24hourcampfire.com
24hourcampfire.com
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Hop To
#14909861 05/25/20
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 1,184
J
Jevyod Offline OP
Campfire Regular
OP Offline
Campfire Regular
J
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 1,184
So a bit of back story first. Several years ago I went groundhog hunting with a friend. He has a couple 17 fireballs and we used those. I fell in love with them xxx and figured I need one. Of course they no longer made them. So I figured I dont need one and got a 225 Winchester. Worked up a few loads for it, and it shot pretty good, but in the back if my mind I was always comparing it with the fireball. The 225 was too much recoil to spot hits, and was waaaay louder than the 17 fireball (38 grains of powder will do that).
So I am looking at getting rid of my 225 and getting something as close to the fireball as I can. I was looking hard at the hornet. Main use will be groundhogs. I am not sure that the fireball offers enough advantage to put out 2k for one. I know I will give up a little bit of distance, but not sure how much. My friends longest confirmed kill on a groundhog with his fireball and a 20 grn bullet just north of 4k fps was 437 yards. So am thinking a hornet should be good out to 350 or so.
Whatever I get, order of importance to me is 1. Low enough recoil to spot shots. 2. Low noise. 3 flat shooting. Seems tome that tge hornet will fit the bill. Just want I g to make sure I am not overlooking something here. My brother has a 204 ruger,and that noise level is a bit too sharp for my liking.


......the occasional hunter wielding a hopelessly inaccurate rifle, living by the fantastical rule that this cartridge can deliver the goods, regardless of shot placement or rifle accuracy. The correct term for this is minute of ego.
BP-B6

Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,043
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,043
The 17 Hornet will get you 1. Low enough recoil to spot shots. 2. Low noise. 3 flat shooting.

I don't think it will get you to 350 yards on a groundhog. I am not saying you can't hit them that far away with practice, but it would allow for some crawlers. Don't forget the 20 Vartarg and 221 Fireball.

Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 78,300
Campfire Oracle
Offline
Campfire Oracle
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 78,300
Originally Posted by Jevyod
So am thinking a hornet should be good out to 350 or so.
Whatever I get, order of importance to me is 1. Low enough recoil to spot shots. 2. Low noise. 3 flat shooting. Seems tome that tge hornet will fit the bill. Just want I g to make sure I am not overlooking something here. My brother has a 204 ruger,and that noise level is a bit too sharp for my liking.






The Hornet won't get you much at 350 yards...but for your other criteria it should be ideal.


"...the left considers you vermin, and they'll kill you given the chance..." Bristoe
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 1,184
J
Jevyod Offline OP
Campfire Regular
OP Offline
Campfire Regular
J
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 1,184
Ok so 350 may be stretching it. Fair enough. Where would you but the max range for groundhogs?


......the occasional hunter wielding a hopelessly inaccurate rifle, living by the fantastical rule that this cartridge can deliver the goods, regardless of shot placement or rifle accuracy. The correct term for this is minute of ego.
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,043
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,043
I would say you would be perfectly happy to 250 yards with 300 yards being your OMG! shot.

IC B2

Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 78,300
Campfire Oracle
Offline
Campfire Oracle
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 78,300
Originally Posted by Jevyod
Ok so 350 may be stretching it. Fair enough. Where would you but the max range for groundhogs?


barm is right...250 would be a good one....20-0 yards without wind is a slam dunk on something the size of a groundhog.


"...the left considers you vermin, and they'll kill you given the chance..." Bristoe
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 22,844
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 22,844
Should I have OMG!'d this coyote at 400 yards?.....

[Linked Image from i26.photobucket.com]

Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 18,699
1
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
1
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 18,699
Originally Posted by huntsman22
Should I have OMG!'d this coyote at 400 yards?.....

[Linked Image from i26.photobucket.com]

Nope.

Yes at 405 yards!!


The last time that bear ate a lawyer he had the runs for 33 days!
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,043
Campfire Tracker
Offline
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,043
Originally Posted by huntsman22
Should I have OMG!'d this coyote at 400 yards?.....

[Linked Image from i26.photobucket.com]

I hope you bought a lottery ticket laugh

Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 1,184
J
Jevyod Offline OP
Campfire Regular
OP Offline
Campfire Regular
J
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 1,184
Originally Posted by huntsman22
Should I have OMG!'d this coyote at 400 yards?.....

[Linked Image from i26.photobucket.com]

Whoa! All of a sudden a groundhog looks easy at 400!! Was that with factory ammo? And if so, what bullet and where did you hit the yote?


......the occasional hunter wielding a hopelessly inaccurate rifle, living by the fantastical rule that this cartridge can deliver the goods, regardless of shot placement or rifle accuracy. The correct term for this is minute of ego.
IC B3

Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 22,844
Campfire Ranger
Offline
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 22,844
20 gr vmax, hail-mary'd to the lungs.....

