Dedicated Coyote Rifle Choices

[bigman2]

Hello to all of you. I am new at coyote hunting, but the land my hunting lease is on, seem to be coyote heaven. My wife  has been very sick, she has pancratitus, and then last august of 08 she had a stroke. Money has been very tight, but I was able to sell a few rifles, and I boght the new Model 25 from Savage. It has a laminated stock, with a fluted blue 24 inch barrel. I wish this rifle had the floor plate, but it came with a 4 shot magazine. I do reload for this caliber, but as time that I have, I have only shot factory 55gr and 62gr. The 62gr has shot the best group so far. The rifle came with a 1&9 twist rate. I am not fully sure which weight and bullet will work the best, So far know complaints on the rifke. It wears a Older model ATV scope 4x15x40 Simmons. Any advice good or bad would be appreciated. I have tough skin.....Ray
P.S. In case you didnt' figure it out, it's a 223 rem

[Oldshooter]

Hello to all of you. I am new at coyote hunting, but the land my hunting lease is on, seem to be coyote heaven. My wife  has been very sick, she has pancratitus, and then last august of 08 she had a stroke. Money has been very tight, but I was able to sell a few rifles, and I boght the new Model 25 from Savage. It has a laminated stock, with a fluted blue 24 inch barrel. I wish this rifle had the floor plate, but it came with a 4 shot magazine. I do reload for this caliber, but as time that I have, I have only shot factory 55gr and 62gr. The 62gr has shot the best group so far. The rifle came with a 1&9 twist rate. I am not fully sure which weight and bullet will work the best, So far know complaints on the rifke. It wears a Older model ATV scope 4x15x40 Simmons. Any advice good or bad would be appreciated. I have tough skin.....Ray
P.S. In case you didnt' figure it out, it's a 223 rem

Ray, it dont sound as if you need much advice. Whats the longest range you've shot that 223 at?

[FourBee]

Hey bigman2:
 

I am not fully sure which weight and bullet will work the best,

Your rifle oughta perform well on Coyotes.  The 24"bbl w 1-9 twist usually will handle the 62gr bullets better than the 55 gr's.   The rifle's performance out past 200 yards depends on how good a shooter you are.   Wish you luck.

[securitysix]

Hello to all of you. I am new at coyote hunting, but the land my hunting lease is on, seem to be coyote heaven. My wife  has been very sick, she has pancratitus, and then last august of 08 she had a stroke. Money has been very tight, but I was able to sell a few rifles, and I boght the new Model 25 from Savage. It has a laminated stock, with a fluted blue 24 inch barrel. I wish this rifle had the floor plate, but it came with a 4 shot magazine. I do reload for this caliber, but as time that I have, I have only shot factory 55gr and 62gr. The 62gr has shot the best group so far. The rifle came with a 1&9 twist rate. I am not fully sure which weight and bullet will work the best, So far know complaints on the rifke. It wears a Older model ATV scope 4x15x40 Simmons. Any advice good or bad would be appreciated. I have tough skin.....Ray
P.S. In case you didnt' figure it out, it's a 223 rem

A 1:9" twist in .223 Remington will usually handle up to 69 grain bullets really well.  Some 1:9" twist barrels will do the 75 grain bullets, too, but I wouldn't buy up a whole bunch until you've had a chance to test it with a box or two first.

Regardless, sounds like you've got a good setup for coyotes.

[bluebayou]

My Stevens 200 in 223 probably has the same barrel, guessing anyway.  It keyholed 68gr Hornadys and 69 gr Sierra at all speeds.  It shoots surplus 62gr and 62gr Wolf fine.  Most accurate in 60gr V-Max which is flatbase bullet.

I have Simmons ATV on mine too.  Love the scope.  Wish that I had another.

My uneducated, inexperience opinion (never killed a coyote) is that the 223 is plenty and accurate enough for 300 yards.  I don't think that the average person has any business shooting more than that.

[SD Handgunner]

I have been shooting 55gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips out of a couple differe t AR-15's with 1 in 9" Rifling Twists with great results. The first was a DPMS Panther Bull 20" Fluted AR, which has recently been replaced with a Bushmaster 16" M4 Carbine. Both of these AR's shoot the 55gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips very well.

The thing to consider is not as much bullet weight but rather bullet length. Being plastic tipped the Nosler Ballistic Tips, Hornady V-Max and Sierra Blitzkings are longer than other bullets of the same weight.

