Originally Posted by
eck0313
All of the groundhogs I’ve killed with the 17 HMR and 17 grain V-max bullets were DRT. Groundhogs are much harder to kill than rabbits. I suspect the subject rabbit was actually gut shot, and that is a marksmanship issue more than a cartridge or bullet failure. The only “guts” to blow out in “chest shot” is the heart, and lungs. No creature lasts long without those functioning. A gut shot is another story.
The 17’s (center fires also) can be very effective, in the hands of an accomplished marksman. They can also be tremendous wounders if used out of their performance windows, or by marginal marksmen.