deadeye ive Posted February 22, 2007 Report Share Posted February 22, 2007 Went out last night and had a couple of runners .........Distances were,nt great (Sub 100 yds )and only a mild wind . On inspection of the ones that dropped on the spot the exit wounds were,nt what i normally expect considering they were head shots as the damage was minimal . My question is as anyone else noticed that the Hornady v-max might not be expanding as it should. The last shot of the night produced a typical wound I'm familiar with ,ie one side of the head perfect with the other side missing . Never had runners with a HMR before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted February 22, 2007 Report Share Posted February 22, 2007 I've never used Hornady so can't say but have had few shots like this with the Remmington V-Max. I put iot down to where the bullet strikes. If it hits a weaker part opf the skull i.e. gets less resistance on impact, it doesnt seem to fragment as you'd expect. I have had a quite a few not so messy results as opposed to the normal expectations of the round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbivvy Posted February 22, 2007 Report Share Posted February 22, 2007 My question is as anyone else noticed that the Hornady v-max might not be expanding as it should. never known it ive, and all i use it the ammo your on about. Never had runners with a HMR before. are the old eyes failing mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadeye ive Posted February 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2007 Zero's OK I'm OK ......I think But seeing as I'm now scopeless it'll have to wait for the luep to arrive and a zeroing session .Have gone through the shot's in my mind and given the exact senario over again I would,nt change a thing .(Cross air on the knapper and all that ) I suppose I must be getting old ................Still got 20/20 vision though even after 25 years of welding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbivvy Posted February 22, 2007 Report Share Posted February 22, 2007 does it need a clean at all.this is how i know when mine wants cleaning. if i start to miss the odd one . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TikkaT3 Posted February 22, 2007 Report Share Posted February 22, 2007 As far as I am aware all V-MAX/ballistic tip-style .17 bullets (i.e. projectile with polymer tip) are all made by Hornaday, regardless of whether they are Remington, Federal or Hornady-own brand. The colour of the tip varies, but I believe the actual manufacture is always Hornady. Hollowpoints are a different story. Maybe there was a bad batch, but I have not yet come across the problem - the exit hole confirms it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadeye ive Posted February 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2007 does it need a clean at all.this is how i know when mine wants cleaning. if i start to miss the odd one . Mark It has had about 20 rds fired since it's last clean which incidently was on a range with every thing being fine and dandy ......Bullets are definately passing straight through IMO but I'm always learning as I have only had this rifle since last July so maybe my shooting is abysmal but even though with a poor shot placement I would,nt expect a rabbit to bolt like it had'nt been touched .Remember these distances are less than 100yds . Could it be to meet demand corners have been cut I wonder . As far as I am aware all V-MAX/ballistic tip-style .17 bullets (i.e. projectile with polymer tip) are all made by Hornaday, regardless of whether they are Remington, Federal or Hornady-own brand. The colour of the tip varies, but I believe the actual manufacture is always Hornady. Hollowpoints are a different story. Maybe there was a bad batch, but I have not yet come across the problem - the exit hole confirms it! T3 I think your correct .............Not sure about the Sellior and Bellot version though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbivvy Posted February 23, 2007 Report Share Posted February 23, 2007 Could it be to meet demand corners have been cut I wonder dont know ivan. i go through a fair bit of this ammo and buy some at least 300 every month, but not noticed a change. anyone else got anything to contribute please. must have a few hmr owners on board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted February 23, 2007 Report Share Posted February 23, 2007 If they ran off like they hadn't been hit I can only assume they weren't. Even assuming the round didn't open up a hole through a rabbits head is going to stop it. Bearing in mind how the round is constructed I can't see it not breaking up, but like you it seems to be an all or nothing round depending on range and just what it hits, you either get blood and gore or you can't even find the hole the bullet went in. I'm on hornadys at the moment and I bought the last lot a few weeks ago and have had no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadeye ive Posted February 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2007 If they ran off like they hadn't been hit I can only assume they weren't. They were hit all right ..........the first doing a triple sulko landing on it's back and back legs kicking .Lamp off ,a walk over to the spot in the middle of the 4th green and no rabbit ..............The second that actually bolted I will confess might have had the base of it's ears pieced but there was that definate thud of the round hitting home .............like I said previously the ones that did drop on the spot did'nt have the characteristic signs of a exit wound typical of this calibre .......Apart form 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougy Posted February 23, 2007 Report Share Posted February 23, 2007 Aye up me duck as you know ive shot thousands well a few:blush: had a few runners but also had some without the normal high impact damage that i would have expected frome the ballistic tipped feds. Im sure you must remember the one i shot on one of your permissions. That to did the normal back flip and kick but when we went to pick it up no body just put it down as a very near miss :yp: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbivvy Posted February 23, 2007 Report Share Posted February 23, 2007 any chance you are just clipping them in the scruff of the neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadeye ive Posted February 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2007 anyone else got anything to contribute please. must have a few hmr owners on board. Obviously mark alot of armchair experts ..........or we are not that popular Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbivvy Posted February 24, 2007 Report Share Posted February 24, 2007 anyone else got anything to contribute please. must have a few hmr owners on board. Obviously mark alot of armchair experts ..........or we are not that popular or some cant shoot as good as they think they can been doing the bunnies with the hornet for the last few weeks. 