.17HMR for Groundhogs

[G2 Shooter]

Forgive me if this is a dead issue but the search engine isn't working for me. Will a .17HMR cleanly kill a groundhog out to 100 yards?

Thanks

[recurver167]

Yup and even farther.

[ACLakey]

Yes, but for nearly the price of 17HMR ammo you could reload a .223 and stretch it out a little farther.

[G2 Shooter]

ORIGINAL: ACLakey

Yes, but for nearly the price of 17HMR ammo you could reload a .223 and stretch it out a little farther.

I want to shoot groundhogs in PA. I have a Marlin .17HMR and a RR AR15. I can't use a semi-auto in PA so I wanted to know if the .17HMR would be adequate. I don't want to have to buy a new rifle right now but would if needed.

[ACLakey]

I think if you make good shots you will have no problem with the .17HMR on groundhog sized critters.

[G2 Shooter]

Another question. I will use whichever brand ammo shoots the best out of my rifle, which has been the 17 grain Hornady's, but has anyone used the 20 grain JHPs? Do you feel they are needed for groundhogs?

[ACLakey]

I will use whichever brand ammo shoots the best out of my rifle, which has been the 17 grain Hornady's

I think you are on the right track, shoot what ever ammo is the most accurate out of your rifle. Realistically there is not much difference in terminal performance between the two...not that I have seen anyways. After you dump the first chuck you will have more confidence in the setup. Keep us informed.

Varmint Al has some GREAT .17 HMR bullet testing info.

http://www.varmintal.com/17hmr.htm

Look about half to 3/4 way down the page and there are quite a bit of bullet performance comparisons.

[ACLakey]

Here are a few good pics from Varmint Al's Page.







It seems the CCI with the Speer TNT would be a better choice if penitration was a concern. The V-Max is more fragmentable.

[G2 Shooter]

ACLakey, thanks for the website. Has some great info!

[ACLakey]

Any time.