.17 hmr for coon???

B

birdsand bucks

New member
This might be in the wrong section and heck maybe I should be putting it in a whole different forum, but I figured Id see what you guys thought of carrying a 17 hmr for coon hunting this coming fall. I didnt know if it would tear up the hide too much or not??? Head shots are a usual for me i just figured the 17 would help knock em outta the tree easier and prevent my hounds from fighting wounded coon.
 
I think it would be an exceptional coon rifle. I have yet to shoot a coon with mine but I love the surgical accuracy that the .17hmr provides.
 
What is your .17 in??? I just bought a 15 in encore barrel, I figured itd be easier to carry a pistol then my old .22 rifle. (Like i needed an excuse to buy one hahhaaha)
 
For shooting a stationary coon treed by dogs the extra punch should not be needed. The only time I see it being an advantage is if you have one of those coon that have their head buried in a crotch of a tree and you can't get a head shot. Thus requiring a body shot. A well placed .22Lr HP is all we ever used, sometimes we'd even use shorts.

Coon called out of a den tree are another matter. They are on the move, harder to hit in the brain and close to a place of refuge. Nothing worse than having a coon make it back to their hole after a solid body shot. Been there, done that. Hot .22LR's like the Velocitors are minimum in that case with either of the rimfire magnums being even better.

CB
 
I understand that its not necessay to use a .17 seeing as how I've shot coon all my life with a .22 but what I really was concerned about was the pelt damage??
 
My .17 is a Savage. As said before I haven't shot a coon with it before so I have no idea as to what the pelt damage would be. My inexperienced opinion would be that it would be minimal. I have shot a few birds with mine and the 17gr Hornady v-max left them looking like they died of natural causes.
 
That's good, kinda what im hoping for. Since i usually dont shoot until i can see eyes i think ill invest in some of the 20 gr FMJs, or the game points but i guess its gonna depend on what my guns likes best
 
I shot one last year with my 17HMR using the 17gr balistic tip. Not a head shot, no exit hole, around a 30 to 40 yard shot. Didn't knock it out of the tree though. Probably need a 22-250 to remove the coon from the tree.
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Originally Posted By: birdsand bucksFurFlyin' Im not sure how big those coon grow down there in 'bama, Is that one of em in your display pic ya got there? hahahaha

Of course that's not a coon, that's a 2000 lb groundhog.
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What I mean by what I posted is that no small round has the energy to knock a coon out of a tree.
 
I have killed several and have never had a problem. Last year I popped three at 100 yards out of an old tree in a fence behind the house and all three fell right out.
 
I've used my little 17 on called coons with good results. Keep in mind when calling coons that alot of shots will be shots with the coon on the move. A shot gun is alot easier to hit the moving target. I've used the 17gr pill but prefer the 20gr. Very little to no damage to the pelt with either.
 
Im probably going to end up with the 20gr. I dont know why but i just love little HEAVY bullets, waiting for the arrival of the 55gr in .204. Do you guys do all of your own skinning to? Im kinda worried that the skulls gonna end up like jello after a car wreck.
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I have lost several coons with a 17 ballistic tip in the head and went back to the 22 mag..some guys say they will only use 17 with 20 gr hp???
 
During the last two seasons have been day time den calling. Used a Rem 597 17HMR then changed to a CZ 452 17HMR with the 20gr HP. So far have taken around 50 coons. Small hole going in and no exit on solid hits. Have had some that hit just below the skin and exited which does tend to leave a large hole. I've also seen them take a solid hit, fall 20 feet or so and go thud, then jump up and run. From what I've seen using the 20gr round, I wouldn't use the 17gr on coon the way I'm hunting them.
 
I wouldn't recommend it, I've used it calling them in and tried body shots with it. Of the four that i hit, I only ended up with one that was hit in the spine. The rest were what appeared to be solid hits right behind the shoulder or directly in the chest and they were able to run back to the den tree and escape. If its thick and a den tree is close, you may wish to try something with a heavier bullet that is a little more potent. I tried the 17 grain vmax. I don't think that it is enough for a big ole fatty coon. I have tried both the vmax and hollows on squirrels and while both did well at killing them the hollows seem to go in and out like 22 hollows when placed behind the shoulder and the vmax's left quite a bit of devastation upon entry and once in a while a shard would penetrate the opposite side. I think i need to try the game points another time or two with the coon it may have just enough with a careful shot.
 
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