Coyote Hunters: How often do you need a 2nd shot? Is a single shot bolt action enough?

[SSL]

Do I need a repeating bolt action for coyotes for a follow up shot? Reason I am asking: we are getting more and more coyotes in my old time deer hunting area. I have some nice varmint rifles but all are built on single shot BR actions. My favorite is a little BAT S, right bolt, left port, with ejector. I have several barrels for it that are SS Match in different varmint calibers that are deadly accurate. My favorite is a 20PPC shooting 40g BT bullets at 3950fps. It is laser flat and unbelievably accurate. I have shot several groups at 500 yards under an inch off a Harris BiPod! Kid you not. Anyway, I have only shot 3 coyotes. One with the 20 PPC and two with a 22BR. Only one needed a follow off shot to finish him off at 250 yards (shooting 22BR). Best I remember it was a high lung shot and he started to drag off to the woodline. On the rifle I have a 2 round cartridge holder like the PRS shooters use in case they drop their magazine and cant recover it. So I can get a 2nd shot off pretty quick, but I am sure not as quick as a repeater action. I actually picked up all the components to make a repeater over the last three years, but still have not convinced myself I even need to chamber it and put it together. It is a BAT VR repeater with BR and .223 bolts I picked up because a guy abandoned his project. McMillian Game Warden stock. Jewell trigger with safety. Krieger .224, 1-8 twist, Rem Var contour. I am planning on a 22-250 because of the reliable feeding. They are plenty accurate for varminting. I dont think I am going to do the magazine block thing for BR cases. So, back to the question, do I even need a repeater or just keep using my BAT S with ejector? How often have you guys needed that quick follow up shot or two on coyotes? Samuel Hall

Not a real serious coyote hunter, but I'll stick with a good bolt gun any day. The only time I've ever had a second shot was several years ago when I shot one of a pair of coyotes at about 200 yards with my Ruger #1 22-250. Second one ran about 150 yards and made the mistake of stopping to look around. That one went home with me too. Hard to imagine a rifle much harder to reload for a second shot than a #1. Granted, that was pure luck and real stupidity on the part of that coyote, but I just don't see the need for an AR...however tastes differ and others may have different requirements.

 

[mike a]

Not a real serious coyote hunter, but I'll stick with a good bolt gun any day. The only time I've ever had a second shot was several years ago when I shot one of a pair of coyotes at about 200 yards with my Ruger #1 22-250. Second one ran about 150 yards and made the mistake of stopping to look around. That one went home with me too. Hard to imagine a rifle much harder to reload for a second shot than a #1. Granted, that was pure luck and real stupidity on the part of that coyote, but I just don't see the need for an AR...however tastes differ and others may have different requirements.

I’d take a #1 in 22-250 for yotes any day.

 

[SSL]

I’d take a #1 in 22-250 for yotes any day.

Yeah...pretty fond of them. Still have that one, though will need a new barrel at some point, and a .280. Both in the 'B' configuration. I have had several others over the years, but like a fool traded the rest off.

 

[std7mag]

Since my post on this last year, i did have the occasion that i had to reload my bolt rifle, while coyote hunting.
Trail cameras were showing a family of 4 coming to a creek that crossed a gasline every morning about 7:30am.
6:30, i was hunkered down, 200 yards away, waiting on them.
Got mom & 1 pup. Missed a second pup. Reload while they took off a distance up the hill, staying out on the gasline.
Quick ranging as soon as they stopped. 2nd pup down at 372 yards.
4th one ran into the woods.

Found out that i had inadvertantly grabbed tbe wrong ammo. Instead of the 90gr BlitzKings, i had grabbed the 100gr Ballistic Tips.
What a mess!!

