Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints Disapointing 17 HMR hit on Squirrel.... is this normal?

I have a burrow under my barn, which conveniently gives me about a 20 yard shot from my little garage door running parallel to the side of the barn. I have shot 2 Ground squirrels last fall with a 22lr, both were able to go back in their hole, but at least I saw some blood trail confirming hits, but I know they expired from them not being seen in the following days... plus a recent find of bones from the new Vermin opening up the hole I closed.


So last week before a vacation I saw a new Squirrel found and opened up the hole, probably from the colonies at the neighbors. I got the new 17 HMR sighted in after the last 22 shootings, and saw a chance to snipe this bugger , before my son finds him...lol

He was sitting tail to the hole, full body side shot. Resting on the doorjamb, this gun is sighted 0.3" low at 25 yds so an easy shot with the 10 oz trigger, 12x scope and a gun that shoots 3/8" 10 shot groups.....

Unfortunately due to the close distance and "inside the garage" noise, I didn't hear a thump.... but was on target, he whirled and slid into his hideout. Looking for a possible miss, the Ground before and beyond is smooth walkway of dirt, wet from rains.... no streak from a low hit, or pass-through, and no blood?

So the absence of this vermin for the last 7 days indicates a good hit and kill..... I thought a 17 rem / 17 ballistic tip bullet ( Fed black tips) would have left me a pleasing pile of semi-hamburger.....


So, is it possible at that distance the bullet stayed in the bugger and left no blood trail? If not, I need to get the 204 out....lol


Allen

I have tried the 17HMR two different times and found it to be indeed an accurate round at greater range than any other rimfire, but lacking sorely in knockdown power for lack of a better word and no 'gore' or similar sign of a big hit like I get with the 22WMR. My experiences, others have a different view I am sure but I am done with 17cal rimfires.

If by "gore" you mean animals literally blown a part as in the hits made by 223.s and 22-250s, then IMHO you are asking to much. Even a 22 magnum will not do that past 100 yards.

Rimfire rounds are not 22-250s. Heck even a .22 Hornet hits literally twice as hard as any 22 magnum load.

They are the "Ultralights" of the Varmint rifle world. They kill but not like an RPG hit them.

This is an exit wound on a Jackrabbit taken at 175 yards from a 17HMR with 17g V max loads.

I shot three jacks down that fence line one right after another within about 2 minutes. They fell like dominoes at 40, 100 at 175 yard respectively.

All were killed with one round on the shoulder or ribs. I do not know what more can be asked of a rimfire rifle round.

Yep! I have to agree, I had a 17HMR and ended up selling it because of the less than expected results from hits with it, and another factor was the high cost of the ammo.

I was mulling over the results of it last year and so I borrowed a friends 17HMR and took it, and a selection of various manufactures ammo, to the gopher fields. I also took along my 22 lr, with a selection of hi-velocity hollow points, I shot them side by side for the day, at the end of the day I had more satisfying hits (massive damage, flips, etc) with the 22 lr than with the 17HMR, and at a much lower cost. The shooting took place from 20 yards out to slightly more than 100.

All told I had shot about 200 rounds of each caliber, this may not have been a scientific or definitive test but it was an eye-opener.

Perhaps the gophers did not have enough body mass to cause the 17HMR to expand or give the expected results all of the time? I don't really know. I am sure that others may have had different results but this was mine.

An anomoly - perhaps. But in a full days shooting I don't think so.

drover

I hit a 13-lined ground squirrel with the 17gr. VMax and cut it in two, literally whacked it in half. It's not quite as impressive on prairie dogs, but it's plenty destructive enough.

I'm thinking you must have got a grazing hit, if you'd hit him square, you should have had to wash off the wall of the barn.

IMHO, the .17 HMR is an unreloadable, high priced ammo'd meaningless caliber. Get a .17 AH and never look back.

Thanks for the input.

For sure his position meant I probably hit him mid section low, ie a paunch shot, but I thoroughly expected a splattering of blood below where he sat. I did suspect the bullet may not pass through, but at that close range thought it may have passed through, which neither seemed to be the case.


I never expected 223 type results, but I did expect more carnage than a 22 lr at that range, which I have done previously. Heck, if a 17 can do a pass through on a rabbit shoulder at 100 yds, my low belly hit should have also passed through and left blood.


