It's a varmints nightmare!

[Sledgehammer]

Resurrecting this one. 
 

.22hornet on the move at around 100yds (no range finder at the time) Saw it out the window. Little 35gr V-max bullets still work pretty well. 

[DT Fan]

Nice Todd! Looks like a pretty good sized dog. Only thing I'm seeing around here lately is opossums.

[B.B.]

Poor yodel dog...

 

I need a call.  Rabbit in distress or something as the coyotes are thick around here.   

 

[B.B.]

You make me want a hornet.   I really like my 22mag because it's not so loud that if I shoot it at a varmint it doesn't hurt my ears like a 223 or a 22-250 would.   The hornet seems to bridge the gap but is just as expensive to shoot as the 22-250.   

 

I need to shoot a hornet to see just how loud they are or aren't.   The older I get the more cognisant I get of my hearing and when a yote is out in the field I don't remember to grab hearing protection.  

[stronger800]

I’ve never had one for that reason.  If a .22 mag or .17 can’t handle it cheaply, I just go .270-30.06,  because they are cheaper to fire than a hornet or 22.250, usually 

[B.B.]

4 minutes ago, stronger800 said:

I’ve never had one for that reason.  If a .22 mag or .17 can’t handle it cheaply, I just go .270-30.06,  because they are cheaper to fire than a hornet or 22.250, usually 

Agreed.   I go from 22lr to 22mag to 223, 22-250,  and a 243 for smaller stuff.    I have too many calibers now I don't need another.  

 

I think I could get by just fine with 22lr 243 and a 20GA

 

 

[Sledgehammer]

I am one of the biggest proponents of 22mag anywhere. I love the Hornet also for smaller game normally. Up to raccoon I use the mag. Above the mag I use Hornet. I prefer the mag to the 17hmr personally. Normal go-to coyote gun when  I'm hunting is 22-250. I load my own but this was a factory round. The hornet really drops at 200+ so know your range also. 22-250 is still pretty flat at 200. 

[DT Fan]

I need to get some of those 35 grain bullets for my hornet. I shoot the .22 Mag. most of the time but have my hot-rod .243 sitting here in case a yote happens along..... When I built it I got a Shilen 1-14" twist barrel from Brownell's. Shoots 55 grain bullets at a blistering pace! Flattest shooting rifle I've ever had.

[stronger800]

I agree.  I say  if .17 can’t get it, .270 can, and the 12g covers anything else 

i shoot pigeons off the barn and silo roofs, in the head, as a summer hobby, 6x18 Leupolds that cost more than the guns did by far, but my eyes aren’t the best.  .17 is knocking much down if you hit it in the body, but it will shut anything small off like a switch….if you hit it top dead center of the noodle. I haven’t shot a coy dog with it yet just because the opportunity hasn’t presented itself, but I want to try just once.  If it doesn’t drop, I’ll feel terrible though. My .22 mag isn’t as accurate or consistent, for me, but it’s not the best gun either   
 

I shot a woodchuck that was standing up tall last year with a .17 at about 150yrds.  He didn’t wiggle. I was so sure I’d hit, that I had only grabbed one bullet.  Had to walk back to garage to get another one, as I’m getting ready to shoot again, I see him flop over.  Very dead.  I think he was so fat….his body was just sitting there.  You don’t “hear” the little bullets hit, no Thud. I do miss that. But the cows don’t look up or run like they do when a bugger gun cracks either 

[Sledgehammer]

@stronger800 Two of my buddies shot three coyotes about a month ago while raccoon hunting. The coyotes came in and they both had .17hmr rifles. It can be very effective, I just prefer the .22mag personally. I had a .17 centerfire years ago. It was running about 4200fps and if the bullet hit a blade of grass on its way to the target it would vaporize and never break paper. 