 

[searcher]

Do I need a repeating bolt action for coyotes for a follow up shot? Reason I am asking: we are getting more and more coyotes in my old time deer hunting area. I have some nice varmint rifles but all are built on single shot BR actions. My favorite is a little BAT S, right bolt, left port, with ejector. I have several barrels for it that are SS Match in different varmint calibers that are deadly accurate. My favorite is a 20PPC shooting 40g BT bullets at 3950fps. It is laser flat and unbelievably accurate. I have shot several groups at 500 yards under an inch off a Harris BiPod! Kid you not. Anyway, I have only shot 3 coyotes. One with the 20 PPC and two with a 22BR. Only one needed a follow off shot to finish him off at 250 yards (shooting 22BR). Best I remember it was a high lung shot and he started to drag off to the woodline. On the rifle I have a 2 round cartridge holder like the PRS shooters use in case they drop their magazine and cant recover it. So I can get a 2nd shot off pretty quick, but I am sure not as quick as a repeater action. I actually picked up all the components to make a repeater over the last three years, but still have not convinced myself I even need to chamber it and put it together. It is a BAT VR repeater with BR and .223 bolts I picked up because a guy abandoned his project. McMillian Game Warden stock. Jewell trigger with safety. Krieger .224, 1-8 twist, Rem Var contour. I am planning on a 22-250 because of the reliable feeding. They are plenty accurate for varminting. I dont think I am going to do the magazine block thing for BR cases. So, back to the question, do I even need a repeater or just keep using my BAT S with ejector? How often have you guys needed that quick follow up shot or two on coyotes? Samuel Hall

Your 40 grain bullets out of your 20PPC will be all the wicked medicine you will want for on the coyotes. I rarely shoot them with my BATs because my rifles are just to darn heavy to want to take into the terrain where I live- let alone wanting to get them chingered up. Putting heavy aside, when you call coyotes a lot, you will find that about 1/3 of the time (or much more, depending on the season), you will get multiple coyotes running in. I'm pretty fast shooting squirrels with my single shots - as you get used to cycling and loading pretty quick, but coyotes run a lot faster, requiring a pivot of the rifle in a different direction rather quickly. I'd use this as great justification to get another rifle - but this time an A/R. Get one that is light enough to carry around - but with long enough barrel that is steady - and a brake. Either a .20 Practical or a .223 would be good. Or you could get something like a 6.5 Grendel and do double-duty as a deer rifle, etc. Get a pre-assembled upper from White Oak Armament (Upper cost me $680.00 for the last one I got). All up- you can build or buy a nice rig for about the same price as the BAT action alone. Maybe you have some glass laying around to put on it. Since you know and buy quality - consider sticking a Night Force compact scope on it. I think mine is a 2x10. Light, bright, nice field of view, dial-up turrets and a small tree reticle if you want. Can turn down to get on a running close-by critter or dial it up for longer shots. OR - have fun blasting them with your 20 PPC. That is all you need - I just get carried away.....

 

[searcher]

If your hunting a small area and don't mind if some get away yes a single shot is fine. I have no problem using a single shot of a sort, mostly combo guns with a single rifle barrel and single shotgun barrel . I have taken two on a stand with one but they came in over a period of time and did miss one twice with a single shot but the stupid coyote kept coming back to the call and killed him on the third try.

One of the things I see are folks complaining that the 223 doesn't put down coyotes very well. I also find that most of them are shooting AR's and don't pay enough attention to the first shot knowing they have 29 more to back it up.

Most of the time after the first shot the rest are just noise.

You have been hanging with the wrong guys!

 

[Billy 30-06]

My favorite is a 18" light weight barrel ar loaded with 60gr A-max. But now most of the coyotes I shoot are from a deer stand with a 30-06. 165gr ballistic tips will ruin a coyote.

 

[foster]

I’d take a #1 in 22-250 for yotes any day.

#1 220 worked good for many years. Can be run faster than most with a bolt gun with practice.

