Best cartridge for coyote/hog hunting in a factory tikka? 243 1:8 or 223 1:8

[Mjay6k]

Tikka 243win suppressed 16” running 88gr at 2980 or 69gr hammers at 3450 for hogs and 55gr BT at 3615 for coyotes with thermal. I’ve killed hogs with my 16” t3 223rem to but the 243 is better for obvious reasons

Sounds like a good load, what contour was the tikka before you chopped it? Just a normal lite or?

 

[Mjay6k]

Yes, you need to be 100 yds or more back from the carcass on the down wind side. Get hid or sit really still or they will spot you. Popup blinds work really well for this. In SC, you won't have long. Buzzards will have it cleaned in 5 days or less. Coyotes will usually come the 2nd night, but some will come in the daylight too. I tie the carcass to a tree, bush or stake because they will try to drag in back in the brush to eat on it.

Thanks for the tips, interesting that they don’t come the first night generally.

 

[ACHILLES]

Sounds like a good load, what contour was the tikka before you chopped it? Just a normal lite or?

Just the normal lite. I had a lot of the monarch 100gr Soft points that were 10.99/box 20 at academy that I stockpiled. They shot well out to 500 yards and I killed a lot of varmints, pigs, deer, and steel with them at 50 cents a round and a still using the ppu brass for certain reloads. Wish that stuff was still available.

 

[KenLee]

Thanks for the tips, interesting that they don’t come the first night generally.

Sure is, as yotes will often be on a deer kill within an hour in Upstate SC.

 

[omicron1792]

I guess it depends on what your coyote density is. One has to come in range to smell it in order to get on the bait. It also sometimes takes the bait several days to put off a pungent smell.

 

[J_shearin22]

Just got a Pulsar Thermion Pro 2 XP 50 in a trade and I’m wondering what would be best suited for it? I figure the 243 in an 8 twist would make longer range shots more feasible but the 224 would be cheaper to practice with. Also, would a superlite, roughtech, or ctr/varmint make the most sense? I wouldn’t think I’d get more than a few shots off per stand but if anyone has insight on profiles for night hunting that would be welcome.

Thanks!

243 would be better suited for hogs.

Just got a Pulsar Thermion Pro 2 XP 50 in a trade and I’m wondering what would be best suited for it? I figure the 243 in an 8 twist would make longer range shots more feasible but the 224 would be cheaper to practice with. Also, would a superlite, roughtech, or ctr/varmint make the most sense? I wouldn’t think I’d get more than a few shots off per stand but if anyone has insight on profiles for night hunting that would be welcome.

Thanks!

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

8 twist Tikka .223 and 8 twist Tikka .243 are both excellent, light recoiling chamberings in a reliable and accurate rifle.

Depending on bullet selection, bullet velocity, shot density altitude, and wind conditions you will likely see no killing ability benefit moving up to the .243 until roughly 800ish yards on predators/varmints. AKA, beyond 95+% of shooters on demand ability to kill predators and varmints.

Unless you consistently hunt and shoot in very windy conditions (even then, a 108 ELDM from a .243 with the same MV as a 77 TMK from a .223, shooting in a direct 3 or 9 o clock 20 MPH wind, only has a discrepancy of roughly .3 MIL at 400 yards). Again, a true 20 MPH cross wind on demand, on a predator or varmint shot in the field hunting at 400 yards is being missed by the VAST majority of shooters.

Buy a .223 and shoot the heck out of it!

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

243 would be better suited for hogs.

No, sir. Too many variables with not enough information to make this claim.

 

[omicron1792]

243 would be better suited for hogs.

Why?

 

[callen3615]

Out of those two, I’d take the 243. I recently got a 6.5 Grendel upper and it puts the smack down on yotes. There are videos of folks hog hunting with them, but for a bolt gun, I’d say the 243 is a good middle ground. I would find a less explosive bullet for the hogs though.

 

[Fmuguira]

As stated, 243 more versatile; especially for coyotes, hogs, deer. If small varmints and never larger than coyote then you can get by with a 223. Friend just got the Tikka and it’s twisted 1-8 as mentioned so punches bigger than you think with up to 80 gr bullets.

