Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Small Game .17 HM2 - Squirrel Poison

Awhile back I decided I "needed" a .17 HM2. By the time I'd come to that revelation, the cartridge had all but died and only Savage chambered it in commercial rifles. I wanted either a CZ or a Remington 504. As luck would have it, a CZ with almost 40 boxes of ammo popped up in our local Trader paper so I snagged it. I was impressed with its accuracy on paper and managed to shoot a few squirrels with it last season at normal ".22 ranges."

This past Saturday, I threw it into the truck along with my deer gear. Deer movement had all but ceased this late in the season but squirrels have been tearing up the corn so for the afternoon hunt I carried the CZ into the deer stand along with my .303 Savage. I told the other guys that if the squirrels were active, I was going to shoot squirrels. I got into the box stand and there was already a bushytail at the corn pile 90-100 yards away. I put the hairs on his head, fully expecting the bullet to impact lower into the neck or body but when I fired, he rolled off the long without a twitch. I walked down to get him and he was drilled exactly where I was holding. Within the hour, two more suffered the same fate and then, despite the noise, two does walked out right at dark and one of them met her demise at the hands of a 190 gr Silvertip from the .303. Pretty good afternoon! But I forgot my camera.

I went back to the same stand yesterday, the last day of deer season, and this time remembered the camera. No deer showed up, but three more squirrels went to the big pecan grove in the sky with three more head shots, just like their kin had a few days before.

I have several squirrel guns that I enjoy using, but I am now a stone cold believer that the .17 Mach II is the finest squirrel cartridge on the planet. I've never attempted head shots that far before with a .22, even my CZ .22 Magnum. It was just plain easy with the Mach II. It's a shame that it all but dead now...



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When I first heard of that cartridge I figured it would be the ultimate for squirrels...but you squirrel hunters back east didn't buy enough of them to keep it alive!

it's good for more than squirrels.....

Love it Hunt's!

I wondered why 'Pumpkin' didn't come home that night....

Kitty chili..

Hey Don,

That's my cat !

Where did you find her ?

I'm with you on this point! I think that the 17HM2 is a niche cartridge, with small game and predators under 10 lbs. out to 100+/- yards being its domain. I have, mostly, shot Eley and Eley-made Remington 17HM2 and have felt that it was made, quality wise, equal to the middle grade Eley .22 LR ammo, IOW, really accurate.

[bleep] YOU HUNTSMAN KAWI.

Damn you SCGunNut. Now I am feeling the itch to find one of those .17's for myself!

Well you chapped me on this. I,am not wrong but will stand back,and am sorry Huntsmen I made it my own. Kawi