No matter how you slice it, coyotes are a bit on the large side for these rounds. If you want to peg predators and drop whitetails with an AR-15, the 6.5 Grendel is capable of doing both. Have no experience shooting yotes or bobcat with hmr, but good luck. Ive taken three coyotes so far with an HMR while coyote hunting. Initially, Hornady only offered the 17 caliber in a polymer-tipped bullet, but there are several other bullet options and bullet weights on the market today. font-size: 18px; Ammo ; Hornady Varmint Express 17 Grain 17 HMR 50 Rounds; Skip to the end of the . CCI is a trusted brand in the rimfire cartridge space, and they make reliable ammo that feeds well into most firearms. For example, at 150 yards, a 17 averages between 80 and 100 foot-pounds of energy, and at 200 yards, that number drops to 55 to 75 foot-pounds. That is correct, if you are in dilemma about 17 hmr vs 22 mag coyote hunting, then we have all the information in here. Thats the way it is going to be for some more time. Winchester 17 HMR 20gr JHP is the best 17HMR ammo for coyote hunting because the bullet is a little heavier, so it will pack more of a punch than lighter bullets. The .22-250 varmint loads drop 5.5 inches less at 400 yards than the .223 Rem. In fact, given the combination of wide expansion, high weight retention, and deep penetration, this may be the best rimfire coyote-killing load regardless of the cartridge. 23m! In fact, this cartridge does at 400 yards, what the popular .223 does at 300. They're very reliable rounds and cycle smoothly through semi-automatic rimfire rifles. .223/5.56 is also the most popular chambering for AR platform rifles. Location. Ackley during the early 1950s, as a necked-down version of the .22 Hornet. The Savage .17 HMR is a great rifle for small game hunting or target shooting. Whether youre a dedicated coyote hunter or youre completely new to the sport, if you want a versatile all-around coyote rifle, you simply cant go wrong with an AR-15 chambered in.223 Remington. That means it carries more kinetic energy further distances and it bucks the wind better than either of the .22-caliber rifle cartridges. The .204 Ruger is the best of the best when it comes to.20-caliber cartridges. The .204 Rugers recoil is soft as a kitten. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. While the large, .30-caliber projectiles can do some serious hide damage, they deliver deadly results. Polymer tip and thin jacket. Hence, they rely on the 22 mag exclusively, but it can get a bit inaccurate as per its reputation. Test: Averaging 2166 fps, the Hornady 30-grain V-Max load was the fastest of the group. However, bullets fired from the .22-250 fly faster, with a flatter trajectory, and hit with more energy than anything fired from a .223 cartridge. In short, if you utilize that precision to land your bullet right in the yotes brain or ticker, youre going to watch the roguish beast go down like a sack of bricks even if you do hit it with significantly less energy than its body weight would optimally call for. We prefer using the .22 magazine rifle because we know what to hunt. This second focal plane model is built on a 1 inch tube made from aircraft-grade aluminum and features a power adjustment range of 3-12 with a 40mm adjustable objective. We recommend all the cartridges compared in our ballistic data for coyote hunting except for the Hornady NTX load. Another major advantage to using .223 Rem to hunt yotes is the wide range of specialized loads on the market. The cartridge was designed as a potential rimfire replacement to the defunct Remington 5mm cartridge, which had great potential, but never really caught one. However, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether the .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest coyote. Best 40 S&W Ammo For Self Defense & Target Practice, Best Shotgun Shell Types for Home Defense & Hunting, Best 17 HMR Ammo for Varmint Hunting and Plinking, Best Handgun Ammo for Self-Defense in Common Calibers, Best 308 Ammo For Hunting & Target Shooting, 10 Best 6.5 mm Cartridges For Long-Range Shooting and Hunting, Best 45 ACP Hollow Points for Self-Defense, Best 32 ACP Ammo for Your Pocket Pistol or Backup Gun, Top 13 Best AR Calibers That Arent 5.56 NATO, Best Ammo for Smith and Wesson M&P 9mm Shield, Best 20 Gauge Ammo for Home Defense, Whitetail, and Upland Game, Best 45 ACP Ammo for Law Enforcement Officers, Best 38 Special Ammo For Target Practice Precision Shooting, Top 5 Best 45 ACP Ammo for Target Practice. These bullets shoot cleaner, so you don't have to clean the barrel as often. 17 HMR accuracy is second to none at 200 yards, thanks to its flat trajectory and minimal recoil, which will give any small game animal nightmares. The .17 Rem. