Advice Please Guys .17Hmr For Fox?

[lfbfiremantom 0]

Hi guys I'm old to shooting but new to hunting (grew up target shooting with my Dad). My Issue is as follows when applying for my FAC I applied for a .22 for rabitting and a .223 for foxing My FLO told me as it was my first FAC he only wanted to give me one gun to start so on his advice and others I opted for a .17hmr benefits being its a safer round with less chance of ricochet the major benefit to me being as the FLO stated the .17 will be fine for rabbiting AND FOXING! so I went out and spent my mini fortune got a lovely gun and have been plinking rabbits on my permission HOWEVER after speaking to my local gun shop if I dare try to shoot a fox with my .17HMR the RSPCA will a@@ rape me and take me to court for cruelty to animals as it not recognised as a humane dispatch - Whos right the FLO or the Gun shop Im under no illusion the .17 will absolutely do the trick but don't want to leave myself open.

 

Cheers guys

[charlie caller 3,654]

What a load of crap, if your hmr is conditioned for foxes then shoot them, some people in gunshops spout so much crap it is untrue, recognised fox tool by whom? The bloody RSPCA, if you make sure they are close Ie within 75 yards and you place the bullet in the right place they will drop, a .223 is a much better fox round, agreed but do not listen to such rubbish, some forces like mine for instance will not sanction rimfires for fox control, .22 hornet being the smallest they will allow, forget it mate its boll-cks, and get out shooting

[zx10mike 137]

how kind of him get a 17 hornet great for both after all it was his idea.hmr is not ideal for fox.yeh in the right place it will do the job but if you ever fluff a shot in the wind you leave a fox to have a slow death.yep i would be looking 17 centerfire

[Alsone 789]

As for the RSPCA raping your a$$ for cruelty, they might struggle.

 

The 2013 Home Office Firearms Guidelines under Good Reason specifically state that fox shooting is good reason to hold a .17HMR.

 

Read that whichever you want, but its tantamount to Government Approval.

 

Page 120 BTW if you want to quote chapter and verse to your gunsmith.

 

It is available on line to view / download.

 

So far as I can see provided you shoot at sensible distance and place the shot in a recognised position eg head or heart / lung, then the RSPCA would find it very hard to accuse you of cruelty.

Edited November 27, 2013 by Alsone

[charlie caller 3,654]

And they would have to be there in the first place, trespassing on private property, the powerless tossers that they are.

[Brickhill 28]

The .22LR and .17HMR rimfires are more than capable of killing foxes but you have to limit your range and put the bullet in the right place.

[Bunny Boiler 177]

Hi guys I'm old to shooting but new to hunting (grew up target shooting with my Dad). My Issue is as follows when applying for my FAC I applied for a .22 for rabitting and a .223 for foxing My FLO told me as it was my first FAC he only wanted to give me one gun to start so on his advice and others I opted for a .17hmr benefits being its a safer round with less chance of ricochet the major benefit to me being as the FLO stated the .17 will be fine for rabbiting AND FOXING! so I went out and spent my mini fortune got a lovely gun and have been plinking rabbits on my permission HOWEVER after speaking to my local gun shop if I dare try to shoot a fox with my .17HMR the RSPCA will a@@ rape me and take me to court for cruelty to animals as it not recognised as a humane dispatch - Whos right the FLO or the Gun shop Im under no illusion the .17 will absolutely do the trick but don't want to leave myself open.

 

Cheers guys

Thats weird. I applied for .17 as it was the preferred calibre, but put .22 as I thought my FLO would say yes to the .22 and no to the .17 as it was also my first FAC. He granted both without a mentor status, which I have heard is a common condition. Strange how different constituancies work. Not sure if my firearms experience helped me out though. I have shot small bore and full bore for a number of years under a mentor and also have weapons handling drills/maintainence through cadets. Not sure how much that counted for though. I also got a glowing letter of approval from my mentor, which would of helped.

[Elliott 436]

I have my .17HMR conditioned for 'Close Range Fox' on my Golf Course Permission. Sub 100 yards and it does the business

 

 

[Alsone 789]

Thats weird. I applied for .17 as it was the preferred calibre, but put .22 as I thought my FLO would say yes to the .22 and no to the .17 as it was also my first FAC. He granted both without a mentor status, which I have heard is a common condition. Strange how different constituancies work.

 

 

Yeah as CC said, some counties won't grant any rimfire for Fox.

 

Personally I see that as an advantage.

[sprocker dog 7]

I with most of the others on this subject, if its written on your ticket to use on foxes then shoot the buggers with it. just be sensible and don't try long testing shots with it, they do kill 100yds plus but only if you shoot in the right place etc. if your not confident then don't pull the trigger! happy hunting

[kingnewport 19]

Haha. Biggest pile of poop ive herd in a while. If the fao said its ok and your ticket says ok your good to go. What gun shop said that??

[andyf 144]

Hi:

17HMR is not the best for Fox, it's not the worst either, I had a 17 for a couple of years, and my experience on Fox was not that great,

however I was used to a centrefire by then and there is no comparison.

But as long as the range is limited to 'close enough' for head shots the 17 and even the 22rf for that matter are fine.

As for now, shoot Foxes with your 17, then at the 'correct' time get a .223 a 22.250 or a .243 and start doing it the 'best' way.

AndyF

[SportingShooter 0]

They're both inherently wrong,

 

The gun dealer because he clearly has forgotten what FACT is all about and has begun to believe the RUMOURS he hears in the shop every day, really, he should know better than to say things like that,

 

Secondly, the FEO has no right to refuse you a centrefire purely because it's the grant of your Firearms Cert, if you have Good Reason for wanting it, which you do i.e. shooting of Foxes, then they have to grant it. They do not have a choice in the matter.

 

For the FEO to suggest that the HMR is suitable calibre for all Foxes you come across is equally as irresponsible as someone shooting a Fox with an airgun at 50 yards. My HMR is conditioned for Foxes and out to 75-100 yards is fine but what if you came across one at 150+? Without prior knowledge of the HMR's limitations a less experienced shooter would be wounding all day long because the FEO said it was fine.

 

As for the aRSPCA, well no point even discussing them really, powerless, pointless hypocrites, no more need be said.

 

SS

[Deker 3,478]

I have my .17HMR conditioned for 'Close Range Fox' on my Golf Course Permission. Sub 100 yards and it does the business

 

 

 

Are you seriously saying the wording for your HMR condition on your FAC says CLOSE RANGE FOX? And what distance does your FAC go on to say is close range or is that simply left to you??

[charlie caller 3,654]

 

I have my .17HMR conditioned for 'Close Range Fox' on my Golf Course Permission. Sub 100 yards and it does the business

 

 

 

Are you seriously saying the wording for your HMR condition on your FAC says CLOSE RANGE FOX? And what distance does your FAC go on to say is close range or is that simply left to you??

 

I wondered that as well, I wonder if you are required to lazer range find for every shot then incase it oversteps the mark by a foot or two, bloody ludicrous.