who shoots 17hmr for predators
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Well far be it from me to try and be the ethics police. Just as with any weapon or type of hunting a man has to know his limitations. This is something that all types of hunters need to obey.
Here's a quote that everyone should listen to....
"The single most important factor in wound lethality is bullet placement. This can not be overstated."
Taken from: The Mechanics of Terminal Ballistics
That being said if the range is close enough and you are good enough to place your shots properly then the 17 HMR can be used effectively.
There's a coyote guy up in Canada that shoots several yotes each year with the 17 HMR. In some places you are restricted to rimfires I myself chose the .22 WMR for these type areas but I haven't yet bought my first 17!LOL! I guess I'm old school I like the range of bullets available in the .22 mag I shoot 30 up to 50 grains.
But if I owned a .17 HMR I'd use it. Just know your limitations!!
~HF~
Here's a quote that everyone should listen to....
"The single most important factor in wound lethality is bullet placement. This can not be overstated."
Taken from: The Mechanics of Terminal Ballistics
That being said if the range is close enough and you are good enough to place your shots properly then the 17 HMR can be used effectively.
There's a coyote guy up in Canada that shoots several yotes each year with the 17 HMR. In some places you are restricted to rimfires I myself chose the .22 WMR for these type areas but I haven't yet bought my first 17!LOL! I guess I'm old school I like the range of bullets available in the .22 mag I shoot 30 up to 50 grains.
But if I owned a .17 HMR I'd use it. Just know your limitations!!
~HF~
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69 Posts
I think the above quote can and most likely in this case be taken out of context. I am sure the author would also state that you must use enough gun to cause the said bullet to create a lethal wound to start with. One fact that cannot be argued is a coyote will not always give you a perfect shot placement opportunity. A small 17 to 20gr bullet at the low velocities of the HMR is going to have to pass thru muscle, fat, bone, etc.. to hit vitals and cause said terminal wound and death. The HMR severely lacks bullet energy at any range. Why would someone field themselves with such limited capabilities when other options are far better? Including a 22mag if your in a rimfire only area.Huntinfool said:
Theres alot of if's in that statement. If its close enough and while not stated but implied, if your good enough to place the shot.... Any 17, 20 or 22 cal centerfire rifle can offset and make up for alot of those if's.
Would you bear hunt with a 221 Fireball? its about the same thing, it would probably get the job done with all the if's... but is it the most efficient and effective tool for the job?
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49 Posts
listen to furhunter he is spot on.
if you are buying a rifle and it costs 500 bucks why would you buy the poorest minimum caliber when the perfect caliber is the same price.
i use a 243 some say I'm over gunned but i have better long range and wind bucking with it. i can use a better bullet and hunt deer too
if you are buying a rifle and it costs 500 bucks why would you buy the poorest minimum caliber when the perfect caliber is the same price.
i use a 243 some say I'm over gunned but i have better long range and wind bucking with it. i can use a better bullet and hunt deer too
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With all due respect the OP didn't ask if he should run out and buy a 17 HMR if he had I've have answered accordingly!
He asked could it do the job! Well yes if you do everything right it can period! The same arguement is made by anti-hunters who say why should any animal be killed in a slow way by hemorage (when speaking of bowhunting)!
All I'm saying is yes it will kill a yote but it's just like taking a .44 magnum handgun elk hunting it'll do the job if you do yours right but if you are going to throw lead at em at crazy rifle ranges no.
If he asked should he run out and buy a 17 HMR for yote and cat hunting of course I'd say no there are much better choices! In the same light if that is all he has to hunt with it will do the job if he does his part by limiting his range and shots just like any good bowhunter does also!
~HF~
He asked could it do the job! Well yes if you do everything right it can period! The same arguement is made by anti-hunters who say why should any animal be killed in a slow way by hemorage (when speaking of bowhunting)!
All I'm saying is yes it will kill a yote but it's just like taking a .44 magnum handgun elk hunting it'll do the job if you do yours right but if you are going to throw lead at em at crazy rifle ranges no.
If he asked should he run out and buy a 17 HMR for yote and cat hunting of course I'd say no there are much better choices! In the same light if that is all he has to hunt with it will do the job if he does his part by limiting his range and shots just like any good bowhunter does also!
~HF~
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My Dad has a 17 hmr and loves it. He has taken several bobcats and numerous yotes. He prefers this gun over a 223 simply because of his age and recoil. He is not concerned about recovery as much as eliminating a threat to his small live stock chickens, goats and such. Me I prefer a larger caliber. I have 2 223's and 223 wssm and a 25-06 that all work well thoough the 25-06 is over kill in my opinion. If you are going out nad buying a 17hmr I would consider a more versitile caliber without the limitations. The 17 hmr is fun to shoot at 100 yards it shoots 1/2 in. consistantly. The other thing to consider is bullet style example full metal jacket, hollow point or the polymer tip version we have available to us today.The gun, bullet style,scope or open sight all determine final results. BUT the number one factor is the shooters capabilties and decisions he makes.
