Squadron303;
Good evening to you sir, hopefully this finds you well and the weekend was good to you.
Way back in the day when we actually got money for coyotes and before laser rangefinders, I started out shooting coyotes with a .308 Norma Mag using 130 Speer HP and a few other light for caliber bullets. My hunting partner at the time used a .25-06 and it both shot flatter with the 75gr HP we loaded for it and as they opened up on the small animals better were more effective than my .308 Norma.
Somewhere along the way we got "semi-serious" about coyote hunting and started calling - believe it or not there was a time when everybody didn't know how to call.
Anyway I ended up building a .22-.250AI on a surplus 98 action - 'cause we did that back then too - using a 1:14 twist, 26" Douglas Match in No 4 contour. It's got about one more grain capacity than a .220 Swift, so I've used Swift data and have no trouble making 4000fps with 50gr and 3800fps with 55gr - either VMax or Ballistic Tips in either.
The rifle flat works on coyotes out to distances that we still shake our heads at when we go to our former calling areas. Here it is with some home made snow camo - we couldn't find snow camo back in the early '90's.
Shot of the rifle with it's latest stock.
So anyway as they say in the books - in the fullness of time - folks more clever than I ended up making better bullets and laser range finders and in so doing changed the game for all of us.
While our girls never really got into coyote calling with me, a young neighbor who's family owns the vineyard and winery next to our place asked if I'd teach him to call coyotes. So because I'm now 20 years older and don't feel like packing a 12lb rifle about the mountains and because I drank the Kool Aid regarding how these things shoot - I picked up a .223 Ruger American this summer.
The really crazy thing is that the Ruger cost me less than the parts to build the old coyote bomber and that's not even adjusting for inflation or anything like that and my goodness does that ugly Ruger want to shoot.
So that's my answer - from a guy who's shot lots of coyotes with a .22-.250AI - I'll be packing a .223 when I'm calling this winter and the skookum young fellow can pack the old school 12lb bomber.
Hopefully that was useful information for you or someone out there tonight sir. Good luck on your rifle choice and coyote hunts whichever way you decide.
Dwayne
Good evening to you sir, hopefully this finds you well and the weekend was good to you.
Way back in the day when we actually got money for coyotes and before laser rangefinders, I started out shooting coyotes with a .308 Norma Mag using 130 Speer HP and a few other light for caliber bullets. My hunting partner at the time used a .25-06 and it both shot flatter with the 75gr HP we loaded for it and as they opened up on the small animals better were more effective than my .308 Norma.
Somewhere along the way we got "semi-serious" about coyote hunting and started calling - believe it or not there was a time when everybody didn't know how to call.
Anyway I ended up building a .22-.250AI on a surplus 98 action - 'cause we did that back then too - using a 1:14 twist, 26" Douglas Match in No 4 contour. It's got about one more grain capacity than a .220 Swift, so I've used Swift data and have no trouble making 4000fps with 50gr and 3800fps with 55gr - either VMax or Ballistic Tips in either.
The rifle flat works on coyotes out to distances that we still shake our heads at when we go to our former calling areas. Here it is with some home made snow camo - we couldn't find snow camo back in the early '90's.
Shot of the rifle with it's latest stock.
So anyway as they say in the books - in the fullness of time - folks more clever than I ended up making better bullets and laser range finders and in so doing changed the game for all of us.
While our girls never really got into coyote calling with me, a young neighbor who's family owns the vineyard and winery next to our place asked if I'd teach him to call coyotes. So because I'm now 20 years older and don't feel like packing a 12lb rifle about the mountains and because I drank the Kool Aid regarding how these things shoot - I picked up a .223 Ruger American this summer.
The really crazy thing is that the Ruger cost me less than the parts to build the old coyote bomber and that's not even adjusting for inflation or anything like that and my goodness does that ugly Ruger want to shoot.
So that's my answer - from a guy who's shot lots of coyotes with a .22-.250AI - I'll be packing a .223 when I'm calling this winter and the skookum young fellow can pack the old school 12lb bomber.
Hopefully that was useful information for you or someone out there tonight sir. Good luck on your rifle choice and coyote hunts whichever way you decide.
Dwayne
