I had the opportunity to shoot a coyote with a .17 HMR in antelope camp. One of the guys had one, and at 150 yds. the bullet pierced the vitals, went straight through, and threw up enough dust that at first I thought I'd shot over him. Coyote went 15 yds and died. I was greatly impressed with this little round and am considering buying one. What do you folks think of this cartridge??

I've got an NEF singleshot. It shoots great and at 140 bucks it dosn't get much better!
Great to hear the results on the songdog as I bought it for that distance and whistlepigs and dogs!
2 Thumbs up from my and thanks for the report!

I wuld like to throw out an opinion but am still waiting for dealer to get the damn thing. Been waiting a couple of months now with no end in sight!!

I know how you are feeling! I went to 6 stores in the Columbus area and they all were out of stock. I then stopped into a store in Lancaster (about 30 minutes away) and they had the NEF, a couple Savages(not to pleasant looking IMHO) a couple of Marlins and a Remington 77. I took mine home the next weekend! The stores in Columbus are still Out of Stock but have had a couple in and out in the mean time.
Good Luck and I hope your dealer gets his soon for you!

I picked my marlin 17sv up at a gun show (got there early) couldn�t be happier with how it shoots

How loud are they when they? Need ear plugs?

I think you did miss the coyote, and he died of some fright.

Lucky Shot,
They are about as louder than a 22LR but not quite as loud as a 22 mag. If you are going to be on the range or shooting a bunch of birds or ground squirrels then hearing protection would be a good idea, but if you are taking it into the woods and don't expect to shoot 40 or 50 shots in a short time then I don't think it is necessary.

I've been recently intrigued with the round and spent some time last night reading up on it.

I really like the trajectory! The accuracy inherent to a properly designed bullet is what rimfires sorely needed, IMO.

What I've found over and over is the frangibility of that little pill. It seems never to exit ANYTHING until it slows down and pencils thru, out near 200 yards. Never heard of a bullet that wouldn't exit a gopher! This is really kewl if you hunt pests near stock or buildings.

Equally encouraging was a Wayne Van Zwoll article that compared a half dozen or so available rifles and a Contender barrel and they all shot nearly the same! Even the cheapest ones shot nearly MOA!

This may well ruin the Christmas budget ...

Redial

shot a few rounds out of one fellows marlin. pretty quite, no recoil, and very accurate at 100 yds. It might be a better deal if the ammo was cheaper, but then again, rim fires just don't appeal to me.

Thanks Greg.

That was what I was hopeing for. I know what the other guy was saying on price though. At $7 pr. 50 it is cheaper to shoot a 9mm or 38spl. but maybe price will come down if it catches on like I think it will.

I think the price will come down as production set-up costs are recouped. I also heard that they are working on additional loads for this round.

Good Luck and enjoy!

I have one and have been shooting it for just about a year now. Got it in January of last year. It is a Marlin 17V and I also acquired a 17VS during the past summer. The triggers were the biggest complaint, but were easily fixed with a stone and some lighter springs. I now have a <3 lb trigger on both guns, crisp with very little creep.

With a 3-9 scope, mine average 1.0" at 100 yards with groups as small as .5" and as large as 1.3". These are 5 shot groups.

As for killing a coyote, I am not confident in the ability of this little round to responsibly dispatch coyote sized game. I have used it to recently to shoot a couple of foxes and was sadly disappointed at one that got away. He was hit well at 125 yards. I hit him behind the shoulder and he ran off and got to his hole 75 yards away. The other fox that I shot was a head shot and he never twitched after the shot. For foxes and critters bigger than ground hogs, I'll choose a bigger .17 to handle the chore. The .17HMR is a fine round and is great for what it offers. I don't believe that predator hunting is on the list of it's capabilities. I'm not suggesting that it would kill a coyote, just not consistently. AND as with anything else, opinions may vary.

