What is 17 HMR for?

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Potashminer

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I recently took delivery of a Savage 93 in 17 HMR - I never owned that caliber previously - awaiting on some ammo from Cabela's. Looking at ballistics, reading Internet forums - would like to hear some thoughts what is it for? I have several decent rifles for 22 Long Rifle and for 22 Magnum. I presume there was a "reason" for the 17 HMR - at the moment, I am not certain when I would grab it over the 22 Long Rifle or the 22 Magnum? What would I be doing if the 17 HMR was the best choice?

Maybe goes to selection of an appropriate scope? Muzzle velocity seems rated sort of 2,500 fps plus with the 17 grain bullets - is not really impressive compared to my 22-250 with 52 grain bullets, if velocity is the thing - not likely much compared to 168 grain 308 if 600 yard targets is a thing. So what is the 17 HMR best for?
 
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I use mine for lots of stuff. Gophers are more reactive to a 17hmr than a 22. It’s a good one to carry when 100y plus is the norm, I use mine for rimfire grouse and phesant etc head/neck shots only are a cinch out to 125-150 on a calm day, nice for walking down trails. Dropped quite a few sub 100 y coyote, few raccoons. Wicked beaver round, awesome for crows and other smart birds…. My favourite rabbit gun is my Stevens favourite single shot.. 100-200y rabbits. Head in close and not too messy after 150y on body.

If you don’t reload, it’s the most effective 50 cent round out there but was much better when .25-.35 cent was the norm.

Everyone needs one.
 
Gophers for me out to 200 yards, used to use my .223 past 100 yards, now it is just my Savage .17 HMR for the most part. Using a .22 was okay .17s are pure rodent gutters, I have a few pics but they are nasty!

This is my zeroing based on a gopher size.


My new fav field gun.


 
I keep wanting to buy one of those savages they look sweet with the short barrel but every time I go to click buy I keep thinking what does this actually do that my 223 can't do better ? And then I don't get one.
 
Thought the same, less bark, less recoil with the .17, as a .223 I find is overkill on rodents under 300 yards, my daughter loves shooting the .17 over the .223 as well.

Ammo is around .35 to .50 a shot for the .17, .223 seems to be around .70 to 1.20 a round.
 
Myself and my local buddies use the 17hmr as the primary gopher round. 22lr doesn't do enough damage to them. Everything bigger is more expensive when you compare ballistic tip ammo (and cheap bulk ammo like 223 FMJ doesn't work on gophers).

I also run a 223 with handloaded cheap varmint bullets (speer 50-55gr hollow points, hornady soft point). Cost per round is similar. Effect downrange is better with the 223. But 223 also have more recoil, more noise, heavier gun, and lots of time in reloading per shot, plus picking up brass.

22mag and 17hm2 are the only comparables to 17hmr. I haven't seen a 22mag in person to know if the slower velocity is a deal breaker for me. I would consider a 17hm2, though I would have to rebarrel a rifle that I want to shoot.
 
It's so devastating on gophers its funny. I see the head and shoulders lauched 6 feet in the air when you shoot a standing one in the torso. I know there was some talk on here about wind affecting the 17hmr more, but I find that at 100 yards, it is much more accurate than 22lr.
 
Thanks for comments so far. I must have shot at many hundreds, perhaps thousands, of gophers in Saskatchewan when I was younger - with a 22 Long Rifle - pretty certain that I had killed the vast majority of them. I tend to grab a 22 Magnum for a racoon or coyote in the yard - never real certain how far a shot might present once I am out there - 5 feet to 150 yards or so. I never thought to take the 17 HMR hunting for grouse or upland game in rimfire season - is sensible idea, for sure, especially if the rifle and ammo are so precise. Makes the scope choice more important. The rifle is a Savage 93R17 with the laminated green Minimalist stock - so 18" barrel - very light weight - 5 pounds 5.3 ounces without scope or ammo. Has the feeding issue that Internet mentions as more or less common for that rifle - to be sorted out once the ammo arrives. It will share magazines with other Savage 93 in 22 Magnum that are here.
 
Potashminer said:
I recently took delivery of a Savage 93 in 17 HMR - I never owned that caliber previously - awaiting on some ammo from Cabela's. Looking at ballistics, reading Internet forums - would like to hear some thoughts what is it for? I have several decent rifles for 22 Long Rifle and for 22 Magnum. I presume there was a "reason" for the 17 HMR - at the moment, I am not certain when I would grab it over the 22 Long Rifle or the 22 Magnum? What would I be doing if the 17 HMR was the best choice?

Maybe goes to selection of an appropriate scope? Muzzle velocity seems rated sort of 2,500 fps plus with the 17 grain bullets - is not really impressive compared to my 22-250 with 53 grain bullets, if velocity is the thing - not likely much compared to 168 grain 308 if 600 yard targets is a thing. So what is the 17 HMR best for?
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Isn't figuring out what it's for and what you're going to do with it something you do before buying it?

