coyote rifle

[french]

i am wanting a coyote rifle what is better 17 223 22-250 220swift 243. what make and model the price. thanks guys.

[bigjeepman]

Boy ...did you ever open the gates of hell with this one ...

By saying 17 ... are you meaning .17 Rem or .17 HMR? If you mean .17 HMR, the answer is easy ... not even close to the others and really shouldn't be used on coyotes unless it is all you have. If you mean .17 Rem, I have no experience at all with it but understand that many use this caliber.

I have a .223 and a .243 and both are excellent coyote rifles. I do not own a 22-250 but they too are an excellent choice. I prefer Ruger, Savage, and Winchester bolt action rifles but my brother prefers a Bushmaster AR in .223. The yotes in this area get up to 40 lbs so I prefer to carry my .243 Ruger most of the time for a better "bang-flop" result.

I'll stop here and let our friends give their opinions. There should be many coming.

[KENTDEP]

I have been wanting to hunt coyote here in Michigan too. If I knew I were going to be successful then I would have to buy a .243 Winchester. It's a great caliber for them. I have an AR-15 that would do the trick too but I would prefer a bolt gun.

Jay

[getom59]

french:

I can't say it's the absolute best way but for starters it's hard to beat a .223 Handi-Rifle.  Unless you reload, a .223 is the cheapest for ammo.  55 gr. FMJ for target practice are about $3.50/20 and 45 gr. JHP go for approximately $12/40.  New Handi's run about $188 at Walmart.  All you need to do is add a scope, rings, and sling and you're ready to go.   Handi's are also plenty accurate for hunting and the .223 caliber is sufficient for coyotes and varmits.

[gunnut69]

I prefer the 220 swift over the 22-250 and yes I know there is no real difference but i've always found it easier to get a 220 to shoot well.  The 223 is a good coyote rifle but does lack authority.  If in search of a used rifle don't leave out the 6mm/244 Remington.  It's a less widely used caliber but very effective.  Occasionally one can be found at a very good price as they are not as easy to sell as a 243.  The 6mm is every bit as useful as a 243 and a bit easier to handload.  The 244's (initial name of the 6mm) got a bad rap from the slower twist rate used when they were introduced.  This was fairly quickly remedied but it was too late.  I bought one of the slow twist rifles.  The salesman  told me 3 times it was a slow twist rifle and couldn't stabilize 100 grain spitzers.  The price was very cheap and with 75 grain HPFB bullets it shoots 3/8 inch groups...  Kills coyotes very dead indeed!  Plus it is one of the least produced variations of the 722 ever produced.  The 17's are a pain in the neck but if your willing they kill well within their ranges..  the 17-223 and 17 remington are nearly the same and the case is way more than is needed for the 17 bore.  The 17/221 (Javelina?) is better.  Even the 17 AckleyBee can produce nearly the same velocities, with a lot less powder and longer barrel life.

[earschplitinloudenboomer]

.17/221 may have been the 17 MACH IV.

[Catfish]

If your a hide hunter the .17 Rem. is by far the best. It has pleanty of knock down power and does the least hide damage. Here in Oh. top price for coyotes was $4 the last I heard and you could not sell anything but tops. If your just out to kill coyotes about anything will do that has the range and power nessary. The .22 Hornet makes a good calling rifle but the longer range .22`s will kill them at far greater distances. I know guys that kill several with .243`s and .30-06`s, but they don`t plan on selling any hides.

[Lawdog]

i am wanting a coyote rifle what is better 17 223 22-250 220swift 243. what make and model the price. thanks guys.

With the exception of the .17 you mentioned, and I assume you mean the .17 Rem. as the .17 HMR isn't suitable for coyotes or anything else over 12 - 15 pounds, I have used all of the others calibers listed(.223 Rem., .22-250 Rem., .220 Swift and the .243 Win.).  If you are planning on calling then most shots will be fairly close, 50 - 75 average, and if you want to save pelts then all of them, with the exception of the .17 Rem., are not what you would call "pelt friendly".  At the moment I use a .22 Hornet for called coyotes but I am looking into the .17 Rem. and the .204 Ruger to see how they would work and still not ruin pelts.  When pelts are bringing upwards of $50.00 one does not want to ruin them.  Lawdog
 

[Bubba Jack]

The 22-250 is a great round, it is superior to all but the swift in the smaller calibers. It is enough medicine for small animals up to deer size game :shock:  Yes, it is plenty to kill a deer 300yards with a good bullet and a good shot. Most of my friends guns and mine  will shoot around 1" to 1 1/2" groups at 200 yards,    not to say that we can  

In my 700 vs, 55 grian nosler ballistic tips and H-380 will smoke out there 3700 fps, death music to a yote. :evil:

40 grainers will approach the .204 velocities but have a bigger hammer on the receiving end.

