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17hmr


bignoel
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You can shoot a fox out to 100yrds ( a little futher with a head shot) and rabbits out to 200+ if theres no wind

 

The little 17grn pills get buffeted by the wind quite a bit, but are fine out to 75- 100yrds even in strongish wind conditions

 

Also remember most 17HMR rifles dont shoot brilliant groups untill they have had at least 500 rounds down em.

Edited by tulkyuk
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I would agree with Tulkyuk, I would add though, I would restrict the distances as given especially on fox by quarter. At least until you have a full and complete understanding of the round and its/your ability. Ballistic tips work well on rabbits out to distance but any deviation on target with a Fox could end up being inhumane. There is a much smaller margin for error.

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Placed correctly the hmr will knock a fox down instantly in the kill zone out to about 100yds just as well as my 22-250, always nice if you happen upon a foxy whilst out rabbiting! Would agree with the comment that the 20gn are better though.

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IMO the .17HMR is a brilliant little rifle FOR small vermin but my take on it's ability to quickly and humanely kill foxes is that it should be a NO NO. I know there's always a big (dare I say mass :) ) debate on here about whether it's good enough or not but IMO you should always use more gun than necessary to ensure a kill and I don't care how good a shot you are. Under field conditions you can NEVER be sure of a totally accurate placement but with a larger calibre you can be sure that so long as you're in the right area you'll do the job and if you can't be sure of that then what are you doing shooting live quarry anyway!

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Any FEO worth his money won't grant one for Fox.

 

 

Herts include them as vermin these days, used right the HMR doesn't have any problem with foxes and does give you extra range on them over the .22lr, But its not a fox round the only reason to use on fox is when you encounter them while rabbit shooting.

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The Home Office Guidance to police says;

 

13.17 The rifle cartridge most commonly used

to shoot ground game and vermin is .22

rimfire. If a combination rifle/shot gun

(such as a German “Drillingâ€) is used, the rifle

calibre should be .22 rimfire. More powerful

rounds such as .17 Remington and .22 Hornet

are suitable for ground game and vermin, and

may be considered if the applicant also intends

to shoot fox to avoid possession of a further

gun. Expanding ammunition may be granted

for shooting vermin.

 

Note that it says 17 remington, a very different animal to 17HMR. The 17 Remington has a muzzle energy of 900 ft/lbs, the 17HMR has a ME of 245 ft/lbs.

The 17HMR is a useful little round, but should be used within it's limitations, and fox is not within them.

I agree with al4x with his comment;

"........ But its not a fox round, the only reason to use on fox is when you encounter them while rabbit shooting."

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Sussex include them for Fox. I think the problem lies in the 2002 Firearms Law Guidance Notes in that .17REM is classified for Fox but there is no mention of the .17HMR as it was not introduced until later that year. So some areas determine the .17HMR to ok as .17 is listed but others clearly note that .17REM is a different calibre.

 

I am still prepared to shoot a Fox with a .17HMR but I do restrict my shots to as close a distance as possible and would rarely take a shot over 75 yards. The margin for error is far greater than with a larger calibre which has a much harder punch to it.

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Sussex include them for Fox. I think the problem lies in the 2002 Firearms Law Guidance Notes in that .17REM is classified for Fox but there is no mention of the .17HMR as it was not introduced until later that year. So some areas determine the .17HMR to ok as .17 is listed but others clearly note that .17REM is a different calibre.

 

I am still prepared to shoot a Fox with a .17HMR but I do restrict my shots to as close a distance as possible and would rarely take a shot over 75 yards. The margin for error is far greater than with a larger calibre which has a much harder punch to it.

"I am still prepared to shoot a Fox with a .17HMR".

Yes, I would agree with you, as I would be prepared to shoot a fox with a subsonic 22 in the right circumstances, but that does not qualify either of them as a fox round.

At 100 yards, the 17hmr has 99ft/lbs of energy, the LR High Velocity HP, Winchester's Super-X load, with a 37 grain hollow point bullet at 100 yards has 85 ft. lbs. 13ft/lbs difference between a 22rf and a 17hmr is not enough to make it the wonder round that most 17 owners imagine it to be. And yes, I do own one, and no, I don't rate it as the b-all and end-all of rifles. It's useful in the right circumstances, but no way a fox round.

Edited by bob300w
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Bob whilst i agree that the 17hmr is never going to be a decent fox rifle, i would like to point out that your energy calculations at 100 yards are incorrect :good::P:welcomeani:

.17 hmr 137 ft/lbs ( 2550ft/s, 17 grain, .125bc)

.22lr sub ( eley 40 grain ) 72 ft/lbs ( 1065ft/s, 40grain, .115bc)

http://www.eskimo.com/~jbm/ballistics/traj/traj.html

 

.22 hornets the cal for the job, or go all out and opt for .222 /.223/ .22-250, .243, 6mm

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bob I am with you the .17 is rated so highly among shooters. It is a great long range vermin round but not the be all that people imagine (someone even advocated its use against badger on this forum recently). I know it can kill a fox but I know of a suicide with a .22 rimmie, just because it can does not mean it should.

 

steve b

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