoot one. He said it was deadly on fox, and he used it on coyotes as well. He said that is was ok on coyotes under 100 yards and shot in the chest. No room for error. He didn't recommend it as a coyote gun, but in a perfect situation he used it. Not my idea of a good time!!

I do have to disagree on the FMJs though. I shoot a .22-250 with FMJ handloads and it is deadly. You might get a coyote run a few yards after you shoot him, but there is very little pelt damage. I tried just about all the factory 40, 50 and 55 grain ammo in PSP and HP available to us in Canada and it just seemed to blow the pelts up. I am no ballistics expert by any means, and maybe there are handloads you can work up that won't put a big hole in the pelt. I have been toying with the idea of getting a .223 to minimize pelt damage. Just my opinion. I would rather shoot factory ammo than sit at the bench reloading bullets, but I hate sewing pelts even more. Good luck with your foxes.


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## 308 (Jul 10, 2007)

17hmr works great for fox but doesn't have enough punch to consistently drop yotes


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## satch55 (Aug 28, 2009)

308 said:


> 17hmr works great for fox but doesn't have enough punch to consistently drop yotes


hey thanks again guy


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## greyfields (Jul 27, 2008)

.243 with 58gr v-max


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