17 rimfires for hunting

[kd4rgwml]

:roll: is it legal to hunt small game in your state with 17 rimfire? looking at Louisiana hunting regulations it appears that a 17 doe not meet State laws for hunting game animals (squirrels, rabbits, and raccoons) minimum here is 22Lr.

 

[Bryan]

It is legal in West Virginia.

 

[kd4rgwml]

I was going to get one, but after reading regulations I think I'll stay with 22 cal. should have posted this on hunting forum but it was a rimfire question

 

[Hunter6657]

.17 rimfires are legal for hunting small game in LA.
I live in Baton Rouge and have read the regulations. It has to be .22 rimfire or smaller. Just can't use a centerfire to hunt small game.

 

[kd4rgwml]

it does not say "or smaller" but a call to wildlife and fisheries assured me that 17"s are legal and a change in wording will be in the new regs. Now Xmas looks like a lot more fun! woo woo!

 

[Hunter6657]

Ok, my bad.
On page 17 of the hunting regs its says:
It shall be illegal to hunt or take squirrel or rabbits at any time with a breech-loaded rifle or handgun larger than a .22 caliber rimfire or a primitive firearm larger than a .36 caliber.

The .17 is clearly smaller than a .22 caliber rimfire.

 

[kd4rgwml]

Hunter6657 at least we are reading the regs and now i'm thinking a new ruger 17 is in my future

 

[Shoot44]

Depending on what you are hunting, you will find that the 17HMR will really 'damage' a lot of meat!! Unless you can 'head shoot' a squirrel, forget trying to harvest much usable meat from it!

It's great for eliminating pests, but not so good for a hunting rifle if you want to harvest something for the pot.

 

[kd4rgwml]

shoot44 i understand the mess a 17 will make of the meat BUT I'll use any excuse for a new gun LOL :lol:

 

[Shoot44]

shoot44 i understand the mess a 17 will make of the meat BUT I'll use any excuse for a new gun LOL :lol:

Sure, understand that completely! Just didn't know if you were aware of the effect of that tiny little 17 grain polymer-tipped HP at over 2500 fps. (And you won't believe what it does to ground squirrels!)

I bought one for use on squirrels 'cause I didn't care about the meat, and I couldn't really shoot my 22 up in the trees due to my surroundings. The 17 bullet just disintegrates when it hits ANYTHING, so there is no danger of shooting someone/something a mile away like there clearly is with the 22.

I found out afterward that this is a very accurate little caliber, even when shot in a pretty 'run-of-the-mill' rifle. So if you ARE interested in the meat, head shots are not difficult at most ranges.

If you are interested in the cartridge, there is a website named "varmint shooter", or something like that, that has a very long article on it, and the different ammo that is available for it, and how it differs. That guy has done a LOT of experimentation with it.

Edit: the URL is: http://varmintal.com/17hmr.htm