hornet.17

Thomas Drennan

Hi im looking for information about the hornet .17 i currently have a sako 223 and a .17 HMR im thinking of parting the two a buying a ruger 77/17 and also a FX bobcat air rifle my concern is how good is the hornet for shooting foxes and is wind a big factor , i think the bullets are around one euro ten each do people find them expensive for shooting grey crows and magpies .

LIFFY FISHING

The .17 Hornet is as you know a centerfire rifle, you seem an experianced shooter, so you should know its not advisable to shoot corvids with a centerfire rifle as the bullet will pass through the bird most likley deflect and keep travelling till it finds an impact point.

Thomas Drennan

Well the .17 has only got a 20 grain head and from reading up on it the bullets seems to deccentragrate on impact because of it velocity

BrownTrout

Thomas Drennan wrote:

Well the .17 has only got a 20 grain head and from reading up on it the bullets seems to deccentragrate on impact because of it velocity

At those speeds, even ballistic tipped ammo won't completely destroy itself when it hits such a soft target.

Thomas Drennan

BrownTrout wrote: »

At those speeds, even ballistic tipped ammo won't completely destroy itself when it hits such a soft target.

Well I might have over done it with saying it disintegrated but it says the bullet does alot of internal damage with out passing through so I'm not expecting the bullet to exit and continue to hit something else I really need to chat someone that has one

sniperman

well if one makes sure there is a good back stop,(as should be with shots taken on ground),wont matter if a bullet passess through a target or not,i for one wont take a shot unless there is a good back stop,and i only have a .22 lr,

yubabill1

BrownTrout wrote: »

At those speeds, even ballistic tipped ammo won't completely destroy itself when it hits such a soft target.

I may be in the minority, but I shot a fox broadside at 30 yds ( maybe 20 - odd yds) and no exit from 223 vmax 55 gr. Skin on off-side was infused with blood, but no break.

Never had a pass-through, but all other shots were at longer range.

Plenty of pass-throughs with non-BT ammo.

BrownTrout

A fox is a much thicker and heavier animal than a grey crow!

Edit, Imo, using any centre fire is way overkill for any bird.

kelslat

Thomas Drennan wrote: »

Hi im looking for information about the hornet .17 i currently have a sako 223 and a .17 HMR im thinking of parting the two a buying a ruger 77/17 and also a FX bobcat air rifle my concern is how good is the hornet for shooting foxes and is wind a big factor , i think the bullets are around one euro ten each do people find them expensive for shooting grey crows and magpies .

I have a .17 hornet in a cz, I use it mainly for foxes. I find it light to carry around when lamping. I don't find wind a major factor, as I rarely shoot it past 200 yards. If you shoot further than that maybe stick with the .223 as it has better energy than the .17 hornet. The ammunition I use is the sellier and bellot and I think I paid €16 for 20 bullets if 3 boxes or more are bought. I do find them quite deadly on foxes and would have no problem shooting them out to 200. I did have a couple of exit holes on foxes shot side on. They were hit at under a hundred yards anyway so I would still be mindful of a good backstop.

Thomas Drennan

Well i have to make a decision on the hornet pity soon as I have a person looking for HMR and I love this rifle but I need to make room for FX bobcat because this can give me soothing where a normal rifle can't be use but very expensive, so now is the hornet under kill for foxes and over kill for corvits that the question

reniwren

FX bobcat air rifle is a bull pup and would be restricted, but a much better choice for those birds

Thomas Drennan

Excuse my ignorance but what's the difference between a bull pup and a you standard air rifle

Thomas Drennan

Sorry I have had the bobcat in my hand and all that so I know what it looks like and how it performs gust wondering what's the difference

rsole1

Thomas Drennan wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance but what's the difference between a bull pup and a you standard air rifle[/QUOTE

http://guns.wikia.com/wiki/Bullpup

BrownTrout

Thomas Drennan wrote:

Excuse my ignorance but what's the difference between a bull pup and a you standard air rifle

A bullpup gun has the magazine and action behind the trigger meaning you can keep a gun with the same barrel length but an overall shorter design. The rifle used by the Irish army is a bullpup design.

kelslat

Thomas Drennan wrote: »

Well i have to make a decision on the hornet pity soon as I have a person looking for HMR and I love this rifle but I need to make room for FX bobcat because this can give me soothing where a normal rifle can't be use but very expensive, so now is the hornet under kill for foxes and over kill for corvits that the question

I wouldn't call it under kill on foxes as I never had one get away. It would be alright on rabbits if you get head shots. It would probably be better than a .223 anyway as it might not do a lot of damage at longer ranges. The .17 hornet would knock foxes better than the hmr at longer ranges. It's hard to get a rifle calibre to fit all needs. They all have their pros and cons.

Cass

Thomas Drennan wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance but what's the difference between a bull pup and a you standard air rifle

Browntrout covered the definition nicely, but for you the difference would be you'd need a restricted firearms license to have the gun.

This does not mean it cannot be gotten, just you would have to apply for a restricted license, and then meet the Chief Super as opposed to the Super and tell him/her why you need a restricted firearm over an unrestricted (non bullpup) one.

It's a douche law, and does not change the performance of a gun, but its what the law says. The worst part is its up to you to know that its a bullpup and that you need a restricted license for it. So if you applied for and got an unrestricted license it would be invalid as soon as it was granted meaning you'd legally be unlicensed.

So be careful when choosing lad.

yubabill1

BrownTrout wrote: »

A fox is a much thicker and heavier animal than a grey crow!

Edit, Imo, using any centre fire is way overkill for any bird.

Should have read the full op, alright.