So I’ve been coyote hunting for a few years now and I’m going to built a rifle just for it in the near future and want to make sure I do it right the first time. Most shots will be 400 or less with the exception of one spot that I could shoot at least twice that far if I had too. I know I’m going to use a ATN X sight 4K pro and was thinking a 243 either in a bolt or AR platform. Would like to know if you were to build one rifle for coyote what would it be and what features or accessories would you want on it.
Coyote rifle build
- Thread starter JASON50CAL
- Start date
B23
Gold $$ Contributor
There are sooooo many great choices to choose from so there is no really "one" best. Some great options that are just crazy easy to load for and some even have factory ammo available would be, 22-250, 22 Creedmoor, 220 Swift, 22-243, 243, and 6-284 just to mention a few. Any of those will suit you needs very well.
I'll also add, if your intentions are to use/build something with a shorter-ish barrel, one of the choices that is less overbore, to me, makes more sense.
I'll also add, if your intentions are to use/build something with a shorter-ish barrel, one of the choices that is less overbore, to me, makes more sense.
My theory is to eliminate the need for a range finder for quick shots. I went with a 6-284 with a 28'', 1-13 with zero free bore for 55 grain pills. I zero in at 300, and Im 2'' high at 200, 7'' low at 400. Im getting 4320 FPS with RL26. Almost zero recoil with a whitt machine muzzle brake. Good luck!
Mark W
Gold $$ Contributor
The OP mentions an ATN X Sight. Night versus day hunting are different rifles for me. For daytime I built a 9 twist 22-243ai that shoots 75 Amax really flat so that I don’t have to worry about distance and hold overs as much. For nighttime shooting I would throw the X Sight on a decent flat top AR and go hunting.
I hunt day and night. Mostly at night. Been using lights for now and not having much luck so that’s why I was gonna try NV. I have a couple AR’s I could slap it on. Just looking for an excuse to build another rifle. We usually hunt late evening into the night so if I could build one gun to cover both it would be great. I like the idea of a 6-284 as I shoot it already and 6.5x284 and 284 so I have lots of brass for it. A slow twist with light bullets would help with a flatter trajectory. Maybe a chassis rifle with rails to mount an IR on in 6-284
linebaugh
Silver $$ Contributor
20 BR in a bolt gun zero'd at about 300 yards. Thats my plan anyway. With NV that takes a lot of the guess work out and less chance of errand ricocheting especially at night. I have never owned a 20 cal but ballistically it makes sense to me. Your long bombs will not be an option of course unless you go with custom heavy bullets.
B23
Gold $$ Contributor
A .20 cal like the 20-250 shooting the 55gr Bergers is certainly now slouch, but there's a couple minor issues with a .20 caliber build like. First, Berger has recently discontinued the .20 cal 55 grainers so that leaves you with shooting 40gr bullets or custom bullets, if you want anything heavier. Secondly, the larger cased .20 cal builds, like the 20-250, aren't real long for barrel life so it's a good idea to keep that in mind. I had an 8tw 20-250 built about a year ago and it's a lazy beam, but I also ordered two Krieger 8tw barrels when I was having it built and bought enough 55gr Bergers to last me through two barrels.
Of all the choices mentioned and having most of them, if I could only pick one, I would likely take my 6-284. I mostly only shoot the 75gr Vmax in it and it does an extremely good job of putting coyotes on their nose and just about any distance. But, if you're saving pelts, it may not be the best choice or at the least select a different bullet.
Of all the choices mentioned and having most of them, if I could only pick one, I would likely take my 6-284. I mostly only shoot the 75gr Vmax in it and it does an extremely good job of putting coyotes on their nose and just about any distance. But, if you're saving pelts, it may not be the best choice or at the least select a different bullet.
linebaugh
Silver $$ Contributor
What is pelt damage like. Thats just about how I was going to set up. Planned no higher than 1.5" trajectory for finding the zero range... which I think is near 300 yards. Anyway just curious if you have taken any game with it. Not overly worried about keeping hides but occassionally i get a bobcat called in. Would be nice not to vaporize them.
