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Scope advice for a .17 HMR

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22 May 2014, 13:38
Bren7X64
Scope advice for a .17 HMR
Hi all,

I bought myself one of these little beasts.

My object is rabbits, hares, foxes, cats and whatever comes my way.

I will probably also use it spotlighting (legal over here) and am wondering whether the scope I have asked for is suitable - it's a 6x42 Meopta - fixed power scope.

Anyone foresee any big problems with that?


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Promise me, when I die, don't let my wife sell my guns for what I told I her I paid for them.
22 May 2014, 15:31
loiblb
It will work, I put a Mueller 8.5-25x50 on mine. I wanted to see where the little .17's were going. The trigger was the thing that I feel needs help. A good fix for the CZ trigger is the YoDave Kit
22 May 2014, 16:02
Cliff Lyle
I have a Conquest 4.5-14x42 on mine. I shoot prairie dogs with it.
22 May 2014, 16:49
Bren7X64
Thanks, guys.

I was thinking that I'd be unlikely to be shooting at more than say, 120 metres. Hence the a rabbit head would look like one seen with the naked eye at about 20 metres.

ANd when spotlighting, I'd rather not be shooting at eyes, when I can't see exactly what the animal is. (Good way to get uninvited from a farm is to shoot the farmer's sheep dead).


--
Promise me, when I die, don't let my wife sell my guns for what I told I her I paid for them.
23 May 2014, 03:12
kennedy
I have a leupold vx 2 3-9 on mine. I leave it on 8X. Seems to work good on small game. I mainly use it for rock chucks.
24 May 2014, 13:12
wingnut
quote:
I have a leupold vx 2 3-9 on mine. I leave it on 8X. Seems to work good on small game. I mainly use it for rock chucks



My .17 HMR is a Weatherby Mark XXII.

I regularly shoot rabbits and gray squirrels with it, often at 100 yards or better. And I don't shoot them unless I have a head shot. No problems at all with the Leupold VX2 3-9x40.


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24 May 2014, 20:16
DWright
I had a 3-9 Leupold on mine. It would make little bug holes at 50 yards, as long as I kept it at one power setting, but found that it did change point of impact when I changed the power settings. That bothered me. I ended up with a straight 6x Leupold with a varmint crosshair, which is spectacular on this gun, a CZ 455.


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25 May 2014, 00:44
B L O'Connor
I have a brand new 17 HMR, and I'm putting a Nikon Buckmasters 6-18X 40mm mil dot with side focus on it. (Midway was selling them for $260 not long ago.)

While that scope is no longer available, Midway is selling a Buckmasters 4.5-14x 40mm side focus scope with the BDC reticle for $319. Should be about ideal for a .17 HMR.
25 May 2014, 05:10
Bren7X64
quote:
Originally posted by DWright:
I had a 3-9 Leupold on mine. It would make little bug holes at 50 yards, as long as I kept it at one power setting, but found that it did change point of impact when I changed the power settings. That bothered me. I ended up with a straight 6x Leupold with a varmint crosshair, which is spectacular on this gun, a CZ 455.


I was looking for a 6x Leupold, but found them very expensive, and since I think the Meopta glass is as good (if not better), I went for it, since it was cheaper.

This is in Aus, so no special deals here .... Wink


--
Promise me, when I die, don't let my wife sell my guns for what I told I her I paid for them.
31 May 2014, 09:12
specneeds
The 6x meopta will work fine. I have a 3-15 Minox and do like the flexibility so that squirrels at 190 yards look like you should hit them through the scope. I'd think a 4-12 power is probably about right.
05 June 2014, 07:36
rflshtr
I jut came back from a prairie dog foray with my Anchutz 17 HMR. It wears a 12X Leupold and for my needs is perfect. Able to consistently hit out to 235 yards if wind is not too bad. Better at between 75-200 yards.
05 June 2014, 10:16
prof242
I've got a 4-16x on My Savage, left hand, heavy barreled, 93. Where I'm at in Colorado, I have an abundance of prairie dogs to shoot. Could I cut down on the high end? Yeah, but on the targets and when all you see is the top half of their heads, it helps a lot.


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06 June 2014, 01:06
graybird
I have on older model Nikon UCC 3-9x40 that later became the Nikon Monarch. It works well where I shoot in Colorado and Oklahoma. Usually, the limiting factor on the 17 HMR is the wind and not the scope.


Graybird

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13 June 2014, 09:20
shortshot
6x is great. I use 2-7x Weaver 22 scopes.Because the cross hair only covers 1/2" @ 100yds. Most big game scopes cover 1". I also found that when I take other people shooting gophers they complain as not seeing well at high powers.(novice shooters). When I turned the scopes to 6x they were happy for the rest of the days shooting.
14 June 2014, 07:03
Austin Hunter
I have a Cabela's caliber specific scope on my CZ .17 HMR - aim points are 100, 150, 200. Works great.


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14 June 2014, 08:58
prof242
Shortshot: You brought up an important point, crosshair width. I shoot a dot with fine crosshairs because of your very point. I'm also in agreement that I don't NEED 16x on the top end, but its nice to use when siting in or testing a new lot number of ammo.


.395 Family Member
DRSS, po' boy member
Political correctness is nothing but liberal enforced censorship
16 June 2014, 01:21
Vol717
Bushnell makes a 3-9 BDC just for the 17 HMR. I have two of these guns and both of them have the Bushnell scopes. If you zero it at 100 yards the dial is right on at longer ranges. You still have to be aware of the wind, as the litle bullets do drift in the wind. However, drop is right on.


Quick, Cheap, or Good: Pick Two
17 June 2014, 14:11
Bren7X64
Thanks, guuys - I picked it up last weekend, but I have to wait for a day to get to the range. Work is like that for interfering with life. Smiler

Bought some Winchester 17gr with Hornady V-Max bullets, just to test, since they seem to be half the price of the the other makes - Federal and CCI.


--
Promise me, when I die, don't let my wife sell my guns for what I told I her I paid for them.