I have been looking at (not going to buy any time soon just doing some looking) rifles to use for coyotes. Have a .243 to use for the time being of my brothers if/when I get to hunt them. I have been doing at least a little looking for when I am able to buy. I have been thinking Ruger Mini 14 Rancher or Marlin XL7 chambered in 22-250. Shots wont be much past 200yd. I am not big into rifles so any help with opinions on which caliber or gun even and why you would pick it over others.
I have the Savage .17 cal HMR and love it. 200 yards there's an 8" drop, but those lil hollow points make a huge hole when they open up! Drops 'yotes real quick.
I recommend an AR-15. It's like the tinker toy for gun people. But, just about anything will do for coyotes. Do you want to sell the hides or just kill them. That's about the only real consideration for a coyote rifle. Some calibers do a better job of leaving a saleable hide. Some just leave big pieces.
I also use an AR most of the time. When I'm in close quarters I use a shotgun with a Dead Coyote tube and I'm shooting 3" Remington HD BB loads....it's good for roughly 50 yards or so. I'd highly recommend not using anything rimfire. I shot one with a .17 HMR a couple years ago that we never recovered, and my main yote hunting partner has shot quite a few with a .22 Mag (produces more energy than a .17 HMR) and has had roughly a 50/50 recovery rate with all shots at under 50 yards. If you state allows it, anything semi auto in .22 centerfire calibers is probably your single best bet. The AR platform can be incredibly accurate and reliable, plus there is an unlimited amount of accessories for them. Plus they are just plain fun to have and cheap to shoot to for a centerfire.
AR's are fun, and a great yote gun. I also have a Savage BTH heavy barrel in .243. That's a fun gun also. Bi-pod, heavy barrel, accutrigger. GREAT a long way out there if that's what you like.
I have a .243 but a guy in the neighborhood that I hunted with a lot this year has three AR-15's and I am thinking about building one. The ammo is affordable the combo's are almost endless!
Unless you just can't help yourself... I'd stick with the 243 It's a zero to 250 without any compensation. It'll kill.
My buddy and I just got into predator hunting heavy this year, he is shooting a TC Icon .243 with a 4-16X50 Pentax Lightseeker with a Kill Light. My set up is a Browning BLR .243 and I will be picking up one of the Nikon Coyote Special scopes and topping it with my Coyote TLR light that I got today. The .243 has the knockdown power with an incredibly flat trajectory and it won't mess up an animal as bad as larger rounds.
That 243 will get the job done.And AR's are great little rifles and fun to shoot. But MY personal choice for predators is my Tikka T-3 22-250 topped with a Leupold golden ring VX-3 6.5-20X 50mm objective scope. Its predator medicine. Not had a dog yet to get up after being center punched with it.And while it'll put a hole in both sides of predators,it wont completely blow em apart.
After lots of research trying to find a good coyote rifle, I ended up purchasing a stainless Tikka in .243 regular barrel. I had a wish list but when I really considered what kind of hunting I'd be doing with the rifle, my list changed. I was set on .223 or 22.250, but after looking at ballistics charts and realizing with the right factory load the .243 would actually shoot as flat or flatter than the other two, this led me to the .243. I was also very interested in the AR-15 but with the amount of moving around and calling that I do, the bolt gun was much lighter and far less bulky. I was also set on a bull barrel until really trying them out and realizing how front heavy they seemed. Yes if prairire dogs were a common target or shooting from a rest was common the bull barrel would have been the choice but again, too much weight for my hunting style. Really decide how you'll use the gun, and then get the gun. For what its worth, the action on a Tikka bolt gun is amazing.
How many of you guys with the 243 have actually shot a yote with one? I killed a couple with one back in highschool, and they all left nasty holes in and out. I almost cut one in half that I shot through the shoulders one time. As far as weight and the AR......it all depends on how you set it up. I've got a 16" lightweight barrel on mine and the gun is just over 5lbs before glass.
I do not care if I blow them into 1,000 1"x1" pieces. I want as many gone as I can get out of here. I like the .243 and will probably end up with that caliber. The Hornady loads we are using now leave a nasty exit on a fence post. lol Its a Rossi Trifecta and is super light.
If you don't mind holes......then the 243 is a great yote caliber. We often have foxes and cats show up here though, and even a 223 is really rough on them. Good cats are worth $100+ this year too.....so I really try not to destroy them. You should have seen the hole I put in the cat I shot two years ago with the 223.......I would have loved to gotten a full mount on that one (24lb male) but unfortunately I had to settle for a shoulder pedestal due to the hole.
Bang Flop....I have a Savage in a .204 strictly for Coyotes, never lost one with it, sure does a number on em, watch em drop thru the scope!
22-250 or an AR... i would like to see the charts that say a .243 shoots as flat as a 22-250. my rifle is sighted to be dead on at 200, at 100 yards i aim an inch low and at 300 yards i aim an inch high and its a dead dog with my 22-250
I just use a cheap single shot .223. Bought it from my friend for $100, spray painted a camo pattern on it, put a scope, sling, and bullet band on it. Only killed 3 coyotes and a bobcat with it so far, I haven't had any problems with nasty holes so far. I just left the coyotes lay though, pretty mangy and I had to get to work
Matt, I have a full body mount of a yote I shot with my .280 and the holes were actually very small, I was shooting ballistic silver tips out of it. I believe the bullet has a bigger affect on the hole than the caliber itself to an extent.
The bullets can make a big difference. Kendall has some 90 grain bullets he's shooting out of his .270 that he wants to use for yotes. He's going for coyote burger.
Another option: 6mm remington...little flatter than .243 but close to same...tougher to find ammo I prefer .223 myself for where I hunt and saving the pelt for some cash(I usually use my encore in .223 and bring along a Win. s.s. 20ga 3in chamber with #4buck copperplated), but would use the 6mm for where 200+ yrds would be common.
