Varmint cartridges

For my serious long range varmint shooting I use either my 22-250 AI or 6mm BR.
I'd like to try my 257 Weatherby with the lightest bullets on gophers one day.
I have several walking varminters that include a Sako 222 Rem, Low Wall 17 HMR, Henry lever 22 LR.
I have a few more varmint rifles but I don't shoot them very often to save the barrels.
I'm currently building a 6x45 AI using my old 6ppc match barrels and a donor 40XBR action and thumbhole stock. This will be my "I don't care if I shoot out a barrel in one day" varmint rifle. I have a steady supply of 6ppc barrels that are no longer competitive.
I'd like to build a 20 cal rifle. Can't decide on a 20 Practical, 20 BR or 20 PPC.
 
204 Ruger is my go to coyote cartridge, have 223, 22-250 and a 17 Hornet as well. For calling the 204 gets the nod, 22-250 is better if long range shots are anticipated.
 
I guess I dont shoot any "mainstream" varmint cals. Currently my main "go-to" for coyotes is a LH rem 70p in .220 swift. Here in Sask shots are normally far and the wind is always plentiful, so the speed and heavier bullets in the swift really anchors coyotes well. My others are the .222 rem, .22 hornet and .17 fireball. They all work just fine for everything from gophers to coyotes, but shots are limited to 250 yards or less and the wind needs to be low. But the upside to all of them, I can load them and shoot them considerably more and for cheaper than my .220 swift

If I was building a new critter gitter gun, I'd base it off the .221 fireball case. Brass is available, range is decent and it's very efficient on powder. Either a .221 fireball, .17 fireball or better yet, a .20 Vartarg. They'd all be capable from small game up to and including coyotes.
 
I use the .222 Remington ( four rifles) and the .22 Hornet ( two rifles) and .22 WMR ( one rifle) I have used a few .243 Win and .250 Sav and .257 Rob and .25-06 Rem rifles for varmints but prefer the milder .22's. The .223 just never appealed to me. I would buy a .204 Ruger or perhaps a .22-250 Rem or a .17 HMR but have no real need.

.222 Anschutz ( Cil 900) is my main coyote rifle with 40 gr. NBT is is very accurate, effective, and fur friendly. 2.5-8x Zeiss.
.222 Sako 461 Vixen HB Varmint - when extreme precision is required. 6.5-24x Leupold
.222 Brno ZKK 601 is a do-all small game and varmint rifle and I use it a lot for informal plinking, gophers, beaver etc. Working on some cast bullet loads for it too. 3-9x leupold
.222 / 16 ga Heym O/U combination gun - perfect for called coyotes in the bush or beavers at last light, shotgun is a very nice option sometimes. 2-4X Hensoldt in QD claw mounts.
.22 Hornet Anschutz 1530 Fullstock carbine - shot a lot of gophers with this one. Good in the bush too. So much fun and fur friendly for coyotes. 2-7x leupold
.22 Hornet Anschutz 1730 HB Varmint classic. Precise gopher getter. Cheap and quiet to shoot. 3.5-10 Leupold
.22 WMR Anschutz 1515 - for beaver shooting when big game season is open, and "rimfire only" allowed. 2-7 Bushnell
 
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I was a lover for many years of the .222 and .22Hornet, but finally sold off my last ones. For serious coyote hunting...as in save-the-fur hunting...I'm a .223 or.22-250 fan; the .22-250 is only chosen when I expect long shots, otherwise it is still a bit messy.

But that's only during the prime fur months. Late-winter hunts are an excuse to use fun guns; depending upon range/terrain, anything from .357Mag to .450-.400NE make coyote hunting a blast, literally and figuratively. Dogs taken around the house: the sky's the limit.

