FMJ .17

[wormbobskey]

Does anyone know if there is a FMJ .17 yet? I would feel better about trying my .17 on coyotes if I knew I was getting into the vitals before the bullet shattered. Thanks, Worm.

[S.S.]

Not yet, But I think a soft point is in the works.

[wormbobskey]

I'm using those hornady ballistic tips right now, but to be honest I haven't had a coyote in my sights since I changed scopes. I still think a FMJ bullet would really be a winner for those close coyote (100/150 yds.) shots. Worm

[Lawdog]

worm,

I am sorry but I don't understand why you would want to do such a thing.  The wound channel on a FMJ .17 bullet would be so small as to leave darn little margin of error on bullet placement.  The bullet deflects for anything so if you nick a rib the bullet may end up in a leg or worse even yet the stomach instead of the heart/lungs thus leaving wounded animals.  The .17 HMR was not made for animals much over 10 pounds.  Just because it could/can be done doesn't mean you should try it.  All I see is a lot of needless pain and suffering trying a stunt like this.  Lawdog

[S.S.]

A FMJ projectile really would not be a good hunting choice
because of no expansion whatsoever.
The projectile would probably tumble end over end
on impact but I have never tested a FMJ in that small
of a caliber to see.
My choice is still the CCI hollowpoints. These seem to be
quite effective on everything I have shot so far.
I am actually beginning to prefer my .17 to my .22 Mag.
simply because of the accuracy of this "Little Round".
I have been in several debates in the local gun-shop
about how effective this round really is, and I normally
find that those who don't like it have actually never really
hunted with one.
I am hearing rumors that it may be legal to hunt Turkey with
this year in my state, We will see how it does on them if it is legal.
It should be really good with head shots.

[wormbobskey]

Lawdog, I'm not out to try and wound animals or make them suffer. The only reason I even asked was because of some of the stories I've heard of bullets like the ballistic tip fragementing on impact. I was only looking for an alterative to the ballistic tip, for better penetration and increased killing efficenancy. I figured the FMJ would enter through bone and heavy mucsale better than a hollow point or ballistic tip. Maybe the reasons you stated are why they have not come out with a FMJ round for the .17. Thanks for the information, Worm.

[John Traveler]

In the .22 Winchester Rimfire Magnum the FMJ bullets are notoriously poor stoppers on jackrabbit-sized critters.

THE FMJ was designed to minimalize flesh damage on edible game.

Sure, ANY bullet can kill, but the question is will it kill cleanly?

[wormbobskey]

Speaking strictly of headshots, wouldn't that FMJ bullet perform well? My rifle will shoot 3/4 inch groups at 100 yards so I am confident I could hit it in the head at that range. Worm

[Rusty R.]

I am not sure about what a .172 call FMJ would do in the explosion aspect. Due to its high velocities I would assume that it would do something like a .223 FMJ which, depending on what brand of FMJ you are shooting, fragments to a large extent. But I still wouldn’t trust it to do the kind of damage that would be able to put down a coyote. If you want to use a HMR then I would say go with the CCI Hollow Points.

[S.S.]

I think the .17 HMR is getting a lot of un-due
bad publicity. The .17 Remington did too.
(It is an excellent round by the way)
The Centerfire .17 Rem pushes a projectile
of just a few grains more than the .17 HMR
to a Velocity of 4080 FPS. I have Bi-sected
some of the .17 Rem Projectiles and found that the
jacket is no thicker than the HMR projectile.
Which should mean that the .17 Rem should
be much more explosive on impact than the .17 HMR
due to the substantial increase in velocity.
That being said, is the .17 Rem. No good for Coyote
either due to lack of penetration?
 
Yes, the .17 Rem. is GREAT for Coyote inside of about
150 yards. Yes it is very Explosive on impact, and
yes it will really tear up the Vitals in it's path.
In the hands of a proficient marksman, The .17 HMR
is an excellent round too.