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. The .17 WSM is not as solidly established but, based on potential, certainly should be. For this you need to have all the equipment you need and then can enjoy your hunt. The downfall of the .17 HMR when used on coyotes is the explosive properties of the bullet. The Valkyrie might just be the best coyote cartridge available in the AR-15 platform. Most ballistic charts indicate that the 17 HMR hits with a maximum of 215 to 220 foot-pounds of energy at 25 yards. What is the Best Cartridge for Coyote Hunting? Regardless of what the label says the vast majority of all 17 HMR ammo is made by CCI. As far as the .17 HMR is concerned, the range is 150 yards at the maximum. The 17 HMR does not transfer enough energy to quickly and humanely kill a coyote across its entire 200-yard effective range. It has certainly earned its acclaim fair and square. Joined: Jan 2005. That is to say, we assume the coyote being harvested is shot directly or . Since coyotes arent exactly excellent dinner fare, many hunters pursue them for furs. Although the 6.5 Grendel is arguably less accurate than its Creedmoor cousin, this cartridge is one of the most accurate cartridges available for the AR-15 platform. Commentdocument.getElementById("comment").setAttribute("id","a46e7b9f902311952422bf271018dcc9");document.getElementById("d82504c398").setAttribute("id","comment"); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Once again, we dont advise relying on a JHPs raw power for hunting coyote with a 17 HMR. font-size: 14px; If a hunter was adamant about using a rimfire caliber for yotes, Id consider the 22 mag (also called a 22 WMR) or 17 WSM a better coyote round over the 17 HMR. Sure, some dogs only weigh about 20 pounds, but in the East, they can push the 50-pound mark. In 2015, Mann began contributing to Field & Stream to cover guns, ammunition, ballistics, and hunting. Since pelt prices arent exactly making headlines these days, some coyote hunters prefer the dependable lethality of larger caliber cartridges, and you can buy 308 in bulk to save some money. Soon everyone was pontificating that it would be the end of the .22 Mag., and for a few years that was the case. Centerfire cartridges produce more energy, the rimfire design is less . The internet celebrity, who is a member of Sign up for the Field & Stream newsletter and get the latest intelligence straight to your inbox. So there are a couple of ways to save money on all rimfire ammo, from the 22LR, 22 WMR, and of course, the 17 HMR. Although plenty of hunters consider .22 the best caliber for coyote hunting, smaller, lighter .20-caliber cartridges are ideal for fur collectors. We use our .22 mag with 40-grain bullets and the correct distance of 150 yards pretty much works in our favor. Federal Premium produces high-quality ammo that competes on price, velocity, and accuracy. While I concur that the 17 HMR is only suitable for coyotes at shorter ranges (say under 100 yds) and when good shot placement is likely, there is also now a bullet consideration. Youll want to be extremely careful with your shot placement. Load it with a strong bullet for coyotes and bump it up to a 100-grain version for deer. It is capable of sending featherweight 24-grain bullets downrange at blistering velocities (near 4400 fps). However, its lightweight, low-recoil, semi-automatic design allows for rapid, accurate follow-up shots on wounded yotes. Was wondering what kind of ammo other guys liked thats all. Want to read more from Aaron Carter? For comparison, Hornadys Varmint Express line features both .223 Remington and .22-250 Rem loads. Thankfully, the .204s soft recoil makes it easy to get a quick follow-up shot on a wounded dog. The 17 HMRs suitability for coyote hunting comes with a caveat: Keep a much closer distance between yourself and your quarry than you would if you were varmint hunting. But, again, this is not an exact science but merely an exercise to make a point. When it comes to both ammo and rifle availability, .223 Remington is king. You know you can go after a raccoon, varmint, and a rabbit with the .17 HMR rifles. You can use this technique for coyotes, groundhogs, and bobcats. To begin, consider what a coyote weighs. Keep the shooting distance within 100 yards (although 75 yards or less is probably a better option). For example, shot placement, bullet configuration, penetration, bullet performance, etc., all play a part in determining the actual effectiveness of a caliber on a game species. If you still want to know which one is better, then we have to tell you that .22 WMR penetrates deeply, while the .17 HMR is faster. He is also a long-range shooter and enjoys harvesting coyotes at longer than average distances. Here are five standout options, By Shane Watson is a Co-Founder veteran. The CCI A17 ammunition is touted as being 100 feet per second faster than the previously available .17HMR ammunition. This will certainly help you make a call. Its no wonder an AR-15 chambered in .223 Remington is the preferred weapon for a huge number of serious predator hunters. Winchester makes some too but not nearly as much as CCI does. Yet, don't be fooled; it can still take down larger predators such as coyotes. I believe the reason it was designed on the most part is for coyote hunting. Hornadys V-MAX is exceptional. Often the bullet will dump all its energy inside the animal without leaving an exit wound, which is a major perk for hunters pursuing pristine pelts. border-color: #656565; First, the average bullet weight is encapsulated in the average muzzle energy for the .