rat meets 17 HMR-2 (pic)

[Meat-Hook]

for the last couple of months Ive been trying to rid my work shop of pack rats that moved in, built nests, covered the floor with droppings and the pee makes the shop smell like a large hamster cage. I decided to get a little more agressive with these rats and kept out my Thompson Center R-55 in 17HMR-2. While in the shop today, a rat came out from under a stack of shelves and looked at me. I went to pick up the rifle and he ducked back underneath the shelves. When he came back out, I was waiting for him. just one round of Hornady, 17 grain V-max, did it. It blew out his whole left side. I could see inside his chest cavity and see his little heart still beating before he went bye-bye. So if you need a round for varmint hunting or pest control, I can recommend the 17HMR-2. Those little ballistic tips work like a charm.
Entry hole;

Exit hole;

[TEN-32]

Good shoot. Clean kill.

[00RedZX-6R]

Funny looking rat. The ones around here don't look like that.

[Meat-Hook]

your right, 6R.

When I first found a dead one that had eaten some rat poison, I thought WTF?? is this thing a squirrel on steroids or what. When the pest control guy came out he identified it as a pack rat. Also known as a Wood rat. What thru me off was that they have furry tails unlike other rats. And they are heavy compared to other rats.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pack_rat

[deth502]

by "hmr-2" you mean hm2, right?

im building a single shot one i plan on taking out for squirrels.

[Meat-Hook]

yup.

let us know how the squirrel hunting goes.

[filthy phil]

i winged one with a 10mm glock once.
layed out a pattern in dog food so i could tell when the bait was being taken (this was in an old house in houston)
laid in wait for him to show his nasty ass, then blam.
this was when i was drinking a bit. hehe

[kimberkid]

y'know ... a 22short probably wouldn't have torn up the meat so bad

[Solidus-snake]

y'know ... a 22short probably wouldn't have torn up the meat so bad

Mmm Mmm Rat kabobs, yummy!

[Meat-Hook]

y'know ... a 22short probably wouldn't have torn up the meat so bad

Im sure your right. Especially using a solid, round-nose type bullet. In this case since this is vermin and I had no intention of eating this thing I deliberately chose a round that would do the maximum damage AND, minimize any ricochet factor off the concrete floor. Due to the rounds extremely small size yet dynamic little ballistic tip seemed to be a formula for success.

These pics dont do justice to the damage done by this little round. When I first went over to him, the wound was so big, it was as thought I was looking down thru a glass window and could see nearly all his internal organs inside. I drug him outside into the sunlight to take the pic. I think some of the skin and fur flopped back over the wound so it doesnt look as severe as it really is.

[FunkyPertwee]

Thats the .17 thats based on the 22 LR case and not the magnum, right?

[hogmister]

I just whacked one last week with a 17hmr (not hm2) with a 20gr xtp. exit wound looked about the same, but the rat was a good bit bigger than that one. i think it was a "norway" rat which are, if i read right, bigger and all dark grey to black in color. no pics, it was dark out. sorry? he was trying to get in my garage, scratching at the bottom of the side door. don't want him chewing a hole in a seat or munching on some wiring in the cars. bye bye rat!

[slamfire51]

You gotta love those 17s. Extremely accurate.
I killed a coyote @75 yds. with one a while back. Any farther and a kill would be questionable, IMO.

[hogmister]

You gotta love those 17s. Extremely accurate.
I killed a coyote @75 yds. with one a while back. Any farther and a kill would be questionable, IMO.

yeah, long range with that small a projectile is questionable for bigger varmints. i don't hesitate to reach out there for a groundhog or squirrel (as long as it's on the ground!) but after 75 - 100yds is shaky for big-uns!

[Texas Soldado]

I can never see the pics... Is there a minimum number of posts needed or what?

[slamfire51]

I can never see the pics... Is there a minimum number of posts needed or what?

No minimum posts required that I know of.
Your browser settings may block pics.

[O.S.O.K.]

He shot a gerbal!

I would suggest putting out poison unless you have dogs/cats... only problem with that is that they find an inaccessible crevice to die in and then stink to high heaven.

How about one of the sonic things?

[Vec]

i really like the .17 Mach2.. i built a 10/22 into a .17M2 its a great squirrel gun

[alismith]

Uh, you're not shooting in an enclosed, concrete and metal workshop, are you? Dirt floor might be passable, but I'd be afraid of shooting onto a concrete floor... Nice shot!

[Doug76]

Uh, you're not shooting in an enclosed, concrete and metal workshop, are you? Dirt floor might be passable, but I'd be afraid of shooting onto a concrete floor... Nice shot!

That's what's cool about the 17g V-Max, practically no chance of ricochet as the bullet literally flies into many pieces on contact with anything. It's also why his rat was so messed up.