Most appropriate NV for 17HMR

[Navarone]

Hello All,

As per title really. What NV unit do people think is most appropriate on a 17HMR.

I was pretty set on a full fat alpex 4k with LRF thinking it would be a better investment for the future on picatinny QD rings across multiple rifles (.243) but I’ve got cold feet a little and am wondering if I should just get something dedicated to HMR which stays on there…

So essentially…

Alpex 4K LRF
Alpex 4k Lite LRF
DNT Zulus v2 with LRF

Usage is vermin out to reasonable hmr ranges, 100 or so metres in conjunction with a thermal spotter.

Thanks for any input in advance…

Patrick

 

[Warbucks]

Hi Patrick.

I've done all my rabbit shooting with n/v add on's (ATM pard 007 v) but if i was buying again it would be the DNT zulus v2 5-20 lrf.
Any of your selection would be fine, and at 100m its more or less point-n-shoot.
All my rabbit shooting is on foot off quad sticks, i can be lifting the rifle onto the quad sticks 60 times to shoot 20 head shot rabbits, so the lighter the set up the better as long as it gives the performance you need.
I'm not a believer in swopping scopes, and if you do and your wanting to head shoot rabbits you with have to re check zero before you start on your rabbits, --------IMO set a perfect zero then leave alone.

Dave (warbucks)

 

[Nickb]

I have Alpex 4k lrf and it is perfect on the HMR.
I wouldn't be without mine, shooting rats , rabbits and hares .

 

[Kane01]

Had a lot of experience using a mates Sako .17 using a HikMicro Alpex LRF 4K, hands down one of the bust vermin busters out there. I took corvids out past 100 yards easy during the day, and at night hes shown me footage of bunnys and foxes out at 120ish yards as well.
Liked the optic so much Ive now got one for myself on the .22, only downside is mounting a IR can be a bit tiresome. But thats all NV for you.

 

[fixedwheel]

Assuming you have a good idea of the ground you are shooting on, which is a good thing if you are shooting at night, do you need the LRF on the .17HMR?

Look at the ballistics for the cartridge (Hornady 17gn)



Zero at 100yds, scope at 1.75" above bore.
You are dead on at 50 & 100, quarter inch above POA at 75, and less than an inch below POA at 125. Unless you are planning on shooting further than that?
My .17HMR has a Pard Night Stalker Mini on it, does all I need at sensible money, and stays as a dedicated rig.

 

[Kane01]

Assuming you have a good idea of the ground you are shooting on, which is a good thing if you are shooting at night, do you need the LRF on the .17HMR?

Cant speak for OP, but for me the difference in price was only £140, might as well get the rangefinder model in case I want it for a bigger cal rifle in the future!

 

[Navarone]

Assuming you have a good idea of the ground you are shooting on, which is a good thing if you are shooting at night, do you need the LRF on the .17HMR?

Look at the ballistics for the cartridge (Hornady 17gn)

View attachment 453135

Zero at 100yds, scope at 1.75" above bore.
You are dead on at 50 & 100, quarter inch above POA at 75, and less than an inch below POA at 125. Unless you are planning on shooting further than that?
My .17HMR has a Pard Night Stalker Mini on it, does all I need at sensible money, and stays as a dedicated rig.

This is very true…I did wonder whether LRF is strictly nescessary. Suppose that was more future proofing if it ever goes on a centrefire. If it’s just hmr then no I don’t think I do really…

 

[Navarone]

Cant speak for OP, but for me the difference in price was only £140, might as well get the rangefinder model in case I want it for a bigger cal rifle in the future!

Yea this was really my only thinking, if buying new it’s not really much more…

 

[Nickb]

Assuming you have a good idea of the ground you are shooting on, which is a good thing if you are shooting at night, do you need the LRF on the .17HMR?

I still think the Lrf is necessary. I Shoot a lot of different ground and I spot with my thermal and you cant accurately define range with a thermal.

It is very useful combined with the BC , for example I shot a rat at 13 yds last night and a rabbit at 116 yds.

When you are shooting over vast open ground a lrf is essential I think.

Takes out any guesswork

 

[fixedwheel]

Cant speak for OP, but for me the difference in price was only £140, might as well get the rangefinder model in case I want it for a bigger cal rifle in the future!

