I think that I want a new squirrel rifle in .17 Mach II.

[bernie]

I have used an accurized 10/22 for many years now as my squirrel rifle. The only thing that I do not like is that during the late season, say December on, the woods get pretty open and I do not like stretching the range of a .22 long rifle. I thought for a while about a .22 magnum, but never really liked that idea.

Then the .17 HMR came out and that looked promising, but still was not exactly my cup of tea.

Now there is the .17 Mach II and this looks like the cartridge I am looking for. I have seen the ballistics charts and this looks like it might be for me.

How many of you actually have a .17M2 and what do you think about it as a squirrel round?

What affordable rifles are out there that are Minute of squirrel accurate at 100 yards? I have seen the CZ but really like how the Marlin 917 looks.

 

[gbran]

Have 17m2



The above Thompson G2 Contender and I went squirrel hunting today. The 17m2 with a 100 yd zero will only rise .6" above line of sight @ 50 yds compared to a 22lr @ about 3". The 17m2 is very flat from 25 yds to about 115 yds. It is very accurate and handles the wind better than the 22lr.

It doesn't ruin the meat, which a 17HMR would. I really luv this little round. It has replaced all my 22lr's. My first 17m2 was a Marlin 917m2s bolt gun, which I gave to my son when I got the TC.

For more info, go to http://www.rimfirecentral.com and check out their 17m2 forum threads.

 

[rgs1975]

Get a .17Hm2 barrel and heavy bolt for your 10/22. This way you can use 22lr or 17hm2 all depending on how you feel. It's a quick swap out and those two items are all you need. Boyd's and EABCO both make conversion kits that are good and reasonably priced. Make sure you get the heavy bolt because without it shooting the .17hm2 can be dangerous.

 

[MachIVshooter]

It doesn't ruin the meat, which a 17HMR would

That's not been my experience. At least not under 80 yards. .17 M2 is a short range varmint number, but until they start loading with FMJ or soft point rounds, it is not well suited to small game hunting. V-max bullets are just too explosive. At 50 yards, The mach 2 will turn a 2 lb. bunny nearly inside-out.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

How many of you actually have a .17M2 and what do you think about it as a squirrel round?

.17 M2 is a short range varmint number, but until they start loading with FMJ or soft point rounds, it is not well suited to small game hunting. V-max bullets are just too explosive. At 50 yards, The mach 2 will turn a 2 lb. bunny nearly inside-out.

That's been my experience, too -- which is why I've resisted the temptation to buy an HM2, and only hunted with people who have them.

My recommendation is to adjust your zero -- zero to be dead on at 50 feet, and you will be dead on again at 75 yards. I don't know why it is, but most of the 100-yard shots I've seen made on squirrels shrunk to less than 70 yards when paced out.

I have made honest 100 yard shots on squirrels, but I was shooting from a deer stand (after deer season.) I knew the range (having seen squirrels in that particular tree before and paced it off) and am experienced at making 100 yards shots in silhouette competition. A .22 LR will do all you need to do with it.

I also have a Ruger 77/22M, and with solid (not hollowpoint) bullets, this is a fine 100 yard rifle.

 

[Darth Ruger]

At 50 yards, The mach 2 will turn a 2 lb. bunny nearly inside-out.

Any pictures?

 

[gbran]

Want pics?

This is from a thread over at rimfirecentral. This fellow's pics show damage, but not the kind that turns a 2lb bunny inside out. I guess I need to start taking pics. I've been shooting ground squirrels with the 17m2 for a long time and have now shot a fair amount of grays, which are in my freezer (grays only). I've not destroyed as much meat as reported here. I've not gone out and looked closely at the ground squirrels, but now I probably will.

http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88035

 

[bernie]

I have looked at those pictures, and that does not look any worse to me than using a .22 long rifle hollow point. I once shot a squirrel using .22 magnum hollow points, now that can mess up some meat!

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I have seen a few that looked worse -- myself, I'd rather use a .22 Mag solid.

 

[gbran]

http://www.varmintal.net/17f14.jpg



These are 5 squirrel taken with the .17HMR (17m2's bigger brother). They were taken at a max. 100 yds and decreasing to 35 yds for the last squirrel on the right.

Pics are from Varmint Al's website.

 

[GunGoBoom]

Almost everyone who's gotten them over at rimfirecentral has nothing but good things to say (damn them! - now I want one). I'd prefer to see a soft point bullet loading myself as well before getting one, however.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Almost everyone who's gotten them over at rimfirecentral has nothing but good things to say (damn them! - now I want one). I'd prefer to see a soft point bullet loading myself as well before getting one, however.

I've got plenty good to say about the .17's, but not in regards to SG hunting. But go ahead and buy one. Surely they will begin to produce hunting type loads, as the bullets already exist for the .17 HMR.

I strongly recomment the Marlin 917M2 for an economically-priced rifle. Nice wood, nice bluing and the one I have shoots .6 MOA. Not bad for a $200 rifle with a $50 scope.

I've not destroyed as much meat as reported here. I've not gone out and looked closely at the ground squirrels, but now I probably will.

Consider how light-skinned cottontails are. Let's put it this way. When I shoot a Praire dog with my .17 Rem. (20 gr. V-max @ 4240 FPS) inside 150 yards, it will tear them in half and splatter guts behind them. When I shoot a similarly sized bunny at a similar distance, they may as well have swallowed a quater stick of dynamite. There is nothing left but bloody clumps with some fur, scattered over about 200 sq. ft.

To put it simply, it is like the difference between a 2 liter bottle full of water, and a water balloon.

 

[gbran]

Now a 17 Rem WILL turn a bunny inside out

Here's a pic of my 1st 17m2......... Marlin 917m2s with a Rifle Basix trigger set at 2lbs. It too will shoot very tight groups. BTW, I also hope they come out with a hunting round, as they have with the 17HMR.

 

[bernie]

Well, I got the Marlin 917m2s. I mounted a cheap scope in cheap mounts just to play with it, and man can that thing shoot.

I have a .22 target with 1" spinners, and it is neat to be able to spin them all the way out to 100 yards with no adjustment of the scope. This rifle and cartridge are great. I cannot wait for the leaves to fall off the trees for some tree rat hunting at distance!