Opinions on caliber for coyote?

.223, .243, 22-250, all will work for your intended purposes. Just try to pick the right bullet for the job. And pick the right twist rate for your intended bullet choices.

As an aside, my do-it-all rifle this year is chambered in .223 Remington. 62gr Federal Fusion SP's are it's chosen fodder. I'll try 73gr ELD-M's if I can get my hands on them though. Coyote's to Moose and everything in between. Lots of people would think I'm mad. And I can't blame them. Conventional wisdom says it's incapable of killing even moderate sized ungulates, let alone big ones. But a body of evidence has been presented to me that makes me believe that to be untrue. We'll see though. I have yet to kill anything with it. If I pull the trigger on an animal, I'll post my results, good or bad for all to see.
 
Gcola said:
I am looking into a gun for coyote hunting. Am leaning towards a .243 with a smaller grain bullet to also have capability for deer hunting, but looking for opinions from those who have experience coyote hunting. I am also wanting to make sure to keep hide and fur damage to a minimum.
Thanks
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for coyotes id go 17hmr. super accurate at 100 meters and super cheap ammo
 
Gcola said:
I am looking into a gun for coyote hunting. Am leaning towards a .243 with a smaller grain bullet to also have capability for deer hunting, but looking for opinions from those who have experience coyote hunting. I am also wanting to make sure to keep hide and fur damage to a minimum.
Thanks
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243 is loud and detrimental to bringing in more coyotes.

Cant go wrong with a 204 , then 22-250 …… both better suited and a little quieter …… ive dusted about 75-80 yotes with those 2 calibres
 
hunter-4-life said:
Anyone who says 243 is marginal for deer needs take their white oakleys off and put their 300 win mag away and learn to shoot. Ive seen more deer in my life fold up faster than a cheap lawn chair with a 243 then any other caliber. My brothers first whitetail was cranked with a 95gr Hornady Interlock and that buck was 275 yards away. He dropped so fast my brother thought he missed him but the rest of knew exactly what happened.

The 243 is probably the best coyote/deer rifle you can buy. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You learn how to place your bullets where they need to be. Bigger calibers do not make up for poor shot placement. I'd take a 90gr Accubond from a 243 in the lungs of an elk over a 300gr Berger from 338 lapua in the guts.
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A blanket statement that 243 is all you need for deer is a stupid statement, DISTANCE is the magic factor that determines if a deer will die with a 243.

People that don't think of the details are usually the blowhards that tell lies about how well they shoot and usually s.h.itty unethical hunters that take ridiculous shots so they have a good story to tell while getting drunk going back to camp

The engineers at Hornady developed the HIT SCORE system with far too much detail and fieldwork to be simply dismissed by some guy saying "ya 243 is good"
 
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FatCatsDad said:
A blanket statement that 243 is all you need for deer is a stupid statement, DISTANCE is the magic factor that determines if a deer will die with a 243.

People that don't think of the details are usually the blowhards that tell lies about how well they shoot and usually s.h.itty unethical hunters that take ridiculous shots so they have a good story to tell while getting drunk going back to camp

The engineers at Hornady developed the HIT SCORE system with far too much detail and fieldwork to be simply dismissed by some guy saying "ya 243 is good"
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At exactly what distance does the 243 stop working?
 
OP never indicated whether he was a handloader or used factory ammo. If not a handloader then 6.5 CM has a lot going for it in terms of availability and weights of factory ammo that can be obtained for a reasonable cost. The cartridge has a great reputation for range and precision and rifles are available in most manufacturer's lineups.

It's pleasant enough to shoot and would also be an excellent choice for deer just by going up in bullet weight.
 
25’06 with 75 grain V-Max’s reloaded with Varget for song dogs. Switch to 100 grain Barnes TSX’s on top of 4831 or 7828, or RL 22 and deer moose and elk die just fine.
 
Anything I have in my hands! lol

22-250 was a great cal I found. Sight in for 200. Just put crosshairs on fur under 300 yards and down goes the yote.
I used a 6.5 also....
 
Gcola said:
I am looking into a gun for coyote hunting. Am leaning towards a .243 with a smaller grain bullet to also have capability for deer hunting, but looking for opinions from those who have experience coyote hunting. I am also wanting to make sure to keep hide and fur damage to a minimum.
Thanks
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I use my .243Win light for Coyote (55gr V-Max) and heavy for Deer (110gr Norma or 100gr Federal SP). I also use the 110gr Norma for calf Moose. It doesn't tear up the meat on a smaller animal. Kills 'em dead.
 
Havn’t chimed I’m on one of these for years…..calling a .243 marginal for deer is the words of an inexperienced deer killer. It’s murderous. Here’s one for you guys to chew on…….I happen to personally know a guy in the Kootenays who killed 17 consecutive bull elk through the late 80s and 90s with 85grain partitions and his trusty Sako .243….ONE of them required a second shot. Would I recommend that….no….but it demonstrates what a .243 will do in the hands of someone who understands what it it capable of. NOT marginal for deer kids.
 
FatCatsDad said:
It is dependent on the size if the animal.
Coyote at 200 yards yes, 1000 yards, well what do you think ?

Take some time and read the free papers on the Hornady site, it's cute interesting
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I shoot coyotes at long range. Including 800+m with a 6x47L. 105 and 109gr.

For hunting deer, as long as my impact velocity is adequate, I would not hesitate to shoot a deer (and do) with a 6mm upto 500m.

If you poke a hole in both lungs, the animal will die.
 
brenden270 said:
Havn’t chimed I’m on one of these for years…..calling a .243 marginal for deer is the words of an inexperienced deer killer. It’s murderous. Here’s one for you guys to chew on…….I happen to personally know a guy in the Kootenays who killed 17 consecutive bull elk through the late 80s and 90s with 85grain partitions and his trusty Sako .243….ONE of them required a second shot. Would I recommend that….no….but it demonstrates what a .243 will do in the hands of someone who understands what it it capable of. NOT marginal for deer kids.
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Testify brother. Everytime this comes up the people replying should have to state their experience level/coyotes killed/deer killed/caliber(s) used and distances. There's a lot of one or two coyotes a year posters in these thread talking down on dudes with multiple hundreds of dead dogs chalked up.
 
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