Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints 17 caliber for foxes

I posted this once last week and it disappeared so here it is again.

My son and I want to try a 17 caliber of some flavor for fox hunting. The 17 HMR is certainly NOT it; too many foxes run off into the brush and can't be recovered.

What 17s have anyone had experience with shooting foxes and/or bobcats. I am not worried about coyotes with this rifle. Availability of factory ammo is a plus. No fire-forming is also a plus. Availability of suitable rifles or actions is a big plus. Want to use a bolt gun.

200 yards would be a long shot with this rifle.

i have shot fox and coyotes with a 17 Remington work just fine,also shot a fork horn buck a few years ago ,antelope doe too worked just fine. i like the 204 better.good luck,Pete53

I've never had a problem with the HMR on fox, if you hit them right. Low in the chest, or thru the shoulder.....

I am with huntsman on the HMR being all I need but since you want other I would go 17hornet. Not a lot of choices but only HMR comes with a variety of choices. WSM, HH, FB, or REM limit you on rifles. I would select Ruger 77/17 or CZ 527 American

17 Hornet

This if you are just talking fox.

And coyote, badger, porkypine, skonks and other such....

the 17 Whoregnat is so much more than talking foxes.....

OK...I loaded up my .17 Rem with 20 gr. Vmax going slow at 3650 fps...killed 18 fox with last month in Texas...got ONE exit...soooo, fur friendly, and 18 DRTs...I'm sold....


You will note that is approximately what the .17 Hornet is doing....


This isn't all of them...but you get the picture...so to speak...

Nice catch ingwe!!!!

Just for informational purposes Ingwe. I never saw one exit when started at 4500 either.

17 gr vmax's at 2550 outta the HMR rarely exit either..... some hummerized fur.

Nice!!!

Damn Huntsman, stacking them up with the hummer. I wish we had foxes around here, used to see one occasionally years ago but I haven’t heard of any around in a long time.

The dude abides...

I picked up a Ruger M77-17HMR when they first appeared around 2002 or so? Gun shop in Tucson, Jensens had exactly one, came with a free box of ammunition, which wasn't available at the time, had to wait three weeks before getting any.
I decided to use that little rifle almost exclusively for the first month of my calling season to be able to make an informed opinion of how it performed on predators. I shot 28 coyotes with it that first month, and had 4 run offs. It is definitely a surgeons tool when it comes to coyotes, the least bit sloppy and it doesn't have enough azz to slow them down.
Where it shined was for fox, I found it to be perfect for our gray fox in southeastern Arizona, great little cartridge in my opinion.

Couple questions ...

4500 is gettin' it on. Is that with the 20 grain?

Have you played with the 15.5 grain Hornady lead free yet? I'm curious about it .. nothing to launch 'em from right now. Wonder if they hold together to get inside or blow up on the hair and make a big crater.

What scope do you have on that Remington?

Good to know! I figured they'd stay in a coyote.....I think the grey I shot for the most part are smaller than your red....I dunno..never got a red.

But you have the rifle I want...so be looking over your shoulder!


I'm heading out next week to see if a 25 grain V-Max at 4,000 will stay in a javelina...