Looking for input on new coyote gun

krausb

krausb

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Hey guys,

Just looking for a little input. I am in the market for a new coyote rifle and I have come up with a few basic requirements:

  1. Caliber: I have decided to go with a .223 to take advantage of the decent range of factory ammo and projectiles once I get into reloading.
  2. Stock: As much as I love a nice walnut stock, I will stick with a synthetic/composite/laminate for this gun. The idea of lying in the snow or rain with a nice piece of walnut sends shivers down my spine.
  3. Twist Rate: If I am going to go .223, then, from what I have read here on CGN, I want a 1 in 9 or faster twist to be able to better take advantage of some of the heavier (longer) bullets available.
  4. Price: My target price point is around a grand for the rifle but I'd be willing to stretch that to my absolute upper limit of 2 grand (tax in) if the rifle in question has value at that price.
  5. Quality, accuracy, etc.: In this price range I am assuming that I should be able to find a quality firearm that is more than capable of being accurate on coyote size game out to 300 or 400 metres. Willing to spend more to get more but would prefer to keep it under a grand or so.

So, now all of that said, after shopping around a bit, the one gun that I am currently leaning towards is a Browning X-Bolt SSA Predator Hunter in Mossy Oak Brush. It is a last year's model but (at least so far) seems to be a lot of rifle for the $935 that the dealer is asking. I'm not crazy about the camo but it doesn't bother me enough that I can't live with it.

Browning-X-Bolt-SSA-Predator-Hunter-Mossy-Oak-Brush--035307-1685m.jpg


Feature wise, it looks pretty good to my eyes:
  • .223 caliber
  • 1 in 8 twist rate
  • glass bedded action
  • adjustabe trigger (adjusable between 3 and 5 lbs.)
  • 24" free-float heavy sporter profile barrel (perhaps a tad heavier than I need but lighter than a bull barrel) with target crown and hand-reamed chamber (if I'm reading it right)
  • detachable 6 round magazine (not a must have, but a detachable can be nice when you are shooting more than one load and can keep them in separate mags)

All in all it looks like a pretty decent rifle for $935. I'm itching to pull the trigger on this one, but I don't really have a lot of experience with Browning centerfires. I have absolutely no complaints about my BL-22s or Buck Marks (pistol and rifle) but I thought I'd draw on the collective expertise here on CGN and see if this is my new coyote gun of if I need to keep looking.

So, any input or comments would be very much appreciated. Thanks guys!
 
I own two rifles that I use for coyotes.Both really accurate with one being sporter barrel and one being heavy. In my opinion ,a heavy rifle is a pain in the ass for coyote hunting and just adds extra weight. When you take into account the weight of your clothes and other gear(especially if you are carrying an e caller and tripod),the last thing you want is a heavy rifle.
 
nomad 68 said:
I own two rifles that I use for coyotes.Both really accurate with one being sporter barrel and one being heavy. In my opinion ,a heavy rifle is a pain in the ass for coyote hunting and just adds extra weight. When you take into account the weight of your clothes and other gear(especially if you are carrying an e caller and tripod),the last thing you want is a heavy rifle.
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I definitely agree. I am avoiding heavy/bull barrel profiles. This rifle comes in at 6 lbs 3 oz, so that's actually not too bad considering it has a 24" barrel.
 
I personally have no experience with the Browning bolt actions, mostly Remington actions for me over the years, but I would highly recommend the:

Tikka Superlite - ~6lbs, available in your twist, detach mag, decent stock

Kimber Montana - even lighter than the tikka, but comes with a stock that would be a $600 upgrade for similar on a basic gun. Over your budget, but needs nothing.

I wouldn't worry about going too heavy of a bullet at the distances you want to hunt at. The 53gr VMAX has a good BC and shoots flat at those ranges. If you don't load only superformance available. Actually, if you don't reload, you'll prob have to forget about the heavies anyway. Most of the bullets in the 69-75 grain range are match type. They will work, but I am having better luck this year with 40gr vmax out of my 22-250 (at 4100 fps) than I ever did with 75 amax (at 2600 fps) out of my 223. ~5" drop to 300 yards, nothing to fool with...
 
Thanks for the suggestions! Quick question: for the 53gr VMAX, is that too long of a bullet to be consistently accurate out of a 1 in 12 twist? or does it benefit form a 1 in 9 or 1 in 8?

Kimber, eh? I may have to have a look. I'm not opposed to paying more if I get more gun. Thanks for the tip!
 
I hunt coyotes with a Remington 700 Tac 223. I get sick of the heavy barrel after a while. I shoot 60 gr V-Max. I wouldn't worry too much on stainless. I've never had a rifle rust in the field.

FYI 1:12 inch twist will stabilize a 60 grain from what I found. Anything heavier is questionable.
 
