Hornady built the .17 Hornet in 2012 by necking the old .22 Hornet case down to .17 — and had it standardized by SAAMI, which is why a rifle chambered for it takes any factory ammunition made for it, and the result is a centerfire that behaves nothing like the rimfire .17s: 3,650 feet per second and 592 foot-pounds, out of a rifle that barely makes a noise.
The loads
| Brand | Load | Grain | Bullet | BC | Test barrel | Muzzle | 300 yd | 500 yd | Muzzle energy | 500 yd energy | Drop at 500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hornady | Superformance Varmint | 20 | V-MAX® | 0.185 | 24” | 3,650 | 2,122 | 1,383 | 592 | 85 | -46.9” |
| Federal | American Eagle † | 20 | Speer TNT | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Against the .22 Hornet
This is the comparison people actually want, and the answer is not the obvious one.
| .17 Hornet 20gr | .22 Hornet 35gr | |
|---|---|---|
| Ballistic coefficient | 0.185 | 0.109 |
| Muzzle velocity | 3,650 | 3,070 |
| Muzzle energy | 592 | 732 |
| Energy at 300 yd | 200 | 97 |
| Drop at 500 yd | -46.9” | -149.2” |
The .22 Hornet hits harder at the muzzle and the .17 Hornet hits harder everywhere else. By 300 yards the .17 is carrying twice the energy, and the drop figures are not close — four feet against twelve and a half.
That is a ballistic coefficient of 0.185 against 0.109, and it is the clearest single demonstration on this site that bullet shape decides everything past about 150 yards.
For coyotes, neither is a long-range cartridge and the .17 is the better of the two. Call it 200 yards on a still day with a bullet placed properly. It does not destroy a hide, and it is quiet enough to take a second dog on the same stand.
What it is not is a substitute for a .223, and if you want a .17 that reaches, the .17 Remington is the one — same bullet, same BC, 42% more energy at the muzzle. Eighty-five foot-pounds at 500 yards is a prairie dog number.
Notes on the data
Every figure is Hornady’s published one, from a 24 inch test barrel at a 200 yard zero. Source: Hornady 17 Hornet 20 gr V-MAX, item #83005, and the Superformance Varmint line.
† marks a load that exists and whose published figures are not yet on this table. The rows are here so the list is honest about being incomplete rather than looking finished.
Know a load that should be here? Tell me and I will add it. And check your state’s rules before you go — several states set a minimum caliber for predators, and several prohibit rimfire outright.