I am a 22LR man from the old days....I will admit to using a scattergun from time to time in youth, a 32 Auto once, a 9mm a couple times and a 40S&W a couple of times. I have used 22 rifles and pistols for at least 3/4's of all the coons I've ever killed.....and I've killed many, many truckloads....

With the introduction of the 17 rimfire famliy...should i make the switch? What are the advantages? Ammo is more expensive, it packs more of a punch, they go farther if you miss and they are louder. I have yet to find or fondle one that is as light as my current line-up of coon killers - Crickett, Henry Lever, 10/22, Taurus Pump, Rem 552.

Should i give one a try or stick with the ole tried and true 22LR

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I have a Savage 17 HMR and love it to death. However when it comes to coons I will stay with the 22 calibers you named and for mostly the same reasons. I would add to that the .17 tears up the pelt more to. The 17 HMR finds its place for longer shots on small predators. It is a good choice on prairie dogs and when compared to center fires is a cheap rifle to shoot.
Still for shooting coons out of trees over hounds nothing beats your favorite 22.

my .02 Mel

my 17 hmr never tore the pelts up....it was dam nastey skinin em though lol when all thats left of a shoulder is red and white mush lol way more more accurate and you have more room for error sinice its a smaller diameter bullet then a 22 which means less pelt damage .....lol a 17 rem or 17 fireball might ruin the pelt but i never once had a screwed up pelt from a 17 hmr.
just try one out. buy a savage (cheap as dirt) and even if you dont like it you can always sell it to some one cuz the 17 market is booming lol

lol i had one of the first ones in my area and probally canada lol couple years back lol ive shot alot with that gun

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meanest coon hound in all of canada

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freaky eh

A single shot 22 is hard to beat when your coon hunting a hand hull of shells in each pocket i have never had trouble getting a coon out of a tree with one.But as soon as i find a cricket in a mach 2 i am on it just to keep in the truck in the summer to shoot gophers

i think the 22 is the way to go and the way to stay, it's not a change i can believe in, although i do believe in change as well as maintainance.

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Happiness is a belt fed weapon and free pie.

My favorite rifle is probably my ruger m77 .17 mach 2.... shoots AMAZING... I also have a savage mark2 mach2, that shoots just as good... only its not a ruger . I still use my .22s for coon hunting, the .17 are just too heavy to lug through the woods in the dark chasing dogs. .22 solid point packs a heck of a punch too, knocks em right out of the tree, where as my mach2 is so fast and small, you can kill them instantly and they just lay there. It;s way louder too. I use my .17 for squirrel hunting because of the accuracy, headshots only and don't ruin any meat. Le'ts face it though, if someone is switching to a .17 for coon hunting, because of better accuracy, they just can't shoot. The average person can shoot a coon in the head in the top of a tree, with an ironsighted henry lever action .22

Good Point CJ....

I carried an iron sighted Marlin model 60 for awhile untill I purchased an HMR revolver made by Taurus.The pistol is so much more eaiser to carry on my hip than slung over my shoulder.It doesn't get caught up in branches or anything else I might be tearing through...and it stays out of the way.

I like the HMR for pup training.The coon is always dead when it hits the ground.No chance of a pup getting whipped on too early and it makes for less aftercare when the hunt is over.

Also say your only clear shot on a coon is on the bottom side of a tree sitting smack in the middle of a small or large hill.Your distance grows and grows on that down side.Up or out to about 75 yards the HMR will deliver a quick and clean kill shot...I have seen the .22 take several shots before the coon even comes out of the tree only for that coon to have plenty of fight.

The revolver made my tromping through the timber alot less of a hassle.

My HM2 made by Savage took the place of the Model 60 as my squirrel getter and an HMR replaced that.

The only thing I use the .22 for is plinking at the range...2000 rounds of .22 is alot cheaper than 2000 rounds of the HMR or even HM2.

ive owened both the 17,s and dont think their better than the 22,s they were built after the hmr dosent have the shocking power of the 22 mag. and the mach ll didnt seem to do any better than a 22 and a lot more expensive to shoot.

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ONE SHOT ONE KILL

I own both of the 17's and I love em both. I use either one to coon hunt with and I have no problem shooting out of the tree. I dont like to have a coon come out and tear into a dog at all and with the 22 I have had this happen more than once. Or a lot of the coons that I seem to find are hiding between me and a branch and the 17 seems to go right thru most of them. It is a little messy if you hit bone but I would rather clean a little mess than clean up my dog

I love my 17 mach2. one shot on e kill. Dont miss though hitting a leg can prove to be a bit messy. One thing i would improve is the ammo. Unlike the HMR you cannot get full metal jackets for the 17 mach 2.