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire. Some states have shotgun-only restrictions, while Ive also seen some states that have a centerfire-only rule for coyotes. So lets dive in and see if it makes sense to go coyote hunting in extreme cold. Go The Distance - 6.5 Creedmoor Like .22 mag is the best choice for coyotes, and .17 HMR rifle is good for mid-range gaming. .tg { But thats a much smaller critter. The 6.5 Creedmoor may not kill song dogs deader than any of the other rifle cartridges on this list. Save big on firearms, accessories, tactical gear, clothing, and ammunition from now until March 29. One of the most versatile rifle cartridges on the planet, the .243 Winchester easily crosses over from predators to big game hunting without even breaking a sweat. Winchester manufactures three polymer tipped bullets: the lightest is a15-grain non-leaded bullet with a 20-grain midweight and a "heavy" 25-grain bullet. It was also the most accurate; in fact, the average for five consecutive, five-shot groups was a remarkable .94-inch. A 22LR cartridge can fell a bull elephant under the right conditions, and a newborn squirrel can survive a 50 BMG round under other specific conditions. In the question of Is the .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire within the ideal range of suitable calibers for coyote hunting? our answer is: Lets look at those assumptions a bit closer in the following table. To answer the question completely, we would need to evaluate the downrange distance to the coyote, the bullet type, the grain weight of the bullet, the physical condition of the firearm, the size of the coyote in question, the shot placement, the local wind conditions, the expected accuracy of the shooter, the ethics of the ideal maximum number of shots the list goes on. font-size: 18px; background-color: #efefef; Once upon a time, the .22-250 was a very hotly desired round, when, for a time it was the de facto standard for bench rest shooting owing to its uncanny flatness in . This will help you take out the guess work and you will be much nearer to your goal. I got my popcorn, crap ran out brb. Mr. Brooks, welcome and to answer your question there are a couple of 17HMR rounds that you can use. What is the average weight of an adult male coyote? The iconic Henery Golden Boy lever action rifle is chambered in 17 HMR, so if you prefer the lever-action classic walnut stock instead of a synthetic stock on a bolt-action, this is the rifle for you. font-size: 18px; Distance, of course, plays an important role in the viability of a given caliber in coyote hunting. } Even when capped with heavier 40-grain projectiles, the .204 Ruger produces muzzle velocities of 3800 fps or faster. background-color: #333333; Surprisingly, one of the best coyote loads for the .22 Magnum is the common 40-grain hollow point. Ballistically, the .243 does everything the .223 and .22-250 do, only with a heavier bullet. If youre searching for an effective dog-dropper, youve come to the right place. Out to 75+/- yards I have found the .22 Magnum to be a better, quicker, killer of 'cats, coyotes, and foxes than the 17HMR. His years of handling guns of all kinds made him not only a gun enthusiast but a thoroughly experienced one too! Compare that to the 22 LR's standard 40 grain projectile, which only exits the muzzle just faster at 1,200 fps, and you at once spot the key difference between the two rimfire rounds. Only hunting or plinking ammo. The Tikka T1x MTR .17 HMR is a 10-shot synthetic-stock bolt-action rifle. At 300 yards, the 17 HMR's common 17 grain projectile retains a 1,090 fps velocity and 45 ft lbs of energy. In the same line of thought, we must continue to inform you that the heavy bullet weight of 22 WMR makes lends it more energy. Like the .223 Remington, the .22-250 Rem is topped with a .22 caliber projectile. Please email us if you have questions about any of our product listings. Honestly, there are a few who would not want squirrel hunting to get expensive. No, the .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire is UNDERKILL for coyote hunting, under average conditions, from a mid-range distance, with a medium grain expanding bullet, and with correct shot placement. The .17 Remington, introduced in 1971, was the first .17-caliber cartridge offered in both factory rifles and commercial ammunition. The .17 HMR can also be used in a wider variety of firearms than the .22 LR. The polymer-tipped V-MAX bullet is one of the best hunting bullets on the market, which is why you see several ammo manufacturers using this bullet. Richard Mann was born and raised in West Virginia and has hunted from the Montana mountains to the green hills of Africa. Take the above-mentioned example, you can use.17 HMR for shooting a coyote. Its also important to check the coyote hunting rules and regulations for any area where youll be hunting. The .204 Ruger is