40gr. Speer Spire Point - .505"
40gr. Sierra Hollow Point - .565"
45gr. Hornady "Hornet" - .605"
50gr. Speer TNT Hollow Point - .682"
55gr. Winchester Pointed Soft Point - .693"
52gr. Speer Flat Base Hollow Point - .698"
40gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip = .703"
55gr. Sierra Spitzer - .710"
55gr. Sierra HPBT - .718"
60gr. Nosler Partition - .775"
50gr. Sierra BLITZKING - .780"
50gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip - .788"
64gr. Winchester Power Point - .798"
50gr. Hornady V-MAX - .800"
55gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip - .808"
55gr. Hornady V-MAX - .813"
65gr. Sierra Spitzer Boat Tail - .840"
69gr. Sierra Matchking HPBT - .895"
70gr. Berger VLD Match - .966"
68gr. Hornady BTHP - .985"
75gr. Hornady BTHP - 1.040"
80gr. Nosler HPBT - 1.070"
75gr. Swift Scirocco II - 1.085"
75gr. Hornady A-MAX - 1.098"

The above chart lists the length of bullets that I obtained either from their manufactures, I measured myself or I obtained from friends that measured them for me.

As you can see Bullet Weight is not the only consideration, as length comes in to play with some of the Plastic Tipped Bullets being longer than their lead tipped or hollow point counterparts.

Larry

[springfling]

Ultra, to answer your question, Savage made a double barrel gun(don't know if they still do) that I think was called predator.  Similar to what Larry posted.  They offered several calibers for the top barrel and 12 guage bottom barrel.  Would be a nice setup I am sure.  I always wanted one but just never got around to buying it. 

[mjbgalt]

mine is a heavy-barreled remington 700 in camo, in .22-250.

have yet to shoot anything but targets, got it this month.

[Tonk]

I don't have to dream! I already have my battery of varmint/perdator rifles in the vault. I do have a .17hmr (Savage) for close work on squirrels under a 100 yards. Also have a Triple Deuce .222 Remy as well (CZ-rifle) for those 150 yard shots using Hornady V-Max bullets in the 50 grainers, (no handloads) as it shoots under 1/2-MOA, mostly for critters not wanted around the pigeon loft.

However, my "Song Dog" rifles are a model 70 Winchester .243 with 90 grn. Nosler solid base bullets handloaded of course and then there is the trusted 25-06 Savage model 12 with 3200 5 x 15 power bushnell scope, with mil-dots and turrets on board,  loaded up with those 110 grain Accubonds for far down youndar way work.

I guess I should also include the model 70 Winchester with 6.5/06, which has the same type and power scope as the 1/4 bore above, using those 100 & the 130 grn Accubond bullets for passed that 400 yard range. LIke the 25-06, this outfit works great in the winds of Kansas, Wyoming and Colorado.  

[Tonk]

I forgot about that new Savage in the vault in the .204 caliber! We just have not really had the rifle out except to the gun club shooting off a bench. It too is a model 12 Savage with that accutrigger. Plan on giving that Triple Deuce of mine to one of the kids for Christmas, just ain't made the trip as yet.

I have seen some great groups shot with several of those rifles chambered in the .204 and some of those folks were not that good shooting by golly. So I took the plung and brought one home with me. I figured that 200 yards would most likely be tops in yardage, especially if that wind gets to blowing through these Ozark mountains.

[Yak Angler]

Before the .243 I defaulted to my .270 Winchester.  A 130-grain Remington Bronze point turns a coyote into a rag.  I have no interest in the hide, or handling them after a kill.  I hope my efforts save a few fawns.



I am also a fan of the .270win thats my one and only coyote rifle for all the same reasons

[Drilling Man]

Ultra, to answer your question, Savage made a double barrel gun(don't know if they still do) that I think was called predator.  Similar to what Larry posted.  They offered several calibers for the top barrel and 12 guage bottom barrel.  Would be a nice setup I am sure.  I always wanted one but just never got around to buying it. 

  The absolute best combo gun that Savage ever sold, was their model 2400.  It was made in Finland by Valmet, and is MILES better than anything Savage ever built.  Here's mine,



  It was offered in 12/.222 Rem. and also 12/.308 Win.,



  They are VERY accurate, and have the advantage of being able to easily regulate the rifle bbl. to the shot bbl...

