coyote rifle

[stillwell]

i am looking in to geting a new coyote rifle and am having trouble chosing a caliber. i already have a remington 700VS in 223 but tipping the scales at 12lb it is no fun to carry 1/4 mile in a foot of snow. i was using a rem 710 30-06 loaded with 110 vmax but it cuts yotes in half. so it is now for sale to pay for most of my new gun. i am trying to stay 270cal or less and under $500. a used gun would be fine.

[kodiak1]

I like and have one of each the 22-250 in Heavy Barrel Savage and a 220 Swift in a Heavy Barrel Ruger. They both out reach my Winchester Heavy Barrel 223.
I have had nothing to do with the 204 and really thought on getting one till a friend that runs a trapline up here told me how disapointed he was with it on longer shots on yotes.
He is a Swift man 220 Ruger Heavy Barrel also. He shipped 57 prime yotes last year and had probably that many with mange starting or well on the way.

Don't think it maters a whole bunch on what you pick as long as you pick for what you are doing. If you are going for fur and get to big well that makes it kind of silly to wreck more hides than need be.

Good Luck Ken.

[Wayne Smith]

Are you looking to simply kill them or do you want the fur? The .204 will kill them with minimal disturbance of fur. In a Savage it would be accurate, relatively light, and not terrably expensive.

[outdoorfan]

Any .223, .22-250, .243, or .25-06 in a sporter weight will do the job just fine depending on what your preferences are for the range of shots fired, knock-down power, and hide preservation. The .22-250 or .243 is probably about ideal.

[stillwell]

i would like to be able save the pelt. and keep ranges at 300 or less

[GrizzLeeBear]

Inside 300 yds. I would go for a .223 or 22-250 in a sporter weight barrel. The .243 and 25-06 can be hard on pelts. Heavy barrels are fine for sitting in one spot and shooting prarie dogs or woodchucks at long range, but for a walking around / calling gun I would stay with the sporter barrel. I think just about every maker makes a .223 or 22-250 sporter. For a good one on a budget I would seriously look at the Stevens 200. They can be had for around $300. The only gripe I've seen about them is the trigger isn't the best, but you can get a good adjustable replacement for around $80 if you don't like the factory trigger. You should also be able to find a used Remington, Winchester, etc. for less than $500 also.
Also, don't go to high on the scope magnification. Coyotes don't stand still very long usually and its easier to find a moving target through the scope at lower power. I think a 4x-16x variable would be about ideal.

[dualsport]

Worse case you could slow down that Vmax in the -06, and maybe a different boolit. I'm not saying don't get another gun, that's always a good thing, but everybody should have at least one '06. My son's 710 is very accurate, just ugly as hell.

[Charlie Sometimes]

Some of the newer rifle models are very short and light weight (built more like a youth rifle), and come in lots of high powered calibers- maybe look at one of them.
I am not familiar with the 710.
I just get used to carrying the regular rifles- you can't shed much buy getting a lighter rifle, then they recoil too much.
I'd get a 243 Win., but if your worried about saving the pelt then you might stick with 223.
22-350 would blow them up, too. How about a 260? They are accurate and still good at distance, and a good all around caliber.

[stillwell]

i found a stevens 200 in 243 for $350 and a savage 10 in 223 or 243 with scope for 560. stevens felt cheep. cant seem to find a 220swift or hornet a round here thought

[mike in co]

i found a stevens 200 in 243 for $350 and a savage 10 in 223 or 243 with scope for 560. stevens felt cheep. cant seem to find a 220swift or hornet a round here thought


hmmmm...i'm not a hunter, but.....a lite weight 223 with 68/69's or 75's...there are 55's and 60/64 that work.
but one needs to spend as much if not more on the glass as on the rifle.......

220 swift and 25'06 seem too much to me in a light carry rifle.

