Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Groundhog rifle

I'm working on permission on a new hunting property, and the owner would like groundhogs removed.

I'm happy to help...although the property is in an area where groundhogs may only be hunted with rimfires of 22 caliber or less.

I had a 17hmr years ago and traded it away.

I'm looking to buy another, but I keep getting this nagging feeling in the back of my head that the 17 WSM would be fun.

I'd like to be able to get 100 yard kills on groundhogs (I'm in PA, so these aren't ground squirrels or the like...they'll be 10-15 lbs in some cases). Being able to produce the body for confirmation of the kill is helpful for showing the owner that ground hogs have died.

I like the concept of a 17 for less potential for ricochet....and 17HMR seems here to stay with ammo around relatively readily. 17 WSM....welllllll....not so sure on that one?

I'm open to input here....what are your thoughts?

I always used .22 LR Hollow Points. Worked great at the chucks at 100+ yds. Had to hold over on some shots though. Cheaper than the .17's!

Hip

I've consistently been underwhelmed by anything I've tried with 22LR.

I could possibly be talked into a 22WMR, but at that point I think the 17HMR is my preference.

I like everything about the 17WSM except what seems to me to be a high likelihood that ammo will dry up. It seems to be somewhay dried up at the moment already.

Never had a problem killing a groundhog at 100 yards with CCI SV/ just shot one today that thought he was going to make it across my field in back of my house/ range finder said 117 yards/ one in the head and he flipped his tail in the air for surrender

I would pick up a Savage 22 magnum and get the best scope you can afford

.17 Hmr, does a great job on groundhogs, .17 WSM wound be great also, but I’d be worried about ammo as well.

When young I killed a bunch of them with a .22lr and hollow points. I usually kept shots to 100 yards max (preferably less) and don't recall any getting away if I made a good hit. I wouldn't have any hesitation of using a .17 HMR to 150 or so.

WMR, probably. Zero to 100 yds.

But if the field of "operation" can be ranged consider .22lr with subsonic segmented HPs. We use the 710 fps version on rats at night and the terminal effect is impressive.

I killed several this week with a .17 HMR. If going with a .17 HMR, I recommend the 20 gr XTP bullets. They stay together like the bigger XTPs and provide better penetration. I've tried the 17 gr VMAX and they good for quick kills on smaller game but have had runners with them on groundhogs. Out to 100 yards, there is no holdover. I usually sight in at 50 yards.

That was my intent.... when I had my 17 before I was planning to use 20gr XTP's for groundhogs. Do you find shoulder hits with those to be quickly/immediately lethal?

I also recall my rifle back then shot the 20gr XTP's the best of any ammo option. I had a Savage 93 sporter version....the one I'm going to get from a friend this time around is also a 93, but a heavy barreled version. It seems most of the Savage 93's I've read about are good shooters and have a preference for that bullet/load.

Is that some sort of local regulation?

I have been sniping at Groundhogs off and on for 45 + years now. I started with 22:R HP Mini Mags and worked my way up to centerfires.

IMHO ,the only surefire placement formula for DRT Groundhogs with a 22LR , 22 Mag or 17HMR is HEADSHOTS. Of the three rounds, the 17HMR makes that the easiest to do in a good rifle.

And such placement makes bullet selection a moot point except for which load is most accurate in your rifle.

If I were getting a new 17HMR right now ,I would either get a CZ 457 American Walnut or a CZ 457 Varmint. If weight were an issue and/or I was going to run suppressed , I would get the 20" 457 synthetic. It is just over 5lbs and accurate as hell. Reliable and well made, too.

Yes. Southeastern Pennsylvania. The county in which the property is located is within PA's "Special Regulations" counties. More populated areas....deer regs are muzzleloader/shotgun/straight wall rounds (very recently added the straight walls) only.

Ground hogs may only be hunted with rimfires of 22 caliber or smaller.


Otherwise, I have a Model 70 Heavy Varmint in 223 I got from the Classifieds here that would be doing the job.

I grabbed a Tikka T1X a while back in .22lr that I’ve been pretty tickled with, that said, I’ve shot a lot of groundhogs in years past and the lr would not be my first rimfire choice.
Brother in law has a Ruger Hawkeye wood/stainless 17WSM. That’d be my fist pick. They’re spendy, but the Savage Bmag sucks. I’d lay in a couple cases of ammo when I found some.
When I was a kid, several whistlepigs met their fate to a Marlin .22Mag and CCI 40 grain hollow points. I’d happily shoot them with the Tikka version and an updated ammo choice.

17 HMR because of the flat trajectory, fragile bullets, and minimal ricochet potential.

'Chucks are about the maximum weight that I feel comfortable with the 17 HMR, but it handles wind better than the .22 Magnum at 100 yards.

Does the land owner want you to take the 'chucks with you or can you just shove them into their burrows to achieve the circle of life thing?

.22 mag. or .17HMR will both keep them from getting down their holes with solid chest shots out to 100 -125 yards. Beyond that with either requires head shots. I've killed thousands of the things with rimfires including .22LR, .22 mag., 5mm Remington Mag. and 17 HMR. The 5mm was the best chuck gun by a good margin.

Haven't got as far as what to do with the carcasses yet. That'll be up to them, although I suspect the standard "recycling" approach will be what they want done.

Drop the carcass back into the hole it came from.

Young of the year chucks are good eating. If you like liver woodchuck liver is the best.

if you are close to a tree line you can toss the carcass and it will probably be gone in a day or two.