What is the 17 hmr good for?

It is possibly the second best gopher round ever invented (the first being the 17 Mach 2). Anything up to coyotes (not the best but as mentioned it does work) is fair game, the guys around here love them for turkey.
For guys that don't reload it might be an alternative to 223?
 
Yeah, that is a bit of a tall claim, but I think it's plausible. I'd have to admit that would be more of a body shot for me at that distance (.17WSM)
 
The 17 hmr is great for learning how wind screws with a good group
It's good for ending small varmints
It's behind the 17 mach 2 for edible game
The hmr is currently priced similar to 223 rem and quieter for plinking

I use my 17 mach 2 for hunting small game. It's the perfect fox cartridge.
 
It's totally achievable for the headshots on grouse. I do from 0-125 ish yard. Using a bipod. Used it for pheasant many times. Killed coyotes, beaver, even had to put down a deer (hit by vehicle, inside of 10 yards) I love mine.
 
I had one, boring accuracy, but ultimately I sold it because there is VERY little it can do, that you can't do with a .22 for much much le$$. the ammo selection was too small, and compared to a .22 it was just not very versatile.
 
My favorite gopher caliber. See gopher kill gopher. More expensive than 22 but more fun. Hit them at 150yards.

Use for target practise as well, have a 22 target with the the 5 hanging small gongs and the top is a reset. Set up at 100m or longer and makes for fun afternoon.
 
jiffx2781 said:
Don't let the little 17 fool you. It's definitely not my first choice for yotes and I would never take it out if I was specifically looking for one but if I'm out with the 17 hmr (for reasons other than yotes) and I have an opportunity I will put one down. My longest shot on a yote with the 17 hmr was 120 yards and he dropped right there (I wouldn't recommend any farther). Broadside shot to the lungs, entrance and no exit. The 17's fragment explosively so you need the opportunity for good shot placement. No frontal chest shots or shoulder shots where you will hit bone. Put the bullet in the right place the first shot and you will have yourself a dead coyote.
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Ill third that. Taken a few yotes with mine out to 150. And the things are so accurate it's not a hard shot to take. Plus for gophers, it's pretty much replaced my 22 for the most part. Not exaggerating ive probably put a 1000 down since I got my savage and my marlin 17hmr. I can hit them out to around 200 yards if the wind ain't crazy.
The last few years the gopher population in SE AB is insane. You can park in on spot and shoot for near an hour. Kill 60-70 drive couple hundred yards, start over.
We had a small field we went in this year, and when we left it looked like a war zone. Dead gophers every 10 feet. Sure is great shooting practice. 17 is a great varmint round.
 
17hmr is a trapline gun for me, haven't used it enough to have much of an opinion yet... I got mine for a song, took a couple grouse and rabbits with it, all head shots. It's a bit more versatile on the line in my opinion just because it gives a bit more range on mid sized critters then the ol 22
 
Love my Marlin XT-17. Wasn't too impressed with the 2-3" groups at 100 yards but realized it was the ammo and not the gun, so I like it a lot more now. Was using CCI A17 and now I'm using Hornady. Brought that down to 1" groups. Tried Winchester, think it was worse than the CCI.

I've usually shoot crows, groundhogs and fox with it. Would not hesitate to shoot a coyote out to 100 yards though. Everything that gets hit with it drops like 4th period French!
 
NL-Hunter said:
Move to an area with seals and once you see the numbers you will quickly change your tune. The entire anti seal movement is based on misleading and false information.
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Agreed, I have relatives on the Rock that wear/shoot out a 270 every summer shooting the buggers, and wait. At the behest of the federal government and the Department of Fisheries no less. Drink the koolaid, nothing for the average citiot to even think about here folks. Instead of making money on the pelts in the spring they are paid to shoot them and leave them to the gulls. Liberals all can sleep well now.
 
NL-Hunter said:
Move to an area with seals and once you see the numbers you will quickly change your tune. The entire anti seal movement is based on misleading and false information.
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That's for sure. Whole seal thing is just plain stupid. Shoot ruffies with my HMR... hit them right where the neck joins the body. If you cant do that from 30 or 40 yards then better spend more time at the range...
 
Whoa, whoa, whoa. There's a seal thing!? I thought it was just clubbing babies that was a thing.

I think a 17 hornady mag is great. Does anybody make a 17/410 over n' under?
 
James1873 said:
Normally I'm just a plain 22 kind of guy for plinking and small game. But I recently traded for a 17 hmr Henry rifle. Then after some research about the 17 hmr it seems to be a niche cartridge. Too fast for grouse and squirrels to have much meat left. And too small for bigger critters like coyotes.

So is the 17 hmr more of a varmint removal cartridge vs hunting?
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17HMR is perfect for grouse. Headshot's out to 100 easy.
 
Purple shoulder said:
Whoa, whoa, whoa. There's a seal thing!? I thought it was just clubbing babies that was a thing.
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It started with a video and pictures of that and evolved to the current "kill the sealhunters and ban the products" hysteria. I think the current number of seals around NL is over 7 million. The anti sealing groups still use images and film from the seventies to promote and raise funds. Paul McCartney and ex travelled to PEI to promote, thinking they were in NL. Seal pups are off limit as they should be. Clubbing is no longer used for the hunt.
 
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