Coyote gun

[Joseph28]

Thinking about getting a new rifle soon. I already have a 300wm and 30-06 I am wanting to pick up a coyote/Varmint gun. I do reload so ammo selection is not a big deal to me. I have been thinking of 224 Valkyrie, 22-250 22nosler 243 or 204. Thank you


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[BuckSnort]

Hard to beat a 1;8 twist 223.... I'm a Tikka T3 fan

 

[Lxhuntinpa]

I use a .223 my buddy uses a .204

 

[WCB]

I would say a 22-250 or .204. more bullet selection in for the 22-250 and from my little experience with the .204 they seem to be fairly picky on grain weight.

I personally use a .223.

 

[archp625]

I would say a .223 or 22-250. But man, I was in my reloading store on Saturday and the owner was talking about his 22 Creedmoor. Seemed like a bad a hunting round. Quite the barrel burner but man it seemed sweet. I want to say he said he zeros it as 239 yards and he hold on anything any kill it to a pretty decent distance. I cant remember the longest distance.

For coyote hunting I think its key to spot and shoot and not have to dial and or range. A lot of coyotes slip in and slip out.

 

[tstith]

a 223 (I run a savage model 12, 1:9, 60gr V-max loads) and its been devastating. A lot of guys swear by 22-250, 204. I like the versatility of the 223 and I have several of them already so its one load. Heavier animal? Soft Points. Lighter animal? Ballistic tips.

 

[NevadaZielmeister]

I would recommend a 22-250 Varmint gun. I personally purchased a Kimber Varmint, which has a 1-14 twist barrel and allows you to shoot 50 grain bullets at over 4,000 FPS, making the bullet incredibly flat in trajectory. So with a 200 yard zero, you are talking about 1 inch low at 100 yards, 2 inches low at 300 yards and 10 inches low at 400. Those are the most common ranges of engagement for a coyote, especially when you are calling them in, you don't have time to range the little things.

The 22 Creedmoor is pretty much the same round, just a 6mm creedmoor case necked down to .224, which achieves the same thing as the 22-250. Which is more complicated as this is a wildcat cartridge and the ammo is not available on the shelves. If you go on a long trip or travel, it is nice to have the ability to buy manufactured ammunition.

 

[4ester]

Personally if I were to build a 22 cal gun I would go with a faster twist rate and run the heavier bullets. Most factory offerings are in 1-14 or 1-12 twist which limits you to 55-60 grain bullets. A 22-250 or 22 Creedmoor (very similar performance) with a 70-80 grainer would be a hammer.

If your hunting big open country thats windy I would go 6mm . The wind throws those light bullets around pretty good.

 

[HuntInWild88]

Personally i prefer 243..you can load them 55gr and it a super flat shooter. I personally run 70gr nbt. They hammer coyotes and like said above helps on those windy days.Not sure where you live or what kind of distance you might be trying to shoot at. But also personally wouldnt trust a .22 past 300 on coyotes.. just not wnough umpf. Unless you dont mind having a few runners.
My next coyote Dedicated gun will be a 204. Just because why not..

 

[Joseph28]

Thank you guys. I am from California about 40 mins south of Sacramento so wind is not that big of an issue. I am a farmer and we have coyote issues as well as ground squirrels gophers and rabbits. I also have permission to hunt a few alfalfa farms which would present shots out to 3-400 yards. In the next year or so I would like to go to western Nevada and hunt coyotes there as well


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[Schism]

I have several of the chamberings mentioned in this thread. While they all will work on coyotes, my 204 goes with me 90% of the time.

 

[Goatie]

I have a 22” .243, 16” .223, and 16.5” .204 for coyotes. All 3 have a place depending on my situation and purpose. I prefer to shoot suppressed and value maneuverability (a short barrel) for each of these calibers.

I originally built the .243 because I wanted a smaller multipurpose rifle than the .270 I owned. I started shooting prairie dogs a lot and didn’t want to burn out its barrel. It’s the perfect rifle now for coyotes that are going to be out there a ways as I’ve killed pdogs at 1k and accurate dope for the occasion. It’s not the best as a truck gun as it’s pretty big and heavy with the suppressor.

The .204 I built so I could reach out farther on prairie dogs and shoot flat but still have a convenient coyote calling gun, while having a round that is cheap to reload. Unfortunately I think .204 is ideal in a longer barrel as I’m only getting about 3400 MV. I love shooting it, but probably not something I would build again.

The 223 is a seekins billet AR I put together a few years ago. I just put the 1-8.5 Bushnell I’ve seen bouncing around the forum lately for $679. Im thinking this might be the perfect coyote gun. 1-8.5 has all the magnification you should ever need in a gun that can kill out to 350-400 max on coyotes. It’s short enough, but a bit heavy still. This might be the best overall coyote option. Of course it’s got new glass so I’m a bit still in the honeymoon phase.

 

[Clandefeld]

+1 for .243 lots of options

 

[Joseph28]

I think you guys are going to get me in trouble I might just have to get a 22-250 223 and 243 because why not


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[tstith]

@Joseph28, for coyotes are you limited to non-lead projectiles? I know everything I looked at hunting when I was stuck in the Central Valley was restricted to non-lead rounds. Lots of flat shooting areas out there. Sorry you can't really take advantage of an AR platform for this project

 

[SEtoNWHunter]

224 V looks like an interesting cartridge, but only really in the AR platform because of OAL restriction. If you're thinking bolt rifle, my vote goes for 22-250, 223/5.56 with fast twist, 22 CM, or 6mm CM. I have a tikka t3x compact 223 (1-8") which is great, and a ruger american predator AICS 6cm which is cheaper and great

 

[alexanderg23]

6mm Creedmore? 22-250 are fun too.

 

[SoDaky]

Terrain and hunting style are key factors.Frankly if 'calling',most shots(99.5%???) will be under 300 yds.Something to consider is 'hold on fur' range.That is the range from zero to X that you hit a coyote by aiming directly at it.I have and use 17rem,17-204,223,204,22-250,243 and 260 but my fav is a 220 Swift Improved.Shooting 50 gr BTs at 4300 takes me well beyond 300.

 

[meleagris1]

I built a 224 Valkyrie in an AR platform this year and its been great on coyotes - very accurate and flat. Its a great choice in an AR platform with good ammo selection but you have a lot more choices in a bolt. For a bolt I have always shot 243 and have no reason to change. Building a custom carbon barrel bolt in a Cadex chassis right now in 243. I hunt almost exclusively at night and the 243 is a laser with 60-70 grain bullets and I find I get more stone cold drops with it than smaller calibers. I call the 243 a "6mm FG" (Farm gun) when I hunt with my Creedmor toting buddies. : ) The other choices I like in a bolt would be 22-250 and 22 Creed. If you want an AR in a hard to find caliber take a look at DNA Firearms!

 

[ahard.270]

2fity-hillbilly! Nuff said