What is the effective range of .17 HMR?
Daniel Moore
Published Jan 19, 2026
The effective range of a . 17 HMR bullet for small game hunting and target shooting is about 150 yards. At 150 yards the . 17 HMR cartridge experiences a bullet drop of about 3″-/+ which allows for consistent accuracy.
How far will a .17 HMR shoot?
17 HMR rifles to 200 yards and will shoot out to 300 yards in calm conditions.
Which is louder 22 mag or 17 HMR?
Both rimfire cartridges offer very little recoil impulse and limited report. The . 17 HMR sounds slightly louder, of course, but with hearing protection or a suppressor it's tough to tell the difference.
What is a 17 HMR rifle good for?
. 17 HMR is primarily used for mid-range small game and varmint hunting. The bullet's velocity and accuracy make it ideal for hunting rabbit, possum, and raccoons from up to 200-yards.
Is a 17 HMR a good fox gun?
I have used the 17hmr for fox hunting for about 6 years with very good success. It's a caliber that is underrated in my opinion. Its easy to blame poor shot placement on the gun. Hollow points are best in my experience.
42 related questions foundWhat's the range of a .223 rifle?
Similar to the 5.56, the 223 covers a long distance when fired from the gun's barrel. The bullet starts losing altitude and velocity with time reducing the impact that the bullet has when it finally reaches the target. The effective range for 223 is 400 to 600 yards.
Where do you aim on a fox?
When shooting an animal, it must be clearly visible and able to be killed with a single shot. Only head (brain) or chest (heart-lung) shots must be used. Shots to the head are preferred over chest shots as they are more likely to cause instantaneous loss of consciousness.
Whats better 22 mag or 17 HMR?
While the 17 HMR boasts a superior velocity at all ranges, the 22 WMR is able to deliver greater energy throughout either round's effective range thanks to its far heavier bullet. Energy is only one factor that determines how deadly a bullet performs upon finding its target.
What does HMR mean in guns?
17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire, commonly known as the . 17 HMR, is a rimfire rifle cartridge developed by the ammunition company Hornady in 2002. It was developed by necking down a .
Is 17 HMR too much for squirrels?
Ammunition for the . 17 HMR are a good bit more expensive than . 22 long rifle cartridges, but not enough to make them impractical to use for squirrels.
Is a .17 HMR loud?
Note, that because sound pressure is measured in a logarithmic scale, noise power is double for every 3 dB. That means 17 HMR and 22 WMR are around twice the sound power compared with 22LR, and 223 is 3 times louder than 17HMR/22WMR.
What is the difference between 17 HMR and 17 Hornet?
17 HMR is a rimfire cartridge, while the . 17 Hornet uses a primer, making it one of the smallest centerfire cartridges ever invented. Centerfire cartridges produce more energy, the rimfire design is less expensive to produce and purchase, but the performance is indicative of the price difference.
What is the difference between a 223 and 308 caliber?
The other massive difference between these two rifle cartridges is the case capacity. The 308 Winchester has almost 80% more case capacity when compared to the 223 Remington. This allows the 308 Win to fire a heavier bullet and keep it going for long range shooting, but all at the cost of recoil.
What is the fastest .17 HMR round?
17 Winchester Super Magnum, which is not only going to be the world's fastest rimfire round, but also one that offers a significant performance increase over the . 17 HMR (see charts below). It pushes a 20-grain bullet at 3,000 fps, which is 625 fps faster than the .
What is a good coyote caliber?
223. One of the most popular and all-around calibers for predator hunting is the . 223 Remington. It is arguably the most used caliber for predators such bobcats, foxes, and primarily coyotes.
What is the range of a 22 Magnum?
22 WMR has an effective range of nearly 125 yards (114 m). This makes the . 22 WMR an effective short to medium range varmint rifle and hunting rifle cartridge.
Can you use a 17 HMR for coyotes?
Yes, with decent shot placement and a non-plastic tipped bullet, they'll put a coyote down as well as a . 243 will put down a deer. It'll probably run 20-50 yards and fall over.
What shot angle should you never take?
This angle offers a poor shot opportunity and should not be taken. Heavy shoulder bones shield the majority of vital organs from penetration. The animal is typically looking toward the hunter and will likely spot the hunter's movements.
What is the preferred rifle shot for larger game animals?
The preferred shot for larger game animals, such as elk, deer, and bear, is broadside. The most effective firearm shot for a turkey is to the head and neck. The preferred shot angle for bowhunters is broadside, aiming for the heart or lungs.
What is the best caliber for fox hunting?
. 223: Probably the most popular foxing calibre, with little recoil and good long range performance. . 222: Known to some as a gentleman's calibre, it has almost no recoil and will kill foxes out to 300 yards.
Is 5.56 better than 9mm?
The 5.56 rifle cartridge is inherently more powerful than the 9mm pistol cartridge, so you might expect the 5.56 to be a lot louder than the 9mm, but that's not the case. They're actually pretty close to one another. The 9mm cartridge averages about 166 decibels while the 5.56 cartridge averages about 169 decibels.
What is the effective range of a 16 inch AR-15?
That said, the 16″ AR-15 barrels offer a good compromise between the full 20″ length and the short barreled rifle class. It's still capable of hitting any target the 20″ can hit while only losing about 50 meters of effective range compared to the longer rifle.
What caliber do snipers use?
The most popular military sniper rifles (in terms of numbers in service) are chambered for 7.62 mm (0.30 inch) caliber ammunition, such as 7.62×51mm and 7.62×54mm R.
Is 300 blackout the same as 308?
308 Winchester and . 300 Blackout have the same bullet diameter, they are otherwise vastly different cartridges. Due in large part to the longer case length of the . 223 Remington, that cartridge has significantly more case capacity than the .