Hornady, the company primarily responsible for the development of the .17 HMR cartridge, offers a Varmint Express load using a 17 grain V-MAX bullet at a MV of 2550 fps and ME of 245 ft. lbs. This bullet was also designed specifically for the .17 HMR, and is a plastic-tip, boat-tail design. I calculated the ballistic coefficient (BC) of this bullet at .123. Hornady velocity and energy figures for this load at 100 yards are 1901 fps and 136 ft. lbs. At 200 yards the figures are 1378 fps and 72 ft. lbs.