Author Topic: Low report/noise coyote gun (Read 2919 times)

kb · « **on:** July 31, 2005, 01:37:17 AM »

I will be hunting coyotes on a farm, by a populated area, and am looking to pick up a yote gun that wont rattle the whole area when I squeeze one off.

What are your suggestions? Accurate, low noise, and effective are the key words here.

kb

stuffit · « **Reply #1 on:** July 31, 2005, 02:37:25 AM »

Sometimes effectiveness and decibels go together but, in my experience albeit limited, my K Hornet (also in its earlier incarnation as a .22 Hornet) fills the bill for me on coyotes. Sort of depends on how far you're shooting and to what degree you can pick your shots, I reckon.
:wink:
stuffit

kb · « **Reply #2 on:** July 31, 2005, 03:27:52 AM »

This would be for 200 yards at the max. I would put most at 100+/-, mostly under.

Lone Star · « **Reply #3 on:** July 31, 2005, 03:45:42 AM »

If you handload you can use a .223 to great effectiveness out to 200 yards by loading a 35 to 40-grain bullet and BlueDot powder. This produces an extremely accurate load with a report close to a normal Hornet, yet a velocity around 3000 fps. This gives you a huge number of rifles to chose from, not just the very few available in smaller cartridges like the .218 Bee, .22 Hornet, .25-20, etc. Nothing wrong with the latter three of course - I use a .25-20 for small game myself - but the .223 is more versatile. If you ever want to go varmint hunting in another area, full-power .223 loads give you the ability to engage targets out to 300 yards and beyond.

victorcharlie · « **Reply #4 on:** July 31, 2005, 12:02:55 PM »

This will probably be somewhat controversial, but sounds like the perfect place for a .17 HMR. Not very noisy, and with 17 grain V-Max bullets, this round is low risk for ricochet. I agree this round is light for a Coyote, but many report that with proper bullet placement the round is effective out to 100 yards on Coyotes. I would prefer a 20 grain XTP, but in a populated area, the highly explosive V-Max would be a safer choice for me.

A centerfire of .17, .20 or .22 caliber would be more effective, but again, given the conditions described above, I would give the hummer a look. Sounds like perfect fit for those conditions.

Lawdog · « **Reply #5 on:** July 31, 2005, 12:24:46 PM »

Forget the .17 HMR even using the heavier 20 gr. bullets. It wounds, not kills. Been there and done that.

My favorite Coyote rifle is the .22 Hornet. Deadly accurate and powerful enough for song dogs out to 200 yards. I really wouldn't try to stretch it further. The greatest great part about the Hornet is ammo is available everywhere and reloading wise a one pound can of powder seems to last forever. Go with the .22 Hornet and you wont be sorry. Lawdog

oso45-70 · « **Reply #6 on:** July 31, 2005, 02:31:44 PM »

Kb

This is a no brainer. 22 hornet, My little 77-22 Hornet just loves Coyotes.
I try to set up to where i don't have to shoot over 200 yds but like them to be in the 100yds range..........Joe........

victorcharlie · « **Reply #7 on:** July 31, 2005, 03:38:15 PM »

Lawdog, LOTS OF PEOPLE HAVE KILLED COYOTES WITH THE .17

varmit_master · « **Reply #8 on:** August 01, 2005, 07:53:33 AM »

Hi i have used my 22 mag i would keep it under 100 yds i have killed them over a 100 yrds BUT i would keep it under a 100 yrds to make a good clean kill i have never shot a 17 i have just heard storys about them and they wasnt much good on coyotes VM

Lawdog · « **Reply #9 on:** August 01, 2005, 11:19:20 AM »

Quote from: victorcharlie

Lawdog, LOTS OF PEOPLE HAVE KILLED COYOTES WITH THE .17

Victor,

I went with a state contract animal control officer that tried to use a .17 HMR on two different hunts. He called in a total of 9 Coyotes that he got shots at. Ranges were from about 30 to 75 yards. Final score was 1 Coyote that dropped dead at the shot(the only head shot of the bunch) and 8 wounded Coyotes that we had to try and tract down. Lost 6 of the 8 due to no blood trail. The little .17 caliber entrance hole just flat closed up. The two Coyotes we did find were still alive and had to be dispatched over an hour after they were shot. Nothing wrong with shot placement or the guys shooting either. We did a field autopsy on the two that we did find that had been chest shot and the bullets never reached the lungs or heart. The bullets had fragmented just after entering the chest area. One piece had pierce the stomach on one Coyote and the other was just laying under some buckbrush licking the entrance wound when we found it. This was the last time he tried to use that .17 as he put it up for sale and went back to his .222 Remington.

