So I won a custom rifle…

[Lead Slanger]

My choice would be....Solus, Bell & Carlson like you have linked and 22-250.

 

[Turkeytider]

Varmint rifle within 300 yards....223 Rem would be my suggestion. cheap, factory ammo plentiful, very low recoil and will last a very long time.

Considering the OP’s intended use and range, just about perfect I would think. With a 7 or 8 twist barrel , would also handle heavier target loads for range fun out to 500-600 yards.

 

[FNSafari]

I won a coyote contest which awards me a
Blueprinted Remington 700 in any Short Action caliber of my choice, a Kreiger or Bartlein Barrel, Bedded in a MDT XRS Chassis (or equivalent pricepoint)

This will be a dedicated night coyote hunting gun and max distance of 300 yards. All tripod shooting. I don’t like to blow big holes in the animal either, I keep the nice pelts.

—Leaning towards a 4 groove Kreiger barrel with 700 varmint contour
—20” barrel length

—I need input on a Blueprinted rem700 vs the Solus actions ($150 charge for Solus)
—MDT XRS chassis VS something like a Bell and Carlson as seen in the link below. I like the look of a stock better, but I understand benefits of chassis

Bell and Carlson: Bell and Carlson Remington 700 SA BDL, Target/Competition, Adjustable Cheekpiece

Bell and Carlson is a leader in synthetic stock design, technology and manufacturer of the highest quality fiberglass, aramid and graphite gun stocks available.

www.bellandcarlson.com

Cartridges of interest are…
-17Fireball
-204
-22arc
-6arc
-6creed
-22-250
-243
-feel free to recommend others

At the moment, I’m a factory ammo shooter. Friends and family handload though

A lot depends on the skill of the person doing the 700 action blueprinting vs. the reputation of Solus in making true actions. IMO, any good 6mm cartridge.

 

[Scalloper]

My Vote is for the .22-250 Rem.,.. using 50 or 53 Grain,.. V-Maxes !
Kills EVERYTHING,.. "Well" to, 300 Yards with, NO,.. issues !
AND,.. Lots of Factory Ammo, IS,. available !
YUP,.. a 12 Twist !

This, I would only add, dump the chaise and go with a McMillan carbon fiber.

 

[J_Hensley]

I'm in the same boat as a lot of you guys.

Go with the 22-250, in a nice stock. No chassis.

Or 22-250 AI if you might reload in the future. You can still shoot factory ammo through it, but you won't really need to trim the cases if you decide to reload.

 

[boltfluter]

Since you don't reload the .204 is the obvious choice to me. Coyotes are very thin skinned and bullet placement is critical. My best overall combination after 30 years of doing this, was a .22BR shooting a 40 great Vmax at about 3800 fps. Place the shot correctly and most times you have no exit. Perfect for saving hides to sell or keep. The .204 would just about mirror my .22BR setup. Good luck and be sure and spring for the Solus action. Kind of a no brainer.
Paul

 

[FNSafari]

22-250, IMO, too light (using 50-55 br bullets) for coyotes at 300 yds. Do yourself a favor and step up to a 6mm where you can shoot a good 75-90 grain bullet. Cleanliness is next to Godliness, so is using a bit more rifle than you "think" is adequate. Worst case, if you find the 6mm not to your liking you can add a 22.250 or whatever 22 as long as its the same head diameter as the 6mm you choose. My 6mm choice in a short action would be a 243 Win throated for a good 75 grain bullet of your choice.

 

[ronsatspokane]

Solus in Chasis with 22 inch barrel in 6BR, 6 Dasher or 6GT and 105 grain bullets.

 

[jxb]

"a dedicated night coyote hunting gun"

Coyote hunt with a chassis in the cold? I'd give that one some thought.

Go with the B&C stock and put an SRS hunters rail on it or a shorter one if you don't want full length. If you're not holding the forearm the hunters rail shouldn't be an issue.

Cartridge/caliber isn't such an issue for saving hides, bullet selection is. Of course we're talking within reason. If you want to shoot factory ammo I'd see what's available that you know will meet your pelt preservation needs. When I was a youngster all I had was a 308 win and pelts were worth something so I shot fmj with good shot placement, 30cal in; 30cal out. Heck even with core locks the exit was only about 2" as they didn't expand much on a coyote but the buyers would really dock me for that much stitching.

 

[SecondsCount]

Understood but I’m not wasting a free custom rifle on a 223… I could buy a Ruger American for 450 bucks anytime I want

My first thought is that you're wasting a custom rifle because you are running factory ammo. It's not a show stopper but reloading opens up a lot more options and accuracy.

I have a 22" custom in 223AI and a 24" custom in 223. Low recoil and really long barrel life compared to the 22-250 that keeps getting brought up. You can also run some of the heavier, high BC bullets and get much further out than 300 yards.

 

[zap]

204 RUGER, with a lightweight stock. Enjoy!!