what are some opinions on hunting hogs with a 17 HMR?

I'd personally not use a .17 HMR on anything larger than a fox, or a raccoon, myself....

Hogs can be tough to put down, & you really need something with penitration....like a .243, 30-30, etc.

Just  my opinion.

You might be chasing hogs for awhile otherwise.

Rockin'

Opinions?             No !

Simply put...
 
NO!!
 
The .17 HMR is a rat gun.  Use it accordingly.  Go beyond it's intended purpose and you're asking for problems.
 
Daryl

He He He!
"...a rat gun. Use it accordingly,"

I love it....

Sad, but true statement. The hype on this caliber outran all it's capabilities before it even got started good. While I'm sure it has it's uses and is fun to shoot, it just won't bring down a buffalo at 500 yards as touted...

Rockin'

Ya'll forgot about the mice....'bout all I have to say on this dead horse.....

you all know by now i,m a big fan of this little calibre,but you also know my views on its limitations,let common sense prevail and keep it for small game and vermin ,even for fox its a very fine line if they aint close and your placement isnt spot on,

But now the 17 rem is a totally different ballgame;)

yea i agree but im goin on a hog hunt on a WMA in february and you are only allowed to use rimfire.  i borrowed my friends .22 mag last year and i just reciently bought my .17 HMR and i love it

Quote from: BullzEye17HMRyea i agree but im goin on a hog hunt on a WMA in february and you are only allowed to use rimfire. i borrowed my friends .22 mag last year and i just reciently bought my .17 HMR and i love it

Hi BullzEye,
Iuse the 17hmr like you because on some land i shoot i,m restricted to rimfire only ,never got on to well with the 22lr but find the 17hmr a wonderful little rifle,
but i cant believe some of the claims i,ve heared about 300 yard shots and them taking large animals, if you zero mine at 100 yards at 200 its about 5.5 inches low,really flat shooting out to 100 but after that it starts to run out of inertia.
Being from the uk i dont really know that much about hogs as you call them but i have taken red fox with mine but at ranges of under 100 yards and with head or neck shots,if you body shoot a fox it will keep running.
onthe other side of the coin on rabbit and squirrel body shots with the v max bullet wreck the meat,the 20 grainer game point aint so bad,but i dont find them quite as accurate as the v max 17 grainer in my savage.
With the game points you will normally see an exit wound but the 17 grainers stay inside and fragment usually badly bruising the meat.
The squirrel you see below was shot at about90 yards,that is the entrance wound no exit
and the fox was head shot at 70 yards,it did drop on the spot

ive only shot a squrriel and a chipmunk with it so far.  i use CCI 17gr hollow point and it really messed both of them up.  im goin to start tryin to call up some yotes, fox, and bobcats pretty soon and i think the 17 will do the job.  ill have to make a perfect shot on a hog to drop it and i feel confident up to 100 yrds.

Bullzeye....good luck to you but I have to say I have some concerns.....
 
 A hog hunt that only allows rimfires?  Ouchie!  Something does not seem right there in my book....
 
 I hunted the exact things with an HMR that your above post mentions you trying to do and I am concerned......I cannot count the number of larger varmints >>> cats, coyotes especially, fox and even coons that have run off showing no ill-effects after knowingly put one right in their breadbasket......It's not a matter of where you place the bullet, b/c that's what I thought too and I found out the hard way....
 
 Sure you'll kill some, probably a lot of them but I guarantee you will have runners and the HMR does not exit......if it runs chances you will not find it at all....
 
 You asked for opinions on whether or not this round was good for hogs and then you mentioned varmints....most everyone disagrees with both but it sounds like you wanted some reassurance on your already made decision to use this round.....
 
 I actually prefer shooting deer with small caliber enterfires b/c I know deer hit right will die.....
 I do not advocate shooting fox, cats, coyotes with an HMR b/c I know things hit right often will not die.... way too often...
 
 Especially coyotes, coyotes are hard to kill as they are let alone with a .17 rimfire...
 
 Like I said, been there done that, but the last thing I'll say is do not shoot them through the body....if you must go for a head...
 
 Then the problem arises of how often you can hit a moving, not very stationary varmint head, or a tough old caliced pig head with a 17 rimfire......but that's another discussion....
 
 Take care.....

yea, it didnt seem right to me when i went for the first time last year, but there are several WMAs that allow only rimfire for hogs.  .22 mag is the most common but i dont see much difference in the HMR and 22 mag.  HMR is faster and flatter but 22 mag has the bigger bullet.  i reciently read an artical in the georgia outdoor news about rimfire hogs.  the guy said he wasnt afraid to shoot a smaller hog behind the shoulder with a 22 mag but i wouldnt want to take that chance and i dont know what his difanition of a small hog would be.

For the .17 HMR, small hog should probably weigh less than 15 lbs.  It's just not a very powerful round, and somehow I really feel that you're doomed to failure unless it's a pretty small hog.
 
Daryl

yea i know what your sayin but i kinda dont have a choice but to use the HMR since its a rimfire hunt only on a WMA.  ill just aim right behind the ear and hope for the best.  ill probally carry a .357 mag in my backpack just in case.

The problem is that Georgia considers hogs "Small Game".  Bullzeye, the choice is not to hunt them.  Just because the state allows or disallows something does not make it right or wrong.  Conversely, a .17 into the brain pan will PROBABLY do the trick, and that is what folks are doing here in Georgia, though most are going with the .22 Mag behind the ear.    Check with the WMA, the one I have hunted on allows Rimfires and Muzzleloaders and Bows for "Small Game" which is where the state places hogs.  Last point, your .357 is a centerfire and illegal to use on the WMA during small game season.