223.?

If you are looking for us to help you justify buying another gun, then no, you don't have it covered. You obviously need a 223 to fill that huge void.
On a practical standpoint the 17HMR you have will annihilate gophers and punch paper all day, the 243 will punch paper and wreck coyotes. It will also do the job on goats, sheep and deer. pretty good combo in my books.
If you really wanted another gun then I would move up the spectrum to something in the 7mm cal.
 
I have a 223 and a 243 and have fleeting considered the 17hmr. So no you likely do not have it covered. :D

Everyone should have a 223 and a 308. Yes everyone. :)
 
Here in New Brunswick the .243 would not be permitted for coyote....and the .17hmr are a bit light for coyote and not reloader friendly. So around these parts you need a varmint gun that starts witha .22....so here at least one of the 220 swift , 22-250 , .222 and of course the .223 are NEEDED if you wish to have a center fire rifel in the woods after the end of deer season.
 
Thanks for all the input. I want a good bolt action .223. I see it would fit good between the 17 and 243. I want to get into 300-500 yard range and field shooting. Now the fun of choising a new firearm...

Thanks again.
lenny
 
for 300-500 yd shooting, make sure you get a fast rate of twist, 1-8 or 1-9, this allows for the heavier bullets that won't be affected as much by wind drift. A 26" heavy barrel will also be nice. Savage has some nice ones available. If you have a large budget, then browning has the a-bolt target with a 28" barrel and 1-8 twist. It's a nice option, but I've never seen any used and they run over $1500 new
 
I have all three

I own all three of those calibers. The least used of all is the .17 hmr. Ya, it's ok for gophers but the light bullet (17 gr) really travels in the wind, which makes it kind of erratic on longer shots. It WAS great, until I got my .223. Great for coyotes under 300 yards, and with 50 or 40 gr v-max, really adds "action" to gopher plinking.

The .243 is my favorite for the varmints and is my most used in that application. Pretty tough to beat the 75 or 80 gr pills for flat shooting and hard hitting on coyotes greater than 350 yards. With 100 gr pills, is good for deer within 200 yards or so.

Buy a .223, you really will regret the .17 hmr later. :D
 
It depends what you want to do with it. If it is to be a coyote gun then the 243 is the way to go. I changed to 87gr V max bullets and am happy with the results. I have a 222,223 & a couple hornets. the 223 is very light & gets used when calling in close. The 222 punches paper and the hornets are gopher guns. For my deer guns I like something a little more power than the 243. You may need a 45-70 or other fun caliber.
 
All good info again on this page from all. I would have to find a very good .223 to consider selling or trading the CZ 17HMR. I like this gun. I should also point out the other cals I have and I know there is still some other gaps. 17hnr, .22lr x2, .243, .270,.30-06, and .300WSM. thanks for the info on rate of twist and barrle length. I would like another CZ, but will look at others. I am not a Browning fan, I will look at then as well as Savage. I expect to spend 800-1200 to get a shooter. Also I am not in a hurry so that always helps making a better choice.

thanks.
 
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