coyote and other predator guns

soldier506

soldier506

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Hi, was wondering what your preferance for a calibre for predator calling? Myself, I got me a .223 rifle for coyotes. I know alot of people use 22-250 for coyotes too . My question is with a .223 rd, does it do alot of damage to the fur? I suppose it depends on the bullet. A JHP will make a bigger mess than a FMJ would. However, herd people say that a FMJ is a poor choice for a bullet type.

Is there much differance between 22-250 and the .223 ?
What calibre has more range and accuracy?
What about larger animals such as even wolves ? Is the .223 acceptable ?

Just curious to know what everyone here shoots for a rifle when predator calling.
 
223 isnt bad on fur, I shot a half dozen or so with the 55 grain Nosler BT and it always exited with a thumbnail sized hole. Id steer clear of FMJ especially in a small cartridge like the 223.

22-250 is 400-500 fps faster and has an edge at long range past 300 yards. You probably wouldnt find much a difference in accuracy between the two.

Ive shot one wolf with the 223 and it died rather fast, with a shot at 75 yards in the lungs.

I used to shoot 223 but last year went with a 243 and thats what I will be using again this winter. It shoots flat, hits very hard, and gives an advantage over a 22-250 on larger predators like wolf, especially at longer range when energy levels drop off. Its not as fur friendly as the 22 calibers though.
 
Todd see you use the 243 too, what bullets do you load?
Right now I am using 75gr sierra varminters. Have not shot a yote with hem yet so can not say how they perform
 
X3

FMJ's are basically useless but here is a funny thing I shot a few foxes years back with fmj's and they shreaded the foxes but coyotes shot would run a long way.

The 52 grain hornady bthp seems to come up often as a good 22 cal fur bullet. A buddy shoots 50 gr Nosler BT's and has good results, lots of fur damage (splash wounds) if you hit bone at close range. One year he tried 50 v-max and those were way too soft did not kill a coyote well for him at all.
 
I have been shooting coyotes since the 70's... we all used .223's back then. Most of the guys I hunt with have moved on to larger calibers. I think the .243 .25 .260 and the .270 cals with the right bullets are better choices for big coyotes and wolves.
You hear a lot of talk about fur friendly bullets... larger caliber hunting weight bullets deliver enough energy to kill efficiently with modest or little expansion.JBRO.
 
Boer seun said:
Todd see you use the 243 too, what bullets do you load?
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Last winter I was using 70 grain Nosler BT @ 3500 f/s and it worked well on six yotes at ranges between 80 & 300 yards. If broadside, it will exit, and often nastylike. My one frontal shot didnt exit @ 300y. Hammers them hard either way.

This coming winter I'll be shooting the 55 grain Nosler BT @ 3800 fps'ish. Its pretty accurate in my gun, groups around half to 3/4" @ 100, and should reach out a long ways.
 
AlderTK said:
what about a 308 for wolf and yotes?
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308 will kill them just fine, but its heavier bullet will most likely tear the pelt up a bit. This may be reduced with heavier bullets at lower speed but then you start to run into trajectory problems - hitting smaller stuff past 250 yards
 
Bigredd
What do you use for calling them in around your area? Do you get lots of foxes that come in too? I hope to get out this year and start hammering them I have some property north of Guelph and some around your area too. Just wondering what brings them in best and just who likes to come in.
Thanks
 
I know well enough i'm not likly to hit things that far out not to take the shot i know i have limitations i'm not as steady as i'd like to be used to be like a rock i plan to keep my shots with in the 100 yard linefor that reason for the imdiate future

on that note any one know if it's hard to call a yote in to that distance
 
I have to admitt the one i shot with a 50 gr vmax cooking at 4000 fps
with a 22-250.
It makes a mess!
I would slow it down if your worried about pelt damage, as for what Tod said about the 243, i think its a better choice!
 
Another .223 fan here. Mine's in a Rem 700 ADL Synthetic wearing a Leupold VariX II 3-9x40. Likes pretty much any factory load I've tried. I picked up some 40gr & 45gr HP's to try over a caseful of Benchmark and see how they do on fur.
Here's a pic from a few days ago when a coyote came to visit our chicken coop...bad idea ;)
IMG_2382.jpg
 
AlderTK said:
what about a 308 for wolf and yotes?
Click to expand...
There's lots of choices of bullets in .308 for coyote use. Hornady makes a 110VMax and a 155 AMax. The AMax is considered a match bullet but has an identical jacket to the VMax but Quality control is a little more ridgid. Perhaps they don't run the AMax on Mondays or Fridays. Either way a .30 caliber will knock them over but damage to hide will be massive. If you just want to kill coyotes due to livestock predation and hides aren't a priority due to time of year or what ever go for it.
I haven't shot a coyote I don't believe with a .30 but I have rid farmlands of feral dogs with my /06 and oh boy it takes them apart. One I shot in the chest and took his guts out several feet behind him. That was my first memory of "RED MIST". I shot him from the hip as he was snarling at me less than ten feet away when I peeked under an abandoned barn dang near 35 yrs ago;)
 
JasonYuke said:
I have to admitt the one i shot with a 50 gr vmax cooking at 4000 fps
with a 22-250.
It makes a mess!
I would slow it down if your worried about pelt damage, as for what Tod said about the 243, i think its a better choice!
Click to expand...
What are you useing for powder in that load? What length barrel?
 
deertaker said:
Bigredd
What do you use for calling them in around your area? Do you get lots of foxes that come in too? I hope to get out this year and start hammering them I have some property north of Guelph and some around your area too. Just wondering what brings them in best and just who likes to come in.
Thanks
Click to expand...

I use an older Johnny Stewart electronic caller it has more volume than any other I have tried... jack rabbits in distress is my favorite call!
Mostly I shoot them off a bait pile starting in December through to March. I still get out a couple of times a year with hounds... that is a blast.
Todd mentioned 55 gr ballistic tips with the .243... I have been using them for about five years and they work great out to about 300 yards then they get sketchy on big dogs. I have had a couple of runnaways using them past 300. I prefer the 70 grain bullets with the .243 and the 85's with the .25... 110 accubonds are deadly from the .270 nice clean holes and very little pelt damage.:cool:
 
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