dont know if the 17 hmr is legal in your area or not but i can testify to its lethality on deer . a person i know killed 5 from a tree stand in the space of a few min or less. however a 243 is what i use . rt shoulder is full reverse replacement. if your good it will only take one shot and its only once a year. and to get it sighted in i use a folded gun case. ole hunter is no joke