There is the possibility I missed high enough I didn't see a bullet streak in the wet dirt, but he still hasn't shown himself, so either he expired or went back to the colony he came from.


Allen

I'm agree Allen. I like to be sure of a one shot quick kill as much as possible.

and the hummer delivers that, even with a paunch hit.....

You might check your math skills.

When you count the cost of your time and components, those 17AH loads cost twice what 17HMR ammo does when bought online @ $100 by the 500 round brick.

The jackrabbits I have shot with it sure do not think the 17HMR a "meaningless" round.

Neither of the hundreds of thousands of shooters who use it.

It's not for everyone. Some folks depend on raw power up make up for poor hits.

Unrecovered animals are proof of nothing- especially shot placement in that individual circumstance..

Naw.. they bounce off.

It's all about HOW they bounce.....

The .17HMR isn't my favoirite rimfire cartrridge but it is VERY DESTRUCTIVE on squirrel sized game with the v-max tipped bullets. If you had one run away you either just grazed it or completely missed.

I have to agree with the above post. After using a .17HMR in Montana on ground squirrels or gophers as the locals refer to them, the .17 is much more destructive than any .22 rimfire, and the closer the range, the greater the damage. IMO, the only way for there not to have been blood (or mangled tissue) at the point of impact from a 20 yard distance is that there was no point of impact. I have to believe you missed. And trust me, I have missed closer shots than that.

BS got rid of my 17AH because it was not worth the trouble when the HMR came out Russ

The gore the .17 HMR delivers is usually on the inside. It's a fairly explosive round, but will not deliver red mist like a centerfire caliber.

IMNSHO this round is without peer for shooting ground squirrels.

The CCI FMJ loads are less destructive and penetrate better. In fact, I've shot several good sized Louisiana feral hogs with this combo. Kills them dead. Of course it won't knock one down like a .308, but dead is dead. Good hog is a dead hog...

Those sorry things are wrapping us up around here. May not be as bad as Texas, yet...

We're working on preventing that.

DF

I've said it before and I'll say it again, if guy is looking for a .223 "lite" the 17 HMR will be a letdown. But if you want a .22 rf on steroids, the HMR is the ticket.

When some kind of small vermin needs to be killed around my place like pigeons, starlings, or shooting hundreds of ground squirrels, the HMR is simply a better tool than the .22 rf. No slam on the .22 rf either because I wouldn't be without one.

Hemiallen: I used my Ruger 77/17 V/T VERY SUCCESSFULLY just yesterday on a "bunch" of Ground Squirrels.
I shot a box of 50 rounds of 17 HMR Hornady V-Max ammo at ranges from 70 to 130 yards and every Squirrel that was hit was killt!
Over the last 7 -8 years I no longer shoot the pricey 17 HMR ammo at Gophers that can be reliably hit with MUCH cheaper ammo (20 yarders).
I have NO idea why your "Squirrel" got away or showed no signs of carnage but I do know that the 17 HMR with the ballistic tip type projectiles is THE most lethal rimfire munition I have ever used on Varmints (from Ermine to Coyotes!) in over 55 years of Hunting!
NONE of the 22 Magnums even comes close to the lethality manifest in the 17 HMR!
My 22 Magnums seldom ever come out of the vaults anymore!
The 17 HMR is so far superior in trajectory and wind bucking ability - and that is topped of by the amazing lethality of the tiny, speedy 17 caliber projectiles!
Easier to hit with (more accurate and having the superior ballistic performance!) and more lethal - no rimfire compares to the performance of the 17 HMR on Varmints!
I am GUESSING that you "winged" the Squirrel and the bullet passed through its edges, angling UP - maybe into the barn where its path was not later evident to you!
I think once you have about 9 years of EXTENSIVE in the field experience/useage of the 17 HMR, like I have, you will have no qualms what so ever about this wonderful rimfire cartridge.
No need to go to the wonderful centerfire (the 204 Ruger) for 20 yard shots.
Make a solid hit with the 17 HMR and your Varmint WILL be dead - most likely DRT.
Long live the wonderful 17 HMR.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I agree100%. 17 AH or 22 AH with v-max will give the results you are looking for.