Whatever you decide, I am sure it will be fun. Practice and enjoy :lol:


Bubba Jack

[lilabner]

It depends on where and how you hunt and whether you are after skins to sell. If you get on a stand and call them in, a .17, .204 or one of the smaller .22s would work. Personally, I think the .17 may be a bit light unless your bullet placement is always good. If you hunt the high plains or desert and see them often at long range while driving out through the sage brush, I would prefer a .243. It will buck the usually present wind better.

[Bart Solo]

I have a 6mm remington.  It would be my choice.  A little flatter than a 243 and easy to reload.  Ruger and Remington sell them.  Ruger has a couple of models, and Remington has a varment version.

[IowaBuckHunter]

All will do the trick.  17 rems are good, but don't have the best penetration, plus are worthless in wind.  .223 are cheap to shoot, and are good for shorter distances becuase they lack the knock down power that a 22-250 or swift have.  Now the swift is a great cal but wear down barrels fast if you shoot a lot of rounds- don't prairie dog with this rifle.  The 22-250 is great all around, but will not hold a candle to my 204 as far as accuracy goes.  The 22-250 will have a little more punch becuase of the heavier bullets, but for me and my 400 yard prairie dog shots, accuracy is more important and that is why the 204 hails supreme.
A 243 is good dog medicine as well.  A little overkill, but if you deer hunt, you are killing two birds with one stone.

[IowaBuckHunter]

As far as brands of rifles go, I pefer Remingtons.  They are great guns for the $, plus they have the best triggers after some minor tweaking.  Savages also have good triggers, but their guns are ugly if that means anything to you. The rugers and winchesters shoot well also, but have poor triggers without gunsmithing.

[MickinColo]

Really guys,

If you’re just dropping coyotes and leaving them lay, than any caliber will do, what ever gets you through your day. If you’re calling them in close and want to save the hide with minimum damage use a 17mm Remington.

Don’t under estimate the 17 Remington. It’s a hard hitting killer.

[deerman12]

Give the .204 a try.  It has worked just as well as my 22/250 with less muzzle blast.  I have a ruger ultra light with a thin barrel and it groups 1/2 -3/4 inch when I do my job.  I dropped two using that 32 gain with great results.

[JC]

Gotta go with gunnut and ron on this one. I think the 6mm Rem is the best. I have one in a AI  version. It slings the 85 hpbt and the 87 vmax super fast and the groups are phenominal. The song doggies look like they were hit by a semi carrying HE. Let us not rule out the 2506. With the 75-87 grainers they are devistating. I wouldn't give you 10 cents for the difference in the killing power on vermon for the 22-250 and the 220. I do have a 22-250 AI and it is a hot rock setup.

[CB900F]

Fella's;

I'm also in the 6mm Rem camp.  I found a Rem 788LHB in 6mm that had been abused as a child & bought it cheap.  After some much needed work, it's very nicely accurate & the 75 gr Hornady V-Max hits a coyote like a backhand from Godzilla.

For those who hunt deer with the 6mm and most particularly the 244, try the 90 gr Speer.  Speer states that they made this particular bullet for the 244's to deer hunt with.  In other words, it will stabilize & I can tell you it's tough enough.

I had been using my Ruger #1V in .220 Swift, but find the little 788 is much nicer to pack around.  Not that it's all that much lighter, just a lot handier.

Now, can someone tell me where to get an extra magazine for a 788 in 6mm for something less than a significant fraction of the GNP of a 3rd world nation?

900F

[sniperVLS]

For coyote, add me to the 6mm side as well. My uncle has one in his Rem 700 VLS....that round is nasty and out of that gun? as accurate as accurate can be