what do u guys think would be a better gun for over all varmint, or just plinking.. shooting prarie dogs, coyotes, big birds... the fun stuff...
i like the fact that i can reload the 223 but i dont know

thanks

I would opt for the 223 for longer range shots I have the handi rifle from nef it shoots very well and the price is right.

223 hands down!

I have the 17 HMR and looking at selling it for something a 22 caliber that can be reloaded so I would definitely say go for the 223. The 17 HMR is fun to shoot but you would get better down range performance with the 223...

Until you said coyotes I was thinking the 17HMR, but since you mentioned coyotes, 223.

Of the choices I would say the .223. I just got a .204 and it is great!

dont own a 223 but i have a 17hmr marlin and its great i do a lot of varmit and small game with it and it actully became my favorite gun havnt shot a coyote yet but know quite a few people that have and all dropped them no problem exept one that shoote a rugerhe didnt get good placement said our marlins were more accurate at 100+yrds but he did findit dead about 250 yrds from where he shot it what alot of people dont know is under 50 yrds the v-max rounds are not that effective its after 50 yrds they heat up enough to explde when entering leaving no exit even on smaller game the tnt rounds are more for 50 or less but they both shoot the same out of my marlin i guess its prsonal prefference but ilike my 17hmr and wouldnt trade it for anything pluss in marlin its only 189 new pluss scope another cool thing is because of low noise and no recoilyou can see the impacton the animal and thats to cool to explain check out this link
varmit als .com
i have apic of a coon i shot with my marlon 17hmr check it out on my profile or in the picture gallery under pa other

http://www.varmintal.com/17hmr.htm
here is the actuall link hope it helps
also my friend shoots a 22mag and my 17 seems to kill better out at 50+yrds with the v-max you should see what that thing does to the animals insides looks like you put them in a blender

Of the two the .223 is the better round for sure. More range, more energy, less wind drift and not that much more expensive. Not to mention most of the rifles would be better considering it is a centerfire not a rimfire. Not that you can't get some nice 17's.

I own a savage 17 HMR and love it, they are great little guns for 200 bucks. I specifically wanted it the HMR though because of the limited range and highly frangible bullet. It is pretty populated where I live so this round is more practicle for me, yet still does what I need it to do. And I have no desire to hand load. The 17 is a great little rimfire round, but it really doesn't compare to a centerfire, even in the same caliber.

You could also consider a .243. Then you could hunt medium sized game like deer as wella nd it would work even better on coyotes in my opinion. Nor would I rule out the 22-250.

Wow, what a help I was.

Paul

Wow, thats like asking, should I buy a F350 or ranger.

I know if I was a serious varmiter, which I am not, I would go to a .223, but if I just want something to plink around and kill the occasional fox or whatever, I would go for a good 17WMR