pics/ stories of predators taken with .17HMR?

[Joe S.]

i am wanting to thin out our packs here. i have a friend with a Savage .17HMR that will be up for sale soon and i am thinking about buying it for that purpose. longest shot will be 120-150 yards. i have heard that crosswinds effect accuracy a good bit due to the light bullet, but i typically try not to hunt when it is windy, as it blows my scent around...

i have read online that it is an effective predator round and my friend has hunted with it before. just wondering about you guys. any success stories?

[drdougrx]

Took a coyote with a 17HMR, a ruger.  Not a good coyote round, but, it's what I had at the time.  Sorry...no more story than that...seems I was in a 2 piece suit and wingtips..... and....  Don't have any pics though.....

[Joe S.]

What, in your opinion, is a good coyote round? And why is the 17 not a good one, in your opinion?

Thanks

[woodchukhntr]

I've got a .17 HMR which I would not hesitate to use on coyotes if I had it and a shot presented itself, but I wouldn't use it specifically for that use, especially since I have other rifles that are more suitable.  It is very accurate and the wind is not a big factor in my estimation, but brush is.  The .17 HMR is really great on woodchucks and other small animals that you are not planning to eat unless you are able to limit your shots to head shots.

I would consider the .22 mag. a minimum, and then only for under 100 yd. and for good clear shots only.  In fact, I have a Savage 24 in .22 mag./20 ga. that I have used for that purpose.  I am currently using a Savage 24V in .30-30/20 ga. since the heavier bullet is more suitable for the brush that I frequently encounter where I hunt.

[Joe S.]

I have a 30/30, but would love a smaller round to dedicate to the coyotes and occasional bobcats. There really aren't any other animals where I live that I would hunt that the 17 would be suitable for...

[dks7895]

I shot a coyote with a .17HMR and never found it.  Perfect shot about 125 yards away, and he spun around and flipped...then took off.  That was the last time I used a rimfire on anything bigger than a rodent.  I now use a .223 with much better results.  I dropped a 40lbs. bobcat in its tracks at 50 yards.  Your 30/30 will work fine, but you are limited to about 150 yards...it's not the flattest shooting round.  A lot of folks prefer the 22-250, but other popular calibers are .204, .223, .243, .25-06

[highwayman]

a double lung hit on a bobcat at 40yds. found blood but no bobcat. a week later  shot a yote at 57yds. took 1 more shot to finish him off. this is with a 22mag. that has a bigger bullet then a 17 hmr. get a 223 like i did and be very happy with it.

[drdougrx]

Hi All,

Joe S...you asked what I think is a good yote round and why I think a 17rimfire not a good yote round..OK...fair challenge...I think almost any centerfire, 22-25cal round is a better yote round than a 17rimfire primarily due to better bullet construction than in the rimfire.  I think a 17rimfire is too lite for coyote, I don't think a 17gr bullet has the penetration needed...that's my opinion. My story is actually the same as dks and highwayman.  I think a 17 centerfire may be better, solely based on better bullet construction, but that's a guess as I don't have one.

I shot a ton of 17hmrs, I mean thousands...I love this round...I don't know why.  My current favorite, it's my 2nd 17rim, is a Savage 93R17 BV with a 4x16 Weaver Classic V scope.  A sweet setup!  And yes, a strong crosswind does effect groups.

I hope I've explained myself to your satisfaction.

[Dee]

Back in the 70s when I thought the 22-250 was king of the coyote guns a friend of mine whom is a very good shot came across a 17 Remington. He used on coyotes and coons for about 2 weeks and traded it for a 220 Swift. He could not bring himself to lose any more wounded animals.
I consider the 17 rimfire a rodent gun, but anything that totally dependent on expansion and hydra-static shock in a minimum sized bullet is novelty in my opinion. Wanna hunt coyotes get a coyote gun.JMO

P.S. I have long since settled on the 223.


                                           BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WAS RIGHT!

[Yak Angler]

What everyone else said,  the .17 hmr just isn't enough gun. sure it will kill any coyote you shoot with it, just not the way you want to kill one if you know what i mean. If a close shot presented itself inside of 50 yards when im out walking the woods with my .17 for racoons and squirrels and i had a clear head shot i would probably take the shot with my .17hmr because that would provide a clean kill IMHO. But when i go out to specifically target yotes I use my .270 win but any other centerfire rifle catridge is more then enough to 200 yards and most like the .270 are good for much further distances.

[Joe S.]

wow, thanks a lot for the input guys! drdougrx, i picked on you cause you replied first, but that is exactly what i was asking for... thank you!

i will stick with my 30/30 or 44 mag for now until i can come up with a better option...

may still get the 17hmr tho, just cause.

[drdougrx]

I'ma big boy...Dee picks on me pretty good from time to time...buy the 17...you'll love it!

[Dee]

I'ma big boy...Dee picks on me pretty good from time to time...buy the 17...you'll love it!

I ain't pickin on ya dr. I don't think I even read all your post. I just gave my opinion. You know I'm a crotchety old fart any way.

[securitysix]

If you want something quiet and your shots will all be under 200 yards, a .22 Hornet or .22 K-Hornet would be a good choice.  If you don't care about noise, a .223 Remington or a .22-250 will give you a little more reach, just in case you find yourself needing it.

[7mm08is1kill'nmachine]

i dont know much about the 17hmr but if i shoot a coyote or bobcat in the heart or lungs with my 22 mag out to 100 yards it aint going anywheres    maybe just a little ways to die but i will find it    to many deer been shot in the shoulder and killed for me to believe that a bobcat or coyote can stand that
22mag is the best all around gun   if shot placement is right i could bring down any game in north america

[Catfish]

Joe, if your not to worried about holes, try some of the Speer 110 gr. FNHP in your .30-30. With those bullets the .30-30 will shoot as flat as the .17 HMR, and slam them alot harder. Coyotes here are $5 tops so I don`t worry about holes.

[drdougrx]

Dee...you weren't pick'n on me...but sometimes you do and that's why I likes ya!!!  Smakin me around is good fer me character!!! 

[Sourdough]

The .17HMR just don't have the ability to anchor and kill a coyote.  Yea, I can hit one out to 200 yards easy, but there just is not enough there to anchor one.

Shot a Pit Bull with one last summer, sucker made it over a mile back home before it died.  .17HMR just happened to be the only thing loaded and in reach when he growled at the wife.  First shot right behind the shoulder, second shot just in front of the hind leg as he ran away.

I'd use a .223 or a 22-250.  Personally I prefer the .223 due to availiability of ammo, with some real good bullets. 

[FredWT]

   if shot placement is right i could bring down any game in north america

That statement is probably correct, and if the shot is not just right there is no magin of error at all. I would not want to take that one to the bank! Any of the .22 centerfires make a much better yote round.

Try your .22 Mag on a pissed thick haired Grizz at 89 yards with confidence!

[mrbigtexan]

   if shot placement is right i could bring down any game in north america

Try your .22 Mag on a pissed thick haired Grizz at 89 yards with confidence!

 

[Dee]

The .17HMR just don't have the ability to anchor and kill a coyote.  Yea, I can hit one out to 200 yards easy, but there just is not enough there to anchor one.

Shot a Pit Bull with one last summer, sucker made it over a mile back home before it died.  .17HMR just happened to be the only thing loaded and in reach when he growled at the wife.  First shot right behind the shoulder, second shot just in front of the hind leg as he ran away.

I'd use a .223 or a 22-250.  Personally I prefer the .223 due to availiability of ammo, with some real good bullets. 

Sourdough, the best part of you pit bull story is the damn thing died. You did a little good in this ole world by shootin one.