17HMR Terminal Performance

[samdk]

I'll give those a try but the ammo won't even won't leave the shop until I have checked all the rounds. They're going to love me in that shop

Let’s hope the quality improves, I think we can all agree it’s a cracking little round when the ammo is right!
My advise would be if you find a good batch then stock up! I think that’s why I get far less issues than others seem too.

Sam

 

[samdk]

Another interesting find that shows the 17 hmr expansion in live game, again with the 17gr Vmax.

The bullet on the left was recovered from a rabbit shot through the shoulder at around 140 yards and the one on the left was pulled from an unfired 17 hmr cartridge for comparison.

Sam

 

[Foxyboy43]

Great round out to 200 on rabbits!

 

[Smellydog]

Split cases after shooting is a non issue and sometimes happens with other calibres.
The danger is when they are split prior to shooting. Often overlooked being a hair line crack.

The op's test duplicate my findings.
Critters shot at 200yds show little expansion and sometimes react like they have been shot with an airgun.

 

[Millerich]

Has anybody had an instance of failure to expand at closer distances? I shot a rabbit at about 40 yards last month. Typical hollow sounding thump of a chest shot and a squeak from the rabbit. Rabbit then wandered off, and despite searching I couldn’t find it. It was definitely hit, but seemed like a pass through.

 

[Smellydog]

Has anybody had an instance of failure to expand at closer distances? I shot a rabbit at about 40 yards last month. Typical hollow sounding thump of a chest shot and a squeak from the rabbit. Rabbit then wandered off, and despite searching I couldn’t find it. It was definitely hit, but seemed like a pass through.

Yes. Those tiny 17gn bullets are indeed tougher than one could think.

 

[Foxyboy43]

Hmm. I have shot quite a few rabbits with Hornady .17 Vmax and they are a very accurate round but prone to case splits - sometimes before leaving the box! That said they leave the good old .22 dead in the water when it comes to accuracy, range and for rabbits, stopping power. I find that they will expand well at most reasonable ranges up to 150 or so but if a non-head shot is taken they can fail like any other bullet may occasionally fail if it doesn’t hit bone etc. At 200 they will pass through but again hit them in the head and Bugsy is an ex-rabbit - period!

 

[Millerich]

My previous experience ranges from explosive performance to dead, with apparently no mark on them, but this is the first time I’ve had this.