  DM

[youthpastorjon]

I have a 28" 22-250 barrel on my encore.  40 grain bullets have quite a zip to them.  It is a nice accurate gun and last summer I sniped alot of chipmunks.  I claimed war on them when they started plugging my eaves and one even got in the wall of my house.  Chipmunks be warned.  Don't mess with a mans castle.

[NYH1]

I have a Remington 700 BDL in 223 Rem.   It has a Simmons 44 Mag. 3-10x44mm scope on it.   I've always wanted to replace the scope with a Leupold VX-II 3-9x40mm scope.   It shoots so good the way it is I don't want mess it!   This is my varmint/predator/target rifle.

If I was going to set up a dedicate coyote rifle, it'd be a Remington Model Seven Predator in 22-250 Rem.   It'd have a Leupold VX-II 3-9x40mm scope.

[vmaster59]

This is just a few of them.







Clint

[Dee]

I have no class at all I suppose. I have owned 6 or 7 22-250s over the years and all shot great. I have owned 7 25-06s, and they too all shot great. I personally tuned all of them, and hand loaded their ammo.
BUT! I have for many years owned my favorite all time coyote rifle, and general all round rifle.
It's an M4 Bushy with a chrome lined match grade barrel, my trigger job, and a  Leupold 3.5X10 Vari-XIII, and a flip up backup sight.
I shoot a 52 grain match hollow point mostly, and an occasionally a 55 grain soft point.
Some may not like it, and this guy in the pic didn't either. About 200 yards just before sunrise (about two hours ago. And probably the biggest male I have ever shot to date, and I started hunting them in about 1969. I would guess close to 70 lbs, and fat as a pig on calf meat almost dailey. The rancher was very happy.

[Yak Angler]

I wish the Canadian government would allow us to hunt with those rifles. We are resticted to targets only with them , and not furry targets either

Seriously though, thats a nice rifle you got there and one fat bastard of a yote to go with it

You will probably be on that ranchers Christmas list now

[Silvertp]

Dee, almost looks like you whacked a wolf.  That is (was) a well-fed yote. 

Silvertp

[Dee]

I started huntin the critters in about 1970, and it's the biggest one I have ever killed. As Sam Elliot says:  He eats beef. "It's what's for supper".
I missed one this morning however, just before day light. No excuse, I knew pretty much what the range was, and instead of puttin the cross hairs on hair, I tried to hold a little low and missed. My own fault. I have 3" to play with from point blank to 350 yards.
If I had let the rifle do it's job, it would have been dead coyote.

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  Dee you must get some long shots in your part of Tx... I thought most of the shooting inthat area was pretty close... In Az. where I go for quail, most of the shots are faily close due to the low brush or grass..... Here it is as far as one cares to try..... Big old coyote. Nice shooting...

[Dee]

You can get a 500 to 600 yard shot around here sometimes, but I don't take'm with this rifle. I try to set up where their going to be within at least 350 to 360.
When I was still shootin a 25-06, I hunted with bipods and I killed some at around 600, but that rifle just shoots too far with the population growth around here, and makes me uncomfortable, and I prefer to get'em closer anyway. I don't deer hunt around here anymore cause it costs too much, but I kid my brother in law that shootin coyotes at 8 or 10 yards makes deer easy. He's a deer hunter and, it aggravates him cause he knows it's true.
I have some pics somewhere around here, where I was layin in the middle of 400 acres of winter wheat (about 4" high) and shot a 3 or 4 year female yote at about 7 yards. Camo, everything was workin that day. I called her out of some crp land about 300 yards out, and just kept coaxin her in.

[Buckskin]

I have 2.  An 204 Encore and an R-15 in 223.  I have a Bushnell 4200 4-16x50, but I'm going to order a Nikon Coyote for it soon. I have killed many with both at over 300 yards and hands down that 32gr 204 puts them down faster.  Although it's a little tougher to shoot multiples at them when running with the Encore. But you have never seen a yote run faster than when that AR is barking and 55grains bullets are popping at his feet!

[billy_56081]

Here is last weekends results for 6 of us.

[alleyyooper]

Rugar 77 220 swift 6x18 scope is my favorite. But I do use my Remington 700 243  with a 3x9 scope a lot too.

  Al

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

 ;)billy, that was a truck load of coyotes..Nice work..Did you guys call, use snowmachines, dogs... Great work...

[billy_56081]

Southern MN is sectioned off in one mile sections for the most part, we drive around, spot them them surround them and shoot them. We all have permits to use cell phones and radios on coyotes.