the best of the best when it comes to.20-caliber cartridges. Some weather creates opportunities, while bad weather can take away opportunities. Plenty of coyote hunters agree that the best coyote caliber is the .22. I use my 17 a lot for fox hunting and I have started using the 20gr XTP bullets as opposed to the 17gr v-max. This means lightweight bullets can hit the target quicker with ease. The form collects name and email so that we can add you to our newsletter list for project updates. As an example, it doesn't take extraordinary effort to punch three shots into .8 inch with the 20-grain load. The .243 Winchester has earned a reputation as a mild-recoiling hunting option for young hunters. To be honest, coyotes are big, but thin-skinned animals. If that won't take a fat coyote out of the picture, the next two range limits will. The design also makes it easy to handle in the field. However, the first thing that you need to focus on is what kind of hunting interests you. It's little wonder, then, why it captured the limelight and refuses to let go. If you are determined to use the HMR for yotes, Id make the following suggestions: To sum up, Im not saying that the HMR is a bad caliber for coyotes; its just not a good coyote round for consistent and ethical one-shot kills. | The 17gr and 20gr heavier bullets are a better option for yotes. As one of the most popular hunting cartridges in current production, ammo is relatively affordable and readily available. The 17 HMR is well-known for its flat shooting capacity and fantastic accuracy. Created in 2002, 17 caliber HMR ammo utilizes a 22 Magnum cartridge design, necked down to handle a smaller caliber bullet. It shoots reasonably flat, can be used for just about any small-game application, and is arguably the best coyote load for the .22 Long Rifle. For coyotes, you want a bullet that will penetrate deep and expand, to damage as much tissue as possible. While the 17HMR is almost always more accurate than the .22 Magnum, the heavier bullets do a better job on heavier game. The.17 HMR ammo round is analogous to rimfire wildcatters' efforts to design a rimfire cartridge with an extraordinarily flat trajectory. .tg td { This small, lightweight bullet uses sheer. He grew up hunting nearly every game species that Texas had to offer, including wild pigs, White-tailed deer, and coyotes. This tiny package produces faster speeds (up to 1400 fps faster) and more downrange energy than the rimfire .17 HMR. These wildcatters were attempting to replicate the ballistics of the now-extinct 5mm . For the .22 WMR, it is 125 yards for effective shooting. The 17 HMR turret that comes with this scope is calibrated for a 17 grain bullet and has BDC functionality that is set out to a max of 250 yards. For target shooting, we recommend CCI 17 HMR 20-grain FMJ because they're reasonably priced, cycle reliably in a bolt-action rifle, and are highly accurate. All you need is to just read it thoroughly to get a hang of things. The cartridge shoots .172-inch-diameter bullets (4.4mm) weighing from 15.5 grains up to 20 grains, and it shoots them fast, at 2,400 to 2,700 feet per second. It is a popular query and it gets brought up all the time. There are plenty of high-quality bolt-action rifles available in .204 Ruger. The third assumption is that a projectile with appropriate terminal ballistics is being used, which for hunting usually means an expanding bullet. a local hunting guide was in the gun shop last summer telling the guy behind the counter that the 17 hmr was the best coyote gun ever! Fast, violent expansion on impact. However, most are still a work in progress to get the rounds to feed in semi-auto guns, especially handguns, reliably. Every major manufacturer makes .223 ammo, often in dozens of variations. Its bullet is just a little too light and its wound channel is just a little too shallow for our liking. background-color: #efefef; You will catch a lot of grief for using the 17HMR on yotes and cats, but the guys giving grief could not hit the side of a barn and their gun of choice would be the RPG. Today's favorites are the .17 HMR and the .17 Remington. We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. border-color: #656565; At 100 yards, it hits like a .22-250 hits at 350 yards. Rifles chambered in .17 Hornet are some of the softest shooting varmint rifles youll ever lay hands on, which makes high-volume coyote hunting far more enjoyable. Yes but its not ideal. Ballistically speaking, a 17 HMR sighted in for 100 yards drops less than 3 inches at 150 yards and drops less than 9 inches at 200 yards. Coyote Hunting with a 17 HMR This assists the bullet to travel longer distances without much of a problem. Now, what we must tell you is that the .17 HMR is a perfect choice for squirrel hunting. It sheds energy with every inch it travels downrange, which means this is by no means a long-range varmint killer. But as we said earlier, not all coyote weigh 29 pounds. The 15-grain bullet is a real rocket, blistering along at 3,300 ft/s from the 24" test barrel. This article does not serve as the final say, but simply as a starting point for beginner hunters, as well as a venue for further discussion. 