Ar10. 16/18 inch barrel lite profile. 6 or6.5 creed
More like 5.8" low @ 300 (see below) if zeroed at 100 yards. If you zero at about 240 yards you will have a maximum midrange trajectory of 1.5" and will be about 2.6" low at 300 yards. I don't like a midrange trajectory of more than 1.5" because most coyotes are shot inside 300 yards, (at least where I hunt) often only a small part of the coyote is visible (e.g., the head), and I don't have time to use a rangefinder so I want to hold in the middle of largest vital area I can see.
Range Velocity Energy Trajectory Come Up (MOA) Come Up (MILS) Wind Drift Wind Drift (MOA) Wind Drift (MILS)
0 4000 1385.0 -1.5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
50 3789 1243.0 -0.4 0.9 0.2 0 0 0
100 3589 1116.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0
150 3399 1000.0 -0.2 0.2 0.0 0 0 0
200 3217 896.0 -1.2 0.6 0.2 0 0 0
250 3042 802.0 -3.1 1.2 0.3 0 0 0
300 2875 716.0 -5.8 1.9 0.5 0 0 0
I shoot a 22BR with 40gr NBT @ 4100fps, which has a very similar trajectory. I like light bullets so I can see my hits without having to use a muzzle brake.
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I concur., how bout my rig.257 weatherby krieger 26" , 1-12 twist , 70 grain blitzkings at 4250 fps with R17. No rangefinder needed ! Absolute desolidificator.
Michigan dnr officer called Ohio dnr officer and said there was an Ohio coyote in a trap and if Ohio would come and pick it up ! The Ohio officer said , what makes you think it's one of our coyote's ? The michigan officer said, well he's chewed off three legs and he's still in the trap !
Let's do an easy high school physics problem: How long does it take for a bullet to drop 1.5 inches?
From a stationary start, d = 1/2 at^2, where d = distance traveled, a (in this case) is the acceleration due to gravity on Earth (g), and t is time in seconds.
a = g = 32 ft/s^2 = 384 in/sec^2
Doing a little algebra to solve for t:
t = sqrt (2d/a) = sqrt (3in/384in/sec^2) = 0.088sec
It takes 88msec for a bullet (or anything else on Earth) to drop 1.5" from a static start (neglecting friction with the air, a safe assumption given that the vertical component of the bullet's velocity is less than 2 ft/sec).
So, how fast does a bullet have to go to cover the 200 yards (= 600 feet = 7200 inches) between the 100-yard zero and the 300-yard target? It must have an average speed of 7200 inches/0.088 sec = 81,818 in/sec = 6118 ft/sec. Uh oh.
In real life, the bullet already has some downward velocity when it passes through the 100-yard zero range, so it takes even less than 0.088 sec to fall another 1.5 inches, but you get the idea.
Of course, if the acceleration due to gravity and the atmospheric density are different on your home planet, then maybe the bullet really does drop just 1.5" between 100 and 300 yards.
The 22-243 is simple to form, easy to load for, accurate and goes like stink with 75 and 80 grain bullets.
STOMP442
Gold $$ Contributor
Ah Coyote rifles. It seems I have a new one all the time and they all seem to work but some better than others. First of all, the coyotes here are not real big but can be very tough. I have seen more than one that has run off deader than hell with a 55gr Vmax out of an AR-15 with good hits. That being said I have quit the .22 cal and anything smaller unless I just feel like shooting one that day. I don't care about pelts and stepped up to the .250-3000 Savage. I have two that I use for Coyotes one a Savage 99, that spits the 75gr Vmax at 3400 fps and the other a Savage 10 that I am running the 90gr Sierra Blitz Kings at 3160fps. Both work great and nothing has run off yet. That being said I just finished up a fun little project on a Remington model Seven action chambered in 6mmBR. It's a short handy rig with a 22" barrel and pushing the 105gr Bergers at almost 2800 fps. I haven't killed anything with it yet but I'm willing to bet it will work great as well.
I mean, a 25-06 is a classic choice if you want to turn them inside out and also want a great up-to-elk sized game gun for other uses. But I think anything over a 22 is unnecessary for coyotes.
Thanks for the info guys
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