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  #1  
Old 11-24-2007, 05:52 AM
gdragon gdragon is offline
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Default What's the ultimate 17 cal. fox bullet?

There's a good thread going about yotes, how about one that works on the reds and the greys?

Shooting a 25 gr. Berger Match right now. So far, so good.
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Old 11-24-2007, 02:06 PM
foxhunter foxhunter is offline
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the one thing you didn't mention was whether you were going to call the fox or sneak and stalk (north dakota style) which would make a huge difference in bullet selection.

the Berger is a good choice as is the 25 gr hornady hp up to 3400 fps, goes in but doesn't come out and it doesn't surface splash like the 20 vmax can.
it's probably easier to get tighter groups with the Berger but you pay for the privilege $$$$.

when I go foxhunting these days I will be shooting a 20 gr vmax in my 17 velociraptor at 3422 fps, at that velocity and with a well placed shot the fox should look like it died of natural causes.
if that doesn't work the 25 gr vmax will be pressed into service from the same rifle at 3000 fps, I have little doubt both will work just fine.
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Old 11-25-2007, 12:08 AM
pruson pruson is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by foxhunter View Post
when I go foxhunting these days I will be shooting a 20 gr vmax in my 17 velociraptor at 3422 fps, at that velocity and with a well placed shot the fox should look like it died of natural causes.
if that doesn't work the 25 gr vmax will be pressed into service from the same rifle at 3000 fps, I have little doubt both will work just fine.
I like that phrase "should look like it died of natural causes" BUT! What are the ranges that you are shooting them at foxhunter? As you asked above, are they called or spot and stalked? 25 yards or 125 yards?

I really want this 17 AH project I am on to be the real deal for fox. The Contender Carbine 17 AH I am shooting now won't handle the 25 gr V-Max, the Browning Micro Hunter 1 in 9 twist that I am building should be able to once it is all put together.
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Old 11-25-2007, 01:20 AM
foxhunter foxhunter is offline
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25 yards or 125 yards? most of my fox shooting has been less than 50 yards, some as close as 3 feet and from the hip, long shots are 100-125 and the 17 ah is up to the task.
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  #5  
Old 11-25-2007, 10:29 AM
English Marv English Marv is offline
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I think you're already using the ideal fox bullet. The 25 grain Berger MEF is also good.
The 25 grain Hornady HP is next to useless. The design of the bullet changed maybe 7 or 8 years ago- before then they were brilliant, but they just don't reliably expand now- they're just too tough. The new and old styles are easy to tell apart- the old ones have visible 'notches' around the edges of the hollow point where the inside of the jacket is grooved. The newer ones have a smooth hole.
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Old 11-25-2007, 12:25 PM
foxhunter foxhunter is offline
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marv, how many fox have you shot with the new 25 gr hornady? what distance? what velocity? did they run off on you after you shot them?

my 17 viper shoots the new ones real well and it has taken about 40 fox, the bullet is traveling at about 3400 fps and at a range of 100 yards or less, dropped them in their tracks, no visible entrance hole or exit hole.

have you tried different lots of this bullet, sometimes the jackets are of different hardness from lot to lot due to inconsistent jacket annealing.

the old 25 bullets did their job well, shot a fox with my cooper 17 ccm with one of these bullets at 2975 fps, hit it in the neck at 25 yards, cut it's head completely off and flipped the head 3 feet in the air.

well guys I can see a bullet test in the mix, time to get the viper and the mach 4 out and pop a few crows with the new hornady 25 gr bullet and maybe a fox or two.
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Last edited by foxhunter; 11-25-2007 at 12:28 PM.
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Old 11-25-2007, 09:43 PM
English Marv English Marv is offline
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foxhunter,
I've killed about 250 foxes with my 17 Rem chambered rifles over the years, so know how a 17 bullet should perform on them.
About 20 of those were with the 'new style' 25 grain Hornady HP bullet. A few of those 20 died instantly. More commonly, they'd run maybe 50 to 125 yards or so before dying. I lost quite a few, but found most in daylight by seeing magpies and crows around them. (most foxes are shot in lamplight here). Most of my foxes are shot between 100 and 150 yards, with a few as close as 50 and a few out to around 250. Most of the new style Hornady HPs I've shot foxes with have performed like a full jacketed bullet, passing through broadside chest shot foxes. I reckon at least 8 out of 10 of the older bullets didn't exit- about the same as the 25 grain Bergers.
I do not feel the problem is jacket material hardness- the grooves inside the hollow point of the old bullet are absent from the new ones I've seen. It seems to me that the design of the new Hornady HP is poor. I will not experiment further with these bullets- it is nothing short of cruelty. Bergers perform faultlessly, why risk using the Hornady bullet?
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Old 11-25-2007, 09:58 PM
georgeld georgeld is offline
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Eng Marv:
Sure sounds like you need to cut the range in half if you're having that much problem. Is that possible? Say under 100yds?

I've never used a .17 on coyotes, but, seen quite a few shot with .17 Rems and they seldom went anywhere. I've never found enough fox around here to do much with them.

Same as my .223 w/40gr vmax with chest hits @ ranges under 100yds. Impressive kills. Down before the muzzle blast is gone it seems.

Bob: Thanks for mentioning the surface blow up's. Been wondering what vel that starts happening. Maybe I'll load some 25's too. So far, been planning on one bullet and adjust the charge.

Am still fireforming brass, picked up another 400 cases last night on a abt trade. Puts the count somewhere around 1000 now.
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Last edited by georgeld; 11-25-2007 at 10:01 PM.
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Old 11-25-2007, 10:25 PM
English Marv English Marv is offline
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George,
I think you're missing the point of my posts! I use Bergers instead of Hornady bullets and I therefore have no problems!
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  #10  
Old 11-25-2007, 10:39 PM
georgeld georgeld is offline
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Ok, I missed then. Good luck.
Sounded like you had several run off's the way I read it.
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