Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires 17HMR What do you use it for??

Sometime ago, I bought a 452 cz in .22 mag.. Later, I picked up a 452 in 22 lr.. Both have become real favorites for my rimfire shooting..
Both are deadly accurate.. While in Montana earlier this summer, I saw a 452 bull barrel in 17 HMR.. While I walked away, I decided I wanted the rifle and had it shipped to my dealer.. Picked up a couple brands of ammo, and 500 Vmax.. So far it has been a blast to shoot, but I have only shot prairie dogs and a few ground squirrels.. So far it seems fine.. I did shoot one prairie dog that made it into its burrow, but I could see the hit on its ribs.. Looked like the bullet didn/t expand.. I think that was with WW ammo.. Did a bit of longer shooting with it this morning.. It reached out to over a 100 yards to get two dogs.. It was dead still so the wind was not an issue.. I know this has been touched on before, but I couldn't locate the thread..
What do you shoot with your .17 HMR?

I have a couple of Marlin HMR's, we mainly use them when calling coons. I have taken both squirrel and coyotes with them, but in my opinion they are too much for squirrels and not enough for coyotes. If you are going to use it on squirrel I recommend head shots only, on coyotes you should take forward facing chest shots if possible to ensure a good clean kill.

I would be a perfect fox rifle for sure..

Mostly Pdogs and Gsquirrels, with the odd badger and possum thrown in for variety. I'm a fan of foxes, they eat the neighborhood cats and rabbits, so they always get a pass from me.

I have a few 17HMRs and like to take one on pdog safaris to shoot while the CF rifles are coooling, but only if the wind isn't blowing.

I also think that the 17HMR probably makes a better understudy rifle/cartridge combination than any other currently available rimfire cartridge.

maybe moreso when they're all model 77's....

77/22, 77/22 in 17 MachII, 77/17 HMR, 77/17 Hornet, 77 sporter 17 Fireball, 77 UL 204, 77 VT 204, 77 UL 7/08....

oh yeah, 77 hawkeye predator in 6.5, too....



the 77/17 hornet has the same green mountain stock as the predator

hunts, you must like Ruger rifles??? some nice ones there..

I must.....

and their 1911, piston AR and Precision Rifle.

and Red Label shotgun...

WyoCoyoteHunter: I have killed Badgers with my 17 HMR's.
Including one amazing kill at 172 yards (Leica lasered from kill site back to VarmintMobile where shot was taken from!).
This big boar Badger was shot through the Adams Apple as it came up out of a hole and stared at me just an instant to long.
In addition to Badgers I have also killed Coyote, Fox, Porcupine, Raccoon, Wild Turkey, Jack Rabbits, Skunk, Rock Chucks, Weasels, Mountain Grouse, nest robbing flying Varmints, Prairie Dogs, Ground Squirrels and a few other types of small game and Varmints.
The 17 HMR is an AMAZING rimfire round!
Best of luck to you with yours.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

School me on the Predator 6.5 with extended mag??

Wyatt's drop-in DBM for ruger

Found it. Thanks.

I bought a Marlin when they first came out. Mostly target shooting, (Watermelons make spectacular targets). Killed a few rabbits one night, Coyote in a sendero. A buddy, looking for a challenge, killed a couple smallish pigs (both profile head shots between the eye and the ear).
It's a good little versatile round.

Field mice..

Shot around 100 of these with mine this spring. Awesome to around 150 yards. Most are dead right there - must just turn their insides to jello.

The 17HMR makes an excellent practice round. I go to Africa fairly frequently and use my Ruger/Clark Custom 77/17 to shoot off of the sticks at 200 yards as a tune up for the thornbush Kalahari. The lack of recoil and blast allows me to concentrate completely on sight picture, trigger control, and follow-through.

RS

I was hot on it in the beginning but have reverted to .22WMR as 100 yards is max for me. I note that I shoot with a peep sight, no glass.

Do have a 4X Bushnell Banner .22 on the Mossberg 351C .22 LR though.

I resisted the .17 for several years thinking it was yet another pre-obsolete cartridge. I broke down and bought one a few months before ... oh, maybe 2 primer / powder shortages ago. I'd had enough time to accumulate 1000 rounds or more before the shortage hit.

I sat by quietly listening to all the other varmint shooters bitch about the lack of primer and powder while quietly rounding up all the .17 HMR ammo, which was never in short supply here, I could get my hands on. I went into the shortage with 1000 or so rounds, snuck off and shot the crap out of stuff winding up with the best season I ever had, and came out a little bit of ammo ahead of where I started.

The only, ONLY thing I don't like about my HMR is that even after a bit of tuning, the Ruger 77/17 trigger is still heavier than I like.

The coolest thing is 3/4ths inch 100 yard groups all day long with any ammo I've ever tried in it. When I'm done shooting, one solvent patch followed by one dry patch, back in the safe, done for a week. I don't HAVE to reload for it. I don't HAVE to fuss with cleaning. If I want to do those things, I grab a different gun, if I don't, I grab the HMR.

What I shoot with it ... I use it for mice to ground squirrels, occasionally some bigger rabbits or hares. Other things I will not admit to.

Tom

My wife's garden is about 75-90 yds from the house. My CZ 453 keeps the critters away.

And when I want to plink... It'll give me 1 hole ragged groups at 50 yds.

I always thought it would be good for monkeys. I hate monkeys.

Mostly for PDs, Ground squirrels and chipmunks. Blow the little ones all to hell, but it's accurate and easy to shoot. I've heard of people shooting out to 400 yards with them, but I don't know that I've killed anything past 175 yards personally.