OK, bought the Savage at lunch today. The price of ammo is coming down, albeit slowly. The Savage was only $165 too.

This one's for pests, not bigger than 'chuck sized and for use near animals and buildings. I have better stuff for bigger critters, but nothing matches the frangibility of those itty bitty bullets.

Time will tell!

Redial

I think they'd be great for hunting squirrels in big hardwoods! I'm hoping to one a home in the not too distant future. I've been shooting at 100yds with my .22LR and think that it'd only be more fun that shoots a bit flatter.

Jim Saubier, I am curious how you acquired one of the rifles as early as January. Did you have one made? Or was it some other type of deal? Where did you get the ammo that soon?

I purchased mine in late March of this past year, even though it was ordered in January. It was ordered directly through Hornady in Grand Island, Nebraska when Marlin made their first run of rifles. I was unaware it was available any earlier.

As to the performance of the rifle, I have been pleasantly impressed. Accuracy has far exceeded my expectations, and performance out to 200 yards has been fantastic on prairie dogs and crows. I have yet to try it on a coyote, however, I think within 100 to 150 yards it would work fine.

As for ammo price, it is very similar to .22 Mag cost. The downfall is the limitation on companies making it. So far, all of Hornady's production is being done by CCI and hopefully, by this summer, other companies will be making it also. With ammo around $8 per 50, I think we will soon see it around $6.50/50 rounds.

Keep dreaming, 17 HRM will probably be dead in a few years.
Take care
smallfry

Given the fact that Hornady has not been able to stock the ammo shelves fast enough and the fact that gun manufacturers have been unable to keep up with people who want to buy one and the fact that almost every major firearms manufacturer is now offering the round in one of their rifles, and every ammo company is planning to load it, I think you're right! Or, maybe not....

Funny thing is, people said the same thing about Ruger and his single action revolvers, his single shot rifle, and the over/under. Others have said the same about the 28 and 16 gauge and Side by Side shotguns.

Do you know why John M. Browning began production of an over/under? He thought any shotgun that held more than 2 shells would be outlawed...

I guess we will have to wait and see. As for me, I will keep shooting it because I think its fantastic. As for you, you may or may not...

Supposed to be a great cartridge. I don't own one yet. I did find out that here in PA it's illegal to hunt with one! The way the law is written now, it's illegal to hunt with any rimfire smaller than 22 caliber. They're in the process of re-writing. Just thought it was interesting.

Bob257

You might want to consider a few things with the 17 HRM. There is ONE plastic bullet out for this cartridge. The cartridge does not lend itself to very many Good ballistic qualities. Its ultimate yield is low, velocity is low, when you replace the plastic and make soft point its BC will drop dramaticaly as will its terminal performance. Let alone making a conventional HP. Like many NEW products there will always be the 5%ers that will buy, especialy when cheep rifles are to be had. Its not surprising at all that ammo is outta stock as well as rifles.
Gunnerdog: "Funny thing is, people said the same thing about Ruger and his single action revolvers, his single shot rifle, and the over/under. Others have said the same about the 28 and 16 gauge and Side by Side shotguns."
What you are doing is compairing rifles to cartridges, These firearms can and have been had in many cartridges not just one. Also, cartridges that have been well established.
I think any cartridge that furthers any shooting sport is a good thing, however I dont think this one will last.
Just my opinion
Take care
smallfry

Smallfry do not totally knock something until you try this is a very nice combo and I am awaiting a CZ 452-17 in January.
Go to:
http://rimfirecentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=3969a55201656a7a863a156c9f41bf4e&forumid=15
Find what many users are saying I tested one on gophers and am very impressed.
I also can list all the normal stuff as to why it will not work but darn it is sure a fun gun.
After all is this not what it is all about?
Winchester just announced a couple of rifles and the fact that they will now also produce ammo.

