# whats the best load for .17 HMR ON COYOTES?



## 6#test

Hey ya'll. What is the best load for yotes in the .17 hmr?
Will it knockem down or just make them madd?


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## wilded

here is my take on the .17HMR and .22 Magnum
Wild Ed's Texas Outdoors: The Magnum Rimfire Wars-.17HMR VS .22WMR

I do not believe the .17HMR is enough gun for coyote unless very close and bullet placement is precise. It will not anchor them consistently. JMHO ET


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## El Gato Loco

6#test said:


> Hey ya'll. What is the best load for yotes in the .17 hmr?
> Will it knockem down or just make them madd?


What happened? According to your last post ( http://www.predatortalk.com/predator-hunting/72-who-shoots-17hmr-predators.html ), you were going to consider the .223.

You picked the perfect username because I think "fishing" is exactly what you have come here to do.


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## Furhunter

The HMR will work fine on coyotes...................

If you hold it by the barrel and club them over the *#@^!*$ head with it.


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## jsoulier

Furhunter said:


> The HMR will work fine on coyotes...................
> 
> If you hold it by the barrel and club them over the *#@^!*$ head with it.


+1

Perfectly worded. I don't understand how so many people drop as much cash on these .17 HMRs as they could on an all purpose varmint rifle. It's not like we're trying to avoid damaging meat on coyotes, give 'em something that will knock 'em down.


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## Bigdrowdy1

LOL LOL LOL I am sorry LOL LOL LOL Give the man with the gun plenty of room. What power scope do you recomend? Sling or no sling Bipod or sticks for back up I think sticks incase you drop gun. LOL sorry again LOL


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## Furhunter

Bigdrowdy1 said:


> LOL LOL LOL I am sorry LOL LOL LOL Give the man with the gun plenty of room. What power scope do you recomend? Sling or no sling Bipod or sticks for back up I think sticks incase you drop gun. LOL sorry again LOL


Dont be sorry........

The scope doesnt matter as long as its heavy, I would use a sling incase you need to use it to choke out the coyote and sticks of course, might need one thru the heart to finish it off.


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## PredatorFreak

Amen to everything fur hunter said those 17 HMR's just don't do it for me even on prairie dogs a 223 or 22-250 is 100 times better. And the price can be about the same. I still can't understand the obsession with the 17. I wouldn't have one.


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## lonewolfhand

i have hunted a bit with the, only because of local restrictions. 22 mag is by far better, but if you insist on the 17 hmr fmj will be the last load that you want to use


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## Rem22-250

My brother made the mistake of buying one. If the wind was barely blowing he could'nt hit a paper plate at fifty yards. He got rid of it.


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## bar-d

6#test said:


> Hey ya'll. What is the best load for yotes in the .17 hmr?
> Will it knockem down or just make them madd?


Far be it from me to pooh pooh a guy's choice of firearm but personally I would not use my .17hmr on a coyote unless I had it in my hand and he was trying to bite a plug out of me. A couple of years ago, a friend and I were taking a run through the ranch in my Kawasaki Mule. We spotted a bobcat crossing the road and slowed up as we approached. Sure enough he was hunkered down under a mesquite, just looking at us. My friend had his .17 hmr and shot the cat at about 30 feet. The cat ran out of the brush and down the fenceline about 50 feet and laid back down. I saw him, my friend did not so I took his rifle and shot the cat again at about 25 feet. That was enough, he was through. That should tell you something about the energy it has and that IMO it would be totally ineffective on coyotes at longer ranges.


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## coyotehunter243

I would use eithre the v max bullet or the new xtr. I used to use my 17 hmr all the time and killed sevreal bobcats and yotes with it you just have to have a gpd scpoe and tons of practice with it and know exactly how it shpts out to 200 yrds. I would get the sweet 17 scope. I still use mine when I'm hunting around houses and don't want to scare anybody with the 243. That's just my experance with it.


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## wilded

The twenty two magnum will drift almost twice as far as a .17HMR in a strong wind. I have put thousands of rounds downrange on prairie dogs and seen the results. The .17HMR just does not have the power or bullet weight for larger predators.


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## Mr Mike

.17 Remington center fire???? Even this is iffy why even consider .17 rimfire???? Guess people are obcessed with pellet guns!!!


