Coyote Rifle

[Trench Sweeper]

Ive been doin quite a bit of research lately on my first rifle. i will mainly be using it for Coyotes, i really like the Thompson Centers.

what do you think:
Encore pro hunter in .243 or .270
and the Venture or Icon in 22-250

i really like all 3 of these especially the Encore. just want to here some first hand experience of what you guys think.

Thank You.

 

[Scott_N]

If it was for a dedicated coyote rifle, I would go with 22-250 (or 223 or 204). If you were planning on keeping the hides, 243 and 270 especially are overkill.

 

[KDX]

If you may want it for deer somewhere down the road choose your caliber accordingly. Or it could be a really good excuse to buy another rifle down the road which is always a good thing if you need an excuse.

 

[quiglee]

I have owned several 22-250's and I know you won't be disappointed when it comes to long distance shooting. I know from experience 243 will ruin most pelts if you hit any bone. Everything I've heard and read says that T/C venture is a good choice and I think it will be my next one. Good luck

 

[skypilot]

Make sure whatever caliber you buy meets MNR restrictions where you plan to hunt. Here locally there is no issue as max is .270 IIRC.

Check out the fit and feel of each rifle at a shop.

Consider where you hunt coyotes. Is the farmer gonna hustle the family into his bomb shelter every time you shoot(a 22-250 and .243 are loud).

I hunt on different farms and carry a .243 or .223 depending on the farmer, his property layout, his neighbors and then pelt damage. Your situation may be entirely different if you hunt strictly for the pelt and in wilderness areas.

Also dead is dead, and most any caliber will do that. After that it is your personal preference.

 

[Duffy]

If you start off with an Encore with a .223 barrel You can in the future get another barrel in a bigger cartridge for deer and moose. (or one barrel for each)

One of my "coyote guns" is a savage M24 with a .222 barrel over a 20 ga. barrel. This is NOT a long range shooting rig but works good for coyotes called in to less that 100 yards. I have shot a lot of grouse with the 20 ga. barrel.

 

[Ranger Dave]

If your shooting under 200 yards give or take, the Ruger Mini 14 does a good job.

 

[Trench Sweeper]

think im gonna go with the encore very comfortable and if i want to move up to a deer cal. ill just get a new barrel

any recomendations on scopes?

 

[kamlooky]

No ideer where Smithville is, but in Alberta as I'm told, 22 cal is against the rules
for big game.

 

[bearkilr]

I've got a nice scar between the eyebrows thanks to that combo pictured. 20 Gauges, scopes and a couple inches eye relief are an evil combination.