Coyote caliber/gun

doublelung

doublelung

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So I'm sure like some maybe many of you I have sold off guns that I regret selling. My collection now is purpose built and I have most of what I need/want. One that I don't have and need is a coyote rifle.

What would be your choice between .223, .22-250 and .243.

I'm not a millionaire so I would want the rifle to be sub $1000 ish. I'm leaning towards a Tikka T3 stainless as it's one of the guns I had and regret selling off. The bolt throw was just so smooth.

What say you?

Ps. I'm sure it's been discussed a billion times so if you don't wanna chime in then don't

Cheers
 
Any of those 3 will do perfectly for coyotes. I'm currently using a .243 because my .223 ended up turning into a target rifle. All three have relatively inexpensive ammo and lots of selection on the shelf. If you have a specific model rifle in mind go with that and select the one they have on the shelf in whichever caliber.

Some might say the .243 is a bit overpowered for a coyote specific rifle buy I say the one upside to the .243 is you could also use it for deer, should the need arise.
 
I would say which caliber depends on what distance you will typically be shooting in. 223 for 250 yards on in. 22-250 for more than that. No experience with 243.
 
I personally like the 22-250. There’s a great choice of varmint bullets on the market and a little extra powder behind it never bothered me. Lol
 
58 grain 243. If my memory is corect it shoots 4.8” low at 300. If zeroed 2” high at 100. It’s a pretty flat shooting round. Can always go to a heavier bullet for larger animals. Never shot a 223. Picked up a savage 22-250 for a Freind of mine. It was a laser beam. At 100 yards he shot 3 rounds touching each other. When he went back to 200ish he didn’t miss a clay target. About 10 in a row. I think any of the rounds would do just fine. If you get a gun that shoots 223.556 should be able to find some cheep plinking ammo.
 
doublelung said:
So I'm sure like some maybe many of you I have sold off guns that I regret selling. My collection now is purpose built and I have most of what I need/want. One that I don't have and need is a coyote rifle. What would be your choice between .223, .22-250 and .243. I'm not a millionaire so I would want the rifle to be sub $1000 ish. I'm leaning towards a Tikka T3 stainless as it's one of the guns I had and regret selling off. The bolt throw was just so smooth. What say you? Ps. I'm sure it's been discussed a billion times so if you don't wanna chime in then don't
Cheers
Click to expand...

Any of the three will perform in the role. The .223 is the cheapest to shoot and the most fur friendly (if that's a concern), and the .243 will have the longest reach and terminal effect. I have Tikka T3's in both .223 and .22-250, and they're great rifles. I'd have a .243 in that model as well if we were allowed to use it for coyotes here, and it would be my choice of the three (again, if fur did not matter). Thor's hammer!
 
I will agree that the 223 would be ideal - cheaper to reload - brass you can find at the range - 40 grain Vmax and Benchmark will be a good combination. I have a Savage Axis for yotes - does the job and is very accurate
 
I have .223s and a 22-250. If i weren't a reloader I would say go with the .243. When buyin factory ammo, the good stuff is about the same price for 22-250 and 243, .223 only a bit cheaper. Atleast with the .243 you could hunt medium sized game too.

Personally, I plink a fair bit with my 22 centerfires, I've never gotten into a .243 because I have other deer caliber rifles. I reload my own ammo so the cost difference between 223 and 22-250 is negligable.

With similar varmint loads out to 250 yds a coyote wont know any different between any of the calibers. the .223 is low recoil, the 22-250 is flat and fast, the .243 carries more energy. Over 250 yards, the .243 wins beacause of the ballistic coeffiecient
 
After using all 3 been using 243 with 85 tsx and finding smaller holes if selling them. Partition would probably perform the same. I would even consider trying the 6.5 cal with a good constructed bullet.
 
The 243 would be over kill on a Coyote , 223 and 22-250 would both easily do the job ; but if you are a volume shooter , the 223 would be cheaper to shoot , while the 22-250 might provide a bit more stopping power . If you are going to use the rifle for target as well , the 223 ammo would be cheapest off the shelf ; while the 22-250 would be the best dedicated Coyote round . Just my opinion though .
 
I originally got a 243 for predators and thought it would make a good backup deer rifle but after a few years I realized I was reaching for the 270 or 308 to go after deer and was always grabbing the 204 when going for coyotes. It just didn't serve a purpose for me so I sold it. Any of your options will serve you well and you can't go wrong with a tikka.
 
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223. 55gr sierra gameking hp. Shot to the throat facing head on at 201 paces. No exit. Drt

If i were to build another coyote rifle it would be the 250 savage. I love the 25 caliber and the lil 250 savage can still spit 70gr to 87gr bullets up to and over 3000fps plus it can be loaded heavier for deer and wolf and bear. From your list id just choose the rifle you want. As all 3 will do well
 

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doublelung said:
What would be your choice between .223, .22-250 and .243.
Click to expand...

All those calibres are fine for Coyote. My personal opinion is a 223. Yes, a 243 will do a little more damage, but its really about shot placement. A well placed bullet will do the trick no matter the calibre.

What it comes down to is that the 223 is much more economical to shoot.

Enjoy and happy hunting
Robert
 
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