The 53 grain Vmax is recommended 12 twist or faster, the higher bc (.291) is because it is a longer boattail design. This makes it behave like a much heavier bullet when it comes to twist. The bc of the 69gr smk is .301. Much less drop at distance and same wind bucking ability. Plus varmint bullet performance as opposed to match bullet performance on game...
 
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Either the Browning or a Tikka will serve your needs nicely. If you want to spend more money on a nicer rifle have a look at a Sako. If you want to get a really nice rifle at just a bit more than your cap the Model 51 Cooper is hard to beat.
 
DMS1 said:
The 53 grain Vmax is recommended 12 twist or faster, the higher bc (.291) is because it is a longer boattail design. This makes it behave like a much heavier bullet when it comes to twist. The bc of the 69gr smk is .301. Much less drop at distance and same wind bucking ability. Plus varmint bullet performance as opposed to match bullet performance on game...
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Interesting! Thanks DMS1. So on the other end of the spectrum, would a 1 in 8 twist be too much for a shorter, lighter bullet like a 40 grain VMAX?
 
B-78 said:
Either the Browning or a Tikka will serve your needs nicely. If you want to spend more money on a nicer rifle have a look at a Sako. If you want to get a really nice rifle at just a bit more than your cap the Model 51 Cooper is hard to beat.
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Coopers are definitely out of my price range, but ver nice indeed. If I end up going over the $1000 mark, I thimk I will probably go with a Kimber or a Sako based on what I've seen so far. Thanks for the input!
 
Another vote for a Ruger M77 AW or Predator... I have both as my "go to" coyote guns... both in .223.
 
Sask_Hunter said:
A ruger American and a good scope will cost you the same as that browning. It has a detatch mag and a 1-8" twist. 75 amaxes work really well on coyotes.
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That's what I ended up with. put on a fairly cheap vortex diamondback on it and it's a nice little shooter.
 
Don't just consider what looks good on paper, and statistics.
I have shot many a hundred coyotes.. In real life, and have learned a few things.

-Buy a heavy barrel. Period, no question, don't even consider a light barrel...why do you think they are called varmint barrels? The thing is, if two or three dogs came out at once, what are you gonna do? Shoot once and wait for 8minutes for the barrel to cool down to save your barrel? Heck no, you'd be pounding until they are dead or out of range. Trust me, several guys in our group bought light barrels... They are all burnt out now, you just cant shoot repeatedly with a light barrel.
-Is .223 the best? Not in my opinion, but it is decent. You want a gun that is really fast, really flat, and a bullet that isnt affected by wind so much. Remember, you aren't at a 25yard indoor range here. The faster you are, the less you have to lead, the flatter, less elevation adjustment. I choose 22-250 because its like a laser beam up to 400yards. The only problem is wind affects it a bit. The ultimate coyote gun in my mind is a 6mm, a bit large, but guys in our group with them can do unimaginable things as they have bit better range and less affected by wind.
-dont be scared of a wood stock, all my guns have ###y wood stocks, if you the kind of guy to lay your gun in the snow or bang it around, you might as well buy a 30-06 savage, because you arent gonna hit anything with it anyway, i treat my gun like a new born, one guy in our group dropped his gun in the snow and didnt clean the snow out of the end of his barrel, he shot and it swelled up the end of the barrel (good thing it was a varmint barrel) he cut off 2" off the 26" barrel and it was good again.
-Which bring me to the next point, buy a long barrel, only 26" in my books. If you want to capture accuracy and as much velocity as you can buy the longest barrel you can, listen to the ladies, size does matter!

My comments arent gospel, but i have been doing it for a lot of years, and I know what works and doesnt work for our group.

And buy a simple scope, dont be one of those orangutans out there with all these 4x25 x 60scopes with more knobs and switches then a woman in her wedding dress. I use a 4x9x40mm if i could i would just get a single power scope, but they dont really make them any more. I have seen so many guys miss and waste time just by fooling with settings on their scope. Set it at 4x or 5x and leave it there, that is good for a every animal from 20 yards to 600yards.
 
personally never hunted coyote. but wouldn't you want a semi-automatic for quick repeated follow up.
just in case the first shot is a miss or wrong hit? seen plenty of video where a correction shot had to be done.
not my ideal type of hunting.

i was think mini-14 ranch rifle in .223 would suffice. unless you have a preference for bolt only.
I was debating between 22-250 or .243 for coyotes.
 
I don't like 223 for over 150 yard shots on coyotes it kills them but definitely not with the authority that a 22-250 or 243 does.

When all you make is a marginal shot and it happens to the best of us now and then I want every bit of explosive power going off inside the coyote to DRT it.

I used my Robinson Arms XCR-L in 223 loaded with 60gr V-Max this last Sunday morning took to coyotes with it and once again saw that any shot over 150 yards just doesn't thump them with the authority like I want it to.
 
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