A triple with a .223 is three quick shots and makes you proud. A triple with a .308 is waiting patiently for three coyotes milling around a bait to line up perfectly so that one shot does the job. I've had it happen once, five years ago. I've almost stopped smiling...almost...:)
 
Used a 22-250 for years but sent that down the road. Currently using a .17hmr and 204R, and will soon be adding a .243 to take care of the wolves
 
I've used a lot. 204 or ballistic twins make sense to me for open areas. 22-250 just gets too dicey with furs. sometimes it's beautiful and sometimes not so much. But my first rifle, an A-Bolt micro medallion 223 is on my never sell list, so I've shot more with it than anything else. With a bad hit, it'll tear up furs too though. But after all these years, the 223 just works. Mine shoots ridiculously well, like as in 1/2", with either 40 or 55 Vermageddons so that's what I shoot. I've always wanted to rebarrel it with a short medium weight stainless fluted in 20Tac or something 20 that I can reuse the 400 or so Nosler brass I have in 223. But I just can't bring myself to take off a barrel that shoots so well. For bush work, I've always wanted to try a 22 hornet as that just makes way too much sense with fur prices these days. I've done some with the 22mag or 17hmr. It's dicey, but the nod would go to the 22mag for sure there. Until I find a 22 hornet, I'll just have to chase them into the open and then shoot them with the 223 :)
 
I have dies and components for both the 223 and 22-250 yet have neither rifle. I should rectify that. I don't have any desire for a 204 or anything too small...I prefer the extra legs of the 223 and 22-250.
 
Thoughts on 243, is it too much for varmits such as coyotes? I dont have any experience going after coyotes/wolves but am interested and if I didnt have to purchase another caliber that would be a +
 
Mildwood said:
Thoughts on 243, is it too much for varmits such as coyotes? I dont have any experience going after coyotes/wolves but am interested and if I didnt have to purchase another caliber that would be a +
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IMO a .243 with 80gr Barnes TTSX would be great choice for coyotes or wolves if want to minimize fur damage. Haven’t tried that combo but would think it would easily give passthru and leave fairly small exit holes. I plan to add a .243 for this exact purpose. Might be interesting to try the 95gr Berger VLD bullets as well for coyotes and wolves.....imagine they would be accurate and very effective if they shed as described....maybe no exit or only smaller shrapnel holes
 
Mildwood said:
Thoughts on 243, is it too much for varmits such as coyotes? I dont have any experience going after coyotes/wolves but am interested and if I didnt have to purchase another caliber that would be a +
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My favorites are Hornady .243Win 75gr V-Max and Hornady .270Win 130gr Super Performance SST. They're like hitting them with lightning. Forget about pelt retention,though. For us,it's all about pest destruction.
 
Mildwood said:
Thoughts on 243, is it too much for varmits such as coyotes? I dont have any experience going after coyotes/wolves but am interested and if I didnt have to purchase another caliber that would be a +
Click to expand...

If fur preservation is your goal, then the .243 is a bit much. But if you are removing pests, then it's fine for coyotes out to any range you will attempt. Coyotes are, pound for pound, a very tough animal, and the ideal target is very small, so I favor more power than you get from rounds smaller than the .223 or .22-250, which I view as the smallest rounds I will deliberately use for them.
 
northfork said:
IMO a .243 with 80gr Barnes TTSX would be great choice for coyotes or wolves if want to minimize fur damage. Haven’t tried that combo but would think it would easily give passthru and leave fairly small exit holes. I plan to add a .243 for this exact purpose. Might be interesting to try the 95gr Berger VLD bullets as well for coyotes and wolves.....imagine they would be accurate and very effective if they shed as described....maybe no exit or only smaller shrapnel holes
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As far as coyotes go I would use my 7 mm-08 with a 120 gr hollow point to lnflict as much damage as I can as I want the pelt to be worthless so I don't have to worry about being accused of wasting a pelt. Sometimes multi shots are required. When I hunted coyotes a lot not too many years ago a trapper friend said it wasn't worth skinning them for the few dollars he got. A lot of the winter coyote farmers used .308's, '06's and .270's but I think that was just because that was the rifle they had.
If you don't have a large selection then use what you have as the coyote doesn't care.
 
243 with Barnes 80/85, nosler 85 part or 100g bullet would work for coyotes and fur retention. Currently using Barnes tsx85 and it shows promise as holes have been about thumb size
 
I have shot a lot of coyotes and a few wolves with various guns and if forced to have only one gun it would be a .243 Win. Anything smaller and there are many times you will be "under-gunned", anything larger is over-kill and simply not needed. A .243 win. will kill them as far as you can shoot & connect.
 
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