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## Furhunter

The 17 center fire's are becoming more popular in the recent years for calling coyotes. They kill like a lighting strike and generally dont leave much if any exit wounds. There are some fantastic 25 and 30 grain bullets on the market for the 17's. A 30gr bullet pushed out at 4000 fps is anything but "marginal"

Two or three years ago, you couldnt have given me a 17, now I have three of them, all center fires. My calling rifle is a 17 Tactical. If anyone has any doubts as to the effectiveness of the big 17's, all you need to do is watch a little video on the 17Predator.
http://rmvh.com/Movies/17with17.wmv


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## wilded

I agree the .17 fireball or .17 MKIV is one of my all time favorite cartridges. The .17 centerfires are fantastic rounds for predators and are fur friendly. The .17 rimfires are great jackrabbit, cottontail, prairie dog and other small varmnit cartridges but are not sufficent for dependable killing of coyotes and bobcats. I have killed a 125 pound feral pig with a .17HMR but that is not what I pig hunt with if I know that is my target. I have seen too many marginal kills with the .17 rimfires even with well placed shots. If you are in the brush country you will have a hard time finding coyotes and cats shot with a .17 rimfire as it does not drop them in their tracks as a rule. JMHO


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## joemac

I have a .22 mag and have 0 experience with coyotes. I have used it to shoot deer in the head a couple of times with success. The drop instantly. If I was set up and had a coyote come in I would take a head shot less than 100 yards. Any further than that I would wait or pass. Any experience with head shots with the rimfires?


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## joemac

Furhunter said:


> The 17 center fire's are becoming more popular in the recent years for calling coyotes. They kill like a lighting strike and generally dont leave much if any exit wounds. There are some fantastic 25 and 30 grain bullets on the market for the 17's. A 30gr bullet pushed out at 4000 fps is anything but "marginal"
> 
> Two or three years ago, you couldnt have given me a 17, now I have three of them, all center fires. My calling rifle is a 17 Tactical. If anyone has any doubts as to the effectiveness of the big 17's, all you need to do is watch a little video on the 17Predator.
> http://rmvh.com/Movies/17with17.wmv


After watching that video and reading both articles on the .17 predator, I believe a .17 centerfire will be my first centerfire rifle. We have to use shotguns on deer where I live so I haven't had a reason to purchase one yet. Thread hijack over.


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## Cur Dog

If you are looking for a small caliber go with the Ruger.204. They will kill fairly good. Again bullet placement is necessary as I see it.


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## bar-d

I have a Remington Model 700 BDL in .17 Remington. The first coyote I shot with it nearly 30 years ago made a big impression on me. I shot him right behind the right shoulder at about 75 yards and he literally dropped in his tracks. I picked the coyote up and it felt like a plastic bag full of Jello. There was no exit hole and it disintegrated his insides. He was dead before he hit the ground. I would not trade it for anything.


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## tjc1230

I'll make this easy. NOPE don't do it.


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## huntfishski

I agree, the 17HMR is too small for Coyote. I use one for ground squirrels because you can watch them explode through the scope! It is very accurate out beyond 100yrds. but doesn't do much damage.


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## Dust

The one that deletes the HM, and adds an EM at the end.


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## youngdon

Just in case you haven't got the point from all the other posts I'll add my 2cents. As hunters we have the responsibility to kill humanely and that means cleanly. 17HMR just won't do it in enough siituations and there is nothing worse than a wounded animal dying a slow miserable death. This is not acceptable to me under any circumstances,PERIOD. Accidents happen we all know that they do, shots are misjudged. It's just not right to go out there knowing that you don't have enough gun.


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## SWAMPBUCK10PT

I agree----17 rem fantastic fur getter----but in upper mich we have to use rimfire after sun set--i prefer the 17hmr over 22 mag--4 yotes have dropped in there tracks from 32 yds to 65- durning day lite i did take a shot at 107 yds --yote dropped down and turn into a spinner and spund out of the field- i did find him 12 hrs later--also i shot the largest bobcat i ever shot at 35 yds 2 rounds to anchor, he weight on scale 45#. I really like my 17 hmr--but no more shooting over 60 yds i use 20 gr xtp hornady. For yotes 17hmr is a tad lite


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## El Gato Loco

On a similar note, can someone explain why most of the public hunting opportunities in many areas require us to kill inhumanely? Sure... shoot a dog, but with a shotgun loaded with birdshot or a rimfire weapon like the 17hmr. Or - sure you can trap, but with live traps only and oh yea... no foot holds. Hmmm????

I don't understand the logic behind some of this stuff. If you're going to allow hunting of the animal, let us do it in a humane way. Many DO NOT though!


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## youngdon

Peta and their kind have too much influence on the rule makers.


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## TexAgBQ81

may have even more influence on us if the wrong supreme court justice is appointed-----------i hate politics


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## youngdon

I'm sure that BO is gonna try to stick it to us.


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## bar-d

I feel stuck already.


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