Howler i bet your right on the prairie dog towns. that sounds like a blast. i can only wish for prairie dog towns in pennsylvania. i did however lay out a few woodchucks with it. i guess i just like the .223's better for this kind of hunting. one thing that i can say about the .17's is that it does not have much power but it sure does shoot straight.

By the end of this summer, I will have fired a couple 1000 rounds at prairie dogs using my 17 HMR, my 22-250, and my .243. The 17 gets the early action on all the towns, and then as the targets get further and further out there, I adjust accordingly. Also, if there is too much wind, the 17 looses its effectiveness real quick! Someone needs to transplant some little critters back east, except they like open pastures and short grass, and we've got lots of that out here!

I found a couple loads for the .223one will give it .22 mag performance (40gr bullet at 2000 fps) and the other will give it close to.17 HMR performace (40gr bullet at 2700 fps) for quieter, less recoil shooting, and less powder consumption.

I say let him buy the gun. You don't have to shoot a gun to want it. I have numerous guns that sit in my cabinet that I have not shot for quite some time. I have one that I have not shot at all. It is just too nice a gun to shoot.
If a person can afford it and wants to buy it, it is their decision to make not yours!!!

don't use the 17 because high priced shells and it is smaller than a bb gun

my buddy just got a 17. what a mean little gun that is. We set a peach up at 50 yards and shot at it.. it blew into a million pieces. Did the same with a 22.. it just fell over. The 17 sounds like a big bore going off compared to a .22. I think this is a good varmint/small game caliber. Does a hell of a lot more damage.

how do you figure its smaller than a bb gun? It more powerful than one.

Comparing a .17 HMR to a BB is like comparing a bicycle to a Corvette. There is no comparision. I see what you did though. You saw that a .17 HMR is on .17 where a BB is .177.. BUT a .17 HMR out weights, is longer, designed different, goes a hell of a lot faster/ further, is more accurate, and far more destructive then a BB.

As for a .17 HMR. I love it and can't wait to go hunting with it. I shot a few things down at the range, including peaches, pickles, coconuts to see the destructive power. I was impressed. It was also a pretty accurate rifle too. Probably won't go over 100 yrds with it though.

how can you compare a .22 with a lead slug and a .17 with a ballistic tip.it's like night and day. pretty unfair for the .22.

I'll let ya pump your BB gun up with as many pumps as you can muster, then we'll shoot my 17HMR and your BB gun at the target of your choice at the rnage of your choice, and we'll see which one performs better!!![8D]
BUT I will admit that you are right about one thing, your BB's are a bit cheaper than my 17 HMR ammo.!![][&:]