It finally happened, 65 degrees, mild wind, rodents every where! Beautiful day today in S.W. MT. I grabbed a Hornet and new CZ .17HMR and took to the hills( the Hornet never came out of the case). There's been a lot of discussion on pro's and con's of the new HMR, I don't mind telling ya I'm hooked. I've heard horror stories about having to clean every 20 rounds, wind blows it all over, not enough poop, etc. I don't want to sound like Billy Graham here, but guys this little round is a riot! I know it's expensive, but other than rimfires I load everything, and on occasion I just want to grab a box of shells and go shoot. Like today. I did a little test today, I didn't clean till I was done shooting and before I cleaned I shot a couple groups. I shot about 125 rounds, and then shot a group with Hornadys rounds and CCI's ,5 shot groups at just over 90yrds, on bags over the hood of my truck---Hornadys were a .554, the CCI's were a .861 with4 of em in .486 . Thats 125 rounds dirty. I shot 4 rock chucks ( coulda shot a lot more but it's a bad time to shoot em, every one ya kill is like shooting 8 of em) range finder had em at 99, 108, 129, and 138 yrds. It's like someboby flipped a switch, they just stopped. The 138 yarder was probably a little farther than I felt I should shoot on chucks with a 17gr bullet at 2600fps, but it killed him deader than virginity, not a quiver! I shot about 100 gophers out to about 150yrds and it was impressive really whacks em. Out here we call it gopher smucking, and this little guy really smucks em. Thats my story and I'm sticking to it. WHAT A GREAT DAY! Hope you all have one towmarrow!---Shoot Safe---montdoug

montdoug, Congrats on a fun hunt!! Anybody who is bashing the 17HMR hasn't shot one yet!!! We went out today and it's early so you don't have many groundhog targets, and I really don't like to shoot a lot of them "in the honey holes" this early but you can find the places that don't offer good real season hunting and whack a few! Took a 18 year old kid who shoots a 6x284 with me and we both missed TWICE on separate chucks at 395 and 445 ( I missed with the 25-06)! The only blood letting was done with the 17!! 115 yards, nothing but a neck and head and the shot was true to the area just below the ear!! So dead that the last alfalfa leaf was clamped between the teeth!!! MORE FUN THAN EATIN BEANS!!!! Wish I could use up a bunch of ammo on them gophers! That sounds like a hoot too!!! Enjoy the 17! And spend your reloading time with all the other calibers!!! GHD

What kinda jackass is blowing off 2 1/2 boxes of Hummer ammo while the rest of the world is selling birth rights to obtain a few rounds????

Sure does sound like fun schmuching gophers. I am waiting for the jackrabbit hatch to make my final determination of the 17. I have to hoard my ammo, and not wast it. I can say that I was not impressed while trying it out on a coyote yesterday. Was standing in an open field. Cannot really guess the distance, maybe 200. Thought I was sighted in for 50 or so. I didn't even make it half way to him. By the 4 or 5 shot I was at the bottom dot in a cheap tasco on 10X. I burnt 10 rounds on sight in and 6 on a 'yote. Down to 34 left.

Maybe it is your scope? I shot a coyote through the chest with my first shot at 286 yards with my 77/17. My buddy was backing me up with his 22-250 or I wouldn't have tried it but as it turned out he didn't have to shoot. Bullet went through-and-through and dog didn't run far. I killed another dog with it at just over 50 yards with a head shot and that dog didn't take another step.

montdoug,

Nicely written post.

I have always been one of those guys that have to try things out for myself. Many times I have ignored warnings, etc. I am a sucker for punishment. I have also reapped some good times, because of it.

As soon as a CZ is available to me here, I am going to get one. I think I will have a good time.

Daryl

I shot a Marlin 17 HMR Sat.. It sure was fun. We were hitting an old skillet at 200 yards. It punched through it, but it wasn't very thick.