Last comment if you load; 223 brass is abundant; not so much with 243. Good Luck

 

[Boltgun]

I’ll be the odd one and say 223. I’ve actually just switched back to it from larger calibers. Here’s why:

Initially my group used 5.56 for hogs, but we weren’t using correct bullets. We shot 20-30 pigs and our recovery rate was low.

We switched to larger calibers, and inadvertently switched to better bullets at the same time. Mostly 6.5 Grendel running SST’s, but also .308 and others. Success rates soared, and over the next 100+ pigs, recovery rates were very high.

I drank the Rokslide cool aid, and read lots of threads explaining that bullet construction matters much more than calibers. I switched back to 5.56 “for science,” and have not seen any change in success rates or recovery rates. Still a small sample size of just 6 so far, but a couple big hogs went down almost immediately from a single chest shot. Where we hunt is thick swamps, so often a 50yd death sprint results in a lost pig. I’m running 77gr TMK, but planning to try the AAC 75gr Sabre stuff here in a few weeks.

 

[Boltgun]

As a caveat to the above:

If you are hunting open fields, the 243 would have an advantage. Long shots with thermals are very challenging unless you have a LRF built onto your scope. The flatter shooting 243 could be an advantage for hit rates in that regard, but with proper bullets I would expect the recovery rate to be the same with both rifles.

 

[JDT1982]

243 is the most versatile especially if you handload

 

[Matt5266]

.223........ or .22 Creedmoor

 

[260284]

Just got a Pulsar Thermion Pro 2 XP 50 in a trade and I’m wondering what would be best suited for it? I figure the 243 in an 8 twist would make longer range shots more feasible but the 224 would be cheaper to practice with. Also, would a superlite, roughtech, or ctr/varmint make the most sense? I wouldn’t think I’d get more than a few shots off per stand but if anyone has insight on profiles for night hunting that would be welcome.

Thanks!

I only hunt coyotes at night and I haven't used my 223 Tikka Varmint since I put a 6 creed barrel on one of my Tikka actions. It hammers the coyotes compared to the 223 (unless I am using the 75gr ELDM) and it shoots flatter. I am currently shooting the 87gr V-Max at 3260 fps out of an 18" barrel suppressed.

I run a Vortex Impact 4000 and a 3-15 Minox with a thermal clip on. I have killed several yotes at 300-350 with the 223, but the 6 creed works better at dropping them in their tracks at 300 and beyond.

 

[dirtytough]

I only hunt coyotes at night and I haven't used my 223 Tikka Varmint since I put a 6 creed barrel on one of my Tikka actions. It hammers the coyotes compared to the 223 (unless I am using the 75gr ELDM) and it shoots flatter. I am currently shooting the 87gr V-Max at 3260 fps out of an 18" barrel suppressed.

I run a Vortex Impact 4000 and a 3-15 Minox with a thermal clip on. I have killed several yotes at 300-350 with the 223, but the 6 creed works better at dropping them in their tracks at 300 and beyond. View attachment 752941View attachment 752939

That’s a sweet setup! How are you liking the Vortex Impact? What clip on are you using?

 

[260284]

That’s a sweet setup! How are you liking the Vortex Impact? What clip on are you using?

The Impact works great now that I started using rechargable batteries, especially in any temperatures under 30 degrees. The clip on is a Bering Optics Super Yoter C. I have taken coyotes out to 600 with it. Having a range finder that works at night is a must where I hunt. Hard to judge distance at night.

 

[copperhead121]

243

 

[turbo406]

Don't overthink it, both are absolutely solid. Running a 243 tikka 75 vmax doing 3250 outta an 18 inch barrel for my night rig it flattens coyotes. My 223 shooting 53 grain vmaxes has been a 100 percent gun out to 487 yards ( I'd say 10 or 15 sample size as it's just not what I hardly ever pack unless we are shooting Prarie dogs as well and don't wanna run rounds through my 22 250 day gun) but they both anchor shit, both are a joy to shoot suppressed but with that being said and re-reading the original post my 243 took the night gun spot from a 8 twist 223 and never looked back