Can anyone recommend a good 'yotin rifle?

Sorry for the late reply, out of town for a bit. Thanks so much for all the information, I'll check it out and I'll post my first 'yotin pic some time! ;)
 
Close range, multiple targets
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Further out, 204 for min pelt damage

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another 223 for backup

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25-06AI for reaching way out there

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Pretty much got the yote situation covered in my neck of the woods IMO:rolleyes:
Same Here,Sako A-1 .17Rem or Remington Predator in .204 for carry guns,a .22-250AI for long range,and a .25-284 for way out or yote's bigger brothers! Mur
 
I think your choice of calibre really depends on how serious you are about hunting coyotes or better yet pelt damage.
Lots of guys I know who are fur hunters like the .17 rem, .204, 222 and .223 anything above this get a little harder on pelts.
Ive used the .204, .223, 22-250, 220 swift and .243 and my favorite is the .204 Ruger, minimal too no fur damage, flat shooting and puts the "smack on em" If I didnt do anything with fur I would shoot a 220 Swift in a heartbeat.
If you don't reload and enjoy going out to blast some coyotes and cross over to varmints, a 22-250 would be a great cal.
Calibre choice is also very subjective to the location a guy is hunting in. Here in Southern Sask you can see them come in from a mile and can shoot them out past 500 yards, a flat shooting round is handy. If you're in thick bush no need for a 220 Swift a .223 will be more then adequate.
Every cal. has a certain advantage over the other you just need to find which works for you and wich you like.

Cheers!!
 
The .204 is quickly becoming my favorite varmint/predator rifle. I seldomly see shots past 300 where I live and hunt, and inside that range there are other benefits to that cartridge too.
Like mentioned above, it will greatly depend on where you are hunting.
Good luck, it is an awesome sport!
 
I've hunted yotes with my .270 with 90gr bullets. Sure turns them inside out. NOT recommended for hide hunting ;). I have been considering a Savage Predator package gun in .223 or .204 cal. I am leaning towards .223 for ammo availability. Check out the savagearms dot com site for details.

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Follow this link for a review of the Savage Predator rifle.
http://www.varminthunter.org/downloads/Issue63.pdf
 
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x2 on the savage predator I love mine!.

It shoots moa with factory ammo and sub moa with hand loads medium heavy barrel gives a good balance of cooling and weight.....camo is a bonus although I prefer the bush camo cause I also use it in the summer and the white would stick out.The only negative about the rifle is the camo coating wears around the muzzle and the bolt handle.
 
I think a lot of guys have to really look hard at what kind of coyote hunting they do.

Very rarely do I encounter guys that make a living at "hide hunting". And the ones that do are usually trappers anyway. I know a few guys that just wanted a wolf hide/coyote hide for their wall, and as such chose a smaller calibre so that there would be less "sewing" on their part.

On the other hand, I've met a lot of guys that want to HUNT coyotes, and hide hunting is an afterthought. These guys tend to use a fast, flat-shooting calibre, but one that most hide-hunters consider overkill.

Lastly, there are the guys that just want to KILL coyotes. They take whatever rifle they have handy, and head out to whack some 'yotes.

(disclaimer: I'm not passing judgement here. When I was a ranch hand I fell into the group that wanted coyotes and wolves dead, and didn't care how it happened. So no hissy-fits please)

I really think a lot of guys get a lot of overly-romanticized notions of hide-hunting in their head, when hides shouldn't factor in to rifle choice. Really examine what you want your varmint rifle to do for you. Cheers -Cameron
 
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Sako in 22-250... But of equal importance is the glass you put on top. What ever you plan to spend on the rifle set aside half as much again for a scope.
 
For coyotes I would totally recommend 22-250 if your a one varmint gun guy... :)

Then I would look at the different rifles.

Are you looking for new only or would a good used rifle work for you there should be some good buys on the EE forum myself I have used an older Ruger M77 tang safety 22-250 for 20 years and just last week bought a new Sako 85 Grey Wolf to replace it and I only replaced it because I wanted the stainless steel black/gray laminate Sako.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with my old rifle it was just time to upgrade I also remember a post recently by TodBartell where he purchased an older 22-250 that was a tack driver for something like $300.00.

No I am not promoting my old Ruger to you it is not for sale but if it was it has had the trigger done and it was glass bedded and free floated and consistantly gave me 2" X 3" 300 yard 10 shot groups from field positions I would only be asking $550.00 for it.

Which gives you room for a 1/2 decent scope...
 
Well, here where I hunt them, we seldom have to take a shot past 300 yards and usually it is inside 100 yards. My Dad and I use scoped bubba'd 6.5 X 55's and now my son is using a .222 Remington chambered savage Model 340. He just "christened" that on Friday afternoon on a nice adult female yote. Worked awesome. The 6.5 X 55's shoot ALMOST as flat as the .22 centrefires. Close enough I won't spend the extra bucks for a special varmint rifle. We're very pleased with how they work and they didn't cost near as much as a new off the shelf gun. They're definitely tack drivers too! There's a lot of good calibres and guns to use them out there though. The savage 200 in a .223 would be a VERY economical and good shooting varmint rifle. If I was shopping for the best buy for my buck I think I'd go with one of them.
Al
 
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