Sure there are some Coyotes that have been killed with the .17 HMR just as there have been thousands of deer killed with a .22lr. Does that make the .22lr a proper deer cartridge? I have talked to many varmint callers that have tried the .17 HMR and by far the majority(over 90%) of them report more failures than successes. Using the .17 HMR on any animal over 12 - 15 pounds is not being a responsible hunter. Even the 20 gr. bullet fragments way to easily(I tried them for myself). I am not saying that the .17 HMR isnt a fine cartridge, it is but not for Coyote size critters.[/i] Lawdog
:toast:

oso45-70 · « **Reply #10 on:** August 01, 2005, 04:55:10 PM »

Victorcharlie,

There is more than one 17 cal. If you were talking about the 17rem that would be different but the little 17hmr isn't enough to humanely kill a coyote. I have killed yotes out to some long ranges with my 17rem but we are getting away from the posted topic which was number one noise and effective range, That was what i tried to express in my post. Have a good day......Joe.......

JD338 · « **Reply #11 on:** August 01, 2005, 05:12:08 PM »

I too agree with the 22 Hornet. If you need more power, you might want to consider the 221 Fireball.

Regards,

JD338

victorcharlie · « **Reply #12 on:** August 02, 2005, 05:44:50 AM »

Controversy always follows the mention of the .17 HMR and Coyotes. Yes, I agree it's light for coyotes. Yes hitting them with something more powerful would be more certain of dropping them where they stand. However, there have been many posts by people that have killed coyotes with them, alot of them in dropping in their tracks. There have been others who have had results similar to yours.

Now, I'm not saying you California boys aren't good shots, but I am saying other people have not had the problems you have. This topic is surely to be a source of controversy every time it comes up. I do admit I have limited experience on game with the .17HMR, but have used the 20 grain on crows and have seen it penetrate through a 5/8 inch pine fence after leaving the crow, the distance being over 100 yards.

If the Coyotes are causing a problem, given the choice of not being able to hunt them because of noise and safety concerns, or using the .17 HMR, I'd use the .17 HMR, and my choice would be the very explosive V-max, because in this case, the bullet doesn't need the risk of a ricochet. Yes, I might wound one, but how many deer are wounded by bow hunters every season? I don't hear the out cry about that.......and around here at least, deer are held in much higher regard than the coyote. I'm sure no one wants to wound game, but it happens, right or wrong.........and with cartridges much larger and more powerful than the .17 HMR

Oh heck, now that I think about it, why don't you bow hunt for those particular coyotes?

deathray · « **Reply #13 on:** August 02, 2005, 05:31:01 PM »

I have been using a 221 Fireball in a 527 CZ. It has become my favorite calling gun. Its very accurate,low noise, and easy to carry. I to hunt in a populated area. Just use the right bullets, I started out with 40 Gr. Nosler BTs but they do not penetrate to well. Switched to 50 Spire Points. I have called in and shot 6 coyotes and 2 Greyfox in the last 2 years all 1 shot kills. All shot at 60 yds or less. As for the 17 HMR I have one in a 452 CZ with a 4-12X Burris compact, Its accurate and has the perttist stock of any gun I own but Iam not to sure what to hunt with it, I saw a crow shot with a 17 Hmr at about 60 yds feather flew and so did the crow, not real well but he still flew away. My 22 Mag. did a better job on water filled plastic jugs than the 17. Good Luck Deathray

kb · « **Reply #14 on:** August 05, 2005, 12:51:58 AM »

Ive thought about the HMR, but I agree that it is a little too light for yote use. Ive thought about the 17 Rem, but noise is an issue.

The 22 Hornet, .223, and 221 fireball all seem like good suggestions. Any other's? What are your setups?

Kb

kb · « **Reply #15 on:** August 06, 2005, 02:54:07 AM »

I like the idea of the hornet. but I also like the latitude that the .223 gives you.

My next question: Can the .223 be loaded down to the Hornet's velocity to quiet it down, yet still retain its accuracy and lethality?

kb

Lone Star · « **Reply #16 on:** August 06, 2005, 03:12:10 AM »

Quote

My next question: Can the .223 be loaded down to the Hornet's velocity to quiet it down, yet still retain its accuracy and lethality?

Yes.

Quote from: Lone Star

If you handload you can use a .223 to great effectiveness out to 200 yards by loading a 35 to 40-grain bullet and BlueDot powder. This produces an extremely accurate load with a report close to a normal Hornet, yet a velocity around 3000 fps. This gives you a huge number of rifles to chose from, not just the very few available in smaller cartridges like the .218 Bee, .22 Hornet, .25-20, etc. Nothing wrong with the latter three of course - I use a .25-20 for small game myself - but the .223 is more versatile. If you ever want to go varmint hunting in another area, full-power .223 loads give you the ability to engage targets out to 300 yards and beyond.

kb · « **Reply #17 on:** August 07, 2005, 09:31:44 AM »

OK, Im sold on the .223. Now what barrel twist would be good? There are several choises, from 1 in 9 up to 1 in 16....

I am more interested in quiet and effective, rather then loud and effective. I'll be loading the rounds on the light side...Any suggestions? How about bullets?

A hide or two would be nice, but Im more interested in ridding my deer hunting area of coyotes.

