New predator gun

[Vanishe187]

Ok so ive been looking at getting me a 17 hornet. I have areas where i hunt fox and cats and my 17hmr is just a bit underpowered for some of the shots. Would like a hornet for the 200yard and occasional 300 on fox and bobcats. I dont get many coyotes in my fox locations but they come sometimes and my hmr limit in coyotes is 100yards. Anyone here use a 17 hornet willing to share your thoughts on the round? I have several guns my 223 is my coyote specific gun but really want a more powerful round for my grey and cat hunts.

 

[sharpshooter97]

Not sure on the hornet, my hunting buddy has dropped a few coyotes with a .17WSM though. However it had to be dead calm as those small bullets aren’t worth shooting in the wind. So if you are planning 200-300 yard shots I’m not sure another .17 is the ticket, depends on where you are located. I Havn’t tried the hornet though so take it for what it’s worth

 

[Vanishe187]

Not sure on the hornet, my hunting buddy has dropped a few coyotes with a .17WSM though. However it had to be dead calm as those small bullets aren’t worth shooting in the wind. So if you are planning 200-300 yard shots I’m not sure another .17 is the ticket, depends on where you are located. I Havn’t tried the hornet though so take it for what it’s worth

I am in nm. Not looking for coyotes more for cats and fox. When i go for dog i take the ar.

 

[Vanishe187]

I ended up getting a .204 ruger barrel for my encore. Shoots pretty darn good with the 34gr Dogtown hollow points. Just finished loading up some 40gr vmax rounds. I have had it only a month or so, still playing around. Anyone who has one already what's your go to load? Anxious to try the vmax out so far those hollow points group really well. Don't really plan on using super light weight rounds. However looking for a decent coyote load I can have the nephew use this year.

 

[MarvB]

I was think on suggesting 22-250 but looks like you’re done

 

[Vanishe187]

I was think on suggesting 22-250 but looks like you’re done

Ha ha I already own one. Probably best coyote round ever. This little 204 will be fun to try out though. My usual go to for coyote hunting is my 223 ar. I love having quick follow up shots.

 

[brockel]

35 grain Bergers work awesome on coyotes out of 204 and are fur friendly. But if you are worried about saving fur on foxes the 204 is going to cut them in half. Not sure on cats as I’ve trapped all
Mine but I bet it’s going to be hard on all but the biggest cats

 

[Vanishe187]

35 grain Bergers work awesome on coyotes out of 204 and are fur friendly. But if you are worried about saving fur on foxes the 204 is going to cut them in half. Not sure on cats as I’ve trapped all
Mine but I bet it’s going to be hard on all but the biggest cats

Cool thanks. I bought 300 rounds of the 34 gr dogtown hollow points. Shoot really good, grouping is insane. Probably take it out a few times for yotes. Usually if there are fox or bobcats I take my 17 hornet. Its a great little gun, no damage on fur and puts down dogs. I mostly plan on letting my nephew use the 204 for coyotes.

 

[D4570]

My son (44 years old ) Has a CZ 17 hornet K. It's his go-to coyote gun.
We call a lot and it has never let him down, wind can be an issue.
Over the years it has accounted for MANY hundreds of coyotes.
200 yards is about as far he prefers to shoot but he has taken them out to 300.
It is an amazing round.

 

[220yotekiller]

If you are stuck on the .17 caliber, look at the 17 Remington, my Dad has 2 and loves them. A 20 gr. Nosler Varmentgeddon runs about 4100. And it is really fur friendly to boot.

 

[Sask hunter]

35 grain Bergers work awesome on coyotes out of 204 and are fur friendly. But if you are worried about saving fur on foxes the 204 is going to cut them in half. Not sure on cats as I’ve trapped all
Mine but I bet it’s going to be hard on all but the biggest cats

I can tell you a 22-250 isn’t fur friendly on a lynx lol

 

[Vanishe187]

Ha ha yeah the 17 hornet is a great little round. I use it in tight cover areas where shots aren't very far. Same with my range 200 is max I wanna push the hornet due to wind. But it my favorite predator gun, I mostly hunt fox and bobcats. I really love my 223 ar for coyotes. I usually run either 50 gr or a 55gr out of my 22 cal guns. Out of the 223 the nosler varmageddon hollow points work well. I shoot them out of pretty much all my rifles. My hornet loves the 20gr hollow point varmageddon as well.

 

[Vanishe187]

My son (44 years old ) Has a CZ 17 hornet K. It's his go-to coyote gun.
We call a lot and it has never let him down, wind can be an issue.
Over the years it has accounted for MANY hundreds of coyotes.
200 yards is about as far he prefers to shoot but he has taken them out to 300.
It is an amazing round.

I have had my savage 17 hornet for 2 years now. Actually only shot 2 coyotes with it so far. I prefer hunting more fox and bobcat, I usually call in the mountains here vs the desert. However the 2 I have hit dropped like lightning hit them. I got a nice bobcat with mine last year and it really put her down. I love the fact that it doesn't destroy cats or my greys. My brother has the same gun I do he got the same time, his is a 22 hornet. Both of them are spectacular rounds. I think anyone looking to save pelts on a thin skin critter should get a hornet. I plan on trying to get a few more coyotes with it this year and see what the little hornet can actually do.

 

[Don Fischer]

Amazing. Just reading through these past few post's I think what people might consider looking at is the 22 Hornet and the 222 Rem for long range! With the right bullet they should be very fur friendly. I had a 222 Rem and dearly loved it. Betting had I been a predator hunter's it would have been super but, with 50gr SX's it was a bit hard on gophers!

