The .223 is legal here. I have heard quite a bit about the accuracy of the Mini so I am hoping he will trade for a .17 and I can get another .223. Then I would have the best of both worlds. I do not plan on selling pelts. With you saying the .17 is stretched for longer shots, it makes me lean more towards the .223. Some of our shots are 200+ and we have some that are probably closer to 400. We take those shots not thinking we would hit anything but if we do, we can say "I hit a dog from 400 yards"