 

[Webster]

Do I need a repeating bolt action for coyotes for a follow up shot? Reason I am asking: we are getting more and more coyotes in my old time deer hunting area. I have some nice varmint rifles but all are built on single shot BR actions. My favorite is a little BAT S, right bolt, left port, with ejector. I have several barrels for it that are SS Match in different varmint calibers that are deadly accurate. My favorite is a 20PPC shooting 40g BT bullets at 3950fps. It is laser flat and unbelievably accurate. I have shot several groups at 500 yards under an inch off a Harris BiPod! Kid you not. Anyway, I have only shot 3 coyotes. One with the 20 PPC and two with a 22BR. Only one needed a follow off shot to finish him off at 250 yards (shooting 22BR). Best I remember it was a high lung shot and he started to drag off to the woodline. On the rifle I have a 2 round cartridge holder like the PRS shooters use in case they drop their magazine and cant recover it. So I can get a 2nd shot off pretty quick, but I am sure not as quick as a repeater action. I actually picked up all the components to make a repeater over the last three years, but still have not convinced myself I even need to chamber it and put it together. It is a BAT VR repeater with BR and .223 bolts I picked up because a guy abandoned his project. McMillian Game Warden stock. Jewell trigger with safety. Krieger .224, 1-8 twist, Rem Var contour. I am planning on a 22-250 because of the reliable feeding. They are plenty accurate for varminting. I dont think I am going to do the magazine block thing for BR cases. So, back to the question, do I even need a repeater or just keep using my BAT S with ejector? How often have you guys needed that quick follow up shot or two on coyotes? Samuel Hall

PM 5spd for advice or search for his many post. He is the ultimate coyote hunter. A group of Coyotes may require a semi-auto.

 

[Idaho-Lefty]

For those, .223 AR-14's, try some, 60 Grain, Ballistic Tips @ 2,800 FPS or, 65 grain Sierra GK, BTSP's @ 2,800 in, a 10 or, 20 round, Magazine, just in case,.. they "Gang up" on you !
Trust me,.. IT's,. PLENTY to,.. 350 yards or, so ! And, YES, you need to pay attention to, SQUEEZING them off,.. as "Spray and Pray",.. doesn't work very well, in a Gun Fight with, some Coyotes !
IF, I'm in, the wide open Desert ( rolling Hills ) I'll bring out, the 6 XC with, 95 bergers or, .243 Win. W/ 87 V-Maxes
( 5 shot, Bolt actions )

 

[AckleymanII]

A friend took an AR 15 barrel from X caliber 223 barrel(new), chambered it with a 22/204 reamer with .020 freebore. He is shooting the 55g Sierra bthp at 3600 on a 22" barrel...something to think about.

Accuracy on the above barrel is fantastic!

 

[moorepower]

I actually bought a .257WB with coyotes in mind. Basically a bean field coyote rifle. It's hard to beat an AR for hilly terrain, creek bottoms.

 

[drover]

As always the answer is somewhere in the middle. In my part of the country (central Idaho mountains) It is unusaual to see more than a single coyote at a time. I use a single shot Cooper model 21 sporter in 223 with 40 gr Nosler at 3750 fps, I rarely take shots over 300 yards because that is my comfort level for a sure hit. I have a buttstock cartridge holder on it and when I do need a second shot I can get the second cartridge in and ready to shoot nearly as fast as operating a bolt action.
I can understand those who advocate for an AR of a bolt but everyones situation is not the same.

drover

 

[RegionRat]

I figure the whole single versus repeater trade has had some play already, so I'll just add some thoughts on gas guns for predators and colony pests....

I had tried not to miss a shot with bolt guns in the past, so either dropping another round quickly into a single or running the bolt fast on a repeater wasn't something I wanted to do. That was just a philosophical mental block on my part.

After a few years of running 223 and 204R in an AR platform on Prairie Dogs, I found myself trying to practice rapids against multiples and got better and faster at it. (I'll warn you now, forget this if you are not prepared for how fast this burns up a bbl.)

If you can drop the magnification and get the spread targets into the same field of view, you would be surprised at how fast you can pop multiple targets if you practice.

Later on, I found myself on a coyote stand where I had an angle down on them so that the grass and brush would not cover them. The days when they come in groups under the right set up are not common, but on those days I learned the advantage of having the AR dialed in with the right optic. Same for a gas shotgun.

With an AR or gas shotgun, if you practice rapid fire against spread targets with manual actions like bolt guns in rifle or pump in shotgun, then run the same with the gas gun versions... if you are being honest with the timer you can see the advantage. Rapid static or moving targets take lots of practice and the right gear, and it chews up ammo and bbls. That said, life can be short, Carpe Diem.