.223 or .17 HMR?

Question

Ok so now i've narrowed it down to these two options. I was wondering which gun is better for taking down a yote keeping in mind pricing, .17HMR or .223. Is a .17HMR powerful enough for taking down a yote at a fairly long distance(80-125 yrds.)? Is a .223 too powerful for taking down other varmits like prairie dogs and rabbits?

And also, i found a scope that magnifies at 8-32x50. So what gun would even be able to shoot that distance?

keep in mind i dont want to spend over 300

Answer 1

the advantage the 223 has over the 17, is a higher grain bullet, and will bring down pray at a greater range than the 17.
On the othere hand because the 17 comes with 17 & 20 grain bullets makes in unbelivably quick (2550fpsec) and acurate over short distance of up to 250 yards, on the downside the bullet is proun to wind drift.
For a rimfire the 17 is outstanding and will bring foxs down at up to 150yards,
I personaly think its all about personal phreferance, i own both the 17 & 223 and they both have a job that suites them best.
I tend to use the 17 on rabbits and the 223 on foxs, and now since we have had a slight change in the law over hear i can now shoot muntjack
An advantage over hear in the uk is the ammunition for ether calliber is about the same price as well.
For you shooting coyotie i would say the 223 is the far supperiour of the 2

Answer 2

I would definitely go for the .223 if you are going after coyote. The .17 is a bit light for even heavy prairie doggin. The .223 will suit your purposes just fine and can definitely do it long distance too.

You should be able to use that scope on just about any rifle you are looking at, but because the objective is so large 50mm you are going to need a high mount which means a rifle with a high cheek piece or an ad on to be able to see through the scope properly. keep in mind at high magnification you are going to see everything, mirages, heat contrails off the ground and rising off your barrel.

If you have not yet bought the scope you might back it down a bit for easy of use like a 6 x 18 x 40, which should be enough magnification out to about 300 yards without the added troubles to zero in on those coyotes.

As to what gun can shoot that far, all guns can shoot that far, but to shoot that far and have the knock down power for a clean humane kill, I would certainly go with the .223. An added bonus to using the .223 if you don't reload is the surplus ammo is cheap compared to many of the other rounds in it's class.

Good shooting!

Answer 3

The 17HMR is a fun little gun designed with small game in mind, squirrels, rabbits, crows and such. You will undoubtedly get replies from folks who claim 200 yard kills on coyotes, but I have found the 17 HMR to be mediocre on ground hogs at relatively short range 80 to 100 yards. Coyotes are much tougher to kill than ground hogs. I have seen good solid hits on ground hogs with the 17 and watched them run off into their holes. I have never seen a GH take another step after being hit with a .223 and some of these shots were over 500 yards. If pricing is a concern both H&R and Rossi make economical single shots that are more than accuarte enough to handle the job at hand. The 8-32x50 would work I personally like a 6-24x40. The 223 is perfect for prairie dogs and rabbits (head shots if you plan on eatin' the bunnies) as well as deer sized game in a pinch. Point is,respect the game enough to bring enough gun. I own both, the 17 is limited to squirrels and crows.

Answer 4

If your goal is PRIMARILY coyotes than the .223 is the best choice. If it is for small game with an occasional coyote, then go with the .17 hmr. I use Hornady 20 grains on the coyotes and so far have had no problems. Other hunters have told me the same.

Crows are great fun to shoot with the 17 grain CCI TNTs, just a huge cloud of feathers are left, pretty impressive. Keeping in mind the 17s limitations, out to 100 - 125 yards is pretty much max for coyotes, 200 yards for other small game. The other big problem is wind. The wind really blows those little bullets around.

The advantages of the 17 are cheap ammo ($8.00 for a box of 50) compared to the .223, good for rabbits, squirrels, etc and still have meat left.

The .223 has great stopping power, highly accurate, longer range, and fairly affordable ammo compared to other centerfires. Both are good choices, you should be happy with either one.

Answer 5

Taking down a 'yote with a .17HMR would be pushing your luck. It *could* be done, but it'd have to be a very good shot. Lots of people are saying that the advantage of the .17 is a higher velocity, but a .223 will have more velocity in everything but a very short rifle. A 90 grain load, which is more than anyone varminting has a reason to use, is still capable of matching or surpassing the speed of the .17, so don't get it because it's faster: it won't be!

Savage makes a very good .223 rifle, the 10FP. I have one with a 20x42 scope on top, and it's no problem, with the correct windage and elevation adjustments, to hit something out to 500 yards with it on a cold barrel.

Less than three hundred is going to seriously narrow your choices down. A used Savage 10 could be gotten, but that'd max out your budget, or leave you with a damaged rifle. I'd say get a Handi-Rifle in .223 and a few bricks of Black Hills blue-box 68 grain rounds. They're a good deal for as nice of ammunition they are. Way better than Wolf and only slightly more expensive.

Answer 6

the HMR is not a coyote round. The 223 is good for yotes out to 200 250 yards. Depending on what bullet weight you are using. out to 150 I would use a 50 gr Hornady V-Max for 150 + I would use a 60gr or larger if your rifle will handle it.

The 223 is the best all around varmint cartridge out right now. you have bigger cartridges out there like the 22-250 and the 220 Swift but you can get them a little hot if you are in a good PDog town.

I have a Remington VLS in 223 topped with a Leupold VX-II 6-18x40mm I shot a Ground hog not to long ago with it at 200 yards and the little 50 gr Hornady V-Max spread its guts out for about 10 feet he was DRT (Dead Right There).

As for your optics Sure that will work but your going to have to mount it on High or Extra high rings so your cheek weld is not going to be good thus hindering accuracy. I would stay with a 40 to 42mm objective lens on my scopes. and 8.5 to 32 is a bit of a stretch for a varmint rifle. I would go no higher that 24 power on the top end. I like the 6-18 and the 6-24 for my varmint rifles.

the higher the power the more your field of view shrinks at range. Plus the more the power of the scope the more minor things like heat waves off of the barrel and the surrounding terrain are going to distory your view.

Answer 7

If by 'yote' you mean 'coyote,' then the .223 is your better choice. AND thanks for asking a practical question about yardage; 80 to 125 yards is NOT an unreasonable shooting distance especially for the .223. With the .17 HMR you're stretching it shoot coyotes at 125 yards. You're better off using the old .22 Magnum at a 100 to 125 yards, still, for that distance I'd use a .223 or larger varmint caliber.

Best.

H

Answer 8

I shot 4 coyote last winter with a 17hmr using Hornady ammo they are a good little flat shooting gun. the closest was shot at 50 yards and the farthest was at 136 according to my range finder but I would not hesitate to shoot farther with it given a chance. a .223 is a good rifle too but not for rabbits i know alot of people that shoot them while hunting coyotes mainly because the ammo is fairly cheap.

Answer 9

.223 is your best option.


The 17hmr is tiny, its high velocity but still a very tiny round. It wont be good for coyotes and the slightest amount of wind will severely affect accuracy.

Answer 10

I would take the .223 over the .17.