What is a better groundhog rifle a .17hmr or a .243?

Question

i live on a farm and the ground hogs are very skittish, so the gun will need to be able to make head shots at 300 yards

Answer 1

The .17 hmr is a nice round, but it does not shoot better than the 243. I would use the 243 over the .17. The 17 is a necked down 22 mag. It is very fast and is designed to enter, and not exit, saving the pelt. I think if you want to save cash, and you are buying a new rifle, use what everyone uses. Get a 5.56x45 mm bolt rifle, and shoot .223, and or 5.56x45. The 5.56 will be available in bulk. If head shots are the thing, get a long barrel with a 1 in 9 twist, and use around a 62 grain  bullet. Long range shooting is best done with heavy bullets. I shoot 75 grain rounds. My AR style has a 1 in 8 twist, and makes .5" inch groups at 100 yards, and less that 1" at 200. I use black hills ammo. I found it to be the best in every thing they make. COR-BON kicks arce too.

If you already have a .243, well its better than the .17

Happy hunting.

Answer 2

On a perfect day, either will do nicely. If it's windy where you are, 250 Savage or 257 Roberts would be even better, but 6mm bullets will certainly buck wind better than 177 bullets. And there's no comparison when you get out to 300 yards.

Answer 3

I love my Savage in .17HMR, BUT good luck hitting him at 300 yards with it. It'll never happen, the wind is too finicky to make the light little .17 bullet track straight enought to hit something that far out. Nevermind it'll drop more than 3 feet at 300 yards and will drop subsonic around 250 yards.

Plus, at 300 yards it'll only be holding about 41 ft/lbs of energy which may not be enough to make the bullet fully expand.

Answer 4

There have been many positive reviews of the new .17HMR round.  Very flat trajectory.  I'd go with that.

Don't leave out the .223Rem round.  same zero at 25 meters and 250meters.  that's nice for that range.  It does drop rapidly after 250meters though.

Answer 5

I love my 17 hmr ,it is a fun gun to shoot ,and the bullets are fairly cheap .Hornady makes a ballistic tip that is bad to the bone.i use it squirell hunting ,and shooting rabbits in fields .It is a little much for squirells , I`ve killed 2 pretty big hogs at close range. I shoot it more than any gun i own ,its a fun caliber.

i have to agree with metropol at 300 yards a 223 or 22-250 maybe the best for groundhogs

Answer 6

if your buying, forget both and get a 223 bolt action with a good 4x10 scope.  better range and more knockdown than the 17hmr, cheaper to shoot than the 243.

Answer 7

I'd go with the .17hmr. The 240+ foot pounds of energy will take them down easy.

Answer 8

I've popped quite a few with my .223 AR-15

Answer 9

The .243 is a better choice.... The problem with the .17 HMR is that it is effected by wind..... Just a 5 mile an hour breeze can move the .17 off target a few inches enough to miss the target..... The .243 is a good choice...... You didnt mention if you already had the rifle or were going to purchase one.... If your going to buy a new rifle look into the 22-250 or even the .223. They are in my opinion a slightly better choice for ground hogs.......

.243 cartridge guide....

http://www.6mmbr.com/243Win.html

.223 cartridge guide.....

http://www.6mmbr.com/223Rem.html

Answer 10

The 17 HMR has pretty good reviews, but i would suggest a 22-250 with a 55 grain bullet. This bullet is heavy enough that at 300-500 yards the wind will have no effect. The 22-250 will kill the ground hogs with no problem and will take care of coyotes if need out to extended ranges