.17 HMR for Deer?

[RocketFoot]

Can you, and is it legal, to take deer with a .17 HMR? My kids need to go pick out a couple rifles with their Christmas money and they want to hunt! I was originally gonna get them .22 bolt actions, but I'm starting to think .17 HMR or maybe a .223 bolt action would be better so they have more flexibility for taking game but with a bang they can manage. One will be 12 next season ant the other can hunt with me under the mentor program so I need a couple guns that won't scare the crap outta them like my 7mm rem mag would! LOL

[God's Country]

Can't hunt deer in Pa with a rimfire. Looks like the 223.

[ar15jules]

I vote for a .243
Jules

[P-11 shooter]

I vote for a .243
Jules

What he said.

[Tomcat088]

I think that the .243 is a much better choice, as others have said, although deer can be taken with the .223 but you MUST choose the correct bullet. With the .243 and .223, there are lots of varmint bullets, and you do not want to be shooting those at thin skinned animals. Dude, even if the .17 HMR has great ballistics, it's just not ethical to hunt deer with. It wouldn't get even close to the penetration that you need, it's not really ethical to hunt deer with a .22, and the same goes for the .17 HMR.

I don't exactly get where people think that the .243 isn't quite enough for a deer. A .243 will smoke a deer as long as you put it in the vitals, same as any cartridges that are larger than it. I took 2 deer with a .243 this year, both were headshots, but my father hit one through the heart, and it was definitely not surviving. It's plenty of cartridge for deer.

[ar15jules]

If as someone else posted, "Lots of practice"...means being able to hit a deer in the vitals, I think this should go for any caliber. I know people who take really piss poor shots at deer because they have fast shooting heavy 30 calibers. Poor ethics, poor hunting, and poor shooters. I have seen many deer shot with a .243. A shot placed in the vitals turns the heart into literal jelly at any practical deer hunting distance in PA. If your kid can't place a vital shot, they shouldn't be in the woods hunting. That goes for any adult hunter as well as far as I am concerned.
Jules

[RocketFoot]

Can't hunt deer in Pa with a rimfire. Looks like the 223.

Ah, yep you're right. With the impressive ballistics of the .17HMR, it's easy to forget it's still a rim fire cartridge.

[riverpirate]

Even if legal to hunt deer with the 17hmr , i wouldnt recommend it at at. Mine is acurate out to 300 yards but i wouldnt even attempt a deer with it. The best "first" deer rifle for any kid i think is the 30-30. If you want something they can varmit and deer hunt with go for the 243. Rossi makes a great single shot 243 you can pick up at Dick's for under $200.

[RocketFoot]

Even if legal to hunt deer with the 17hmr , i wouldnt recommend it at at. Mine is acurate out to 300 yards but i wouldnt even attempt a deer with it. The best "first" deer rifle for any kid i think is the 30-30. If you want something they can varmit and deer hunt with go for the 243. Rossi makes a great single shot 243 you can pick up at Dick's for under $200.

Now your talking...they have $200 each to spend. I will look into the Rossi .243

[General Geoff]

If you're worried about recoil management, two words: muzzle brake.