why a .17 caliber and not a .223 caliber?
 

i just can figure it out. i know some poeple that have purchased a .17 caliber rifle and i dono why not a 223. a 223 is bigger. better varmit rifle, longer range, and its cheaper ammunition. i mean i am not sayin that a .17 caliber is bad i like the gun i got to shoot one and they are neat. but why not a 223 instead. its just a plain old better deal i think.

RE: why a .17 caliber and not a .223 caliber?
 

Something different .

RE: why a .17 caliber and not a .223 caliber?
 

I know three guys who have bought 17 remingtons in the last couple of years, and from talking to them, the main reason seems to be accuracy. All three of these guns will shoot half minute groups right out of the box. I' m not talking about " my rifle that once upon a time shot three out of five into half inch" , they will average better than a half inch at 100. Another thing is less chance of ricochet. Other than that, its like halcon said, no matter what cartridge you choose, someone can say another does the same thing better. The guys I know have all parked their 22 centerfires and are happily burning 17 ammo as fast as they can load it now.

RE: why a .17 caliber and not a .223 caliber?
 

I know some guys that claim the 17s do less pelt damage. Don' t know if that is true or not. Personally I use a 243 for varmints.

RE: why a .17 caliber and not a .223 caliber?
 

I' ve always understood the 17 to have less pelt damage.

RE: why a .17 caliber and not a .223 caliber?
 

I want one mainly to hunt smaller varmints at longer rang and with less chance for a ricochet.

Oh, not in comparison with a .223 but more so with the regular .22lr I already have.

RE: why a .17 caliber and not a .223 caliber?
 

I know nothing about this cal. gun....but a friend of mine at work has one and can' t fined shells for it anywhere......anyone know where he can get some shells for the .17 cal......thanks

RE: why a .17 caliber and not a .223 caliber?
 

whats a ricochet. dono what it is.

RE: why a .17 caliber and not a .223 caliber?
 

From what I know a ricochet is when your bullet bounces off of something adn changes direction.

RE: why a .17 caliber and not a .223 caliber?
 

I have a friend in Indiana who shoots one and another in Georgia, both say the pelt damage is minimal. I see the .17 Rem ammo here for sale often and i belive cabela' s has a bulk package of .17 Rem for sale in there new spring shooting catalog, u know the one that comes with the .50 cal ammo cans.

RE: why a .17 caliber and not a .223 caliber?
 

.17 is just a different gun, and that' s probably why people like it. I would rather go with a .223, .222-50, 220 swift..... .17 is affected by the wind more that I would like it to be.

RE: why a .17 caliber and not a .223 caliber?
 

Also, Cabelas does have some .17 HMR left. Not a lot but we' ve been getting a little here and there lately, enough to keep it stocked for the past couple of weeks. Just boxes and no cases though. Limit of 2

RE: why a .17 caliber and not a .223 caliber?
 

I think some people get upset when I suggest we correctly and specifically identify what cartridge we are talking about. " .17 caliber" is not clear enough.

There is the .17 HMR (Hornady Magnum Rimfire, a .22 mag. necked down to 17 cal.) and the .17 Remington which is basically a .223 case necked down to 17 cal.

Robin

RE: why a .17 caliber and not a .223 caliber?
 

Duffy,
Your right. Which 17 are we talking about? I always thought the 17Rem was a nice little round but I' m not sold on the 17HMR. I don' t think alot of people know that there is more than one 17 on the market. There are also several 17 cal wildcats out there.

RE: why a .17 caliber and not a .223 caliber?
 

SORRY...... I was asking about the .17 H M R

RE: why a .17 caliber and not a .223 caliber?
 

I own a .17HMR and really like the results i' ve had with it. There' s very minimal pelt damage and it' s very accurate up to 200yds. I get 1/2 5 shot groups at 75 yds. The wind doesn' t really affect the bullet unless you' re getting up over 150yds.

RE: why a .17 caliber and not a .223 caliber?
 

I' ll just tell you why I got one. I am an avid squirrel hunter, and in fall when you can get 75yds+ shot the 22LR just falls short. So I decided to step up to the 17HMR. And even then the 17HMR is sorta over kill, so I image the 223 would be worse.

But you can ask why a 223 instead of a 243? why a 270 instead of a 30-06? Why 38 special instead of 357 Mag? Why 20ga instead of 12ga? Why, cause it' s nice to have something different than everyone else.