Coyote cal.

Red foreman

Red foreman

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Okay here's the deal,I'm going to get a dedicated coyote rifle.I'm thinking either the stevens or savage package deals.I'd be interested in your opinions on calibres.Cost of ammo,performance, availability of ammo(I do not reload)ect.
 
I'd get a .223 - cheap ammo, adequate for the target at hand, and common as dirt for both rifles in that calibre, as well as ammo. Lots of good answers though - anything in the small-fast-bullet category is a good bet.
 
For The coyote, an animal that can take a pretty solid hit to put down, I would choose the 22-250. I actually prefer the 220 Swift over them all, but availability of ammo can be a concern in some areas if you do not reload. The 22-250 has a distinct advantage over the 223 at ranges over 300 yards. Since you say it will be a dedicated coyote gun, I believe that a bit more oomph than the 223 makes sense. You will not be shooting it in long strings so as to make barrel life a concern. Regards, Eagleye.
 
I'd also say get a .22-250. There is a huge variety of factory ammo available for it, and like Eagleye said, it seems to have quite a bit more smack down power over the .223 once you get past 300 yards or so.

If you want to keep the pelt damage down, a .204 might be just the ticket, but I'm not sure how available ammo is for this calibre yet. If you're not concerned about pelt damage, a .243 will knock a coyote on it's ass, plus you could use it for deer.
 
I think a .243 is a minimum caliber for Coyotes/Wolves.
We have larger coyotes than you do in the west.... but you also have wolves.
Pelt damage keeps coming up.:confused: .. I find that hunting weight bullets do less damage than light varmint bullets.
I took one this year with a .50 cal M/L... it only had a 1/2 inch hole in and out, 4 stitches.:eek:
 
if you're not caring about hide damage, the 243 Winchester is really hard to beat. Awesome downrange ballistics with alot of power.

If you want to save the pelts, try a 204 Ruger, 223, 22-250, or 220 Swift...not all available in the rifles you mentioned. ;)
 
The crew I hunt with uses the small caliber stuff, /222 Rem, /17 Rem. ,.223 rem,
and now a .204 Ruger.

I ahve used in the past most calibers in the spectrum from 22 mag to .58ML,
FMJ's, varmint bullets, hunting bullets, match bullets , the works.
What we have found that works for us for the most part , is a small caliber varmint bullet,
(TNT, Blitzking, SX, stc.) moving at or around the 3,200 - 3,300 mark.
The Ruger and the .17 are the exception.
We hunt using a variety of calss and shoot our animals anywhere from 20 to 300 yards.
Peltdamage is kept to a minimum, and these calibers are more than accurate enough.
We found that the 22/250, .220 swift, 243 ect. were just too much for the majority of our shots.
That works for us, it may not be the best set up for everybody.
The big thing is not what you use, IMHO, but how you use it.
Get comfortable with the rifle and the ranges you plan to use it in....
Cat
 
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I think the three best choices would be the 223, 22-250 and 243.

The cheapest to shoot is by far the 223
This becomes a big advantage in the off season when you are practicing in the gopher patches!;)

The 22-250 would be the better choice for the long range and the Winchester (white box) value pac will cost you $22.00 for 40 rounds at Wal-Mart. If you ever start to reload you will find that the 22-250 is a powder hog for any advantage it has over the 223 is lost.

The 243 become the most versitile calibre because it will double as a backup deer/antelope rifle. I say back-up just because I think is is on the small side for deer but lots will disagree!:cool: I am a lover of KNOCK-DOWN power and the 243 just does not have it on deer!

Good luck in your decision either one will make a fine toy! It doen't matter what calibre you buy, if you don't like it for some reason there will be a lineup of CGN members that will be more than happey to bail you out of it for $0.50 on the dollar!:p
 
I don't keep a lot of pelts from the 'yotes I shoot, since so many of them are full of mange. I hunt them mainly because the landowners I know who have livestock that is being picked-off by the efficient canine predator give me a call and ask me to alleviate the problem a bit.

For that, I use a Browning A-Bolt II Varmint Stalker, chambered in .22-250

It knocks them down quick. I've never had a 'runner'. Of course, I practice with that rifle A LOT.
 
Thanks for all the good suggestions guys.Are any of these calibre's inheritly more accurite than the others?I plan on using this rifle as a paper killer as well,that is why ammo cost is a concern for me.
 
All of the small caliber varminters tend to be quite accurate. Of those mentioned in this thread, the .22-250 and .204 are probably top of the league.
 
Sean111 said:
I'm gonna make do with my .243 for now, I'd love to try a .204 Ruger though
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I love my 204! I just got it this fall and have called in lots of dogs, and each one I have shot have been bang/flops! There is no hide damage, just little entrace holes and NO exits, from 50 yards to 200. I have been useing 32gr V-MAX's with 27grns of H-335. If you are keeping the hides, the 204 is the way to go, 22-250's can be hit or miss for hide damage just something to keep in mind.
 
studly said:
I plan on using this rifle as a paper killer as well,that is why ammo cost is a concern for me.
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Of the mentioned small calibres, I'm pretty sure the .223 is the cheapest to feed. I've seen mail-order ammo for less than $100 US per 1,000 rounds.
 
If buying ammo is an issue,

get a stevens 200 in 223, you can't go wrong, its decent up to 250-300 yards for yotes with good ammo, ammo is cheap. I buy mine at wally mart 16$ for 40 rounds and get groups of 3/4 inch.

my 2 cents

pilot
 
I've shot a good number of 'yotes with my Swift, and with the correct bullet, you seldom get an exit, and the entry is mighty small!! I would think that the 22-250, would be similar, giving up only about 150 fps to the Swift with 40 grain BT's. Eagleye.
 
CV32 said:
All of the small caliber varminters tend to be quite accurate. Of those mentioned in this thread, the .22-250 and .204 are probably top of the league.
Click to expand...

I would bet that the average 223 will outshoot the average 22-250, all things being equal (by a hair)
 
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