View Single Post
  #8  
Old 01-14-2018, 07:36 PM
montdoug montdoug is offline
Supporting Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Bozeman Montana
Posts: 6,164
Default

Berger is currently only producing the #17308 in .17 caliber according to their web site, it is 25 grains and by the picture has a fairly large hollow point.
At one time to another they have made (correct me if I'm wrong), 15's, 18's, 20's, .22's, .25's, 30's and 37's. The .25's I have are around 2000 vintage if memory serves and are the ones that are model number 17007 and read "17 CAL 25 GRAIN MATCH GRADE" They are lot number "0003687".
I talked to Walt once right after the "MEF's" came out (Maximum Expansion Factor) and I asked him about the comparison of the two. He said that at 200ish and closer the MEF's would be more explosive but over 200 yards and a guy was better off with the Match bullets. He was right of course but it doesn't matter now cause it looks like to me the new owners kinda combined the two, that's all they produce and only in the one weight.
Sad for us guys but business decisions seldom make everyone happy but it is a business.
The 17007 bullet in most rifles I've run em in is the most accurate .17 bullet I've used to date.
As to the coyote question I can't speak from coyote experience but I have shot 8 or 9 Badgers with the 25's I have now and it worked wonderful, "Tiny hole in, no exit, dead badger". Frequently I couldn't even find blood. I'd see if the ones ya have make acceptable groups for ya and then try em on a Cantaloupe or Honey Dew melon at 100 yards and see what happens. I do know that something like the 20 grain V-Max'd even will kill a coyote like crazy IMO but shot placement as mentioned is everything.
This is a fair sized rockchuck that had his head up over a rock about 185 yards out when I shot him in the throat with a 20 V-Max that has a muzzle velocity of close to 4,100 FPS. That's an entrance wound, on a coyote rib it'd be the size of a baseball I'd guess. Rockchucks are fairly dense too.



If I could lay my hands on the Berger .172's I'd prefer on coyotes it'd be the 30 grain Match or Match Boat Tail, real accurate even at distance, unfortunately that was another one they discontinued .
__________________
"Shoot safe!!"
montdoug
Reply With Quote