17 HMR - Bulk CCI Ammo Speer JHP Of FREE SHIPPING Brass MPN TNT CCI 17 HMR Ammo 17 Grain Speer TNT Jacketed Hollow Point Case Of 2000 (40 Boxes Of 50) - Free.. 17gr: n/a: 2,000 $ 620.00: $0.31: TargetSportsUSA. color: #ffffff; However, this petite cartridge manages all that performance without destroying hides. } but the sweet spot for this caliber is in the long range dispatching of small game like coyotes and varmints. I will take the 270 instead. Copyright Ammotogo.com 2023 All Rights Reserved. Those numbers dont paint a rosy picture of the HMR being a very good choice for coyotes. This load for the .17 HMR is as close as you will get to .22 Magnum performance. While a lot of people believe CCI, Federal, Hornady or Remington ammo is most accurate in their .17 HMR, all those "brands" are made by CCI, using the same powder, cases, and bullets. Both the 6.5 Creedmoor and the 6.5 Grendel are hard on pelts. We look at the features that matter and choose the top 17 Hmr Ammo For Coyotes based on that. Lets start by looking at the .17 HMR caliber and the associated ballistic data. Is the .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire a viable caliber/load/round/cartridge for coyote hunting? What is the average muzzle energy for a .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire? But dont let its small size fool you. In simple words, if you are planning for bigger animals then the .22 WMR is a great choice for you. border-style: solid; }. What I have found is that you can be shipped poor quality rimfire ammunition in every caliber. However, if you want to see some passionate discussion about coyote hunting calibers, head over to a predator hunting forum and start a discussion about using a 17 HMR to hunt coyotes. text-align: center; the .22 mag has a heavier bullet, but the 17 HMR has the plastic tipped bullets, which are extremely explosive when they expand so I would think roughly equal performance on game. While there are several capable .17-caliber coyote cartridges on the market, few offer the dog-dropping performance of the .17 Hornet. All three were harvested during the legal season and at the request of the respective landowners who had lost chickens and outdoor pets to the yotes. In this article, we'll be discussing the best cartridge for coyote hunting. Its polymer tip rests on the rim of its jacket and extends deep down into its swaged lead cores precision formed cavity. Typically, I dont recommend an FMJ round for game, but the FMJ 17 bullets penetrate better than the polymer tipped rounds, in my experience. The smallest coyote will let the 17 HMR satisfy the minimum impact energy rule beyond 75 yards! The .204 Ruger is the best of the best when it comes to.20-caliber cartridges. Again, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest coyote - and to this question, the response again is no, the .17 HMR Hornady Magnum Rimfire is UNDERKILL for coyote hunting. The smaller sized .17HMR is more than enough when hunting these smaller predators. Ultimately, it might not be worth it for the average shooter. The .22 WMR fires a projectile too fast for use on . If pancake-flat trajectories, excellent ballistic coefficients, and fairytale accuracy turn you on, the 6.5 Creedmoor should be your dream cartridge. In this case, the average weight of an adult male coyote is approximately 30 lbs. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. 679. The lighter 15.5gr bullet would be an excellent choice for squirrel hunting, as it's less likely to damage the meat. The V-MAXs terminal ballistics do tend to make its wound channel relatively shallow, so shot placement does count for a great deal when youre hunting coyote with this bullet. (Plenty of hog hunters use FMJs to sever their preys cervical column in exactly this fashion.) Below you'll find some of the most popular 17 HMR guns. The downside to this cartridge is cost, as its a bit more expensive to shoot than the .22 Long Rifle, .22 Magnum, or .17 HMR. This means if you chase yotes, then you have to ensure that you get the right gun for it. We have a variety of deals on Rifle Ammo, Handgun Ammo, Shotgun Ammo & Rimfire Ammo, as well as ammo for target practice, plinking, hunting, or shooting competitions. box; midwayusa.com. Weight sorting and rim thickness have no useful results on accuracy from my experience with measuring an entire brick and checking across a chronograph for all 500 rounds. 150 yards: the cartridge will handle a 2-pound target. Furthermore, we would like to add here that some manufacturers with lighter bullets for rimfire rifles have also slashed their pricing. RIO7 # 16330058 08/10/21. While there may be other .22-caliber cartridges that shoot flatter and hit harder, the .223 Remington is a classic. The .17 HMR is able to use bullet shapes familiar to centerfire shooters which are optimized for excellent ballistic ecoefficiency. As you try different brands of ammo, you'll notice that your firearm cycles and shoots specific brands and bullets.