[jhco]

I have a Marlin 917 that I love to shoot at the range, but I can't help but wonder what it would be good for as far as hunting goes. Small pest/rodents are a given but, what other slightly larger game could be taken with this round.
Coyote? Beaver? What is the biggest animal you would attempt to kill with this round?

[rcmodel]

Goffers & crows is about it, skinny ground hogs maybe, IMO.

We have seen very mixed results on Coyotes with much faster center-fire .17's.

rc

[captain awesome]

prairie dogs are fun with one of those.

[wankerjake]

Yeah, I've never used one on coyotes but the consensus among varmint hunters is that it's light for coyotes. Fox hunters have better success with it, but most of them still prefer the heavier bullet of a .22 mag. My vote would be fox and smaller, with its optimal range being rabbit and smaller. I've seen a few rabbits smoked with the .17hmr, pretty messy. It'll take the head all but off of a squirrel.

What is the biggest animal you would attempt to kill with this round?
Coyote, but it would have to be an easy shot inside 60 yards, preferably a CNS shot. I probably wouldn't bring the .17hmr on a stand where I expected coyotes though. Generally speaking fox and smaller.

[627PCFan]

I smoked a Beaver with a 20 grain XTP bullet. However 2 mags worth of them will not work on a 40 lb southern Maryland snapping turtle shell :D

[stevelyn]

I use them on foxes. The Speer TNT is pretty fur friendly and seldom exits other than a fragment or two. I think it'd work great on lynx, but I'd be hesitant to use it on a yote.

They turn tundra squills inside out though. :D

[jhco]

Thanks for the advice guys.

[AzBuckfever]

I've heard of them being used on bobcats but otherwise; not too sure I'd even try on a Coyote. Those bastards are tough. Anything is possible with the right shot placement but I still prefer to use some hunter ethics even when blasting the predators.