17 hmr questions

[csu41826]

I'm sure this has been addressed but nothing was coming up in the search function.

I recently bought a 17 hmr for public land hogs this season and was curious about 2 things.

1. Ammo. For those of you who use a 17, what is your preferred ammo? The only thing I could get to sight my rifle was cci vnt 17 grain polymer tip.

2. Shot placement. In the ear or behind the ear is what I'm seeing a lot of. If someone could put a picture of a hig with a circle in the spot I should be aiming for that would be fantastic.

Thanks for any help,

Watts

 

[bfriendly]

This what I visualize and I like heart/lung all day

 

[bfriendly]

I think it will punch through the arm pit no worries! I liked the poly tips in .22 mag, but Usually have solids in there.

 

[chrislibby88]

I shoot 22mag, and go for headshots usually. Eye/ear is my pick. You can aim for the vitals on smaller pigs, but I wouldn’t try a behind the shoulder shot on a 150 lb pig. A fat boat could have several inches of fat, hide, and mud before you even get down to muscle, and you still have to get through the shoulder blade and ribs. I head shot a big boat last fall that had 2 inches of dried mud all over him. Dulled two knives before I ever made it down to the back straps.
Rim fires, especially light and fast 17, just don’t have the mass to penetrate reliably on bigger animals. And even if you do get through the shoulder and hit lungs a pig can run a long way before dying leaving very little blood to track.

 

[tr21]

my savage likes the hornady best. tried remington and cci, but hornady shot best

 

[Railroader]

Use enough gun.

.17HMR ain't enough...

 

[antharper]

I’m usually shoot them with my deer rifle , not public land , and I try to aim anywhere from behind the ear to the eye , but I have killed several with a 22 and a 22mag and if I can get the right angle right between the eyes works good

 

[sghoghunter]

Me personally a 17 is a heck of a plinking gun but lacks the punch it takes to kill anything with some size. 22 mag would be my pick.