Just got a .17HMR

[Pighunter]

So I did my usual tactic, walked into a gunstore to buy ammo, came out with a receipt for a new rifle.
Bought a Ruger American .17HMR. Now I have no idea why I need a .17HMR afterall my name is Pighunter not Rabbithunter. So what use cases are there for the .17HMR?
Rabbits, Birds, Foxes? Anything else. I've got no idea why I bought it but here we are.

[deye243]

I know quite a few that hunt pigs on a regular basis up north with a 17hmr but they only use the game point 20g load as they have very little to no expansion out to around 70y just bang them in the head

[Pighunter]

I know quite a few that hunt pigs on a regular basis up north with a 17hmr but they only use the game point 20g load as they have very little to no expansion out to around 70y just bang them in the head

I've got a 44 mag, 12g, .223 and a 30-30 for pigs. This is more for smaller pest animals I'd say like Foxes and feral cats, I was hoping it would be good for the wild dogs too but there is conflicting info on the internet about what's its capable of. Mostly because my .223 sounds like a naval battleships main cannons because of its short barrel I hoped the .17hmr would be a closer somewhat quieter alternative.

[deye243]

Yes it Is a very pleasant round to shoot

[in2anity]

Anything else. I've got no idea why I bought it but here we are.

Dunno if you're into target shooting - but it's certainly a better 100m grouper than ye olde 22lr, under bad wind. And cheaper to run than 223 factory. So there's that. I've been toying with cheating our novel rimfire matches, by running one. The rules don't actually dictate "must be 22lr"

[Bruiser64]

I have the same rifle. It’s a great bunny gun. I have, however, shot a fox with mine and it dropped like a stone. You would want to head shoot a fox though. As someone else has said, the 20 gn hollow point is what you would want to use if you are regularly shooting things bigger than a rabbit. The .17 hmr is noticeably affected by strong winds in my experience. But that’s hardly surprising given its light weight and bc

[Pighunter]

I have the same rifle. It’s a great bunny gun. I have, however, shot a fox with mine and it dropped like a stone. You would want to head shoot a fox though. As someone else has said, the 20 gn hollow point is what you would want to use if you are regularly shooting things bigger than a rabbit. The .17 hmr is noticeably affected by strong winds in my experience. But that’s hardly surprising given its light weight and bc

Yeah I think I'll only ever run the 20gn Hollows. Like most of my rifles it'll probably sit in the safe waiting for the day I go out hunting a pest specifically that it might be required for. As of right now pigs are mostly all I hunt and the .44 gets a work out.

[deye243]

I have the same rifle. It’s a great bunny gun. I have, however, shot a fox with mine and it dropped like a stone. You would want to head shoot a fox though. As someone else has said, the 20 gn hollow point is what you would want to use if you are regularly shooting things bigger than a rabbit. The .17 hmr is noticeably affected by strong winds in my experience. But that’s hardly surprising given its light weight and bc

Yeah I think I'll only ever run the 20gn Hollows. Like most of my rifles it'll probably sit in the safe waiting for the day I go out hunting a pest specifically that it might be required for. As of right now pigs are mostly all I hunt and the .44 gets a work out.

Just remember the game point are very hard and like a fmj the pics are from jug testing I did at 100 yards .
17g vmax

Screenshot_20240227_135123_Gallery.jpg (527.34 KiB) Viewed 825 times

And game point

Screenshot_20240227_135126_Gallery.jpg (334.41 KiB) Viewed 825 times

[bigpete]

I've got photos somewhere of a game point I pulled out of a rabbit showing perfect mushrooming, nothing at all like deye243 is showing. I rate them very highly for use on animals up to fox size.

[deye243]

I've got photos somewhere of a game point I pulled out of a rabbit showing perfect mushrooming, nothing at all like deye243 is showing. I rate them very highly for use on animals up to fox size.

I have never been able to recover a bullet from a rabbit hit with a 17hmr .
I have always found it intriguing how many people experience different things with the same equipment.

