Same as mine, lovely machine.
I can recommend the Weihrauch. Lovely quality, and a pleasure to use.
Steve.
.17 HMR advice sought
- Thread starter Youngjm
- Start date
Possibly old batch / stock??? lots of comments lately about how quality has improved exponentially.
Still possible very old stock though, any batch numbers visible?
Same here. Gorgeous little rifle
Tony Morgan
Well-Known Member
These two objections have become part of .17 HMR folklore, but wind is definitely not OFTEN a problem with such a fast round. Also, I have frequently shot a complete group/field edge of rabbits with the .17. The typical reaction is to run and stop. Often, rabbits will run towards you: they have little idea where the sound is coming from.
Well I shoot rabbits on a Cumbrian hill farm and I can tell you that accuracy goes to pot if there's a stiff breeze. And the rabbits certainly dive for cover after one shot, to the extent that it's as likely as not that I shall be able to work the bolt and aim and shoot at another before they have bolted into cover. But the predators around are pretty active, so that's probably par for the course there. So it's not just folklore. But don't get me wrong, I still think it's an awesome round.
When it comes to shooting rabbits in day light, I tend to use my HMR for sit-and-wait sniping. I get in place cammo'd up and sit in the hedge on a folding stool with the rifle on tripod sticks before the rabbits are out and about and then wait and nail everything that shows, from point blank to 150 yards.
It's a very effective strategy and I've shot 50 or 60 rabbits in one sitting that have all appeared one at a time. You just have to be patient and wait and they'll keep showing. If you wade in to a group that are already above ground, then whatever you shoot them with, the bystanders are likely to scatter at the first impact. You might be lucky and get another couple but you'll probably have to wait for them to reappear. If you keep doing this they'll soon learn to disappear and stay gone at the sound of the first shot, whether it's the crack of an HMR or the thock of a .22 sub hitting a skull.
If you get there when all is quiet and pick them off as they show, they don't get to identify the threat and the ones still below ground don't get alerted by runners so they'll keep coming out. Just don't move or pick anything up until you're ready to go home.
As long as they don't hear the impact, no amount of casualties lying around seems to deter new arrivals. I had a dozen or so carcasses scattered around once when a young buck skipped out and pretty much tripped over a dead doe that must have been still warm. He did a double take, had a sniff, then I swear he looked around to check no one was watching then straddled the doe and rode it for England. His little tail was a blur. I let him finish before I put one in the back of his head.
It's a very effective strategy and I've shot 50 or 60 rabbits in one sitting that have all appeared one at a time. You just have to be patient and wait and they'll keep showing. If you wade in to a group that are already above ground, then whatever you shoot them with, the bystanders are likely to scatter at the first impact. You might be lucky and get another couple but you'll probably have to wait for them to reappear. If you keep doing this they'll soon learn to disappear and stay gone at the sound of the first shot, whether it's the crack of an HMR or the thock of a .22 sub hitting a skull.
If you get there when all is quiet and pick them off as they show, they don't get to identify the threat and the ones still below ground don't get alerted by runners so they'll keep coming out. Just don't move or pick anything up until you're ready to go home.
As long as they don't hear the impact, no amount of casualties lying around seems to deter new arrivals. I had a dozen or so carcasses scattered around once when a young buck skipped out and pretty much tripped over a dead doe that must have been still warm. He did a double take, had a sniff, then I swear he looked around to check no one was watching then straddled the doe and rode it for England. His little tail was a blur. I let him finish before I put one in the back of his head.
Good on you for letting him finish up
The deer man
Well-Known Member
Try Hornady 17gr or 20gr, both very good. Hornady changed their cases 3'ish years ago, beefed them up which also improved accuracy back to where it used to be.
Winchester had the same issues and I believe changed their cases as well around the same time, maybe you have an old batch.
Mauserstalker
Well-Known Member
using a tikka t1x in 17hmr with a 16 inch barrel coupled with a sak most and the hawke scope with the hmr reticule..only ever used 17 grain fedral and hornady ballistic in it...have taken rabbits out to 180 meters with it..could recommended the rifle enough cant say it overly loud with the cheapo sak mod either
I've shot my SAK-modded HMR next to my mate's modded Blazer .223 and the two sounded exactly the same. Stand back twenty yards and you'd be hard pushed to tell which of us was firing. Neither are overly noisy but that's the sort of noise level to expect from a moderated HMR.
I'd still have the HMR over a .22 CF if it's just for rabbits though. It's the ideal amount of clout whereas a any CF above a Hornet is a sledge hammer to crack a nut really.
I'd still have the HMR over a .22 CF if it's just for rabbits though. It's the ideal amount of clout whereas a any CF above a Hornet is a sledge hammer to crack a nut really.
Good to read so many positive comments, supporting the .17hmr. I think its a great little calibre. I did have a 16" CZ452 Varmint in a boyds thumbhole and sak mod. Shot any make ammo well and accurate enough. When I started walking more I thought it a bit heavy so used my Sako quad after shortening the barrel to 16". A bit more finicky with ammo but better to carry with lightweight Atec wave mod. I think it needs a moderator which makes 16" barrel preferable.
CZ every time. I have the 455 varmint 20 inch barrel although you’d probably be fine with 16. Can be awkward as a calibre in strong winds, and mine likes to be kept clean. Variable power scope is an advantage, I have a 3-9 Leupold on mine. I use CCI 17gn bullets with no issues ie hang-fires. Came away from hornady when I had one go pop on firing and left the head in the rifling. Luckily it was close enough that I couldn’t re load another round!! That was the final straw after a long period of hang fires!!!!
With respect to spooking them I've found the exact opposite. Very often I've shot a number out of a group before the others realise, whereas with the .22lr, one shot and they're gone.
You could hear the subs cutting the air and then the thwock, all of which would disturb them, not so with the hmr. (This is with NV and pretty covert).
I don't doubt that over time though they'll equate the sound with danger if shot on a regular basis.
Rabbits huh? Who'd have thought they could act so differently.
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