.17 HMR

[24 on/ 48 off]

WOW!!

I just bought the Marlin .17 HMR. What a fun gun and caliber! Straight-shootin varmint popper out to 125-150 yards. 2550 FPS at the muzzle.

Anybody else have stories about their .17 caliber?

--spud-- :smile:

[Birdnest]

24/48,

I just spent sometime down in central California shooting ground squirrels. I started out shooting a .223 and then switched over to my Dad's .17 Cooper. What a sweet gun. It was fun to have a rimfire with that kind of sting.

Joe

[skein]

Yes, yes, yes!

I got a CZ in .17 and it's now my favorite rat popper. Accurate, fast, and noooooo recoil.

Too much fun!

Skein

[Chukrchaser]

Yeah! What Skein said. I have a CZ also -- What a hoot -- One thing I did find out is that once in a while -- if you misjudge distance -- or windage -- you can hit right next to the fur ball and get them with the shrapnel--

I have tried all three rounds available -- seems to me the CCI hollow point isn't as accurate as the ballistic tip -- Any one else notice that?

Can we hope that the ammo price will go down now that production is catching up? 3,000 rounds for a weekend can be a little ouchy on the wallet!

Man, haven't even gotten through deer, elk and chukar yet and am already looking forward to spring rats!!

Chuck

[skein]

Chukrchaser,

I noticed the same thing, the CCI's don't seem to be as accuate or as explosive as the Hornaday or Remingtons. Hornaday loads theirs with VMax and Rem uses the Nosler Ballistic Tips. My CZ seems to prefer the Rems, but spits both out in fine order.

I'm thinking about trying mine on jackrabbits prior to hunting season as a tune up. I saw lots of rabbits when I was over at the Warner Wetlands last week and hunting them often mimics the conditions I find myself in during deer and elk season. It's good practice for acquiring the target, holding, and squeezing off the shot. A jack is about the size of the effective kill area on a deer, so if I can't hit that, I'm not ready to be out there for the big game.

What do you guys have for a scope on yours? I've got a Simmons 6x18 on mine and it seems to work okay.

Skein

[Chukrchaser]

I have a Leupold K8 in 6x -- Where I do most of my rat shoots the ranges are from 0 to way out there -- find the 6x a no hassle compromise -- I may try a higher variable -- one of these days.

I agree about the Rems-- my gun sweetens up with that round -- kind of surprising since the Hornaday and Rems are supposedly built on the same assembly line. With my bad hearing, the CCI seem to sound different as well. Of interest too is that the CCI is the only one on the shelf here in the Salem area -- others may be experiencing the same. It may be that the Vmax doesn't have enough resistance when it hits something as soft as a rat to expand well --

I managed a couple of Jacks the last trip East -- the .17 is a HMR on them -- Does help to smooth swing and acquisition --

[Birdnest]

Here is a pic down around Merced, CA helping out the farmers with their little crop eaters.



The field in the back ground was adjacent to a field of grapes that had failed due to lack of irragation. The squirrels were chomping on the plastic water lines faster than the guy could repair them. He lost his shirt. The field had burned a few weeks later, making for good contrast while trying to spot those little boggers. It is amazing how destructive those little guys can be.

Joe