Can u kill a caribou with a 17 hmr?

Question

i have a new 17 hmr and im thinking of giving it back to get a 223. rifle. But i want to keep the 17 because its more cheaper i want to know if it can kill a moose or caribou

Answer 1

I highly doubt it both of those animals are big thick skinned animals.

Answer 2

It could potential kill it if you were the luckiest man alive, but that is so ridiculous you shouldn't even spend time asking.

Answer 3

You should keep the 17 and buy a bigger gun for moose and caribou.  223 is still too small.  Think about dragging a dead moose a zillion miles out of the woods.   There is the golden bb theory though, that a bb properly placed will take out the military's most advanced aircraft if placed properly.   However as hunters we shouldn't hope for the best and we dont want our food to suffer.  And by buying a new gun you'll have two guns!!!

Answer 4

I am a certified Alaskan Hunter Safety Instructor.

Once you fire at an animal and harm it - it is yours - and if it runs 7 miles through the worst swamp in the world ............ you are morally and legally required to track it down and salvage all of the meat - or face severe fines and imprisonement..  If that means you have to spend the next 9 days backpaking sun dried rancid meat - you must do it.

Using too small of a caliber is not an excuse - it is your choice - good chance the judge is going to give you the maxium penalty for being foolish.

17HMR is only going to give you a solid reliable one shot kill on fox, lynx, and coyote.  It is a bit light for wolf.

The way to tell if a caliber is adaquate for the game you intend to take - is can it do a 'quartering shot'.  A Quartering Shot is what happens when your first shot only injures the animal and you must drop it on the second - and it is either running away or charging toward you.  Your caliber and choice of bullet must be able to pass the hide and meat of the rear quarters or front quarters and strike vital organs or bone to anchor the animal.  If your choice of gun and caliber cannot accomplish this - do not use it.

I have seen a hunting party come back with a moose shot square with a 30-06 two times that swam into a lake - by the time they stopped shooting it with 30-06 and 300 Win Mags - trying to stop it from reaching the other side - it's back and rear quarters were like swiss cheese and the best cuts of meat totally ruined.  This is an important lesson - because even a decent moose caliber is not much good if the location is bad.

To properly drop a moose you need to hit and break bones.  Period.  Shots into the organs - it will still run, or walk, a long ways and always into a bad place.  You have to anchor it.  

Caribou are almost the opposite - they are not a very dense animal and most calibers 243 Win and above will always go in one side and out the other in a broadside shot.  17HMR will expand in the caribou's fur, hide and fat layers - might not reach much muscle tissue and breaking bones is out of the question.  Even a perfect heart shot - highly unlikly the bullet will stay together long enough to reach the heart.  

From my experience with 20+ years of moose hunting - both what I have personally accomplished and what my friends, neighbors, and co workers have accomplished........ the absolute lightest caliber you want is a 308 Win.  The best caliber is the 338 Win Mag - and similar.  Caribou you need 243 Win and better.

Your 17 and 223 are only going to get you into trouble with moose.  And with caribou - if you are an expert marksman and experienced caribou hunter - you could be sucessful with a 223.  If you do not have 4-7 sucessful caribou hunts under your belt.......... the 223 is a very very bad choice.



Hope this helps.

Answer 5

The .17 HMR is a sub, sub-caliber.  It is barely a varmint caliber.  The .223 is a varmint caliber.  Nether one is suitable even for deer hunting much less Moose or Caribou.  Additionally, the .17 HMR is a rimfire which renders it illegal for hunting big game in any State of the Union.  

Get at least a .270 Winchester and a .30-06 Springfield would be even better.  If you like the new short-magnums get the .300 WSM.

H

Answer 6

Keep the 17hmr for fun and buy a real gun for hunting big animals. Sounds like you need something like a 300wsm.

Answer 7

NO, No, no forget about it, very bad idea.* Best choice is 30-06.*

Answer 8

No that's not even legal because it will barely penetrate the skin and the animal will die a slow death somewhere days later. I would reccommend using at least a .243 so you can get a clean lung shot on those animals. .30-06, .30-30, or even a 7mm MAG would be better choices. (beware 7mm magnums can kick quite a bit).

Answer 9

Not only will it not kill a moose or caribou it is illegal to even try to

Answer 10

No. Too small a cal.

Answer 11

too small

Answer 12

There is a huge difference between can and should.  Someone managed to kill an elephant with a .22.  It entered the bloodstream and cause a massive stroke, I don't think it is repeatable.  

Neither round is really suitable for a clean kill on a large animal like that.  The .17 is for small game and the .223 is made for 200-300 pound animals, moose can be over a thousand.