[deye243]

Just to add that test was around 2013 so they may have improved the jacket

[bigpete]

I've got photos somewhere of a game point I pulled out of a rabbit showing perfect mushrooming, nothing at all like deye243 is showing. I rate them very highly for use on animals up to fox size.

I have never been able to recover a bullet from a rabbit hit with a 17hmr .
I have always found it intriguing how many people experience different things with the same equipment.

Went in the head front on and lodged in the hip. Couldn't see which way it was laying. Absolutely perfect mushroom with zero fragmentation. Tbh I think the 17gn ones kill a bit better due to fragmentation but they don't shoot as well in my rifle.
At one point I was shooting rabbits for sale as whole food for pedigree dog owners at $10 a head unskun and ungutted,so it was well worth it

[Blr243]

That’s good money for fun sport , no dirty work involved

[deye243]

I've got photos somewhere of a game point I pulled out of a rabbit showing perfect mushrooming, nothing at all like deye243 is showing. I rate them very highly for use on animals up to fox size.

I have never been able to recover a bullet from a rabbit hit with a 17hmr .
I have always found it intriguing how many people experience different things with the same equipment.

Went in the head front on and lodged in the hip. Couldn't see which way it was laying. Absolutely perfect mushroom with zero fragmentation. Tbh I think the 17gn ones kill a bit better due to fragmentation but they don't shoot as well in my rifle.
At one point I was shooting rabbits for sale as whole food for pedigree dog owners at $10 a head unskun and ungutted,so it was well worth it

Yeah that's the way to do it I had a similar gig 20 odd years ago

[AZZA'S HJ47]

Great little round the 17hmr i have shot many animals with astounding results out to around 150m for me not the round for body shots obviously. Devastating results when placed in the brain box a17 is my prefered ammo in my marlin 917v.

[Pighunter]

I had a bit of buyers regret but reading the comments here it seems like it'll be a fun gun to have. I have a .22WMR in my safe already. I should probably buy a simple .22LR one day lol.

[Die Judicii]

If I were you M8,,, I'd be marching quick smart back into that gun shop and be asking "Which one of you smart ass salesmen is the hypnotist ?"
A .17 hmr regardless of how you came to purchase it is/can be an awsome little beastie.
At the height of the last drought I used one regularly on the roos/wallabies that were so starved for food and having the last remnants of life sucked out of them by marble sized ticks to the point that they fell over if they tried to hop away.
Brain shots with the .17hmr ceased their agony intantaneously.
I have since procured a .17 WSM which is just like the hmr, but on steroids.

But all said and done I'd be thinking long and hard about how you were talked into buying the .17 hmr,,,,,,,,,,, at least look into maybe 30 cal or above.
I specialize in hunting dogs and until recently the 22/250 and .223 was my go to caliber,,,,,,,,,, but after having one particular dog taking four ballistic tipped 22/250's in the boiler room before falling over,, I now only use .308 HP's

The average dogs are getting bigger and tougher to knock down.

[Pighunter]

:lol:
If I were you M8,,, I'd be marching quick smart back into that gun shop and be asking "Which one of you smart ass salesmen is the hypnotist ?"
A .17 hmr regardless of how you came to purchase it is/can be an awsome little beastie.
At the height of the last drought I used one regularly on the roos/wallabies that were so starved for food and having the last remnants of life sucked out of them by marble sized ticks to the point that they fell over if they tried to hop away.
Brain shots with the .17hmr ceased their agony intantaneously.
I have since procured a .17 WSM which is just like the hmr, but on steroids.

But all said and done I'd be thinking long and hard about how you were talked into buying the .17 hmr,,,,,,,,,,, at least look into maybe 30 cal or above.
I specialize in hunting dogs and until recently the 22/250 and .223 was my go to caliber,,,,,,,,,, but after having one particular dog taking four ballistic tipped 22/250's in the boiler room before falling over,, I now only use .308 HP's

The average dogs are getting bigger and tougher to knock down.

Well I do have, a .223, 30-30, 44 mag, 12g, and a few other larger calibers than it for the dogs. I think the issue is like you said those hypnotists.