HRNDY 17HM2 17GR V-MAX 50/5000

Description

Hornady’s Varmint Express line in .17 HM2 is built around one application: taking small varmints cleanly at rimfire distances. The cartridge itself is a necked-down .22 Long Rifle case, which means it feeds through any rifle chambered for it without the bolt-face changes required by centerfire alternatives, and it operates at velocities that make wind calls at close range straightforward rather than critical.

The projectile is Hornady’s V-MAX, a polymer-tipped bullet designed so that the tip initiates rapid, consistent expansion on impact rather than relying on the nose deforming unpredictably. That matters for varmint work because clean, quick energy transfer is the goal, and a bullet that fragments reliably on a prairie dog or ground squirrel does not require a follow-up. The polymer tip also improves the bullet’s ballistic coefficient compared to a flat-nosed or hollow-point rimfire design, meaning the trajectory stays flatter a little longer — useful when ranges stretch toward the practical limit of the cartridge.

At 2,100 fps muzzle velocity, this load sits at the upper end of what a rimfire case can produce, generating 166 ft-lbs of muzzle energy from a 17-grain bullet. That combination of high velocity and low bullet weight produces very little recoil, which makes fast target acquisition on a busy prairie dog town practical without fatigue. Brass cases and non-corrosive primers mean normal cleaning intervals apply. Fifty rounds per box suits a day of field work without carrying unnecessary weight.