17Hmr Question

[Bigad 136]

I use my hmr on rabbits with night vision it is perfect for my permission with it been very open and lots of ground to cover

[Bigad 136]

sorry double posted

[shropshire dan 467]

Not at all an inexperienced comment. your telling me you can't get within 120 yards of a rabbit no matter what the ground is its always possible. Even if you know where the Warren is why not setup on the bipod and wait it out. Even in my inexperience I can certainly stalk within 120 yards of a rabbit and so could my 8 year old daughter. I'm not trying to put off the hmr as it's a great rabbit round but why put off the .22lr which has some advantages over the hmr and visa versa.

Edited May 8, 2015 by shropshire dan

[Deker 3,478]

Not at all an inexperienced comment. your telling me you can't get within 120 yards of a rabbit no matter what the ground is its always possible. Even if you know where the Warren is why not setup on the bipod and wait it out. Even in my inexperience I can certainly stalk within 120 yards of a rabbit and so could my 8 year old daughter. I'm not trying to put off the hmr as it's a great rabbit round but why put off the .22lr which has some advantages over the hmr and visa versa.

 

:laugh:

 

You seem to have missed the point, and where have I said I can't get within 120 yards of a rabbit, I outlined the problem of a particular site, and just where have I put off the .22lr?

 

If you and your daughter find stalking so easy in ANY environment why are you using a .22lr, why not a 12ft lb, or if you are that good at it why not just stalk up to them and hit them with a club?

 

 

Edit, and at 120 yards I'll take a HMR any time over a .22lr, I don't do this to prove a point, or test myself, I take every advantage reasonably available.

Edited May 9, 2015 by Deker

[nasher1 258]

There's so few rabbits about on my permissions i reach for the camera instead of the gun if I see one

[shropshire dan 467]

Completely agree taking every advantage available. I don't claim I'm so good just that stalking within 120 yards of a rabbit is rarely difficult for anybody. I use a air rifle a lot for rabbits but mostly use the .22 as it's much easier as I shoot a lot from a 4x4.

[shropshire dan 467]

No mate. Much closer whilst in the vehicle, when stalking them I'm on foot not in the truck lol. Them seem to take to a vehicle being around them much more than a person walking around. But I am in a volvo xc90 not a much noisier defender or disco etc. Although they are much better suited to the role.

 

Deker I didn't mean you putting off the .22 it was aimed towards the OP not to put off the .22 Lr

[Alsone 789]

Are the Rabbits you are driving a 4x4 up to 120 yards in Hutches .

 

I've been within 10 feet of a rabbit in a 4x4, shot was so close could practically put the end of the barrel on it.

 

I think it's younger rabbits mainly that exhibit this behaviour as they associate people with danger but not vehicles. It also helps if you're not driving straight at them as it's the headlights that spook them more than the vehicle. Drive up the side of them and as the vehicle gets close, they tend to hunker down into crouching mode rather than bolting. I was using a bright red RAV4 btw. Not sure if the colour had any bearing.

 

I suppose there's also a chance with rabbits that if the farmer uses a 4x4 and doesn't shoot, they could have become disassociated with danger that way, although it's the younger ones in my experience which suggests it maybe something they haven't learned.

 

 

Every one to their own i used a 22lr for a number of years but got fed up with all the Ricochets from it , i shoot alot on flint ground and it was just to risky.Went the HMR and never regretted it perfect for vermin and FOX .

 

Having nearly been shot by a richochet from a .22LR due to someone else's mistake, I'm not a fan of .22LR either for that reason.

Edited May 9, 2015 by Alsone

[martin 332]

Just to set the record straight,I am far from a beginner in fact the .22lr that I use I bought 20+ yrs ago and it has had.....well I don't know how many rounds through it,it must be hundreds of thousands but the rabbits that are around here and trust me there aren't that many places with big numbers and where they are I need to shoot them at well over 100yds.I often headshoot them with the .243 and I am a registered food business and they all get sold.If on the other hand anyone that is relatively near to me I will buy clean rabbits off them.I have actually just got a NV scope the same as Ian has and was hoping to swap between my spare .243 for foxes and the .22lr for rabbits but the .22 is so old they don't make a picatinny for it and a custom job is upward of £160 so I was making a tentative enquiry as to the benefits if any of the HMR.

I have been doing this stuff for long enough to know that there is a time and a place for any and every kind of firearm in all manner of calibre,so it wasn't a what's better than what it was just a question as to whether there are people that actually do get out and shoot any number of rabbits with the HMR rather than talk about it behind a PC screen,there are a lot of them about,and I am not pointing fingers at any one in particular either.

I just need to be as economic with my time as I can nowadays as I don;t get a lot of free time.

 

Martin

[IanB 0]

What .22 have you got Martin, there must be some for of mounts you could add to it.. The HMR/NV combination is great especially if you have a drone, the 10x mag is perfect with a HMR for more precision, you can wack the rabbits down back end of the season at range, no problem. I have a thermal fitted to the motor as well with a monitor inside so my mate can spot them as well, then its off the bonnet with the rifle.

[martin 332]

I've got a Browning 'A' bolt Ian,but I would love to see your set up with the Thermal in the truck mate,like how is it mounted what type it is etc......