Gunnerdog and dcan, I would love to own every cartridge there is, However I think I will just stick with the "other" rimfires. I own a 17 hornet and do have fun with it, and shoot the 22 mag an awful lot. I DO NOT BELIEVE THERE IS SOME MAGICAL VELOCITY AND WEIGHT CHARACTERISTICS I AM MISSING WITH THE 17HRM, and would never think it would have anything terminaly on the 22 mag, considering I have slid my 17 hornet up and down the slide rule quite a bit. For those areas or small game animals where rimfires are only allowed the 17 hrm is a welcome alternitive.
For the reasons I have said earlier in a above post, I think manufactures are finding that it is difficult to make 17 bullets do what they want them to, on so little to go by.
Take care
smallfry

Smallfry, I respect your opinion and know what you are talking about. The .17 HMR is not for everyone and probably not for most people. However, I can see where it has a use for many people, and for that reason, I think it will last longer than you think. Of course, I could be wrong. I was once before

The problem with your assessment, as I see it, is that you think logic will determine what everyone will buy. It also assumes everyone has shooting experiences similar to you. For me, I can't for the life of me figure why I would ever want a .17 Hornet. But, you have one, and they must work for something. (Actually, it sounds like a fun round)I also don't have much need for a .460 Weatherby, but, they sell. So does the 7mm-08 when we have had the 7x57 for decades ahead of it. And the .270 is still around when the .280 is available (maybe I should place them the other way around).

I guess the point I am trying to make is that not everyone uses rational and logic when they buy a new firearm or play with a new cartridge. Some people want to be a little different, and others just might have the perfect fit for the round. I really love the round for shooting prairie dogs at relatively close range and near a building site. It also works very good for shooting crows. I would think shooting gophers would also be a good time with this round. As for larger predators, I am a little uncertain due to the bullet size and other characteristics you have mentioned.

Another thing I really like it for is teaching a youngster how to shoot at a little more range. My 10 year old nephew shot his first prairie dog with it. Out to 200 yards, he was able to center the crosshairs on the dog's head and expect a lethal hit. Teaching him to shoot with a .22LR or a .22 WMR would require him to learn about holdovers etc. to accomplish the same thing. Of course, I like to shoot it for the same reason.

Whatever the case, you have your opinion and I have mine. Neither of us know who will be right in the end. The only thing I know for sure is that I am having fun shooting it while the debate is going on. Others are not!

And by the way, those 5%ers, as we were referred to by someone, are who kept SUV's around in the 1960's, 70's and 80's until the other 95% decided they were a good thing

Haven't shot to many rounds through the NEF as of yet but do enjoy it on close range ground hogs,this past weekend,I picked up one of the new Tar-Trackers that is chambered in the 17HMR,will be mounting a scope on it and trying it out.Should make a dandy squirrel gun

My wife bought a Marlin SS lam. for my B-day last year and we've shot prarie dogs and rockchucks and one turkey with it(the turkey was a cull with permission from the Warden!)and we could not be happier with it. In fact I hope she doesn't get on and read this as I bought her the same rifle for Christmas! "Try it you'll like it!" Good Hunting, "Z"

Well, this is like my 3rd post, but if it's ok, I'll give ya my 2 cents on the 17 rimfire. There is a gunshop not too far from here that has one of the new 17s set aside for me till i can get up there this weekend. It's a heavy barreled NEF and they only want 139.00 for it. I looked at one awhile back in the same gunshop and was delighted that the trigger wasnt too bad. This will be the rifle between my 10-22 and my 22 hornet. I dont really have a particular use for it other than it just seems like a great way to blow off an afternoon, punching paper or fruit or pop cans full of water at 100 yards without waking the dead. I'm like everyone else I guess. I dont know if this new caliber will be around forever, but if it DOES go south, I'll send my reciever back to NEF and they can put a 22 magnum barrel on it for $61.50 and I'll be back in business. And the price of the ammo doesn't bother me that much. I've spent nearly that much on a box of Ely for my .22