As mentioned before, there is no substitute for good shot placement. I'm not old fashoned but I do like a heavier caliber rifle. I have never shot a 17 HMR, but they do look fun! I have however seen a .17 Rem Fireball...does anyone know anything about this caliber and its coyote killing ability?
For my money, I would go with one of the bigger calibers, 223, 22 250, or whatever.
For my money, I would go with one of the bigger calibers, 223, 22 250, or whatever.
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The little 17 Fireball will kill a coyote quite effectively. You will have to stay away from the vmax bullets in such a small caliber, pushed fast they are way too fragile. There are lots of good 17 cal bullets to choose from like bergers, Kindlers, and Nagels. All of which are hollow points and work well. I had my 17FB rechambered to a 17 Tactical a couple months ago. I have yet to have time to hunt with it as personal business has kept me busy. It should get the job done, I am getting 4100 fps from a 25gr bullet. I get 3950 with 30gr pills. I hope to get it out and kill something with it in the next couple weeks.
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Guys who are bound and determined to prove that a 17 hmr will kill a coyote are sortof similar to guys that are dead set on proving you can catch a 13 pound bass on 4 pound test in heavy cover, lol. I dont care how good of a shot you are, if you shoot at enough coyotes, you will have plenty of retrievable dogs get away from ya when you could have put them in the truck by using enough gun. This fact is even more amplified for a night hunter. There is absolutely no acceptable excuse for being undergunned and accepting that you will not be able to retrieve half of what you shoot. Guys who hunt "alot" will say the same exact thing. If there is anyone on this site than can post any good sound reasoning for it being ok to just accept that you wont find at least 90 to 95 % of what you shoot then I would like to hear it. I have had several cases were we had a shooter that used this same mentality, and after the 4th or 5th dog that got away from us, we have banned anything less that a 223 in our truck. Predator hunting is not a test to see how little of a gun you can get away with. In my opinion, guys who take this approach to predator hunting and dont really care that they simply wound half of the coyotes they shoot, arent in it for the rite reason to begin with. Chris Robinson said this, lol. Just stating the facts not wanting to argue!!
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Well Sir that is why I use a .22WMR in this state when night hunting we can only use rimfire and shotgun with nothing larger than 4 shot. I choose the .22 WMR and for this reason I decided against the .17 HMR at least I can get 50 grain bullets in the .22 WMR.
Mostly I hunt in the daytime with a .223 RRA. But with all that being said I still don't like to judge anyone unless I've walked a mile in their shoes! You can do as you please.
~HF~
Mostly I hunt in the daytime with a .223 RRA. But with all that being said I still don't like to judge anyone unless I've walked a mile in their shoes! You can do as you please.
~HF~
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58 Posts
In special cases were the laws of a particular state govern a hunter to use a smaller rimfire like you have like the .22WMR I completely understand. My context is directed to those individuals who do have a choice to choose what caliber they prefer to shoot and take the approach that they will shoot as small of caliber as possible just so they can say it will kill a coyote. I have seen it happen time and time again and without fail, the end results are always the same. I am speaking from personal experience and have personally witnessed how far a coyote can run from taking a hit from a .17hmr. Any way you cut it, nothing changes the fact that its not enough bullet hunt coyotes! Reguardless of my opinions and others opinions on this subjuect still doesnt change this fact. Condoning or teaching new predator hunters it's ok to take this approach to predator hunting is an injustice to this sport in my book. When something doesnt work, it dont work, lol. Its nothing personal at all, its just the truth.
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I'm glad you cleared that up for me!
But I still am not quite sure it's all that cut and dried. Like I said over on another forum there's a guy who uses a 17 HMR because of the rimfire rule and every yote he's hit in the vitals has died and was recovered. I'm talking dozens here not one or two. So as I said in my first post, bullet placement means a lot. Period!
Respectfully,
~HF~
But I still am not quite sure it's all that cut and dried. Like I said over on another forum there's a guy who uses a 17 HMR because of the rimfire rule and every yote he's hit in the vitals has died and was recovered. I'm talking dozens here not one or two. So as I said in my first post, bullet placement means a lot. Period!
Respectfully,
~HF~
Thread not enough gun even in southern Ohio where I am located at a lot of the shots are 100+ needs to shoot really flat from a hundred to 250 the smallest caliber I use is a 22 hornet that does a nice job to 150. Most of the time its a .223 or .243. Good hunting but I think you need more firepower.
A company sent me a 17 HMR for review and I used it for a season. The rifle was excellent but the round was simply not adequate for coyotes in western Kansas. It is a crackerjack jack rabbit round on still days! I busted a bunch of jacks out to 100 yards. I took a coyote in the back of the head at 30 yards with it while raccoon calling and of course it was lights out for him. I also shot two coyotes at approximately 100 yards with it and I assume they were solid chest shots. I lost both dogs in heavy CRP grass. I thought about keeping the rifle for jack and prairie pup hunting but really it isn't in the same league as a .223 or even a .22 Hornet. Good shot placement or not, I just don't believe it is the best choice for most predator hunting situations. My rimfire choice (if you must use a rimfire) remains the .22 Magnum.
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