17hmr what is it good for?

C

cdn1canhunt

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Not trying to start a fight just wanted some other opinions as to the "usefullness" of this rimfire round. It really seems to have to much power to not totally destroy a rabbit or a squirrel. Yet it really doesn't have the power to be a long range prarrie dog killer or a good predator round.

The .22 rimfire seems to have the small game covered, it wont totally destroy rabbits etc.. and is cheaper to shoot. The .22 wmr has more power to kill things like skunks, porcupines and the occasional fox on the farm.

Soo for a utillitarian purpose why would you buy a 17HMR? I am sure it fun to plink with but is that all it is good for?

I thought this might make for a good discussion in the middle of the January
blahs.

Cdn1
 
If you have a quarry where accuracy is a big issue, but you cannot get within 80 yards of the game - then .17 rocks. I hunt turkey, which is legal with rimfire. You can snipe them from 100 yards out. It still has a lot of punch at one hundred yards to a turkey's head/heart.

LH
 
The 17 HMR is faster than a .22LR, and it's a gopher splitter. However, the applications are limited past that point. It's like the smartest kid with Down's Syndrome, it's still just a rimfire.
 
I don't own a 17 HMR, but I think they would be a lot of fun for gopher pest control, despite the higher cost of ammo over a 22 LR. Who needs a reason other than "I want one" to own a firearm? Variety is the spice of life... a guy could live a lifetime of hunting with a .22 LR, 30-06, and a 12 guage shotgun. That would be boring though! :D
 
They are great fun I shoot all kinds of pests with them, beaver, squirls, coons, rats, even took a few yotes at close range.

As mentioned they are not a practical long range varmint round but 80 yards in look out!
 
Varmints.

Us target shooters aren't worried about dialing in, or flat trajectory at uknown ranges.
If you're a plinker, use the parent cartridge, the .22 magnum instead. It's straight walled and much more efficient, and cheaper, of course.

This is probably the first generation in the history of Canadian firearms ownership that target shooters have outnumbered hunters, and alot of the new rounds are still developed by old men for hunters first and foremost. Even though I'm strictly a target shooter, I'm ok with that. It is kinda bizarre that guns are becoming toys first and tools second. The guy who did my RPAL course commented on it. He's a real old geezer who's been doing the courses since the 60's way, way, before they were mandatory and he said that when he first started almost all safety courses were for hunting, and now more and more often he hears more and more of the class say, "I'm just here for target shooting". He says he still remembers the first time he heard that, it was in the 70's and he looked at the guy like he was a space alien, but he hears it all the time now.

And that's up here in Thunder Bay, imagine how it is in Toronto!
 
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Been a few threads on the 17HMR, but will pput in my 2 cents again. Bought a Ruger 77/17 last winter and put in excess of 500 rounds through it in the neighbours pastures, accounting for 300+ kills. Found it to be quite accurate but very disapointing in the terminal effects catagory further than 100 yds. I tried the vmax and hollow points, Vmax was more accurate, hollow points did more damage at short ranges but found both not having enough energy to do much damage past 100 yds, had numerous gophers getting back to the hole after a solid shot. Managed to pop a couple more than once and found very little damage which I attribute to the 17gr bullet not having enough energy to expand at these ranges. Sold the 17 and bought a 204, 26gr varmint grenades at 4150fps are getting the results I am looking for.
 
I agree they are fun to plink away with, I have shot goghers out to 150+ yard with ease on a calm day. They are also great for a youngster that is not quite ready for a center fire, but the price of ammo is getting high. I do think they have their limits though and I am sure this will cause a HUGE argument, alot of guys do use them for yotes but I would think a 100 yard shot would be the max you would want to chance. I have never shot one with mine so I maybe should not make that comment but that is my opinion. The wind does play with them a bit and I live in Sask. and it seems like we have wind every day.They are more than accurate enough to make a 100 yard head shot so if it was possible I think they would work? I see they now have a FMJ round for them as well.
 
I agree that the .17HMR would be fun to shoot, I just can't see any praticallity to the round that the .22lr or .22wmr does not already cover for
a lower price tag. As I said in my first post it seems to have a niche at the farm to wreck a pesky critters day. But wouldn't the .22wmr do that a little
better? I just think that this round is traped in a no win situation. Too powerful for a bunny or squirrel hunt but not quite enough to keep a coyote
out of the henhouse. It seems to me that other than a fun round to shoot
at oranges with, it really isn't good for anything else. As for a predator tool
I refuse to open that can o worms, we all know by now .204 or bigger or
go home. Unless the target shooters can keep it alive I see a obsolete
rimfire round in the future. Cdn1
 
You might be right, with the price of the ammo now you can just about hand load for the .204 or .223 for the same price. If the ammo price would go back down to $10 or $12 a box it should be around for awhile.
 
Cummins4x4 said:
Been a few threads on the 17HMR, but will pput in my 2 cents again. Bought a Ruger 77/17 last winter and put in excess of 500 rounds through it in the neighbours pastures, accounting for 300+ kills. Found it to be quite accurate but very disapointing in the terminal effects catagory further than 100 yds. I tried the vmax and hollow points, Vmax was more accurate, hollow points did more damage at short ranges but found both not having enough energy to do much damage past 100 yds, had numerous gophers getting back to the hole after a solid shot. Managed to pop a couple more than once and found very little damage which I attribute to the 17gr bullet not having enough energy to expand at these ranges. Sold the 17 and bought a 204, 26gr varmint grenades at 4150fps are getting the results I am looking for.
Click to expand...

Same experience, accurate, fun, just meek. Going to .17 Ackley Hornet personally for the same job.
 
Woodsman said:
How does it compare to CCI Stingers out of a .22?
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Kicks their butt, hard. Much more accurate (make that a ton more accurate), and more effective at the same ranges as the stinger, longer reach. It just dwindles fast when compared to centerfire varmint rounds. The only .22 round I'd even compare it to honestly, is the velocitor, which it still outshoots and outreaches, but that's a fairer comparison.
 
I really thought when this round came out that it would have been the ultimate predator round. I expected big things but after reading a few articles and a few thousand forum posts on different sites it appears to have failed to pass the test. Too bad I would love to tote a light weight, quiet rimfire through a foot of snow any day over a heavier centerfire. The .204 seems to be what the .17hmr wanted to be. Yet it is still a centerfire. I guess unless you are a farmer or target shooter that likes to kill fruit, there really isn't a reason to buy a .17hmr.
Besides my ruger 10/22 kills grapes at 100yrds not quite as fast as the .17but just as good. cdn1
 
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