How good is the .17 cartridge?

[Neko456]

How good is the .17 cartridge? Is the Marlin Rifle a good choice? In a review of 4 rifles in .17 Ruger, Marlin, Savage and another. The Ruger was made better but the Marlin was more accurate, i would have bet the Ruger or Savage would have been.

Whats your take? On the .17 cartridge and these Rifles? How big a game can the .17 take?

[Connal]

Which .17 are you referring to? hmr, fireball, 17-222? There are quite a few .17 caliber rounds out there.

[Pizza Bob]

I'm assuming, given the rifles mentioned, you are talking about the .17 HMR - or Hummer as it's affectionately known.

You hear about cartridges being "inherently accuarate", I truly believe that is the case with the .17 HMR. You mentioned a test with four rifles and were surprised that the Marlin proved the most accurate. I would suggest to you that it was due to the individual differences in those specific guns and/or ammo - not something that could be attributed to all those of the same make and model. We all know that particular guns prefer particular ammo - my Hummer shoots best with Winchester 17 gr silvertips (and yes, I know that all .17 HMR ammo is produced by CCI, but I have to believe that the different labels use different recipes).

What I am trying to say is pick the one you like best and then find the ammo it likes best - I don't think you'll be disappointed. Don't base your choice on one test of four specific guns. While I didn't see the test to which you refer, I'd be willing to bet that none of the guns were slouches in the accuracy department.

.17 Hummers have been used on game as large as coyotes, but I would confine its use to woodchuck size critters out to a max of 200 yards. Anything beyond 100 yards becomes a real challenge when there is any air moving. Those 17 (and 20, only to a slightly lesser degree) grain pills have a tendency to drift a lot with the wind.

.17 rimfires (and I have one of each) are about the most fun you can have sitting down.

Good luck in your choice.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

[knight0334]

Marlin's are generally good guns. However you always have a lemon with any manufacturer. If you take a pole of Marlin model 60 vs Ruger model 10/22 the Marlin usually wins a popularity contest. Marlin's bolt and lever guns are just as popular as well.

As for the 17cal, all three rimfire versions are good and accurate. The usage is limited in range though. Those lightweight bullets can be pushed pretty easily off target with a gust.

[MaDuece]

I don't have a lot of experience with the HMR but I have shot several thousand rounds from a heavy barrel Marlin 17 Mach 2.

Not only is the rifle and cartridge combo VERY accurate but in a highly populated area like where I live. The little 17 is perfect! The volocity and light weight bullet combo is perfect for tree rats (grey squirrels) and ground hogs. The ballistic tip is very deadly on game that size and the "explosive" fragmentation of the bullet on impact with ANYTHING, makes over penetration and the dangers of too many houses in this area a none issue!

[papaul]

how good is the 17? Just as with any other caliber, it depends on what you want to use it for.

I have a remington model 5 17 HMR, it is absolutely devastating on foxes and woodchucks out to 200 yards, and its the most accurate gun I own. I've only had it for 2 years, but it is now one of my favorite guns and calibers.

A buddy shot a few turkeys with his, he says head shots are fine but dont shoot them in the body, it destroyed too much meat. He also says it works great on coyotes, but I have heard mixed reports on that.

[chez323]

I've been thinking of getting one for a while and woodchucks would be the main target. And from you say it will work just fine and the ammo isn't that expensive either. Thanks for the info

how good is the 17? Just as with any other caliber, it depends on what you want to use it for.

I have a remington model 5 17 HMR, it is absolutely devastating on foxes and woodchucks out to 200 yards, and its the most accurate gun I own. I've only had it for 2 years, but it is now one of my favorite guns and calibers.

A buddy shot a few turkeys with his, he says head shots are fine but dont shoot them in the body, it destroyed too much meat. He also says it works great on coyotes, but I have heard mixed reports on that.

[Steve_NEPhila]

The .17 is great for squirrels and rabbits, but the venerable 22 LR will do just about the same. I would not shoot anything larger then a rabbit with a .17 but that is my judgment.

The .17 is also quite a bit more expensive then the 22 LR and since the real effect may not be significantly different the value is based on your perception. I personally would never think of shooting a coyote with a rimfire, the venerable .223 is quite acceptable on this game animal.

[Pizza Bob]

As for the 17cal, all three rimfire versions are good and accurate.

Three?

.17 HMR
.17 HM2
.17 Aguila....maybe????

[Tomcat088]

The .17 HMR is a fun caliber, and as others have said quite accurate. I think it's the most accurate rimfire that exists. I'm not a big fan of the .17HM2 other than using it to shoot paper or small animals up close. It just doesn't quite have the punch that the .17 HMR does. If I remember correctly, it was designed for the guys that were shooting paper in matches, so I leave it more for doing exactly that (shooting paper).

The .17 HMR will kill smaller animals out to quite a ways. I don't think you've have a problem killing a fox out to 150, maybe a touch further; IF you make good shot placement. I've shot plenty of rabbits, prairie dogs, etc. out to 200 yards with it (sometimes a touch further), and it's killed them all without any problems. It dispatches the smaller animals like a CHAMP. I'm trying to remember the exact distance, but I've shot an adult male coyote with it at around 75-85 yards, and it did the job. He didn't run very far, but I placed the shot right through the heart. The bullets expand pretty violently, so penetration will be the issue on some of the larger varmints. For this reason I'd probably keep it around 85 yards for the coyotes, although I'm sure that you could push it out to 100 yards if you are sure that you can hit him in the head. I've shot foxes through the heart at 100 yards and he didn't run by maybe 5 yards before he was down.

Others brought this up, but I have seen accuracy differences between some brands of ammunition. I've also noticed that some of them are pretty interchangeable (in some rifles), about their point of impact; meaning that you may not need much adjustment on the scope to have it zeroed with different ammo. As others have said, although the same people make the ammunition, they ARE different. A friend and I were doing some crude penetration tests with some different brands of ammunition, and also between the hollowpoints (TNT's) and some of the polymer/ballistic tipped bullets. We DID see differences in penetration characteristics, even between the ballistic tip bullets from one brand to another.

I'm pretty sure that they bullets are ALL made by the same manufacturer, they just put a different dye in the polymer for the tips. So this leads me to believe that main difference in the ammunition and their penetration ability is related to their velocity. The person who's brand on the box will have some say over the "recipe" and what powder and how much powder goes into their loading. So while they may not actually manufacture the ammunition, they do have control over the specs and velocities. Do NOT take this to mean that the bullet that penetrates the deepest is moving the fastest, because that would probably be an incorrect assumption. Bullets are designed for an optimal impact velocity, and if you're above that, the bullet actually fragments faster and more than a bullet moving at or below the optimal impact velocity. I just mention this because some brands may be better suited for shooting coyotes or foxes than other brands.

It's a dandy little cartridge, that contrary to what most people think, actually performs better in gusty conditions than a .22 lr, and will hang with the .22 mag. It's still not ideal for shooting on windy and gusty conditions, but it's a lot of fun.