.17hmr weight

[rostkowski]

Which is preferred 17 grain vs 20 grain and why?

 

[ljalberta]

Whatever shoots best. It’s not a material difference in my experience.

 

[N8H]

I buy whatever is cheapest. My gun doesn't care who made it or how heavy it is, it will put it right where I point it.

 

[Agross]

I shoot the 17 grain because that’s what I bought first and they shoot great out of my gun.

 

[rostkowski]

I shoot the 17 grain because that’s what I bought first and they shoot great out of my gun.

Thats where i'm at, just wanted to see if anyone noticed a difference. I've only ever shot the 17gr

 

[Gravel Road]

Accuracy wise, my Tikka prefers the 20 gr. Supposedly, it will give better penetration on coyote sized critters and isn't quite as explosive. I haven't shot enough critters to confirm.

Previously, I had a Ruger American and it shot the 17's great. They worked fantastic on ground squirrels and ricochets were virtually non-existent. It worked so well that I no longer have any to shoot!

 

[PanhandlePilgrim]

17 gr is my go to, my gun shoots them better and terminal performance on ground squirrels is more violent.

 

[slush]

I use the 17 grain, to shoot prairie dogs in my back yard. The performance is awesome. Plus, the bullets are very explosive. I never worry about ricochet. I sight it in at 100 yards and hold on the chest at 150 yards.

 

[204_ruger]

I shoot the 20 gr xtp ammo. Killed a bunch of armadillos with the 20 gr. I like 20gr for coyotes too.

 

[Belial]

My cheap little Savage does well with whatever I have fed it. They all make a mess of the sage rats.

 

[Brimel]

I've settled on the 17-grain pellets since they were my first purchase, and they've proven to be a great match for my gun, delivering excellent results.

 

[Buckhead]

While a .17 HMR will work coyotes and raccoons, I prefer a .22 mag. 40 grain bullet just packs more thump. Out of the .17 HMR, 20 grain bullets penetrate better than 17 grain.

Attached is a photo of a coyote I called in close and shot with my CZ .17 HMR. The coyote was about 50 yds away and was shot with a 17 grain vmax bullet. The shot was perfect boiler room, the Yote did a spin, ran about 75 yards and piled up. Was lucky to recover, absolutely no blood trail. Typical result, however, have had multiple crawl offs.

 

[Blockcaver]

17 gr V-max (plastic tipped) for small varmints as they are explosive and hardly ever ricochet. The hollow points are not as destructive to small rodents like ground squirrels and prairie dogs and will often whine out across a flat after a shot.

My rifles all shot the V-max the best but that will vary....sample size of 3 different CZs and a Cooper.

I like the 20 gr hollow points for larger critters for additional penetration....although the 17 HMR is "light" for coyotes in my experience if you hit bone. 22 magnum would be a better choice for coyotes, as are the centerfire varmint cartridges.

 

[TheGDog]

I LOVE the Hornady's NTX 15.5 gr loading! For Rabbit Headshots and Ground Squirrel shots.

I haven't used the .17 HMR (Yet!) for a coyote. But I'd likely grab for the 17gr CCI TNT GREEN for that, just to have a little more mass to the projectile. We have to use Lead-Free here.

That 15.5gr NTX load? It's feakin' Surgical outta my Savage 93R17 Heavy Barrel!!!

Furthest Ground Squirrel so far has been 104yds off the Kwik Stix sittin on a Back-supported Turkey Seat Cushion, up on top of where a finger-ridge turned terminated into a drop off where it met up with this Ravine.

The Ground Squirrels would show up on the other side of this Ravine as the PM shadows would start to extend and blanket their side of the Ravine. They'd come out to forage seeds along this rocky area on the other side. Seeds that'd fallen from vegetation growing above that rocky area. Falls, Slides-down, Gathers as the bottom, type of deal.

 

[swede8200]

+1 for ljalberta's comment. I have a CZ 452 that is very picky on ammo. It's a very nice little rifle but it only likes 17gr Hornady Vmax, not even other brands of 17gr.

 

[Gravel Road]

Shot my new thermal today on the Tikka and it shoots great! All groups sub one inch. It shoots the CCI 17gr about a 1/2" below the Hornady 20 XTP at 100 yards. Close enough for what I'm shooting.

 

[Bextat]

I'll go for 20 grain, all day, more kinetic energy, better penetration, drops targets like a boss.

 

[Turkeytider]

After much experimentation at the range, I buy CCI 17grain TNT by the case. My Savage 93R17 just seems to shoot them more accurately, more consistently. It`s turned into pretty much just a fun range gun since my 17HMR hunting opportunities have just about vanished. Very accurate at 200 yards. I`ve wondered if the hollow point aids in the accuracy (?).

 

[Te Hopo]

I've always used the 17gr loads as the 20gr loads weren't local to me.
Finally found some last week and my CZ 455 American loves them so I'll be going back for more

 

[Jlamb]

+1 on the 15.5 grain lead frees for small game. They get there in a hurry