RE: Bobcat - .17 HMR?
In the hands of the right shooter a accurate 17 HMR can be extraordinarily effective on a Bobcat. I havefour 17 HMR's one of the four rifles is exceptionally accurate. Under the right conditions I would feel comfortable out to 125 yards with my most accurate rifle.
Funny thing is I would feel better about using the 20-grain pills mentioned above inside of125 yards. The reason I would favor the 20-grain projectile is it will hold together and penetrate better than the much more frangible 17-grain bullet.
The trouble with the more accurate 17-grain pills is they tend to explode on impact. The rapid expansion of the V-max pills often will reduce the penetration to the point of a surface splash when hitting a larger bone. If the bullet is not allowed to penetrate well into the vitals you can expect disappointment.
Over 125 yards the 17-grain pill has slowed down enough to reduce its explosive nature. If you are not hitting bone (Big if) you may penetrate enough to reliably get the job done.
If you have a slightly larger Center fire rifle with the proper loads for the job I honestly would favor the larger rifle. Example might be a 17 Remington Fireball, 17 Remington, 22 Hornet or a .221 Fireball. Of all the above calibers only two that I know of offers a Factory load that I would feel confident with for this job (17 HMR and 22 hornet). A guy who reloads his own ammo can choose an ideal bullet for their center fire ammo to better insure ideal mix of penetration and expansion properties of the bullet for the given job.
Honestly feel the 17HMR can get the job done though there may be better options for this task. If you are not confident you can consistently put your shot inside of a 1.5-inch circle at the given range under the given circumstances… with the right bullet for the job, I recommend you pass on the shot.