I have two rifle's I'd call my predator rifle's, both in 243. Seldom ever hunt predators but the least damage I've ever seen on a coyote was one I shot with my 6.5x06 using a 140 gr bullet! Go figure. Most damage I've seen was a gopher shot with my 223 and a 50gr SX bullet, sort of like a splatter shot. I suspect the best predator cartridge I have is my 22 mag RF! But you have to work within the limits of the cartridge, same as with any of them! You choose a bullet designed to go splat, it's probably gonna go splat. choose a cartridge for it's high velocity and the velocity is likely going to do things to your bullet your not gonna care for! You don't have the ability to hit the barn from the inside and nothing else is gonna mater!

Yea, I think if I were a predator hunter hoping to sell pelts my choice in cartridges would be the 22 Mag for shots to about 100yds and the 222 Rem for those long shots out to a bit over 200 yds. If you hunting pelts and shooting much beyond a couple hundred yds, you are probably missing some shot's you shouldn't have or placing some bullet's in spots you wished you didn't. I have a varmint hunting video that shows lots of shot's taken well beyond what I would call a sure thing! And if it's the pelt money your after, that does more often than we'd care for, two things ruins a pelt of simply miss's a shot.

 

[Don Fischer]

Double post.

 

[noharleyyet]

I wouldn't hesitate to use a 22-250 on anything I hunt here in N Central TX...fun as heck to operate. Don't know why I don't have one, guess it'd spoil me.

 

[Vanishe187]

Amazing. Just reading through these past few post's I think what people might consider looking at is the 22 Hornet and the 222 Rem for long range! With the right bullet they should be very fur friendly. I had a 222 Rem and dearly loved it. Betting had I been a predator hunter's it would have been super but, with 50gr SX's it was a bit hard on gophers!

I have two rifle's I'd call my predator rifle's, both in 243. Seldom ever hunt predators but the least damage I've ever seen on a coyote was one I shot with my 6.5x06 using a 140 gr bullet! Go figure. Most damage I've seen was a gopher shot with my 223 and a 50gr SX bullet, sort of like a splatter shot. I suspect the best predator cartridge I have is my 22 mag RF! But you have to work within the limits of the cartridge, same as with any of them! You choose a bullet designed to go splat, it's probably gonna go splat. choose a cartridge for it's high velocity and the velocity is likely going to do things to your bullet your not gonna care for! You don't have the ability to hit the barn from the inside and nothing else is gonna mater!

Yea, I think if I were a predator hunter hoping to sell pelts my choice in cartridges would be the 22 Mag for shots to about 100yds and the 222 Rem for those long shots out to a bit over 200 yds. If you hunting pelts and shooting much beyond a couple hundred yds, you are probably missing some shot's you shouldn't have or placing some bullet's in spots you wished you didn't. I have a varmint hunting video that shows lots of shot's taken well beyond what I would call a sure thing! And if it's the pelt money your after, that does more often than we'd care for, two things ruins a pelt of simply miss's a shot.

I think the biggest thing when going for fur. Is taking only good shots. There have been many times I passed on a bobcat because I didn't have an ideal shot. Then set up a couple days later and wind up calling it in a better setup. I really don't like taking far shots when I'm saving fur. Further the shot, more likely to put a bad shot. For me the .222 and the .223 are ideal for coyote. If you reload can work up some nice rounds that aren't super fast. Only issue I have with the 22-250 is sometimes it's too explosive. I do get some yotes I have lots of sewing with the .223, but not as bad as the 22-250. That being said it's really hard to argue the 22-250 and it's reputation as a coyote gun. If your a fox and bobcat hunter I really think you should try the 17 hornet. I really don't know of another round that is as capable and pelt friendly with the thin skin critters. It's really impressive seeing how hard it hits a bobcat. I wind up with a pin point entrance and no exit.

 

[Handlebar]

17 hornet is a great little round very fur friendly on fox and cats. It is what I carry, wind can make it tricky. I would not hesitate to shot at a coyote within reason (150 or less)

 

[brett_j44]

Ok so ive been looking at getting me a 17 hornet. I have areas where i hunt fox and cats and my 17hmr is just a bit underpowered for some of the shots. Would like a hornet for the 200yard and occasional 300 on fox and bobcats. I dont get many coyotes in my fox locations but they come sometimes and my hmr limit in coyotes is 100yards. Anyone here use a 17 hornet willing to share your thoughts on the round? I have several guns my 223 is my coyote specific gun but really want a more powerful round for my grey and cat hunts.

Personally I stick with 12 gauge, 223, and 308. None are the best but I can't bring myself to buy a caliber that cost twice the price of others.

 

[Vanishe187]

Personally I stick with 12 gauge, 223, and 308. None are the best but I can't bring myself to buy a caliber that cost twice the price of others.

Yeah 223 and 308 I own and aren't fur friendly at all on fox or bobcats. I do use a shotgun but when you have a shot past 60 yards the shotgun won't cut it. I did get a 17 hornet and it was roughly $500, so not double the cost of any other caliber. It's much cheaper to shoot also than the 223. I get about 730 or so rounds from 1lb of powder for my hornet and my 223 gets 275 or so in a lbs. If anything the 223 caliber is 2x more expensive. Even my 204 can't compete with the cost of the 17 hornet ammo. Just a cheaper round to shoot, and nice with the shortage, I get more bang for my buck.