[stronger800]

True.  I learned I can’t shoot through any grass or more than  a dense fog with a .17 

I shoot cans, .22mag knocks them off the fence posts, then I try to shoot them as they roll.  .17 leaves them right on the post.  
I actually put a strip of  painters tape on a soda can when ingot the first 17.  
I thought I was missing it, but it was going through and not wiggling the can 

[MacAR]

I keep a 22 mag for an "around the house" gun. Does great for varmints around the chicken coop and garden. It's my favorite rimfire cartridge. Anything else gets the 222 or 243, depending on size and distance. The 222 gets used most though, it's a lot quieter than the 243. I reload for both, so my ammo is a fourth of what commercial stuff costs for 222 and about half the cost of 243. 

I've had a couple 17s in the past, and they just don't excite me much; the 22 mag is a much better varmint gun in my opinion. 

[stronger800]

.17 holds flatter over 3x the range though, in my experience, but I’m not a pro.  I can’t shoot down a grade with the magnum at all. Idk why that is though 

[Little Red]

I’ve got a 17hmr, shoots flat and quick. Out checking cows a few summers ago, seen a coyote walking away from me, wind was in my favor, he didn’t hear me, shot him with the 17 at 150 yards. I don’t bother shooting in a cross wind with it. 

[MacAR]

That's strange, I shoot off the hill with my magnum all the time. I hold a shade under when shooting downhill and generally hit what I aim at. Your mileage may vary of course! The 17 did not do well for me, I thought it too powerful for small game and too light for larger varmints. The two I had were very accurate however, but forget about shooting in any wind. 

[B.B.]

I had a really nice .17HMR and while it's a neat round the wind moves it like crazy.   I'll stick with my 22WMR for varmints as that round doesn't seem to move as much.  

 

Apparently the .17 is better at cutting the wind due to a higher ballistic coefficient and faster velocity.  I think though in real world shooting I've felt like in gusts the 17 was a lot more subject to the 20mph gusts than the magnum was.    Could all be in my head too.  

[stronger800]

Oops, when I say .17, I mean the little HMR.  (What’s that stand for?) I forgot there was another 17.  The other one is more powerful and  expensive right? 

[B.B.]

17hmr is like a necked down 22mag 

17 mach 2 looks like a necked down 22lr 

They may very well not be necked down from those parent cases but it sure looks like that was at least the idea behind them. 

[Little Red]

Just now, B.B. said:

17hmr is like a necked down 22mag 

17 mach 2 looks like a necked down 22lr 

They may very well not be necked down from those parent cases but it sure looks like that was at least the idea behind them. 

Pretty sure that’s what they are but I reserve the right to be wrong.

[Dave Shepard]

Hornady Magnum Rimfire

 

I have one. They are neat, but have a window of effectiveness, like any round, really. When I was sighting mine in, a crow landed near the target at 100 yards. I found the beak, one foot, and a lot of feathers.

I've been into high end pcp air rifles for a long time now. The tunability and accuracy is amazing. 

[Mr. Plow]

My 17HMR splits case necks on occasion. Especially Winchester and sometimes Hornady......no annealing on necks due to the rimfire priming compound.

I would rather shoot 22WMR.

[Mr. Plow]

On 2/7/2026 at 8:24 AM, Sledgehammer said:

Resurrecting this one. 
 

.22hornet on the move at around 100yds (no range finder at the time) Saw it out the window. Little 35gr V-max bullets still work pretty well. 

Nice CZ 527.....I have a heavy barrel .223, but wish it was a std barrel .22 Hornet.....or even a 77/22.

[Dave Shepard]

I missed out on nib 77/22 Hornet years ago from a coworker. I have even less money today. 

[Sledgehammer]

I love the 527. I really wish I had bought more calibers of them when they were still being produced. Accurate, single set trigger, detachable mag, etc...

[MacAR]

The CZ's are nice rifles. There was one at the local gun shop a few years back in 22 Hornet, guy wanted $900 for it used and I thought it was too much... hindsight being what it is, I wish now I'd bought it. Of course, that was before I started reloading and hornet ammo isn't exactly common in this part of the country so that was the driving factor at the time.