Anyways, carry on....
 
jiffx2781 said:
Isn't figuring out what it's for and what you're going to do with it something you do before buying it?

Anyways, carry on....
Click to expand...

Actually, I have multiple rifles and cartridges here that I am not sure how they are different than others that I already have - but I have no personal experience with them - is about learning, for myself, what they do better, what they do less well than others. I am at a stage in life that I tend to rely more on my own experiences, than most posts on Internet - although I do look forward to reading about other's experiences to steer me towards what might work better, with the ones that I have here.

Would be pretty "boring" with a 30-06 bolt action and a K4 Weaver or M8-4x Leupold scope, a bolt action Cooey 22 Long Rifle and a Cooey single shot 12 gauge - would accomplish anything that needs doing - short of keeping marketers happy, I guess.

So like 7.5" twist 223 Rem versus 12" twist 22-250. 8.5" twist 7x57 versus 12" twist 7x57. 270 Win versus 7x61 Sharpe and Hart. 7 mm Woodleigh Weldcore versus 7 mm Nosler Partition of the same weight. 22" 30-06 versus 22" 308 Win. 7.65 Argentine versus 308 Win. 7.62 NATO versus 30-06 versus 308 Norma Mag versus 300 Win Mag versus 300 Weatherby Mag. And so on. Many times I have discovered that I can not reproduce "common knowledge" or multiple things posted on Internet - with my stuff here.
 
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For small prey the 17 turns things inside out although the flat trajectory makes head shots relatively easy. On larger game it’s good for killing critters that you really don’t care if you recover. Like a mangy coyote. It’s going to die if hit but not necessarily DRT.
 
Potashminer said:
Actually, I have multiple rifles and cartridges here that I am not sure how they are different than others that I already have - but I have no personal experience with them - is about learning, for myself, what they do better, what they do less well than others. I am at a stage in life that I tend to rely more on my own experiences, than most posts on Internet - although I do look forward to reading about other's experiences to steer me towards what might work better, with the ones that I have here.

Would be pretty "boring" with a 30-06 bolt action and a K4 Weaver or M8-4x Leupold scope, a bolt action Cooey 22 Long Rifle and a Cooey single shot 12 gauge - would accomplish anything that needs doing - short of keeping marketers happy, I guess.

So like 7.5" twist 223 Rem versus 12" twist 22-250. 8.5" twist 7x57 versus 12" twist 7x57. 270 Win versus 7x61 Sharpe and Hart. 7 mm Woodleigh Weldcore versus 7 mm Nosler Partition of the same weight. 22" 30-06 versus 22" 308 Win. 7.65 Argentine versus 308 Win. 7.62 NATO versus 30-06 versus 308 Norma Mag versus 300 Win Mag versus 300 Weatherby Mag. And so on. Many times I have discovered that I can not reproduce "common knowledge" or multiple things posted on Internet - with my stuff here.
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Fair enough.

And now I guess I owe you a real answer... I use the 17 hmr for fox. It's very fur friendly, tiny entry hole and rarely an exit. 100 yards, maybe a bit more if you have a good shot and you have a dead fox that doesn't run or need the hide stitched up.
 
My buddy shot at a Coyote from 80 yards. After he shot it spun around a bunch of times and dropped dead. He could not find a hole just a line on the top of the skull?????

So he leaves it out for the winter, spring time he looks at it again sure enough hydro static shock killed it as there was a groove on the top of the skull, a .22 would never do that.
 
randyhub - you do realize that you are describing one kill - presumably one shot - so that is a different effect than a 30 grain 22 Magnum? Or many other cartidges? I personally like Post #16, above yours - a realistic scenario about saving for pelts - which I understand - foxes are actually amazing fragile things - but I have not done the pelt thing for years.
 
Potashminer said:
I must have shot at many hundreds, perhaps thousands, of gophers in Saskatchewan when I was younger - with a 22 Long Rifle - pretty certain that I had killed the vast majority of them.
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I bolded the key difference between a 22lr and a 17hmr. With a 17hmr, you know if you hit it or missed it because it is a major impact.
 
Potashminer said:
randyhub - you do realize that you are describing one kill - presumably one shot - so that is a different effect than a 30 grain 22 Magnum? Or many other cartidges? I personally like Post #16, above yours - a realistic scenario about saving for pelts - which I understand - foxes are actually amazing fragile things - but I have not done the pelt thing for years.
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I just shoot gophers, flat flying and your know when you hit them, no mistaking a red mist. :)

We watch Red Foxes hunt voles in the snow, quite amazing, and they are very skilled with gophers. Amazing how they teach their young ones to hunt. :)
 
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