mcseal2
WKR
- Joined
- May 8, 2014
- Messages
- 2,726
I'm curious what everyone likes to shoot coyotes and other predators with. I'll start with my perfect pair with todays options. I might be cheating right off the bat by using an AR with 2 uppers in my list.
1. AR 15 with a 2lb Jard trigger in the lower, stock designed for use with a scope. The rifle and both uppers would be Cerakoted in a camo pattern with a lot of tan/brown to match the dead grass I usually call in.
This rifle would have 2 uppers:
204 Ruger upper with a 1 in 9 twist designed to use the 45gr Hornady SP bullet. I owned a Predator Technologies upper just like this that I recently sold. I loved the upper, just can't afford all the toys I want to own. I never got the chance to take a Bobcat with it, but felt it would have been excellent for that. It shot well under .5" groups when I did my part and never had a feeding issue. It smoked coyotes and usually exited with a tiny exit hole. It did not perform as well in the wind as I expected. My 45gr loads were leaving the barrel at 3325fps from a 21" barrel and the 300yd wind drift on targets was several inches more than the ballistics programs using Hornady's BC showed they should have been. I was very impressed with terminal performance when they hit, but it was a little harder to hit with them than expected. This upper would get my Bushnell 3200 2.5-10x scope in a Burris PEPR mount and only get used when winds were mild, and when cats were an option.
(I sold the upper above because I started using a DPMS Prairie Panther 223 that covered the same niche with less wind drift, if I had the 22 Nosler upper to switch to I'd still own it)
22 Nosler upper. I've never used a 22 Nosler for anything, but have used a 22-250 quite a bit. I think a chambering that imitates the 22-250 and feeds through an AR is a great idea. This would probably be built by Predator Technologies after the accuracy my last upper by them showed, but a White Oaks upper looks to be a great one too. I'd like it to have a 22" barrel and push a 55gr Ballistic tip or Sierra Gameking 1365 at 3400fps+ with great accuracy. I'd put a Burris Eliminator III scope on it with the built in rangefinder and wind holds and learn to use it. This would be used on the majority of my stands where cats might be a remote possibility but coyotes are the main target.
That rifle with both uppers would cover 99% of my coyote calling. I would still want another gun for tournaments in high wind, or if I ever book a guided predator hunt and the weather doesn't cooperate.
The 2nd rifle would be one I already own. I have a custom 243 that shoots 85gr Speer SPBT bullets at 3333fps. It has a Pac Nor #4 8 fluted barrel with a 1 in 10 twist and shoots that bullet great. That bullet has a .380BC and does pretty decent in the wind with that velocity. It has a McMillian Gamescout stock that offers a vertical grip that seems to help me shoot it well from any position. If a coyote hangs up and I have the opportunity to go prone I will every time. I have a Leupold VX-6 3-18x44 with a TMOA reticle on it currently that works awesome when I don't dial elevation. I haven't had great luck with repeatability on dialing the VX-6 but if I zero it, tap the windage and elevation with an empty brass, and leave it alone it takes a beating and stay zeroed. I've beat those scopes around in the feed truck and UTV and as long as I follow those steps they work, they just aren't designed to be a dialing scope like a Huskemaw or Nightforce. The glass in them is amazing to the very last light and the field of view and zoom range are excellent. Those bag me more coyotes than the inability to dial miss me. With my load I have to estimate wind, but I can use the TMOA reticle for elevation effectively to 500yds. I can't shoot off my bipod consistently past 250yds with a stiff wind anyway so the advantage of dialing only comes into play when I can move to prone. A Burris Eliminator III scope would probably end up on this rifle too if I had good luck with it on the other one.
I would have a Primos Rapid Pivot bipod mount on every one of these rifles. I have one of their taller bipods with a FoxPro Foxgrip II on it that I use with any of them on normal stands. I also have one of their short bipods I can use under the front of the gun if the opportunity to go prone arises and put my pack under the back. I have to take a pack predator calling to house my FoxPro PB3. I always use an Eberlestock Team Elk with the hip belt removed now for that. The hip belt isn't needed for the weight I'm packing and it saves time for me setting up a stand not having it. The extra pockets on the sides for a spotter and tripod I can use for my decoy stake (mojo critter with extension) and bipod make it a better choice than the X3 I previously used. Having a pack with a scabbard keeps me from needing a sling on my rifle that can cause issues shooting highly mobile coyotes. They don't always show up where I expect them to.
Anyway that's a really longwinded description of my perfect predator rifles. I have a predator modified 870 shotgun and a 264WM rifle with a 5-30x Huskemaw and Harris Bipod that get taken on occasion if a stand calls for extreme long or close range but I honestly haven't taken a coyote with either in the last couple years. This area and especially my 90% solo hunting just don't lend themselves to specialized weapons to the exception of versatile ones.