35 grn vmax really messes their day up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TikkaT3 Posted February 24, 2007 Report Share Posted February 24, 2007 I have had bunnies appear to be shot hard with the HMR but have never been recovered. I can only assume that it was only a scraping shot or one exceptionally close to make the thing jump...down a nearby hole. I am certain it has always been shooter error and not bullet/manufacturing error. In the field unexpected things often happen... That said, I have not yet had a duff batch of HMR, but have not had to buy any for a couple of months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadeye ive Posted February 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2007 This is what our American friends have to say on this subject It does not happen as often now, but Yes, sometimes the bullets do not expand. When the 17 HMR first came out it was not uncommon to get a round that did not expand on small game every now and then. I use the 17 HMR and 17 HM-2 a lot around home on pest. The same bullet is loaded in both, and usually is very explosive inside the first 50 yards out of both. As the range increases so does the chance of the bullet not opening up due to velocity loss.[/ Which makes sense to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted February 26, 2007 Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 It does make sense but not that it would affect head shots. I'd still stick with a proper headshot it doesn't matter if it expands or not its still going to make a hole through the skull that should be pretty immediately fatal. If you were taking body shots to me it would matter more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted February 27, 2007 Report Share Posted February 27, 2007 I have noticed Ive that the close range shots also dont expand on target the way you would expect. Perhaps the round hasnt slowed enough to allow the round to expand properly in such a short space I dont know, but I have had a few close range shots that didnt cause as much damage. I had a runner last night which I couldnt really explain other than I missed it by a hairs width. 125yards with no wind held the crosshair just at the top of the head and pulled away. The round hitting target sounded correct with the usual thud but, suprisingly, the rabbit sprang into the air. I new straight away it was going to run and sure enough it did. I dont normally get jumpers, its only the younger ones that seem to jump or back flip, I do get the odd 10 seconds of kicking, some of which can move quite a distance even back down a whole. But there can be no doubt it just the nerves twitching and Murphies Law. But last night was surprising especially as his mate 3 yards further out was succesfully retreived, allbeit from a rear facing body shot. I'm kinda thinking that the round just missed underneath and hit the ground very close. Enough to make the rabbit startled and jump. I'm prettty sure that at that distance the round would have more than stopped the rabbit, no matter what part of the head it hit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadeye ive Posted February 27, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2007 I have to agree a head shot is a head shot and the bone should cause fragmentation but years ago I shot a rabbit with my Falcon FN19 (12 ft lb )in the head the exit wound was the rim of the eye with some tissue hanging out and the rabbit was very much still alive as I ran after it ..............I always remember this senario as the very next day I applied for FAC ................Here I am some 6 years later and still running after them even though I'm using a .17 hmr I would say AXE that these examples are going to be more common place as you describe exactly the scene that presented itself to me the other night . I think it's time to get the FAC Air rifle out and put a bit of effort and concentration back into my shooting . ......................This wonderful,perfect all singing and dancing calibre has made me very lazy indeed I feel : Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted February 27, 2007 Report Share Posted February 27, 2007 I know its a long shot but have you checked to make sure the parallax is still ok on the scope. That might explain slight variations in in zero. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadeye ive Posted February 27, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2007 I know its a long shot but have you checked to make sure the parallax is still ok on the scope. That might explain slight variations in in zero. I have just sold the Scope Axe and awaiting the arrival of a Leup 6.5 x 20 x 40 VXIII c/w varmint reticle ...........Not bad for saying I'm a great believer in fixed mag but this was up for the right money and I could'nt resist Anyway can you explain why parallex can affect zero as 50-100yds is about 1/2" of movement on the AO on that model . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted February 27, 2007 Report Share Posted February 27, 2007 Not as well as this guy. http://www.snipercountry.com/Articles/Parallax.asp 1/2" is still enough to miss though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadeye ive Posted February 27, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2007 Not as well as this guy. http://www.snipercountry.com/Articles/Parallax.asp 1/2" is still enough to miss though. Is that in laymans terms ...............I wish I'd stuck to fixed mag now Good link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted February 27, 2007 Report Share Posted February 27, 2007 I have to agree a head shot is a head shot and the bone should cause fragmentation but years ago I shot a rabbit with my Falcon FN19 (12 ft lb )in the head the exit wound was the rim of the eye with some tissue hanging out and the rabbit was very much still alive as I ran after it ..............I always remember this senario as the very next day I applied for FAC ................Here I am some 6 years later and still running after them even though I'm using a .17 hmr Rabbits are weird! I shot one today (and hit it for a change ) which jumped out of a hedge about 10 yards away, took its head clean off with the 12g. It ran for the best part of 20 feet before falling over Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jonrms Posted March 1, 2007 Report Share Posted March 1, 2007 I have had some problems with the vmax rounds... they dont seem to be grouping as well as my old ones.. and also they didnt even pierce a plastic sign/target at 100 yards... I was a bit concerned... i swopped to my older stuff again and they were putting pin pricks through the target.. hmmm bad batch I think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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