Kb

aulrich · « **Reply #18 on:** August 09, 2005, 08:03:38 AM »

Look up "to bee or 223" on http://www.jamescalhoon.com/ under Informative Articles, I have not used it for 223 but found data for 243 and it worked well quite accurate. Just be careful He says it on the page but i'll repeat it here these are near full or full pressure loads that produce lower velocities.

From what I have read guys are getting good results with the win 45 gr HP bulk.

redial · « **Reply #19 on:** August 09, 2005, 08:41:15 AM »

Lone Star's got it right - the 223/Blue Dot recipe is a wonderful concoction! I've loaded probably a thousand by now, all but a few for the chrono and sighters were fired at fur.

Mine typically go a little better than 2800 fps depending on bullet and make noise on par with a 22 mag, per my calibrated, Mark II eardrum

Cheers!

Redial

mag-check · « **Reply #20 on:** August 12, 2005, 01:39:34 PM »

22 Hornet.

kb · « **Reply #21 on:** September 22, 2005, 03:12:55 AM »

Well Ive started downloading my 270 to 1900 fps , and its not bad. So Ill give this a try.

kb

rickt300 · « **Reply #22 on:** September 25, 2005, 12:44:41 PM »

Loading down the 270 will give you a lower report but probably will allow bullets to bounce around the neighborhood. I am using A 22 Winchester magnum for shots at coyotes under 100 yards this winter. Last year I used a 22 long rifle with Stingers or Aguila 22 Super Maximum Hyper velocity that both took one coyote each. The head shot coyote dropped and the chest shot one ran 75 yard east into a pasture and the buzzards took care of him. This shooting was done at night at less than 50 yards. I got the 22 mag simply because I didn't want to have to pass up any of the 75 yard shots like I did last year.

ABaker · « **Reply #23 on:** September 25, 2005, 02:22:39 PM »

Speaking from experience the 17HMR is not the best for Coyotes, but on the other hand if you bought one and can't find a use for it they work great on those pesky feral cats. I like the 20gr. hollow points. Back to the problem at hand I like the idea of loading down the .223, heck you could even get a 22-250 and load that down. Their are several major companies that will sell you a decent rig for the .223 or any of the other calibers mentioned. If you want my opinion get an Encore or a Ruger Mini 14. Nice weapons there.... Oh and P.S. If you go with the .223 you can probably find reloading components alot easier because if is a military cartridge. (5.56)

Jerry Lester · « **Reply #24 on:** September 25, 2005, 05:10:42 PM »

My first suggestion would be the 22 Hornet. It's a fine little round for calling, and is extremely versital if you handload.

The 223 is also a great choice, but I'm not fond of down loading any caliber to the extremes. The 223 can be loaded on the mild side with proper bullets, and give exeptional results on predators, as well as not destroy a good pelt.

My prefered "fur" load in my 223 consists of the Sierra 55g GK(BT, or FB) with a velocity around 2600-2700 fps. This load is no where near as loud as factory 223 loads, shoots great, kills very quickly, and unless you just hit all kinds of bone, doesn't tear up hides too much. Usually you'll end up with a nickel sized exit at most. On foxes, if you hit bone on exiting, the exit hole will occasionally be as large as 1"-1.5".

I've killed tons of game with that bullet in the 223, and it's a very dependable combination. H-322, and a few other powders will allow you to load 223's as low as 2500 fps with 55g bullets in most hunting rifles.

Bugflipper · « **Reply #25 on:** October 03, 2005, 08:12:29 PM »

Just thought I'd throw a few more in. The tcu cartages work very well (6mm and 7mm tcu) I have both, as long as you stick with the single shot pistol bullets they do great on coyote. Another option is the 300 whisper which uses the shorter 221 fireball case, where the other two used the .223 case. All are great 200 yard rounds with a report between the 22 mag and 22 hornet as long as you go with a 21 inch contender barrel. The longer the barrel the less noise. Most folks have an old 30/30 laying around, these can be loaded down as well. Anytime you have an option of getting a faster rate of twist go with it. A bullet cannot be over stabilized. A 1-9" would shoot anything up to a 69 gr. in .223. The 1-14" could be hard pressed to stabilize a 55 gr. with a light powder charge.
I would advise against a rimfire. I have used a 17 rem centerfire for years and you really have to pick your shots to anchor one. I have no experience with the 17 hmr so I can not say what it will or will not do. But there is somewhere around a 1000 fps difference in velocity, so I would guess a fellow would have to pass all but the ideal shot if he used one.

Forest Walker · « **Reply #26 on:** October 04, 2005, 09:29:14 AM »

ported 450 marlin :eek:

Doc T · « **Reply #27 on:** October 11, 2005, 10:30:29 AM »

I really like the 300 Whisper. I've got some loaded with 125gr ballistic tips for deer and 110gr spire points for longer shots at "smaller than deer" targets. It doesn't have the excessive muzzleblast that some of the others have.