It's not so much the difference in price for me.

Very much like @Warbucks above, most of the bunnies I take out are off of quad sticks, after a walk around, so weight and speedy handling are more of an issue.

Night Stalker Mini is 455g, Alpex 4K LRF is 1,176g - that is a significant difference.

And as I said in my post, I prefer keeping it as a dedicated rig, rather than swapping the scope back and forth onto a centrefire rifle. I have tried swapping scopes, and barrels, around in the past. I always end up confirming zero after a change, which just costs money in ammo every swap, not to mention the time to set up a target instead of going shooting. YMMV

 

[Navarone]

It's not so much the difference in price for me.

Very much like @Warbucks above, most of the bunnies I take out are off of quad sticks, after a walk around, so weight and speedy handling are more of an issue.

Night Stalker Mini is 455g, Alpex 4K LRF is 1,176g - that is a significant difference.

And as I said in my post, I prefer keeping it as a dedicated rig, rather than swapping the scope back and forth onto a centrefire rifle. I have tried swapping scopes, and barrels, around in the past. I always end up confirming zero after a change, which just costs money in ammo every swap, not to mention the time to set up a target instead of going shooting. YMMV

This makes sense and is essentially why I started getting cold feet about the Alpex…it’s for a cz452 which is quite a svelte rifle and I just wondered whether a massive Alpex with torch add on is a bit ridiculous for a hmr and also in reality will I ever actually swap it around…

 

[Foxyboy43]

As above if you are shooting sub-150 only - a range finder is pretty much unnecessary - with 150 range rabbit sitting up and 100 zero you just aim for the head and you will hit it in the chest or tips of ears and you will head shoot it - if you do your bit.
I have a Pard 008p on mine and it does all I need without the added expense and encumbrance of an additional mount and IR torch.

 

[Pellet Pinger]

I’ve got 2 full fat Alpex’s and 2 Zulus, the Zulus live on my rimfires and the Alpexs live on the centerfires, none of them are LRF as i have that in my thermal monocular.

No need for the weight and bulk of the Alpex for popping bunnies.

 

[Navarone]

I’ve got 2 full fat Alpex’s and 2 Zulus, the Zulus live on my rimfires and the Alpexs live on the centerfires, none of them are LRF as i have that in my thermal monocular.

No need for the weight and bulk of the Alpex for popping bunnies.

Yes should have said I’ve got LRF in my thermal monocular (nocpix h35r)

 

[Nickb]

No need for the weight and bulk of the Alpex for popping bubunnies.

The weight is not an issue on the rifle, the weight is an issue in a gamebag full of rabbits

 

[kenbro]

Had a lot of experience using a mates Sako .17 using a HikMicro Alpex LRF 4K, hands down one of the bust vermin busters out there. I took corvids out past 100 yards easy during the day, and at night hes shown me footage of bunnys and foxes out at 120ish yards as well.
Liked the optic so much Ive now got one for myself on the .22, only downside is mounting a IR can be a bit tiresome. But thats all NV for you.

No need to add extra IR if buying a Zulus as it’s got a good one built in.
KB.

 

[carnivore]

I was going to go down the route of an alpex but they are so heavy, my 17hmr isn’t the lightest (anschutz 1717 23” heavy barrel) so I opted for an pard nv008 worked brilliantly but now have an arken 4-16 day scope with the new pard 007 4k is excellent I really get on with it

 

[Nickb]

No need to add extra IR if buying a Zulus as it’s got a good one built in.
KB.

Depends if you want a traditional looking scope or an ugly contraption that looks like its about to fall off

 

[Pellet Pinger]

The weight is not an issue on the rifle, the weight is an issue in a gamebag full of rabbits

Good point! to be fair though my little Tikka HMR weighs nothing and the Alpex spoils it for me plus if you are shooting 30 odd rabbits its far easier getting it up on sticks.

 

[Nickb]

Good point! to be fair though my little Tikka HMR weighs nothing and the Alpex spoils it for me plus if you are shooting 30 odd rabbits its far easier getting it up on sticks.

My Browning T bolt with the Alpex 4k is still light. I Shoot off quad sticks and its no problem, as said its the carrying the full gamebag thats the ballache.