223/308 based stuff seems good to me...

mike in co

[Nrut]

stillwell
I used to hunt coyotes for fur in the 80's.. Most where called.
I tried both the .223 and the 22-250 and ended up using the 22-250 as I would lose the occasional coyote with the .223..
My rifle was a used Rem. 700 ADL sporter.
I also experimented with scopes and found the much over 12 power I would have mirage when hunting over snow.. I ended up buying a Leupold V-II in 4X12.. I those days that was considered to be a varmint scope..
A good trigger is also a must..
If I was going to buy a coyote fur rifle today on the cheap I would consider the Sav. Stevens 200 in 22-250 and either have some work on it the trigger or replace it with a good trigger..
You said in post #9 above "the stevens felt cheep".. :veryconfu ..well yea
I don't think that you'll find a better coyote rifle than the Stevens for the price in 22-250...
If the Stevens is to cheap for you then buy a Savage with the Accura Trigger or a used Rem. 700..
If I was going to buy a coyote rifle in .243 I would buy the Marlin XS7 over any Savage.. To bad the Marlin XS7 doesn't come in the 22-250..
Have fun calling coyotes... What a blast!
:-)
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=72307 see this thread for more Stevens info
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[anachronism]

I too would look at a 223 sporter. If you cast, you could develop a cast bulet load covering 22LR, 22 mag, and/or 22 Hornet velocities to give you an all around light rifle. 243 is a possibility, but I think the top end loads might be a bit much for the hunting you're describing. As fas as that goes, cast loads for the 30-06 you already have would likely suffice for what you want, but there's no thrill of acquisition there.

[Bullshop Junior]

Get a Stevens 200 in 223, 22/250, or......
About $300 and you can get it with a grey/black/camo stock. You can get all stock colors in a package deal with a Simmons 3-9 for about $325.

[stillwell]

anyone ever use gun broker??? i found some good buys there but i need to get a ffl to recieve gun for me befor i bid on any thing though. any body shoot a stevens 200? what kind of groups do you get on average?

[crabo]

I am going to get a Savage Predator in 22-250 one of these days. I had a 788 in 22-250 and should not have sold it. I had a heavy Barrel Sako in 22-250 and should not have sold it. I think the Savage is a good "walking around" gun.

[35remington]

Absolutely NO to any heavy barrelled rifle for calling coyotes!

My reasoning is as follows:

Most coyote rifles are not used for sustained fire, and lightweight barrels group adequately to the limit of realistic shooting distances, even long ones.

Heavy barrelled rifles, when shoulder carried, want to rotate around your shoulder until the barrel points at the ground and are too damn heavy! Try carrying one very far.....you'll only do it once.

Given most possible shots, I can see a .204 as being a good choice.

If you like or must occasionally take barrel stretching shots, a .243, .257 Roberts or 6mm Remington would be ideal. Heavier calibers are either not needed, have more bullet than required or have less flat trajectory.

I often don't follow my own advice and shoot a round bottomed stocked Savage 110 in 30-06 with the very accurate (1.25" or less three shot groups at 200 yards) 110 VMax at 3500 fps using IMR 3031. However, this is mostly because the rifle is lightweight with a thinnish barrel and carries well with the round bottom on the stock. Besides, the color of our resident coyotes is about that of a milo stalk with a dark fringe on top and the hides are essentially worthless, so hide damage isn't a concern.

I really haven't had much more, if any, hide damage than a 22-250, though, as the bullets give up most of their energy inside the critter and exits are little more than golf ball size. I fire a shot, look up and nothing is moving. All coyotes have gone nowhere but straight down after being properly hit, and there's been quite a few shot with it.

[Bass Ackward]

i am looking in to geting a new coyote rifle and am having trouble chosing a caliber. i already have a remington 700VS in 223 but tipping the scales at 12lb it is no fun to carry 1/4 mile in a foot of snow.


That barrel can be turned down for about $50 and the gun placed in another stock for @ $100 or less.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=151908136

If you can live with a Remington Factory fiber, you can get those for $50.