Let me know your ideal, I'd like to learn from you. I have ideals in my head that haven't been tested in reality, but that will cost real money.
Thanks for your help.
1. AR 15 with a 2lb Jard trigger in the lower, stock designed for use with a scope. The rifle and both uppers would be Cerakoted in a camo pattern with a lot of tan/brown to match the dead grass I usually call in.
This rifle would have 2 uppers:
204 Ruger upper with a 1 in 9 twist designed to use the 45gr Hornady SP bullet. I owned a Predator Technologies upper just like this that I recently sold. I loved the upper, just can't afford all the toys I want to own. I never got the chance to take a Bobcat with it, but felt it would have been excellent for that. It shot well under .5" groups when I did my part and never had a feeding issue. It smoked coyotes and usually exited with a tiny exit hole. It did not perform as well in the wind as I expected. My 45gr loads were leaving the barrel at 3325fps from a 21" barrel and the 300yd wind drift on targets was several inches more than the ballistics programs using Hornady's BC showed they should have been. I was very impressed with terminal performance when they hit, but it was a little harder to hit with them than expected. This upper would get my Bushnell 3200 2.5-10x scope in a Burris PEPR mount and only get used when winds were mild, and when cats were an option.
(I sold the upper above because I started using a DPMS Prairie Panther 223 that covered the same niche with less wind drift, if I had the 22 Nosler upper to switch to I'd still own it)
22 Nosler upper. I've never used a 22 Nosler for anything, but have used a 22-250 quite a bit. I think a chambering that imitates the 22-250 and feeds through an AR is a great idea. This would probably be built by Predator Technologies after the accuracy my last upper by them showed, but a White Oaks upper looks to be a great one too. I'd like it to have a 22" barrel and push a 55gr Ballistic tip or Sierra Gameking 1365 at 3400fps+ with great accuracy. I'd put a Burris Eliminator III scope on it with the built in rangefinder and wind holds and learn to use it. This would be used on the majority of my stands where cats might be a remote possibility but coyotes are the main target.
That rifle with both uppers would cover 99% of my coyote calling. I would still want another gun for tournaments in high wind, or if I ever book a guided predator hunt and the weather doesn't cooperate.
The 2nd rifle would be one I already own. I have a custom 243 that shoots 85gr Speer SPBT bullets at 3333fps. It has a Pac Nor #4 8 fluted barrel with a 1 in 10 twist and shoots that bullet great. That bullet has a .380BC and does pretty decent in the wind with that velocity. It has a McMillian Gamescout stock that offers a vertical grip that seems to help me shoot it well from any position. If a coyote hangs up and I have the opportunity to go prone I will every time. I have a Leupold VX-6 3-18x44 with a TMOA reticle on it currently that works awesome when I don't dial elevation. I haven't had great luck with repeatability on dialing the VX-6 but if I zero it, tap the windage and elevation with an empty brass, and leave it alone it takes a beating and stay zeroed. I've beat those scopes around in the feed truck and UTV and as long as I follow those steps they work, they just aren't designed to be a dialing scope like a Huskemaw or Nightforce. The glass in them is amazing to the very last light and the field of view and zoom range are excellent. Those bag me more coyotes than the inability to dial miss me. With my load I have to estimate wind, but I can use the TMOA reticle for elevation effectively to 500yds. I can't shoot off my bipod consistently past 250yds with a stiff wind anyway so the advantage of dialing only comes into play when I can move to prone. A Burris Eliminator III scope would probably end up on this rifle too if I had good luck with it on the other one.
I would have a Primos Rapid Pivot bipod mount on every one of these rifles. I have one of their taller bipods with a FoxPro Foxgrip II on it that I use with any of them on normal stands. I also have one of their short bipods I can use under the front of the gun if the opportunity to go prone arises and put my pack under the back. I have to take a pack predator calling to house my FoxPro PB3. I always use an Eberlestock Team Elk with the hip belt removed now for that. The hip belt isn't needed for the weight I'm packing and it saves time for me setting up a stand not having it. The extra pockets on the sides for a spotter and tripod I can use for my decoy stake (mojo critter with extension) and bipod make it a better choice than the X3 I previously used. Having a pack with a scabbard keeps me from needing a sling on my rifle that can cause issues shooting highly mobile coyotes. They don't always show up where I expect them to.
Anyway that's a really longwinded description of my perfect predator rifles. I have a predator modified 870 shotgun and a 264WM rifle with a 5-30x Huskemaw and Harris Bipod that get taken on occasion if a stand calls for extreme long or close range but I honestly haven't taken a coyote with either in the last couple years. This area and especially my 90% solo hunting just don't lend themselves to specialized weapons to the exception of versatile ones.
Let me know your ideal, I'd like to learn from you. I have ideals in my head that haven't been tested in reality, but that will cost real money.
Thanks for your help.
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