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17hmr max range

66K views 32 replies 25 participants last post by  shorty311 
#1 ·
Just bought a Savage 17hmr with accu trigger and thumb hole stock.
(didnt shoot it yet) And I was wondering what its max range is. I heard you could hit a bird sized target at 200yds.
 
#27 · (Edited)
You are probably maxed out around 300 yards, it doesn`t have enough mass to carry it`s energy. Consider a 55 grain 5.56x45 leaves at around 3100fps and at 500 yards it is supposed to deliver 252ft pounds of muzzle energy.

The 17 grain .17HMR flies about 2650fps from a 20 inch barrel. Muzzle energy beyond 300 yards is in double digits and likely not penetrate cardboard beyond 350.

Remember a flys wings will move this bullet, light bullets move around in any wind.
The C.C.I. .17HMR FMJ 20 grain punches holes in soft A-36 .031" steel at 433 yards. As soon as I re-mount my 32 power 50mm A/O BSA Contender on a D.P.I. angled base I will continue to move the target away until the cartridge fails to penetrate the steel.
At 300 yards the .17HMR FMJ 20 grain projectile delivers 2,048 foot pounds energy per square inch of frontal area.
The .17HMR V-Max 17 grain projectile delivers 2,048 foot pounds energy per square inch of frontal area at 262 yards.
The Federal 36 grain .22 Long Rifle delivers 2,048.28 foot pounds per square inch of frontal area at 100 yards.
The .17 Hornady Mach II 17 grain projectile delivers 2,048 foot pounds per square inch of frontal area at 212 yards.
Wind drift:
The .17Hornady Mach II 17 grain V-Max will drift 2" in a 5 mph wind at 92.5 yards
The .17 HMR 17 grain V-Max will drift 2" in a 5 mph wind at 110 yards.
The .22 remington 36 grain Long Rifle Hollow point will drift 2" at 85 yards.
http://www.lambadafan.com/ballistics.html
 
#29 ·
I know there are doubters out there on the actual power of the 17hmr. this is a gun that will suprise you at every turn. I own a marlin 917v 17hmr, I have a bsa sweet17 4-12x40 scope on it. I have shot cyotes at 100 150 yards. I saw one a little farther one morning that had been chaseing the calvs, I put my range finder to it, 310 yards. it was facing me. I had my doubts, but diald my scope to 300 yards. I used the truck window as a rest and puled the triger. it fell, a clean shot in the chest. I use the CCI 20 grain hollow point.

that shot may very well of been dumb luck, and there was no wind, so I like to believe it was the gun.
 
#30 · (Edited)
You probably used the CCI 0052 Gamepoint referred to as a jacketed soft point. http://www.cci-ammunition.com/products/smallgame.aspx
CCI doesn't show the extended range ballistics but it is within 3 foot lbs of the 20 grain FMJ at 100 yds.
http://www.cci-ammunition.com/products/compare.aspx
At 300 yards the .17HMR FMJ delivers 46 foot lbs. / 1,979.7 Foot pounds Per Square Inch Of frontal Area
http://www.lambadafan.com/17hmr20grainfmjsteel.html
The Federal FMJ 40 grain .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire delivers 1,674 Foot pounds per Square Inch Of frontal Area at 300 Yards.
The Federal JHP 50 grain .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire delivers 2,283 Foot Pounds Per Square Inch Of Frontal Area at 300 Yards.
Foot Pounds is a measure of the "Thump" delivered.
Foot Pounds per Square inch Of frontal Area Is a reliable indication of the Depth of Penetration of similarly constructed projectiles.
http://www.lambadafan.com/FPPSIOPFA.html

Ballistic charts furnish limited knowledge. No animals have steel skins and none of them are made of ballistic gel, boards, coconuts, watermelons, wet phone books, or rolls of wet toilet paper either. That's why I prefer shooting A-36 soft steel, it's a standard test material available worldwide and more reliable than memory.
A .17HMR 20 grain FMJ will penetrate .032" A-36 steel at 400 Yards. I have no idea what it would do to a prairie dog or jack rabbit but I bet there are members who do know.
Statements concerning wind drift about this cartridge are vastly overblown, consult the charts. The .17s are the most under rated cartridges in existence. When velocity is doubled the foot lbs. delivered are quadrupled.
 
#31 ·
your telling me but i wouldnt belive it if some one told it to me either!! i guess you have to see it for your self to understand!Me and brandon were walkin around his land plinking random crap when he spotted the crow with his Ruger 10/22 on opposing fence 500 yards away he said i bet i can get that crow with your 17 so i handed it to him and he put it on the fence and started shooting 8 shots later the crow hit the ground we walked over and sure enough DEAD BIRDIE!!! As for my Buddy Ben he is a former Marine DI and a damn good shot and i have confidence in what he tells also i saw pictures of the beaver i will see if he will let me borrow them so i can upload them! His first shot fell short and hit the water and the beaver didnt move and the second shot hit him in his spine and he than later took the beaver home and had him for dinner!
Are you sure you don't mean 500 feet?
 
#32 ·
I have the CZ 17 and love the gun, one of the funnest guns to shoot. This round will really challenge your skills shooting out past 250 yards but if you know your gun and how it handles each round you can have a blast. I don't think twice about 400 yards now. Get a good scope and keep good records on rounds fired. Next goal is 450 once I get my new range set up.
 
#33 ·
The 17 is a little louder but, I have found that I love the ballistics of the 17 more. I have a savage 93R17 but I have fully modded it and I love it. I Modded my Savage 22lr and 22 mag before i bought the 17 and they where fun but I can hardly find 22magnum here now and 17hmr is every where here and i prefer it now. Yes is is a smaller projectile but it can do massive damage at long ranges. The pics I'm adding shows the power it has at about 275 yards with a 10mph wind. note the tank is steel.
Pink Grass
Pink Grass
Finger
 
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