Finally got time to test all three commercial loadings for the 17HMR today!! 73 degrees and very light wind. Cut to the chase.... Original Hornady ammo was second to the Remington and last was the CCI. The CCI placing didn't surprise me after years of shooting their other rimfire ammo! What did make me sit up and take note was the velocities of all three over the chonograph!! The chronograph just got back from the factory having an update and recalibration. I used it on 2, 243's and a 25-06 and the numbers matched what they should have been. However 10 shot strings of all three 17's were as follows: CCI 2705, Hornady 2724 and Remington 2740!! Also the Remington in addition to shooting the tighest groups(.683) with the highest velocities had the smallest Extreme spread of the 3!! Headed to NC tomorrow and will buy some more as that is the only place I've seen it yet!!! GHD

groundhog--- What rifle are you shooting, and what length is the barrel? I haven't run my CZ over a chrono yet, but will soon.---Shoot Safe---montdoug

Glad to hear everyone's having as much fun as me! In between downpours yesterday, I burned a full box of the Rem and 44 rounds of Hornady on gophers. Got 86 of em, but I noticed this time accuracy didn't fall off after 50 rounds. I've JB'ed this barrel once or twice and put just shy of 400 rounds thru it now and it seems to be working in. It's a Savage.

During the downpours, the landowner and I mended sagging fencelines and this fella offered to buy the ammo if I'd keep killing gophers! There IS a God!

My 5 year old came over toward suppertime and wanted to shoot a gopher and lacking volunteers sufficiently close, I dragged a dead one back up on its mound for him. Taking careful aim from Dad's lap, he cartwheeled one to wild applause.

Redial

redial--- If he's buying the ammo for you to shoot I'd not only say there is a God, I'm thinkin there might be a Santa Clause as well. Easter bunny however better keep very low around the guys posting here.

Your comment about the JB's would sure explain my lack of carbon build up, I break-in every thing but .22 rimfires the same way. Shoot clean shoot clean etc. a process that for me includes a lot of JB's. ( my wife calls me Felix Unger when it comes to firearms, and Oscar Madison around the house)by the time I'm done breaking one in a lot of rounds have gone down range. When cleaning after 125 rounds (a bunch between cleanings for me) there was no sign of "any" copper fouling,and the patches were plumb clean after about 8 and a little brushing. Thats the up side of an involved break-in process.
As a hunter safety instructor and grandfather of seven I applaud your involving your son in your good time. The only way the shooting sports are going to be kept intact is a younger generation of safe responsible hunters that love the sport as much as we do.---Shoot Safe---montdoug

montdoug, The rifle I was shooting over the chronograph was an absolute stock 17VS! I break my barrels in also and when I first heard of this thing, my initial thoughts were that it was going to copper foul like the dickens!!! WRONG!! I have yet to find any copper fouling in this barrel! I did not JB it though! Hoppes and Sweets was all I used on this break in! One thing I didn't post about the velocities and testing was that 6/10 of the CCI's didn't extract! Had to release the clip and cycle the bolt again to cler it! None with the Remingtons or Hornadys! I have had maybe 6 non extractions with 100's upon 100's of the Hornady but 6/10 coupled with the slowest velocity and poorest accuracy leave me with about 35CCI loadings to use to foul the bore!! And as far as taking kids shooting, the Marlin would have been worth twice what I paid for it because it got Miss GHD, Sarah(14now) into shooting instead of just going with Daddy! She shot at 11 groundhogs and killed 9! Then she wanted a deer rifle!! Traded Allen in Alaska out of a Remington Stainless BDL with 24 inch barrel in 260 and she shot her first buck at 271 yards with it last fall! He was 17 inches and an 8 point! She was not even excited while watching him! Just kept saying, "Daddy, I can kill him!" I told her that if she was ready and he got broadside to put the crosshair right on top of his shoulder and squeeze easy, just like shooting the groundhogs!!! 30-40 seconds elapsed with me watching thru the binos and then the rifle spoke!!!! Looked like the earth was jerked out from under him!! In her words, he was "DRT, dead right there"!! GHD