Thinking of getting a .17 HMR....

[Hunter Customs]

buck460XVR,

I can certainly respect your situation and using the 17HMR.
From my experience with shooting and killing Missouri coyotes I'm sure glad I don't have to rely on the 17HMR , especially out to 150 yards.

At one time I tried hunting coyotes around here shooting Winchesters 45 gr JHP 223 ammo, every coyote I shot it was bang/flop only to watch them get up and try to get away, all shot with that ammo had to be shot twice to anchor them.

I figured out the bullets used in the Winchester ammo was great for prairie dogs but they were to fragile for coyotes.
Reloaded some Sierra #1390 BTHP bullets clocking 3300 FPS, now it's bang/flop and that's where they lay.

I have a friend who is one of the few people I know that has killed as many or more coyotes then me, he has several different rifles he uses, one being a 204.
He shot two coyotes with his 204, bang/flop then they are up and running, lost both coyotes and now he's back to using one of his other rifles, mainly his 220 Swift, saves the 204 for shooting crows and vermin.

My go to calibers are 223, 22-250, or for long range shots 243 and I'm sure glad I live where I can use them.
Keep popping them coyotes.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter

 

[nlvmike]

For a specific purpose, it is really nice to have just the right rifle. I hunt in Northern Nevada, and the farmers often ask us to come back in the spring and help put a dent in the ground squirrels. It is an annual trek, and more fun than I deserve. We bring a lot of rifles, but the 17hmr is made for this work. I started with a CZ452. It may be the finest, most accurate rifle I have shot. I added a Savage 93, model BSEV for this year. It looks the part, with the bull barrel and fancy stock, and it shoots almost as well as the CZ.

In a 6 hour day of shooting, my effective range gets progressively longer as I get comfortable. I start the day looking for any shots under 100 yards. By the time lunch rolls around, I am dropping them over 200 yards consistently. This year, right as we were packing up to leave, a badger came loping toward me. One 17 to the head at 111 yards dropped him cold.

I don't know what else I would use them for, but for this, it is the one.