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Squirrel hunting with 17HMR

1078 Views 14 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  SDshooter, 
1
Anyone contemplating hunting squirrels with the 17HMR. I will have to since I sold my wife on the need for a new squirrel gun to buy a Marlin 17V. Rifle feels like it will be nice to hunt.
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Sure, Lots of people do and it is also a great gun for other varmints such as groundhogs and small game. Cheif Dave has also shot a coyote with it I believe. The .17hmr has a range of 200+ yards I think but don't quote me on that.

To see a squirrel hunting page with the .17 check out Varmint Al's which you may or may not have already seen. www.varmintal.com/17hmr.htm

I am not an expert on the gun and all I know about it is what I have read so my info may not be 100% accurate.
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17hmr is a awesome squirrel gun. And yes coyotes have been killed with them, check out the .17 forum , in here. Someone shot a coyote at a 100yrds, IN THE EYE! The bullet explode on impact, destroying the animals, aparently at closer ranged blowing them in pecies (which is also pictured int the .17 forum). Also 17hmr is effective well beyond 200yrds, a 31lb badger was taken down at 280yrds. SDshooter
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Plinker
For Squirrels of the eating

kind I would say head shots only.
If you plan on having anything to
cook when you get home.
For ground squirrels and other smaller
pests if you can hit them they will
probably go down at any range.
For ground hogs,bagers etc. 150
maybe 200 if the wind isn't to bad,
you are having a good day,right moon,
tide or whatever.
The 17 just doesn't have the thumping
power to reach way out there and get'em
like the big centerfire 22's.
Any reports to the contrary are
lucky shots or just plane BS.
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Ok, lets everyone thank Plinker for being the ultimate source of truth in the Universe! It is a fact the someone in the .17 forum killed a 31lb badger from 280yrds (go back and check for your self) But he did shoot it 13 times. In spite of your arrogant attitude, I agree with you, the 17 is definatly not the best round in the world for varment hunting, But it does have its place. SDshooter
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The 17hmr, should be the a decent squirrle gun. However, the bad outweighs the good. Whats the difference, between a 22lr, and a 17hmr, FOR squirrel hunting. Maybe the extended range. But the damage factor is just to much. You have to make a head shot or the squirrel is ruined.
Just my .02 worth.
Dean_311
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Sure if you plan on eating the animal. But where I live, in San Diego, the squirrels and dirty, ugly, scronny, things that live in ther dirt. So in my case the more damage to them , the better! SDshooter
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Plinker
YES SD it has it place

and that is 200yds and under.

13 rounds to kill one varmint does
not make it effective well over 200yds.
Ever here of one shot one kill.
Arrogant maybe, but it shows the shooter knows very little about
shooting , blistics or sportsmanship.
Either way its still BS to me.
Have a nice day! :D :D :D
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Your statment also shows that you know nothing about badgers, they arent the most easy animal to kill. And I never said that 13 shots to kill a animal was a good thing, I just siad it can be done. Also if you would take the time to look up the post I was refering to, you would also see that the same guy who shot to badger had been shooting rats at the range all day. Im sorry but I will have to continue to disagree with you, and say that for squirrels that effective range is 250 to 175yrds. SDshooter
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Plinker
SD you are right I

don't know a thing about badgers,don't
think I have ever seen one.
My main point is to use enough gun for
what I are shooting at,at the range
I am shooting.
The small squirrels/rats you are
talking about could be killed at any
range that they can be hit with the
17 same goes for black birds etc.
I think that is what I said in my
first post.
I have shot a dozen or so groundhogs
with the 17 and it does a good job.
A few made a short run before giving
it up.
When I pull the trigger I like to
see what I shoot at role over,thats
why I think 200 yds at least for
me is the limit for the 17.
Now for me anyway when I shoot a field
where the shots run from close to
way on out there .I'll just carry
the 17 along with a 22/250 or a .243
loaded with 55gr BT's.
Now if you want to reach out and touch
a varmint way out there try a .243 with
the 55's.
The 17 is one nice little gun,that
does a great job,it just shouldn't
be ask to do things it wasn't made
to do.
An I still don't no anything
about badgers. :D :D :D
Have a nice day SD
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Viper
I'd say that the effective range on squirrels with the .17HMR would be well over 200 yards. RealBow has been hunting groundhogs with his .17HMR and he takes lots of shots over 150 yards. And, a groundhog is a lot bigger and tougher than a squirrel is. I'd say that if you have shot placement and can hold a gun steady.

Squeeze the trigger and let that little Hummer fly.

I'm curious to see what type of shots I'll get at the rabbits this November when season opens!!!
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J
If you want to kill squirrels for fun the .17 will be great but if you want to eat squirrels you had better stick with head shots, unless you are not hunting in the woods and can find the 100+ yard shots where the bullet will not tear them to shreads. I thought the .17 would work on squirrels but I think that it will sit in the closet and I will go with the .22 lr this fall when I go for the brushytails. It is awsome on g-hogs out to 175 yds or so though and I love it for that.
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E
Tree Rats to eat NO

Ground Squirrels to Explode YES
Look at the Exploding Rat below.


Remember it is a Varmint Round.
Hence the Varmint Express on the box.

Got a few of the Original 17 Mags upstairs. Very little HOLLOW POINT on the end of that bullet. NO RED TIP. HMMMM.

Don't know what they would do in the gun.
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Vibe
SDshooter said:
And I never said that 13 shots to kill a animal was a good thing, I just siad it can be done. Also if you would take the time to look up the post I was refering to, you would also see that the same guy who shot to badger had been shooting rats at the range all day
SDshooter
Click to expand...
SD
You will no doubt remember that I replied to the thread you keep referencing. The shooter said that he had a 22-250 availble but CHOSE to shoot said badger with the 17HMR. I still stand behind my opnion of the situation, and Plinkers. Nuf said. The 17HMR is NOT a large/tough varmint round. For bushytails for the stewpot....I wonder if we'll ever see it loaded with Barnes solids?
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1
I agree with you & Plinker 100%, but it depends on what you shooting at, is what my point was. 13 shots is terrible no one will deny that, but I just dont really like it when people are really judgmental and dont see both sides of everything. Also I too wondered when someone will come out with solid points and how it will effect the reange and power of the 17. SDShooter
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