Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints Terminal Performance notes: 17 Remington

My future son-in law just killed a deer with a .17 HMR ( and Ive known it to be done before...) Brain shot. Not recommended though.

Im with you on the TTSX...make that in a .17 or for the .204 and you could want for nothing else!


Anyway, Im gonna use a 25 gr HP or a Vmax to brain shoot a pig....I just gotta do it....

What? I did not.
FAKE NEWS!

I only killed one deer this year and it was with a .223 Rem.

Sorry..but I showed your picture to BOTH my beautiful daughters, and they BOTH said you're too fugly....

That was just their response to being intimidated by my good rugged looks and ripped bod, let alone my .17 Rem.

I get it.

A few years ago, "someone" I know shot a turkey at about 200 yards with a .17 Hornet, using the 20gr. VMax, and it was like an electrocution, pop, and not even a flop. Not a single ounce of breast meat was injured, no damage whatsoever, and the turkey was running away at the time, and that "someone" just aimed "at the big part".
It was a fat turkey, but again, not a bit of meat was wasted. I can highly recommend the .17 Hornet for turkey, if it's legal there. The little Hornet with the 20s isn't bad for such things.
I haven't seen it used on foxes or coyotes, though I suspect that 3500fps is slow enough to penetrate coyotes if you hit them right in the first place. I think you might nudge the 25HPs a bit faster for better performance, but I think 3500 is about right for the 20s.

I’ve used the 17 rem for a lot of years now, the 25gr Hornady HP is what I’ll stick with for coyotes. Kick them up to 4000+ and you’ll like them better, still fur friendly. I still use IMR 4320 or WW760 in mine.

That said if you shoot enough you’ll still get a coyote that wear it like a champ, pretty rare though unless it’s a really bad shot.

The Vmax 20 or 25 grain is no good on them, I tried,don’t bother! but great for Fox or splat factor on ground squirrels. The old Berger MEF was was even better than the Vmax at that.

Good to know!

Confirms what many others have said. I gave the 25 gr HPs the gas and am headed out later in the week to see if I can call in some 'test media'....

Just checked the Hornady website and they don't list the 25gr HP.

Yeah...I know..but somehow Midway got their hands on a batch of bulk 25 Has from Hornady....go figure.

my 17 Remington shoots around 4,000 fps and works great on gray fox,coyotes but my 17 Rem. blows big holes in red fox every time seems red fox has thin hides i guess. that`s a great picture of all those gray fox !

I just shot my 17 Remington for the first time the other day.

My centerfire 17 experience has been with the 17 Fireball. The 20gr VMax in the Fireball goes about as fast as the 25 gr in 17 Remington. I shot one coyote quartering to me at about 200yds. 17 caliber hole in, no exit. Shot a broadside red fox at about 75 yds. 17 caliber hole in, nickel sized hole on exit.

I have 20 and 25 VMax on my reloading bench which i want to try with CFE223.

As you may have seen, Ive shot a pile of the smaller Gray fox with the .17 Rem and 20 Vmax slowed down to about 3700, rarely exits even the grays...should be the shizz for reds...if I could find one!

I saw the first red I’ve seen around these parts in probably 20 years last week. He was next door to one of my favorite calling spots. Should he come to see what all the squalling is about I may have to give him a 25hp.

I’ve only ever used the 20Vmax on fox and the 25hp on coyotes. I think an experiment may be in order!

Well Kid...I shot half a dozen grays with the 25 HP and it made a mess on all but one shot lengthwise...reds are a tad bigger...but I havent shot one to find out..

Reds are hard to find in coyote country. I've only called two and both were within about 300yds of a farm site. My theory is that the foxes coexist with the farm dogs and hide in the shelterbelts knowing that the coyotes tend to keep away from man.

Now, what I want to do is find a location in Southern Alberta where I have a chance at calling a bobcat. We don't really have "bobcat terrain" that coyotes don't inhabit and we aren't allowed night hunting.

I think your theory on reds is right...I see them in residental areas and on smallish farms, never out in the BIG country with the coyotes.

We're seeing bobcats in Calgary. But Calgary is a long ways from the area that is open for bobcats. The huntable area is east of highway 2 and south of highway 3 until the end of February. So roughly Fort Macleod, east to Saskatchewan and south to Montana. A huge area, but like I said, not many places where a bobcat would be that isn't over run by coyotes. That's not necessarily a bad thing, I'll shoot whatever comes in, but I would like a bobcat.

If you can get access anywhere on the Milk River breaks...that might be a bet for Bobcat in that flat country.
Usually lots of rabbits in those breaks...and you know what that means...

Never used the 25 horn HP but shot maybe 5-6 with 20vmax and it would usually blow a huge shallow hole going in and I never anchored a coyote right there with one. I was wide open throttle with it.... I’d guess 4200+

I hit a few after that with the 25vmax and they all bang flopped. No fur damage. I shot one called bobcat with the 25vmax at probably 30 yards broadside.... I figured it would blow him nearly in two.... but it went in and flew to pieces and never damaged the cat at all. Small sample but that’s been my experience.

Just what I wanted to hear..Ive had good luck on lighter critters with the 20 Vmax but Ive heard what you said about them on coyotes. Im wanting to load and try the 25 Vmax on coyotes and cats....so thanks for the info!