.17HMR ricochet

oxfordshirestalker

Well-Known Member
Hi All,

the other day I was out having a bit of a play with the .17 HMR. In about 35-40 rounds of Hornady 17 V-Max BT I had 3 or 4 disconcerting ricochet sounds on firing. Given that the backstop was soft, non-stoney ground, recently disced over I was somewhat surprised!
Has anybody else had any experience of the HMR ricocheting in similar situations? I read somewhere about SAK mods producing a sound that can be mistaken for a ricochet. Given that the rifle has a SAK mod on the end do you think this is a possibility?

Many thanks, happy pheasant season,
T
 
I certainly don't believe that the HMR is immune to ricochets as some people do. I was merely surprised at the number I had when it was a soft bank, 45 degree angle etc etc. I've just never noticed it before even when shooting in exactly the same place when it could be argued that the ground was harder!
 
Put a bunch of rounds into a small area of soft tilled soil, you will find a small area of compacted ground, due to the impacts of multiple shots, work some damp soil in your hands, it will compact, dry soil will crumble & flake, you may have created a hardened area giving odd screamers.
 
Surely on recently disced ground the mighty Hmr rounds are going to spray soil and stone around at speed.
It the bullet hits soil @ 2,000 fps minimum,the the soil,stone,grit etc can can be launched @ what? 1,000 fps perhaps.
 
being a big lover of my hmr and so many have said you wont ever get a ricochet how wrong have they been.
they are a regular thing but i do use the 20 grain.
and it has happened at all distances.
 
I've averaged about 1 richochet from about every 500 rnd box. With a 22 it's more like one in 20, or worse possibly. People berate the HMR, and I wasn't terribly impressed with mine the last time I fired a 10 shot group at 100yds. So it sat unused for a few months. I picked it recently & shot 9/9 rabbits, up to 140yds max in about 30 secs. Despite the poor (and mostly justified) abuse the HMR is receiving this reminded me how effective it still is.
 
What you should have said is that you hear only one in 500

Neil.

I did some tests a while back with some large cardboard just beyond the targets. I didn't appear to have any silent richochets, but you're right. So how bad is the 22?!
 
So how bad is the 22?!

My rifle of choice for the infrequent time I actually get out to use it these days.
CCI segmented ammo, three tiny chunks of lead should it zing off somewhere, so less to worry about.
That said I choose the shots carefully and aim confident that they bits will be stopped by my backstop
or will go no further than my safe zone.

Neil. :)
 
Back
Top