Then you don't have to cut the barrel all the way down to a sporter weight and you make use of a gun that you already own.

[badgeredd]

I'd also suggest you look into the 204 Ruger in a Savage. Reasonably light and mine is accurate. The little 204 moving along at 4000+ fps doesn't leave a huge hole but critters act like they've been stuck by lightning.

Edd

[Kraschenbirn]

In 1973, I bought a new, 700BDL sporter in .243 for, primarily, coyote and occasional use on 'chucks or crows. Never kept track of how many critters it dropped over the following 10-12 years but, inside of 300 yds, can't recall losing more than two or three. After the barrel was floated and the action properly bedded, it shot consistent MOA (or better) so long as I did my part. Weight with the original wood stock and (steel-tube) Weaver K6 is just under 9 lbs. but that could be reduced substantially with a synthetic stock and current generation scope.

Still own the gun and, last fall, took it out for the first time in five or six years. Off sandbags, from a cold, clean barrel, the first five shots went into just over an inch @ 100M and the second five into just under 1 1/2" @ 200M.

Bill

[JIMinPHX]

A .223 Handi Rifle is cheap, accurate & ...well...handy. :grin:
That's what I use most of the time, although I have been known to grab a Mini-14 if I'm going after a whole pack of them. A 5-round mag & soft points make the Mini legal on yotes here in AZ.

[Longrange]

My Mini 14 has killed hundreds of yotes in California, New Mexico, Arizona, and most recently Texas. Good for out to 250 yards 300 on a good day.

[Larry Gibson]

i would like to be able save the pelt. and keep ranges at 300 or less

Suggest a light weight sporter in .223. You already are set up for that cartridge and it is plenty for coyote out to 300 yards. I prefer a 12" twist and use the Hornady 55 gr SX over 26 gr H335 sparked by a WSR or CCI450 primer. Minimal damage to pelts. There are numerous sporters available these days but most will have a 9" twist so try the sierra or nosler 55 gr BT over the same charge. I've used a nice little 22" barreled M70 XTR for such a rifle for numerous years. I've also used a few M788 Remingtons with equal success. Mt 21" barreled TC Contender with a Brown thumbhole stock gets equal use these days. I prefer a smaller 3x9 scope witha maximum 40mm objective lens. 3x is still low enough for a close shot on a call and 9X is plenty for a 300 yard shot. A heavy barreled varminter is not necessary as it is heavy as you know and your not going to shoot a long string of shots. Most all of the sporter .223s I've used, particularly the 12" twist ones, were capable of moa or less accuracy for 3 shots from a cold barrel. With such if I missed the coyote it was my fault not the rifles. Most likely I held off fur thinking the coyote was farther than it really was:-)

Larry Gibson

[DLCTEX]

To me a varmit gun calls for 22-250. I really like shooting 22 Hornet(77-22) and 222 (Rem. 722), but for serious varmiting a Savage in 22-250 fills the bill.

[Mallard57]

A .243 Winchester or 6mm Remington with a 55 gr. bullet does a very good nice job on coyotes. Another plus to getting a .24 caliber rifle is that doubles as a pretty fair deer rifle.
Jeff

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

I currently use a Savage Model 12 in .243 win...but it is really heavy and not fun to carry. If I were you I would go with the Predator model in 22-250 or 204 if you plan on shooting within 300 yds. Any further out, the 243win is a better choice in my opinion. Here is what I am currently using (the model 12, with a bell and carlson stock). I don't save the fur, I hunt them to save livestock.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh119/kage1339/reloadingsetup009.jpg

[Rockydog]

