Ranch predator gun suggestions

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My wife hates using everything I have in the way of guns and for her purposes I can't blame her. We have a significant coyote problem and she has lost many free range birds to them. I have shot many of the bastard yotes when I have been able to but there are plenty of times when I am working and she is home.

She wants an easy-to-carry non-scoped centerfire rifle for predator control out to 250 Meters. (She went to a local sporting goods store and some cerebrus tried to talk her into a .17 mach II)

She is looking for a light (<7 pounds), open-sight rifle, preferably with a detachable magazine. 223 or 204 would be an optimal caliber and I think semi-auto would be ideal.

The one obvious choice is a mini-14 ranch gun.

Can anyone come up with another idea well under a grand? Anyone seen anything in the EE?
 
I bought my wife a Model Seven in .243 as she doesn't like the way my M700 ADL .223 fits her. We haven't had much for coyote problems since late winter although every evening you can hear the packs calling in the valley.
 
How about a .22 magnum? Possibly a Ruger 96/22M lever gun or a Remington 597 semi-auto. Both have detachable magazines and they are not too heavy. $400-500 range. Food for thought.
 
southwest maddog said:
How about a .22 magnum? Possibly a Ruger 96/22M lever gun or a Remington 597 semi-auto. Both have detachable magazines and they are not too heavy. $400-500 range. Food for thought.
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.22 Winchester Magnum?? If she wants the ability to shoot to 250m, is the .22mag not a little anemic? The suggestion of the .243 was a good one. With a nice set of peeps and some practice, she would be a yote slayer
 
I vote BAR Lightweight Stalker in .243; the recoil is light, semi-detachable mag, iron sights, semi-auto......just a bit pricey.
I don't hate Remmy Jam-o-matics, so I'd also consider the 7400 or 750 in .243 Win.
Neither of these rifles is feather light, but without a scope, they'll carry well.
 
Brno Fox in .223/222/22 Hornet, light, accurate, short, handy too.....your detachable magazine as well.

Ensure to get the 'newer' model, as the older often 222 calibre ones, had a safety that worked backwards, from what North American manufactures produce.

Another nice shorter alternative (without external magazines) would be a Mohawk 600/660 in 222/223, or a Remington Model 7 carbine, in the same calibre choices. Perhaps 243 would be a better choice IF blackies were sometimes around.

I would suggest a 30-30 Winchester /Marlin, but ladies/children often do not the smack from the crooked stock & 170 grain bullets. Again no seperate magazine, & good or bad points of view. Even moving down to Federal's awesome/accurate/destuctive, 125 grain hollowpoint in 30-30, will not alleviate the stock drop. Unless you find a curved/conventional pistol grip model.

If I did not have a 788 Remington in .222 already, the Fox is what I would purchase.
 
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Coyote rifle

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Interesting problem. You have not mentioned your wife's recoil tolerance, so it is assumed that anything over the .243 area is out.

For coyotes, I would definitely look at the .223 calibre. Light recoil, easy to carry, accurate, and ammo available at reasonable prices almost anywhere.

This brings us to the open sight problem. In looking through some SIR and Wholesale catalogs, it would seem that open sights are almost a thing of the past. Myself, I would not have a hunting rifle that did not have open sights on it. If a scope screws up, you still have a back up system that you can finish a hunt with.

Also many people do not realize just how effective open sights can be.

So, back to the rifle. Criteria..open sights...under $1000

In a semi-automatic, the Ruger mini 14 is about the choice. It weighs 6.5 pounds with a synthetic stock, and 6.75 with a wood one. $725 average.

However, there are several choices in a lady sized bolt action.

The CZ weighs about 6.5 pounds and costs about $800

The Savage 11F Hunter weighs about 6.5 pounds and costs $519

The Remington Model 7 Youth model is is 6.25 pounds, and costs $569.
It has a stock that is 1 inch shorter than the regular model. If this is a factor, a recoil pad could easily be installed.

Myself, I would favor the Remington Model 7. Although I do not have one, I have shot a friends Model 7 in 6mm Remington. It is well balanced, points very quickly, and shoots well.

The best thing would be go to a gun club or find someone with a .223 and let her try it. You might also accompany her to a GOOD gun shop, and let her handle a few rifles to see what SHE LIKES.

For 250 yards on Coyotes, the rimfires are definitely OUT.
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Several have mentioned guns which do not come with iron sights. The regular Tikka T3 is one of these. As for Tikka perhaps a Battue model in 223 or 22-250 would work.
 
Murf said:
Several have mentioned guns which do not come with iron sights. The regular Tikka T3 is one of these. As for Tikka perhaps a Battue model in 223 or 22-250 would work.
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There is lots of regular .223 T3's around with sights. Its also the only one that has sights and a DM.

Epps has 8 of them. http://www.ellwoodepps.com/new_firearms_tikka.asp

The battue does not come in .223 or .22-250.;)
 
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perhaps a lever action would work here? i dont know about them coming in .223 but one in 30-30 should get the job done, altho might might be to much recoil
 
If she got to look through a good low power scope that had a big field of view and didn't magnify her shakes, she might have a change of heart. My wife had the same opinion until she looked through "Her" 1.75-6X dialed down to 1.75X.

I think the .243 would work well for a varmint gun, but if she decided to try her hand at deer hunting, then I agree one of the 6.5 Husky's would be a better choice. IMHO, if you reload, it doesn't much matter which cartridge you choose because you can tailor a load that won't intimidate her, will shoot flat, and will flatten your problem dogs. 130 gr Speer hollow points are deadly varmint bullets and loaded in a .308 or a .30/06 are gentle on the shooter.

I would nix the Mini-14, and find a bolt gun that had a friendlier trigger. Unless it's been worked over a Min-14 can cause a good shot to loose confidence in his/her marksmanship ability.

Regardless what rifle you get her, make sure that it fits her. If it has a good trigger, decent sights, and it fits her well, the yotes are in trouble.
 
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