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Ultimate .17 HMR


Mr pigeon
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You will get all sorts of response on this!

 

ALL my rimfires and CF are conditioned for fox and I shoot more foxes with my rimfire collection than with my Centrefire collection.

 

That is simply because I deal with a lot of short distance baited foxes and the rimfires work.

 

Many here will suggest a rimfire isn't a fox rifle, that is bull, they are not fox rifles at distance but close they are more than adequate, and as regards the usual comment "they don't give you any leway", well neither does your centrefire 200-300 yards away and my money is on placing a more accurate shot on a fox at 0-50 yards with a rimfire than it is with a CF at 200-300 yards!

 

So don't be put off when you are told a HMR isn't a fox rifle, but don't get daft with the range, and of course you need to make sure your region will condition it for fox, many regions will not!

 

As regards setup, you will not "need" anything more than a CZ can give you, and you need a scope you can see it with and holds zero!

 

Let the battle commence!

Edited by Dekers
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I've heard a cz is a quality piece of kit. I will be lamping so out of truck etc what is best stock type barrel length etc?

 

Do you have a FAC, what shooting do you do at the moment, what equipment are you using, trying to work out your starting position?

Edited by Dekers
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Applied for rifle now. Only shotgun at the moment but taken on part time keepering so need a fox control rifle and I know I can't get a 243 at first. Just sorting out budget and want to get it all right first time. I had a casual chat with officer and he was very understanding about the fox/.17 thing, so hopefully no problem.

 

Would like to know ur thoughts cheers dekers

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Applied for rifle now. Only shotgun at the moment but taken on part time keepering so need a fox control rifle and I know I can't get a 243 at first. Just sorting out budget and want to get it all right first time. I had a casual chat with officer and he was very understanding about the fox/.17 thing, so hopefully no problem.

 

Would like to know ur thoughts cheers dekers

 

Why not a .243 if you need one?, But there is a monster of a gap between HMR and .243, what calibre do you consider you need and can justify?

 

What do the other keepers there say/use/suggest?

 

What sort of distance are you expecting most of your fox, anything much over 100 yards the HMR is far from ideal (some would suggest even less).

 

I suspect not many keepers would buy a HMR as first choice general fox gun, perhaps a Hornet, .204, .22CF worth thinking about, for ease and simplicity maybe a .222!

 

Are you perhaps suggesting your region are not easy issuing you with a CF upfront but appear ok to condition a HMR with fox?

Edited by Dekers
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Get a C/Fire. A HMR is not suitable to be a dedicated fox rifle. Good reason for fox and its pretty much a forgone conclusion you will be granted a c/fire .17 rem & .22 Hornet up see the Home office guidance notes to police. Mentoring is a possibility these days but personally I wouldn't shoot at a fox with a hummer unless it was close enough to drop with a 12 bore and a load of BB and I would have a heap more faith in a charge of BB in the boiler room

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Hmr is a great all round gun I've shot many foxes with it,I know lots off keepers who swear buy it for Charlie control round pens etc as long as you don't get greedy at long ranges you'll be fine and as for saying wouldn't shoot a fox with one unless its close enough to do so with a shotgun with bbs obviously you have no clue what a hmr is capable of doing I've field tested mine for two years now lamping maybe twice or more a week so I know that it's ideal for foxes

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Hmr is a great all round gun I've shot many foxes with it,I know lots off keepers who swear buy it for Charlie control round pens etc as long as you don't get greedy at long ranges you'll be fine and as for saying wouldn't shoot a fox with one unless its close enough to do so with a shotgun with bbs obviously you have no clue what a hmr is capable of doing I've field tested mine for two years now lamping maybe twice or more a week so I know that it's ideal for foxes

 

Oh yes I used one for quite a while previous to you even getting yours , the foxes etc round your parts must be lamp shy as heck if your out twice or more a week trying to get in close enough to zap em with a clean shot from a Hummer. The HMR will often fail to kill Crows cleanly at 150yds and that's a fact- even with direct hits! I had one fly 1/2 mile to fall dead in my neighbours yard one day, centre mass its liver fell out when it landed and i got totaly fed up of chasing the blighters across the fields, it just wasn't fair. Foxes at decent ranges? Laughable within range of a charge of BB fair enough IMO Rabbit gun? yes dedicated foxer ? LOL

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If you have got your mind set on a HMR then it will be difficult to persuaded you to change your mind.

But !!! If you just need a dedicated tool for Fox there are better more suitable options, that give the shooter more margin for errors. Deckers is correct, yes it will do the job BUT it needs to be in range, shoot a few hear the contact, but pick nothing up were you think the Fox should be, and you will see why people choose different calibers.

They deserve better.

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I go out maybe twice or more a week not just for foxes but when I see one and of its at a sensible range I will shoot it, my local fac officer is a ballistics expert and says its a good round for foxes at the right range,since I've had the gun I have had over 80 odd foxes and none have run all been clean kills and at no more than 150 yards why slate what I'm saying as I know for a fact what it can do I have over ten thousand acres which me and a friend can go shooting on in and around Oxfordshire Gloucester and Wiltshire!!! If the guy wants a hmr for foxing so be it

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This post is stupid, clean kill? How many people have shot a pigeon with "pigeon cartridges" and it flew away? Everyone of us. Is a .410 no good for pigeons? Yes at sensible ranges. So a .17hmr us fine for fox at sensible ranges, there is no set caliber for shooting fox. This applies to every gun and every caliber. It's all about being sensible.

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This post is stupid, clean kill? How many people have shot a pigeon with "pigeon cartridges" and it flew away? Everyone of us. Is a .410 no good for pigeons? Yes at sensible ranges. So a .17hmr us fine for fox at sensible ranges, there is no set caliber for shooting fox. This applies to every gun and every caliber. It's all about being sensible.

I think you will find 1 -3 might be acceptable wing shooting but 1 - 3 will get serious criticism with rifle shooting different standards apply.

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I was guided correctly or incorrectly that a first rifle and a fox rifle should be a .17. I'm totally open to other suggestions as to a first rifle for foxes. I'm aware that I can't get a 243 straight away although I think this would be the perfect rifle for foxes.

 

Please all opinions are welcome. Calibres makes and models.

 

Cheers

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First off there is no reason at all why you WONT be granted a 243 for fox as your first fac rifle. You may be asked to go for a smaller calibre or have a mentor which wouldnt be too bad if you are shooting with a keeper as you will gain experience fast and will so rid the mentor condition. If you are mainly shooting foxes and very few rabbits I personally would go for any cf over an hmr but on the other hand if you are shooting more rabbits than foxes well, it depends how deep your pockets are.

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