Joined: May 2011
Posts: 56,115
Campfire Kahuna
Offline
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 56,115
The best thing about the 17 hornet is the mild report. There are situations where it makes the hunting much better than it would be with a louder rifle cartridge.


_______________________________________________________
An 8 dollar driveway boy living in a T-111 shack

LOL
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 2,332
M
Campfire Regular
Offline
Campfire Regular
M
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 2,332
Look up The Woodchuck Den and Small Caliber News. I'm not sure if they are still around but you should be able to find Tod Kindler (I think that's his name) work with 17s. He was a huge fan and a great resource. I also think he had 25gr 17 cal bullets he sold.


“Lighten up Francis”
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,669
K
Campfire Tracker
Online Content
Campfire Tracker
K
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,669
I shoot most of the rounds that were mentioned above. The 221 being my favorite, also the 17rem and the 17hornet. I’ve shot woodchucks with each of them. I don’t shoot past 300yards, mainly because our geography doesn’t allow it. Most of my shots are well inside of 250 and most inside of 100. I can tell you that from the mid section down, a woodchuck will crawl off to his hole and die more often than not. So unless you can hit them in the head/neck area, I don’t see the 17hornet producing a DRT on a woodchuck at ranges exceeding 300yds..........If it were me Id keep my ranges a bit shorter like others have mentioned.


Enough coyotes have been shot with the 17remington with less than satisfactory results at 300+ for me to ever want to use the hornet at that distance; considering a hornet is doing 400fps slower with 5gn less bullet,

but as H22 posted above it’s capable I suppose .

Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 78,300
Campfire Oracle
Offline
Campfire Oracle
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 78,300
Originally Posted by huntsman22
Should I have OMG!'d this coyote at 400 yards?.....

[Linked Image from i26.photobucket.com]



Y'all need to remember, Don invented stunt shooting. Myself and a few others are merely trying to emulate him.


"...the left considers you vermin, and they'll kill you given the chance..." Bristoe
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 164
R
Campfire Member
Offline
Campfire Member
R
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 164
Been there, done that. No way would I ever again hunt our big bean-fed Eastern groundhogs on a regular basis with a .17 Hornet. If you took potshots at one here at 350 yards I swear they’d laugh at you. Good for small, colony varmints but I found a good ol’ .22 Hornet kills ‘hogs better, and the only reason I own any Hornet is because of the (relatively) mild report for use around developed areas (will admit to seriously considering a .19 Calhoon Hornet, though.)
If noise isn’t an issue, something with more case capacity like the .221 Remington Fireball and either of its variations (.20 VarTarg, .17 Fireball) will smoke any Hornet. There are used .17 FBs out there; one could order a Cooper, Shaw etc. or easily convert a CZ 527 or Remington .221. FWIW, I own a Cooper and a Remington LVSF chambered in .221 Fireball and really can’t make a case for modifying that chambering: 40 grain ballistic tips out of them will make Jello out of woodchuck guts out to 250 yard or so; if I need more I’ll bring a .204 Ruger or something bigger.

Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 12,491
R
Campfire Outfitter
Offline
Campfire Outfitter
R
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 12,491
The Hornady factory 20gr. VMax load is awfully hard to beat with handloads, at least in my 527 American CZ rifle. I pretty much gave up trying to beat it, and just bought a couple of cases of the stuff. I consider it to be maxed out at 250-300 yards. I have other rifles for longer shots, but I strongly prefer closer ranges. If I can possibly sneak up on stuff. I try to do that instead of stretching barrels.

You can't do that out where Don lives, but in Kentucky, there's usually a way.


You can roll a turd in peanuts, dip it in chocolate, and it still ain't no damn Baby Ruth.
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 241
J
jdb Online Content
Campfire Member
Online Content
Campfire Member
J
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 241
I haven’t shot my past 125 or so but man do I love it!

Joined: May 2009
Posts: 17,212
Campfire Ranger
Online Content
Campfire Ranger
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 17,212
Awesome round. And yes get the cz


https://thehandloadinglog.wordpress.com
μολὼν λαβέ

"Weatherby was too long so I nicknamed it "Bee""

Moderated by  RickBin 

Link Copied to Clipboard
YB23

Who's Online Now
471 members (1Longbow, 160user, 300jimmy, 10ring1, 1lesfox, 257 mag, 45 invisible), 2,168 guests, and 997 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Forum Statistics
Forums81
Topics1,187,596
Posts18,398,160
Members73,815
Most Online11,491
Jul 7th, 2023


 







Fish & Game Departments | Solunar Tables | Mission Statement | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA
Hunting | Fishing | Camping | Backpacking | Reloading | Campfire Forums | Gear Shop
Copyright © 2000-2024 24hourcampfire.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5
(Release build 20201027)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.3.33 Page Time: 0.143s Queries: 14 (0.002s) Memory: 0.8794 MB (Peak: 1.0119 MB) Data Comp: Zlib Server Time: 2024-03-28 12:09:26 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS