The 17 HMR is arguably the finest rimfire cartridge ever created for hunting small game and varmints, offering a laser flat trajectory and explosive terminal performance. It is best suited for hunting prairie dogs, squirrels, rabbits, and foxes in open fields where shots extend well beyond the capabilities of a standard 22 Long Rifle. Common hunting bullets range from 15.5 grains to 20 grains, exiting the muzzle at a blistering 2,375 to 2,550 feet per second. This generates approximately 245 foot-pounds of muzzle energy, driving rapid and violent expansion upon impact. With its high velocity and aerodynamic polymer tipped bullets, the practical hunting range of the 17 HMR is 150 to 200 yards in calm wind conditions.
17 HMR Hunting
| Ammo / Load | Bullet Weight | Bullet Type | Muzzle Velocity | Muzzle Energy | BC | Hunting Purpose | Best Feature |
| Hornady V-MAX | 17 grain | Polymer Tip | 2,550 fps | 245 ft-lbs | .125 | Varmints / Prairie Dogs | Explosive fragmentation upon impact |
| CCI GamePoint | 20 grain | Jacketed Soft Point | 2,375 fps | 250 ft-lbs | .115 | Small Predators / Meat | Controlled expansion for deeper penetration |
| Federal Premium Speer TNT | 17 grain | Jacketed Hollow Point | 2,530 fps | 242 ft-lbs | .114 | Pest Eradication | Highly destructive on small pests |
| CCI A17 | 17 grain | V-MAX (Polymer Tip) | 2,650 fps | 265 ft-lbs | .125 | Semi-Auto Rifles / Varmints | Optimized pressure for reliable semi-auto cycling |
| Hornady NTX | 15.5 grain | Lead Free Polymer Tip | 2,525 fps | 220 ft-lbs | .115 | Varmints in Lead Free Zones | Complies with strict environmental hunting laws |
What Makes 17 HMR Suitable For Hunting
The 17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire was created by necking down a 22 Magnum case to hold a tiny .17 caliber projectile. The result is a cartridge that flies remarkably fast and flat, making it the ultimate tool for precision pest control. For hunting, its primary advantage is accuracy. The tiny bullets cut through the air efficiently, allowing hunters to easily place shots on targets as small as a squirrel’s head at 100 yards.
When a 17 HMR polymer tipped bullet strikes a small animal, the high velocity causes the thin jacket to rupture instantly. This creates a devastating, explosive wound channel that anchors small varmints immediately, preventing them from crawling back into their burrows. However, because the bullet is so light and fragile, it requires careful application if the hunter intends to preserve meat or hide.
Best 17 HMR Bullet Weight For Hunting
Because the 17 HMR is a specialized rimfire round, bullet weights are tightly constrained to a very narrow window to maximize velocity.
- 15.5 grain: The standard weight for lead free alternatives like the Hornady NTX. These monolithic or frangible core bullets are pushed very fast to compensate for their lack of mass. They are excellent for pest control in states with lead ammunition bans.
- 17 grain: The absolute gold standard for the 17 HMR. This weight, primarily utilizing the V-MAX or TNT hollow point, offers the flattest trajectory and the most explosive terminal performance. It is the best choice for prairie dogs, groundhogs, and general varmint eradication.
- 20 grain: The heavy hitter of the caliber. Loads like the CCI GamePoint use a jacketed soft point or tough hollow point (like the XTP) that travels slightly slower around 2,375 fps. These hold together better upon impact, providing the deeper penetration required for tough animals like foxes or large raccoons.
Best Bullet Type For Hunting
Choosing the correct bullet construction is the difference between ruining your harvest and dropping a pest cleanly.
- Polymer Tipped (V-MAX): The most popular and aerodynamic choice. The polymer tip drives back into a hollow cavity upon impact, causing the bullet to violently fragment. This is perfect for pest control where meat preservation is irrelevant, as it virtually eliminates the risk of over penetration and ricochet.
- Jacketed Soft Point (JSP): Found on the 20 grain CCI GamePoint, this bullet mushrooms like a traditional big game rifle bullet. It is the best choice for edible small game like rabbits or squirrels, as it passes through the animal cleanly without turning the surrounding meat into jelly.
- Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP): Bullets like the Speer TNT or Hornady XTP bridge the gap. Light hollow points expand violently, while heavier 20 grain hollow points offer a balance of expansion and deep penetration for larger pests.
- Full Metal Jacket (FMJ): Available from some manufacturers like CCI, these bullets will not expand at all. They punch tiny, needle like holes through the target. They are highly specialized for hunters who want to collect pristine pelts from small furbearers without causing any exit wound damage.
17 HMR Hunting Ballistics
The 17 HMR relies entirely on speed. Its trajectory is incredibly flat compared to a standard 22 Long Rifle, but the tiny bullets lose energy quickly past 100 yards.
Note: The following data represents manufacturer specifications tested with a 100 yard zero.
Hornady 17gr V-MAX
- Muzzle: 2,550 fps / 245 ft-lbs
- 100 Yards: 1,901 fps / 136 ft-lbs
- 200 Yards: 1,378 fps / 72 ft-lbs
- Bullet Drop @ 200 Yards: -8.5 inches
CCI 20gr GamePoint
- Muzzle: 2,375 fps / 250 ft-lbs
- 100 Yards: 1,776 fps / 140 ft-lbs
- 200 Yards: 1,304 fps / 75 ft-lbs
- Bullet Drop @ 200 Yards: -9.9 inches
For comparison, a standard high velocity 22 Long Rifle drops nearly 6 inches at 100 yards and over 30 inches at 200 yards. The 17 HMR allows the hunter to aim dead on out to 125 yards without worrying about holdover.
17 HMR Effective Range For Hunting
The effective range of the 17 HMR is highly dependent on wind conditions and the size of the animal.
For small pests like prairie dogs or ground squirrels, the practical hunting range is 150 to 200 yards. At 200 yards, the 17 grain bullet still retains roughly 70 foot-pounds of energy, which is more than enough to lethally expand on a tiny rodent.
However, the major limitation is wind drift. Because the bullet weighs a mere 17 grains, a gentle 10 mph crosswind will push the bullet completely off a small target at 150 yards. If you are hunting larger predators like foxes, the ethical range should be reduced to 100 yards to ensure the bullet carries enough energy to penetrate the chest cavity effectively.
Supersonic vs Subsonic 17 HMR For Hunting
The 17 HMR is exclusively a supersonic cartridge designed for high velocity performance.
While some specialty manufacturers may attempt subsonic loads, using subsonic 17 HMR completely defeats the purpose of the cartridge. A 17 grain bullet traveling at 1,000 fps produces a pathetic 37 foot-pounds of energy, making it barely as powerful as a pellet gun. Furthermore, polymer tipped varmint bullets require high velocity to expand. If you need a subsonic rimfire for quiet backyard hunting, you should absolutely use a 22 Long Rifle loaded with 40 grain heavy subsonic hollow points instead.
Best Barrel Length For 17 HMR Hunting
Because the 17 HMR uses a larger powder charge than a standard 22 LR, it benefits from a longer barrel to achieve its advertised speeds.
- 16 inches: The minimum practical length. It makes for a very fast handling truck gun or brush rifle, but you will lose roughly 100 to 150 feet per second in velocity.
- 18 to 20 inches: The optimal sweet spot for a 17 HMR hunting rifle. This length achieves 98 percent of the cartridge’s velocity potential, providing the flat trajectory hunters expect while keeping the rifle balanced.
- 22 to 24 inches: Common on heavy varmint rifles. This extracts maximum velocity and provides an incredibly steady shooting platform for long range prairie dog hunting off a bipod, but the rifles become heavy and cumbersome to carry.
Game Size And Hunting Conditions
The 17 HMR is strictly a small game and varmint cartridge.
- Small Game (Rabbits, Squirrels): It is highly effective but must be used with caution. A 17 grain V-MAX striking a squirrel in the shoulder will completely destroy the front quarters. Hunters must either take precise headshots or use a 20 grain soft point to preserve the meat.
- Varmints (Prairie Dogs, Groundhogs): This is where the cartridge is king. The explosive terminal ballistics ensure ethical, instant kills on burrowing pests out to 200 yards.
- Coyotes (Proceed with Caution): The 17 HMR is highly controversial for coyote hunting. While it can kill a coyote with a perfect head or neck shot inside 50 yards using a 20 grain bullet, it is widely considered underpowered for body shots. A 17 grain polymer tip will often splash on a coyote’s thick shoulder blade, resulting in a gruesome surface wound and a lost animal. For coyotes, a centerfire rifle like the 223 Remington is far superior.
- Deer: Absolutely illegal and highly unethical in all jurisdictions.
Shot Placement And Bullet Performance
Shot placement is critical when hunting with tiny, fast bullets.
When doing pest control on rodents, center mass shots are perfectly fine, as the rapid expansion of a V-MAX bullet will create massive systemic shock. When hunting furbearers like foxes where pelt preservation is the goal, broadside shots behind the shoulder are best. The fragile bullet will enter, explode inside the chest cavity, and rarely create an exit wound, leaving the hide intact. If meat harvesting is your goal, headshots are mandatory unless utilizing a tough 20 grain GamePoint.
Best 17 HMR Hunting Loads
Based on rigorous field use and ballistic consistency, these are the top choices for hunters:
- Best Overall for Varmints: Hornady 17gr V-MAX. The original and still the standard bearer. It offers unmatched accuracy, a perfectly flat trajectory, and devastating fragmentation on small pests.
- Best for Meat Preservation: CCI 20gr GamePoint. The jacketed soft point design holds together to punch clean holes through edible small game without ruining the harvest.
- Best for Semi-Autos: CCI A17 17gr V-MAX. Specifically loaded to a slightly higher pressure to ensure flawless cycling in semi automatic rifles like the Savage A17, giving a slight velocity boost in the process.
- Best Lead Free: Hornady 15.5gr NTX. A highly accurate monolithic option for hunters operating in jurisdictions that ban lead ammunition.
Pros And Cons
Pros:
- Laser flat trajectory out to 125 yards requires almost zero holdover calculation.
- Explosive terminal performance anchors small pests instantly.
- Ammunition is relatively affordable compared to centerfire varmint cartridges.
- Produces virtually zero recoil, making it incredibly fun and easy to shoot accurately.
- Very low risk of ricochet, as the highly frangible bullets turn to dust upon hitting the ground or rocks.
Cons:
- Extremely susceptible to wind drift due to the ultra light projectile weight.
- Overpowered and highly destructive on edible small game if the wrong bullet type is used.
- Marginal and risky for tough predators like coyotes.
- Rifles require frequent cleaning, as the tiny .17 caliber bore fouls with copper and carbon quickly.
FAQs
Is 17 HMR good for hunting?
Yes, it is arguably the best rimfire cartridge in existence for hunting small varmints, pests, and small game out to 200 yards in calm conditions.
What grain 17 HMR is best for hunting?
The 17 grain polymer tipped bullet is best for varmint eradication and pest control, while the heavier 20 grain soft point is best for edible small game and tough furbearers.
What is the effective range of 17 HMR for hunting?
The ethical effective range is 150 to 200 yards on small rodents. On larger predators like foxes, the effective range is closer to 100 yards to ensure adequate penetration energy.
Is 17 HMR big enough for coyotes?
Generally, no. While a perfect 50 yard headshot will kill a coyote, the cartridge lacks the energy and penetration to reliably drop a coyote with a standard body shot. A .223 Remington is a much better coyote cartridge.
Will 17 HMR ruin squirrel meat?
Yes, if you use a 17 grain V-MAX and hit the body, the meat will be severely damaged. To preserve meat, hunters must take strict headshots or switch to a non fragmenting 20 grain soft point bullet.
Is 17 HMR better than 22 WMR for hunting?
The 17 HMR is much more accurate, shoots much flatter, and is better for long range small pests. The 22 WMR (22 Magnum) shoots heavier bullets that carry more momentum, making it slightly better for tougher, larger animals at close range (inside 75 yards).
What is the best 17 HMR ammo for hunting?
The Hornady 17 grain V-MAX is widely considered the most accurate and lethal load for general varmint hunting, setting the gold standard for the caliber since its inception.
Can you hunt deer with a 17 HMR?
No. It is completely illegal and highly unethical to hunt deer with any rimfire cartridge. The tiny bullet will merely cause a painful surface wound.
Final Verdict
Is the 17 HMR good for hunting? The 17 HMR is a phenomenal, highly specialized tool for hunting small game and varmints at ranges that traditional rimfire cartridges simply cannot reach. It is best suited for hunting prairie dogs, squirrels, and foxes in open terrain where shots between 100 and 150 yards are common.
The ideal ammunition is a 17 grain polymer tipped bullet for maximum destructive force on pests, or a 20 grain soft point for meat preservation on small game. Its major advantages are its incredibly flat trajectory, match grade accuracy, and lack of recoil. Its primary limitations are severe wind drift and a lack of kinetic energy for anything larger than a fox. If you want a precision rifle that turns 150 yard pest control into an easy, highly ethical endeavor, the 17 HMR is one of the greatest rimfire cartridges ever designed.