need a coyote rifle

[south_river_redneck]

howdy, just wondering about a coyote set-up for south-central iowa.  i'm just a kid, with very little money to spend, but there are lots of coyotes around and i would like to thin them down a little.  i have already decided on a .223 handi because of the amount of cheap ammo out there.  what i need to know is do i buy the handi with the factory scope or buy one to put on it.  also, what type of loads should i buy.  shots are going to be no farther than 300 yards, and there is getting to be a lot of houses around, so i am concerned about ricochet.  any input will be appriciated. thanks guys.

[backstrap]

If there is going to be a lott of houses around i recomend that u dont shoot at all a animal is not worth destroying some ones personal belongings or in that matter shoting some 1, safety is first over any THING gun or a targer   so it dont sound to me like you in a plcae where u can shoot

[stimpylu32]

SRR

First off welcome to GBO . now the bad news , if you are going with the 223 to shoot old mil ammo in 5.56 your out of luck , H&R themselves  say not to use it , also the cheap Wolf and Silver Bear do not shoot well in these rifles .

That being said the Win. White Box 223 ammo will shoot very well in the handi but is getting hard to find + the price is going up fast . the Green box Rem. ammo shoots well but is going up in price also .

If price is a consideration you may want to look at the H&R Sportster in 22 mag , ammo is less as well as the chance for a ric. granted your shots will have to be less too . the 22 mag with a Bushnell 3x9 scope will be less than the cost of the Handi with out a scope .

Just something to think about .

stimpy

[Mac11700]

Lot's of coyotes and a bunch of houses around you...That doesn't make for fun or safe hunting..Hopefully you will remember that a bullet can go a long way...and to use extreme caution when trying to shoot anything in this situation..

If I were faced with having to hunt around a bunch of houses...( and I have been before )..I opted to carry a shotgun instead of a rifle..With some of the heavier than lead shot available..or loaded with some good patterning buck shot loads...dropping coyotes isn't hard..if you can close the gap on them...which makes learning to call them in a more challenge...Matching your camouflage to the terrain is important...and well as scent control..and movement...A way of looking at this type of hunting is...figure your turkey hunting...and the turkeys have been given the ability to smell ya now...and hear you better...

Bye the way..I've taken many yotes with shotguns before...It isn't as easy as with a rifle...but...it sure is fun & challenging...

A dandy little shotgun you can get is this from NEF...http://www.hr1871.com/Firearms/Shotguns/pardnerTurkey.aspx


Of course they have many other shotguns to choose from..and you might already have one to use for this...so...


If by chance you can use a rifle safely in your area...but still are limited on your shooting opportunities due to the houses locations...Look at getting a 22 Hornet..I think this would be a much better choice for such locations...You don't have the range of a 223 with it..but it is much quieter...and works great on them...

Good Luck...& Good Hunting

Mac

[south_river_redneck]

tHanks for the input.  i should have been more specific about the number of houses around.  there aren't a whole bunch, and if i sit in the right spots there arent any in sight.  there are also a lot of hills, this isn't the plains,  but somewhere in some given direction there will be a house within a mile as the crow flies. i guess what i am asking is when i am shooting into a hill or bank how far will the bullet continue to fly after hitting the ground?  If that bullet makes it over the hill will it still have enough energy to hurt a cow or go into a building?  Just some exploritory information, i already have a 20ga shotgun with #4 buck.  With the percentage of open farm country i just thought a high-power would be a better fit.

[myarmor]

Your place sounds kinda like where I varmint hunt as well. I use a 223 mostly for such, and with light weight 45 - 52gr either JHP's or V-Max's. These usually will explode on contact, but can ricochet as any bullet can. If you have ever seen tracers fired you can see even a blade of grass change the course of a bullet. Though the suggestion of a 22Hornet is a good one as well if you feel you might be over powered with a 223 in your area.
As as has been stated just make sure to use extreme caution in which direction you shoot. And if it's questionable don't take the shot.

But a  32" Full choke 12ga is got to be awesome for tight patterns I have to have one of these days.

-Aaron

[stimpylu32]

SRR

Now that i have more info , yes the 223 would be a great choice for a yote gun . Get some WWB 45 gr. HPs or some Rem. 55 gr. JSPs with a good scope and you will be in yote heaven . 

stimpy

[mookster79]

I would go with the .223 as well.  Any shot you ever take should be done with care if you are a responsible person.  I have a lot of farms around me for shooting woodchucks, but on occasion there will be a house in the distance.  I avoid shooting at anything right on the crest of hill in case I miss, and use either the vmax or nosler tips in a 50gr.  I have had great results with the ultramax rounds and they are very reasonable.  I know they are remanufactured, but they look and shoot as well as any other factory load I have tried and all brass is only once fired.  Plus I am saving all my brass to start reloading and about 85% of the ultramax I have is winchester brass, some rem and a little bit of lake city.

As far as coyotes go I wouldn't worry about over pentration with anything that is not fmj.  The vmax or nosler rounds will deform drastically and would doubt a richochet would carry a lot of damage for very far, but still not worth a risky shot.

[Mac11700]

I would still opt for the Hornet...It's just a cool little cartridge that doesn't make a big fuss..and gets err done...

Mac

[georgeld]

Over the last 20 yrs I've been shooting among high priced horses at p/dog's a lot.
Sure can't have any richochette's.

Since I use only a .223 and just recently got into NEF's in the little .17's I'll be giving those a try since they are ideal for my situation.

Need a little more info from you now.
Do you reload? have access to someone that does??

I went to 40gr plastic tips that explode on contact, and it don't need much contact either.  I've had less than five feet of dried small sunflower stalks eat 40gr V Max's.  The proof was in the fresh snow and hole's in the stems.  Plus, a total lack of cut fur and blood from a coyote standing among them at 120yds. I'm convinced about that now.

Couple things here too. We save the fur so exit's matter a lot.  55gr sp's will exit and blow quite a hole out the back side.  Those 40gr do NOT exit at all, or haven't yet on over two hundred coyotes. From 20 feet clear out to 400yds.  They kill on contact too. I like to see them drop at the shot.

Going with the NEF will help you finance a better glass, more shooting, more calls, camo etc.  and you can get another barrel pretty cheap to change calibers too.

IF you have many good shots under 175yds, I'd suggest you consider a HMR.  They won't richochette either. But, you'll have to make certain of your shots going to the front lung area.

Be safe is the only thing that really counts, all the rest is fun.  Take careful aim and nail 'em.

George

[aulrich]

I can confirm that, I have seen varmint bullet explode on grass plenty of time, heck my buddy had a load using 50 gr sierra blitz bullets that if it got too hot out would blow up abot 10 feet from the muzzle.  Though there is a point down range where that will not happen. in hilly county the big thing to watch is the sky line.

I added a 22 hornet to my inventory this year and mac is right it's a quiet round that will get the job done. and as wrong as this is people equate noise to danger if you shoot a 22 lr it ricohcets all over the place but if you start shooting the 223 the nieghbors will start complaining even though with varmint bullets it not nearly as dangerous as the 22lr. One problem is that the ammo is not cheap.

[mookster79]

I know that the 50 gr vmax round will basically explode on contact.  When I first zeroed my scope with them I took aim on a barn swallow or some type of average bird that happend to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Results: Ever seen a mad dog get  at a down pillow?