need opinions on HMR revolver

[Kal52]

OK, so in ND now we can use the magnum rimfires at night for hunting racoon, About time!

so, I need some advise, firstly how does the hmr perform on coon sized critters at calling range, under 50yds.

Im thinking of the single six hunter, looks nice and a scope would be used, more to hold my light than anything else.

I was debating between the 22mag and the hmr, I have enough 22mags so I figure id get a 17 if its up to it, I know the 22lr will do the trick, but these arent treed they are called and head shots may not be an option, and the 22lr hasnt been the best thus far.

and what would you say the max range would be, (dont figure my shooting ability/lack of, just the cartridge  )

I used to have a taurus 17 way back when, sold it due to it blowing up all my bunny meat, but it was fun

any suggestions would be good

Dave

[44 Man]

If you had a 17 HMR then it would seem you know the answer already.  The 'coon hunting I am familiar with is to tree the coons with dogs then shoot them out of the trees.  The advantage of shooting up into trees with the HMR is that you really do not have to worry about where it comes back down (with in reason) if you miss compared to the .22 mag.  It's been proven in tests that the .22 Mag comes down with enough velocity to still kill, while the .17 only falls at gravity velocity and only being 15 grains would do only minor damage or a little ouchy if it hit your bare arm.  You still must use safe shooting practices, but you don't have to worry about killing your neighbors horse a mile away when shooting at critters in trees.  The down side is that it will blow up on a twig between you and the racoon.  I would not want to use in on any bigger critters than a racoon, but I'm confident it will do the job well on them.  44 Man

[bilmac]

I wanted the 32 cal single six in the worst way and finally got one. When I did I finally took a serious look at the ballistics and was pretty disappointed. Not a lot better than the 32 long. I never did shoot many critters with it, but I have shot a lot with 38 specials. More often than not shooting anything bigger than a rabbit usually ends up being kind of sad. Lots of animals take a long time dying. Even finishing off shots are often not very effective. If I had a 17 or 22 mag I would use those.

 If you are selling fur I would think that most body shots with the 17 wouldn't leave an exit hole. There would probably be an occasional exit and they would probably be kind of nasty. The 32 on the other hand would probably pretty regularly leave two 30 cal holes.

Another thing to consider is the gun. I was lucky to get an old gun that had adjustable sights. What I understand is that the new 32 single sixes have fixed sights. I wouldn't ever buy a gun for hunting that didn't have adjustable sights.

[Old Griz]

Gosh. I feel all bad now. Down heah in the South we gotsum purtty tough coons. For a good clean kill I like a Model 10 with 148-gr .38 wadcutters, and leave the .22s for the tree rats.

[Bigeasy]

Well, I don't own a 17 HMR, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I would be leery.  Out of a handgun length barrel, the 22 mag is reduced to about the same velocities as a 22 lr out of a rifle barrel.  I would expect about the same for a 17.  At least with the 22 mag you have bullet weight for penetration, as coon can get pretty big, and are pretty "dense", a lot like a miniature bear.  When I was younger, and hunted coon at night with dogs, the 22 lr out of a rifle always worked well, without a lot of damage to the hide.  Now I mostly call coyote, and use a 204 rifle.  The few coon I have shot with it were instant kills, with the bullet staying inside, but were talking a lot higher velocities then a handgun length 17.

Larry