I shoot a Savage .223 Hunter with Accutrigger in a wood stock and a Savage 110 270 in Synthetic w/o Accutrigger that is basically today's Stevens 200. I glass bedded both of these rifles and did some trigger adjusting on the 270. Both are basically MOA rifles if I do my part. Neither will win any beauty contests but neither will a Stanley hammer. And after all, are just tools to get a job done. I don't hunt coyotes but the .223 has accounted for about 1000 prairie dogs. I'd pick a Savage or Stevens hunter weight any day for a walk about rifle. I also have a TC Contender Synthetic stocked Carbine in 6mm TCU. Extremely light and compact, shoots 75Gr. V max out to 250yds with fair accuracy. I'd choose 6mmX45 over the 6TCU if I had it to do over. Fireforming the 6TCU is a PIA. If I were going coyote hunting tomorrow that would be the gun I'd grab. Rockydog

[stillwell]

i left this rifle out till now . i also have a rock river ar15 with a 16 in bbl. i do not care for the iron sights for long range. im thinking about putting a scope on it to fill the bill. i bought this gun mostly as a plinker and dont want to turn it in to a bench gun. it is all most to much fun going to the range with couple hundred rounds to burn off to scope this gun. and new uppers are more than i want to spend from what i have found on line they are going for around $600. that cash could get me 2 handi rifles.

[dualsport]

The Handis may just surprise you. I have a .223 Super Light that is about like carrying a bb gun, it will nail a 'yote at 300. The auxiliary barrel program is great. I can switch it to a standard weight .223 barrel, 45-70, or .22 Hornet in seconds, all for about $500 invested. Looking at adding a .243 barrel this year. Check out their website at H&R 1871. Cheap fun.

[Bullshop Junior]

The Handis may just surprise you. I have a .223 Super Light that is about like carrying a bb gun, it will nail a 'yote at 300. The auxiliary barrel program is great. I can switch it to a standard weight .223 barrel, 45-70, or .22 Hornet in seconds, all for about $500 invested. Looking at adding a .243 barrel this year. Check out their website at H&R 1871. Cheap fun.
We have a NEF Handi 243 for sale. Almost like new, with scope, $250..............

[Kraschenbirn]

We have a NEF Handi 243 for sale. Almost like new, with scope, $250..............

Hey, Dan'l...

Is that the same one I swapped to you a couple years ago for a Longbranch #4 Mk1?

Bill

[sagamore-one]

You should see what a 243 caliber , Barnes 62 gr Varmint Grenade does to a groundhog. It simply makes a big red puff and a brown furry bag full of green goo. Doesn't treat a stray cat very politely either. I launch mine out of a sporter weight Remington 700.

[Gee_Wizz01]

My latest coyote gun is a 220 Swift custom Mauser, and I love it. I have been using 55 gr Hornady SP's at 3750 Fps. I tried the lighter bullets, but the 55 gr seems to buck wind better. I have killed more coyotes with my Dad's 257 Roberts than any other gun, but they don't drop like they do with Swift. I have also shot quite a few with 30-06 with 150 gr reloads, and .243 With 80 gr Fed factory loads. When I used to hunt for pelts we used a 222 Rem. Now we are just trying to keep the coyotes away from the calves. In the past 5 years the coyotes have become a real nuisance, the last 8 or 10 were killed in the middle of the day walking through the field next to the house. They also seem to be losing their fear of man. Dad has killed a couple with his 10/22 recently.

All of the calibers listed in previous posts work fine its just a matter of personal choices. At 300 yds and beyond the 22-250 and 220 Swift are great and so is the .243 and you cant go wrong with a 30-06, but I would use a 150 - 165 gr bullet for longer ranges. And thats my 2 cents worth.

G

G

[JIMinPHX]

How's that Swift holding up for you? When they first came out, lots of them died the death of the eroded throat. Now that we have cooler burning powders to work with, I was wondering how that old eargospliten-loudenboomer would hold up. Have you shot it enough to have some feedback on that?

[dualsport]

B.Jr., about that .243. Would you consider selling just the barrel and are you interested in any trading? Which model is it?

[stillwell]

We have a NEF Handi 243 for sale. Almost like new, with scope, $250..............

is there any where i can see some pics of that 243. or get info on shipping???