What good is the 17 HMR in a hand gun?

[JD0x0]

Velocity from the 6 1/2" barrel is still over 2000 fps

The CCI JHP load left the 6 1/2-inch Tracker doing just shy of 2,000 fps (1,986FPS)

Hornady’s V-Max load left the Tracker doing 1,966 f
ps

Read more: http://www.handgunsmag.com/2010/09/24/featured_handguns_tracker_11204/#ixzz356y7Egrg

Remington’s load is last only because of the alphabet. This load left the Tracker doing 2,049 fps

These were 17 grain loads, indicating a loss of roughly 550fps compared to a 24'' rifle barrel

 

[buck460XVR]

One of the things , out of many, that sold me on .17 HMR, thanks to numerous gun buddies "hard sell" that I needed one, included the bullet is "less likely" to ricochet, such as a .22 RF, can and will do. I have neighbors with horses, cattle, chickens and whatever else "over that-a-way".

Same here. I like using the little .17 rifle when hunting coyotes over frozen ground. The little bullet generally disintegrates upon impact with either the ground or the 'yote, thus making ricochets much less likely than using a larger centerfire. Range is reduced a tad, but the safety margin, for me anyway, makes up the difference.

 

[coldbeer]

It does lose 500fps compared to a 24" barreled rifle, but 2000+ fps is still moving along quite nicely in a revolver.

 

[skizzums]

500 fps!! thats it, pretty good considering 18 less inches, thats actually pretty sweet

i didnt want one before, but kinda do now

 

[Guv]

My nephews birthday is Saturday, he has a 17HMR. I Can Buy Ammo for him, and his 17!

 

[JD0x0]

500 fps!! thats it, pretty good considering 18 less inches, thats actually pretty sweet

I'd argue closer to 550fps loss.

CCI lost 564fps

Hornady lost 584fps

Remington lost 501fps.

That's an average of 30.5fps loss per inch, which seems about right.

 

[coldbeer]

Its still 2000fps which is cooking out of a revolver. It would make an excellent small game revolver which answers the question of what good is a 17 hmr handgun. Ruger and S&W also make 17hmr revolvers if you're not a fan of Taurus and like the idea of a 17hmr handgun.

 

[TennJed]

A buddy of mine just bought a 6" revolver in the 17 HMR, he got a "good" deal on it, $200 for a Taurus.

He told me it was worth $400. I never seen the gun yet, but no way.

I'm going to tell him to sell it ASAP .

Point? I think it's a rifle round

Your advice stinks

 

[Clark]

I took a 17HMR rifle and a 223 rifle to shoot ground squirrels in 2003.
After a lot of shooting, I liked the 223 better.

Since then I have shot some ground squirrels with a scoped S&W K22.
That is not easy... the squirrels have to be very close.