squirrel hunting with 17hmr.

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dbaum

New member
Just got a savage 17hmr.Its broke in and shooting great groups.With the 17 gr. Vmax ammo-and taking head shots, whatn u think?I understand it tears stuff up-but sayin head shots?
 
Would you like me to post some squirrel gore to show you what a 17 grain .17 HMR v-max do to grey squirrels?

My other thought on this is that the full metal jacket and hollow point bullets do less damage to the meat.

The terminal ballistics vary by distance. Sometimes it blows them apart, other times you will get a small exit wound. If you aim right behind the shoulder and hit bone the damage is extensive. If you gut shot one and it avoids any substantial bone it will leave a relatively small hole with organs blown through it.
 
Here are some examples of what it does to squirrel.

The one with the missing leg and sun shining through it was probably about 30-40 yards out. The leg was found about 6 feet from the squirrel.
 

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The aforementioned severed limb and an example of what happens when you gut shoot one from 50-70 yards

edit: nevermind, for some reason im having problems attaching them.
 
Most rifles chambered for this cartridge are accurate enough for head shots with a decent field rest at reasonable ranges. I try to shoot 'em in the head no matter the cartridge.
 
I suggest some .17 rifles can be superb for pin-point accuracy. However I think it is way too much power for such small game. A common low-cost bolt action Marlin shooting CCI standard velocity ammo could do as well with less damage. As an example, I might use the .17 for a neck shot out beyond 100 yards for a coyote. But I'd use a standard or sub-sonic .22 for closer small game in the woods.
 
I hunt squirrels with my savage .17 hmr with the 20 grain hollow points and the damage is much less than the .17 grain vmax.
 
I was thinking abut using mine to do some rabbit hunting. Since i want to eat the rabbits I think I stick with the .22. :eek:
 
I head shoot 'em with a single six hunter. 20gr CCI GP. Doesn't do too much damage. But the 17gr Vmax and especially the Winchester Supreme 17gr make a mess like they ate a lit M80.:eek:

Like I said though...thats the CCI GPs out of a 7 and 1/2 inch pistol at 25-30 yards. They may wreak more havoc out of a rifle.
 
The 20 grain hollow points put a dime sized hole (or smaller) in a squirrel, I've shot them from 20-120 yards with that result. They don't near as much damage as the .17 grain ballistic tips.
 
Thanks-I think I'll stick with the .22 until I shoot some different ammo out of the .17. I will give it a try with the hollow points I think.
 
The Savage 17s are amazingly accurate rifles. So much so, that putting a 3x9 scope on one is a waste of the gun's potential. Get a scope that goes up to at least 20x and if you have a stable enough platform, you can shoot the twig the squirrel is standing on from 100yds away and watch him fall to his death. No lost meat there... Seriously though, a Savage 17hmr with an accutrigger is an awesome rifle for the money.
 
^Matter of perspective, it kills them really well. I can't remember wounding one with the .17 HMR and it ever getting away, Dead on impact. We hunt them as varmint because they burrow into the house and they make a significant impact on eating as much of the pecan crop as they can. We have a couple outdoor cats that have developed a taste for squirrel, they seem to like the giant holes that it makes.

I do agree with you that the .17 HM2 moves out at a much better velocity if your hunting them for meat, we just want them dead and the HMR does a good job of thinning them out around the house.
 
If I were shooting them as vermin and not saving any meat Id just use a shotgun. Or if you're looking for explosive action a .220 swift scatters them pretty well :D
 
I did end up using the 17 hmr today,but only shot 1 with it.Used the 20 gr. hollow point small game CCI.Could not take a head shot,but went thru behind the front leg exiting out of the neck.No bad damage.Lost 1 front leg.Gotta lot more testing to do.Very accurate,cannot shoot thru any amount of brush.(found that out on the second attempt at a far target thru brush)Love the gun.I'll keep Yall informed-but prob on hunting forum.
 
Ever consider an accurate scoped air gun? If you limit yourself to head shots, they are great. I've had the most fun shooting squirrels with an air gun. Gives me more of a sense of accomplishment.
 
I think there are a lot of good choices for taking squirrels. I like the WMR solid CCI. This caliber is great for either head or through the rib cage, with no death dance, or running off. For red squirrels I prefer the HP WMR, or what I have in my hands.
 
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