Coyote / Fox hunting with a 22-250 VLS or VSSF

[Soup]

Gents,
I know some hunters do considerable walking while coyote hunting, others not so far.
I'd like to know if anyone hunts coyote or fox with either a VLS or a VSSF II? Neither of which are light weights, although very accurate rifles
Thank you in advance for time and consideration.
Semper Fidelis
Soup

"Down South 68-69"

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

My day rifle (spot stalk, call) is a M700 22-250 with a Lilja rem varmint contour fluted barrel. 21.75 inches. But I shoot with a suppressor so about 30". With Sightron stac it is about 11# loaded. I'm 65 still snowshoeing with it. I don't shoot many fox with it, take my 17 rem for them.

 

[chester999]

I'm getting old, I caring a sporter weight gun in 22-250.

 

[spencerhenry]

22-250 on a fox is a bit overkill. It blows them apart.

 

[B23]

My 22-250 has a Brux barrel that started life at 24 inches. The contour is what Brux call #5 Bull Sporter so it's not quite as big as a Rem Varmint contour but it's still far from a sporter weight. Best thing I ever did was have six inches lopped on the end when it was at my smiths getting threaded.

Cutting one of those long varmint contour barrels down to around 20 inches not only drops a sizeable amount of weight off of them but it'll "feel" substantially lighter and be a million times more nimble to handle too.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

In our winds and open row crop ground 223 velocities are a handicap.

 

[Majday]

Gents,
I know some hunters do considerable walking while coyote hunting, others not so far.
I'd like to know if anyone hunts coyote or fox with either a VLS or a VSSF II? Neither of which are light weights, although very accurate rifles
Thank you in advance for time and consideration.
Semper Fidelis
Soup

"Down South 68-69"

I have a swift vssf II I bought new in 2009. Ive carried it around coyote hunting. It isnt too light but then again I used to carry a M77 varmint 22250 that wasn't light either. If it shoots well its worth it.

 

[TonyinKY]

I carry my 6mm Remington VLS with 4-16X scope and sling coyote hunting on occasion sometimes for many miles at a time. But then again I’ve carried 70# of gear 14 miles one day at 10K+ feet in the Wind River Range, WY and then got up the next morning and drove 25 hrs straight back to KY. As they say “If you’re gonna be dumb you gotta be tough.”

 

[Gary in MD]

Not as many coyotes as red fox around here. For many years I carried heavy 22-250s and Swifts shooting fox and ground hogs. The past few years, I’ve moved to sporter weights. As long as they are accurate, the lighter guns do fine if you’re mobile. Cutting the barrel back of one my 24-26 inchers? No freakin way man

 

[AckleymanII]

Fox and bobcat pelts can be beautiful if you do not blow them up, and the 22/250 is notorious for almost shooting them just about in half.

We developed a load with Blue Dot, 15g with a 40g Sierra Hp or 40g Speer spire point that is a high velocity spt. The speed out of a 22/250 is around 2200-2600 fps and does not blow up the animal but does put them down with incredible authority. This of course, is not what I would call a long-range load, we were calling in animals with electronic callers and mouth calls. The Fox can take some killing. I have killed quite a few with various 22 mags with different bullets, the 40g Win Hp was the best. But the load above is far superior to the 22 Mag at 200 yards.

You will have to work up a load for your own rifle. If they are still made, the Sierra 45g spt is a high velocity load that also worked well. We worked up loads up to 55g, but the trajectory was like a 45/70 at 200 yards.

In my Rem 700 SPS sporter in 223, I worked up a load for the Speer 40g spire point at two nodes, 3000/3200 fps with 12.0g and 14.3g respectively. You should weigh every powder charge as this large flake powder does not meter worth a darn, and use Rem 7 1/2 primers due to their thick cups. Blue Dot loads are not low pressure loads.

 

[alf]

My 22-250 has a Brux barrel that started life at 24 inches. The contour is what Brux call #5 Bull Sporter so it's not quite as big as a Rem Varmint contour but it's still far from a sporter weight. Best thing I ever did was have six inches lopped on the end when it was at my smiths getting threaded.

Cutting one of those long varmint contour barrels down to around 20 inches not only drops a sizeable amount of weight off of them but it'll "feel" substantially lighter and be a million times more nimble to handle too.

I put a #5 Brux on my 22x47 Lapua. I really wanted a #4 but none in stock so I got the #5. Wished I would have waited for the #4 due to the weight.

As for weights, I have a 4" piece of a Remington Varmint barrel in 22 cal I cut off, weighs in at 9 ozs.

I have another 6mm Remington Varmint that's 6 5/8" long, weighs 16.3 ozs.

 

[snert]

Fox and bobcat pelts can be beautiful if you do not blow them up, and the 22/250 is notorious for almost shooting them just about in half.

We developed a load with Blue Dot, 15g with a 40g Sierra Hp or 40g Speer spire point that is a high velocity spt. The speed out of a 22/250 is around 2200-2600 fps and does not blow up the animal but does put them down with incredible authority. This of course, is not what I would call a long-range load, we were calling in animals with electronic callers and mouth calls. The Fox can take some killing. I have killed quite a few with various 22 mags with different bullets, the 40g Win Hp was the best. But the load above is far superior to the 22 Mag at 200 yards.

You will have to work up a load for your own rifle. If they are still made, the Sierra 45g spt is a high velocity load that also worked well. We worked up loads up to 55g, but the trajectory was like a 45/70 at 200 yards.

In my Rem 700 SPS sporter in 223, I worked up a load for the Speer 40g spire point at two nodes, 3000/3200 fps with 12.0g and 14.3g respectively. You should weigh every powder charge as this large flake powder does not meter worth a darn, and use Rem 7 1/2 primers due to their thick cups. Blue Dot loads are not low pressure loads.

I had a load using 4227 and a 40 grainer in a swift. It was a solid 200 yard groundhog whacker and outshot every hornet I ever owned.

As I get older I have trouble breathing and walking, let alone carrying things. love the HB rifles but lately a svelte sporter seems pretty sexy to me.

 

[jwv2001]

Sounds to me like you're knocking on the 80 year old door. I'm tipping my hat to you for even thinking about humping a heavy rifle to hunt coyotes. If you already own the rifle, strap it on and see how you like it. I'm with anyone that says to use a sporter weight rifle. Learn to call so all you'll have to carry is the rifle and a mouth call. Shots will be under 100 yds. Here is a pic with my 223 AI. It's close to 11 pounds, but you won't be handicapped with a heavy single shot rifle.

 

[Soup]

Thank you for your replies.
Soup