Suggestions for coyote caliber.

[Kenny474]

So my dilemma is this: I got a new Steven's 200 .308 for my B-Day. I was hoping to be able to shoot some light bullets from it for coyote this year, as a friend has talked me into trying it.
But, it's a 10 twist and doesn't really like anything under 150grs, and I was hoping to shoot 110gr HP's or 125gr BT's.

I have found a factory 7mm-08 barrel with a 11.5 twist, and was hoping someone could tell me if this will shoot lighter bullets well or if I should just go with a smaller caliber like a .243 or .22-250 or something along those lines. I intend to retain the factory stock and possibly use a factory take-off barrel, as this only needs to be accurate enough to hunt with shots mostly inside 200yds.

This will do double duty as a .308 deer rifle, and have the barrel swapped for coyote. I don't want to destroy the pelt, as my hunting buddy has them tanned or something. That is my reasoning for a smaller caliber.

Never hunted coyote before, so I am looking for some advice from those who have. Thanks to all that reply.

 

[Quackaddict]

22-250 or a 243 would do you well, Factory 22-250 ammo is cheaper, but if you handload the 243 is a much more versitile round.

 

[Kenny474]

I do handload, so ammo cost isn't a factor. Components are cheap, and a few bucks isn't really going to make a difference.

What weight bullets should I use and will a factory Savage sporter weight barrel shoot them?

Thanks.

 

[RonAKA]

I used to hunt coyotes a lot in my younger days with a 264WM. It worked very well for well out beyond 200 yards. I mainly used 100 grain Sierra HPs. The problem is that it made a mess with huge exit holes -- think 1 foot in diameter or more. Not much chance of saving the hide.

As I think we have discussed before, I am not a believer in the bore size being a big factor in what the impact is on game. On a coyote even with a .223 the bullet is likely to come out the other side. It really does not matter much whether the hole in the hide where it goes in is .223 or .308. What happens when it comes out is the issue.

I think what you want is a bullet that does not expand much. It is a bit of a dilemma as you want to be humane about the kill. The bottom line is that you probably don't want a lot of velocity, and you only want minimal expansion of the bullet. A heavier bullet in the .308 caliber intended for big game could be as good a choice as any.

I think it really comes down to bullet choice, not caliber. Smaller calibers are probably going to hurt as velocity goes up and the explosion effect goes up. However, a lightly loaded 6BR with a heavier bullet that does not expand much, could work very well too. It all comes down to keeping velocity down and expansion down, while still having a flat enough trajectory to ensure consistent humane hits.

 

[Kenny474]

I completely agree about caliber not being much of a penetration issue with coyote. I am just trying to find a happy medium with damage and being able to make humane kills. I had thought about the heavy .308 bullet idea, but I have had some nasty exit wounds on whitetail with 220gr round nose bullets from my 30-06.

Honestly, I would rather have a big hole in the animal than have it run off wounded. I lost a deer when I was 15 and it took a while to get over. I just don't want a repeat. Ever.

Seeing as I have never hunted anything coyote size, I am truly lost. I get discouraged just thinking about what to use. But I want reliable kills over all else.

 

[trappst]

Get a Savage or Stevens take off 22-250 rem and never look back.

50g Noslers and R-15 200 yards and under? Piece of cake for the 22-250.

243 works equally well but in my experience it can be pretty hard on fur.

 

[wvuredneck09]

if you go with the 22-250 try to work up a load that uses the barnes bullet grenades. Instead of going low velocity/low expansion this will allow high velocity/ridiculous expansion. The bullets are designed to "blow up" upon entering thin skinned game and leave NO exit hole. I have had great luck with these and with all of the energy being transmitted into the organs of the game, instead of passing through, your much less likely to wound/loose the target.

 

[Steve Blair]

I used a 6mm Remington but it had the exit damage problem, too. I have read that fur hunters use .17 caliber because it produces a small entrance and no exit. YMMV

 

[Kenny474]

I had considered a .17 cal, but that would mean a custom barrel. So I think it will end up being something in 5.56 or 6mm. Though the 204 Ruger does sound like a possibility, although I have heard of some having less than stellar success with it.

I am really putting some thought into the 22-250, as it definitely has enough velocity potential to do devastating damage if I can get a bullet to completely fragment inside the animal.

 

[bozo699]

Kenny,
I think I have mentioned before I own a cattle ranch in s.e Wash state I have killed literally hundreds of coyotes over the years. I have killed them w/almost any cal you can think of,but mostly w/22-250 w/awsome sucess but @ 35 to 4000fps they tear the hide up also. If you want to save the hide you need fmj bullets. All the guys I know after hides use fmj bullets,usually in .223 or 22-250. You have the perfect rifle without doing anything to it.You said you want to be able to kill coyotes out to 200yds and use it for deer also.WELL?..... 160 or 180 fmj millitary surplus for coyotes and 165s or whatever for deer and no barrel swaps.Your always helping me I hope this helps you.
Wayne.

 

[Kenny474]

Thanks for the tip. I had thought about FMJ's, but was worried they might not do too well. Like I said, I am clueless as to how tough these little dogs are and want to make clean kills. If you say they will work, I will take your word for it.

I don't really care about the hide myself, and would rather just hammer the damn thing with a 180gr ballistic tip and watch it roll. But the old timer I hunt with does something with the hide and wants me to "go easy on 'em". He's been my hunting buddy for a long time, so I try to help him out.

He's also in his late 70's and I don't know how many more seasons I have to hunt with him, so I try to go with him as much as I can. Our other hunting partner passed this winter, so if I don't go he'll be in the woods alone. If it meant I had to build a rifle to go, than so be it.

Thanks again everyone. I appreciate the advice. I still want to think about a 22-250 barrel, but I am going to see how the .308 does with FMJ's. I have wanted a screamer round for a while, so I might just pick up a barrel to mess with. An extra barrel never hurt.

 

[bozo699]

Kenny,
When the end of the world comes and if there are any land creatures left I am sure one will be the cochroach the other would definetly be a coyote!! They have to be the toughest most resiliant animal ever born. I have made a lot of one shot clean kills on the other hand I have made just as many bad shots and had to do a follow up shot.When dry they look quite large but if you have ever seen one wet you know just how small they really are. You can blow a leg clear off and a month later see your three legged coyote hunting in the same field. Put your fmj in the vitals and he has to go down.Of course the 22-250 has little recoil and and is a awesome 400yd + coyote gun.You and I have talked about swich barrel guns before this may be a good canidate.@ anyrate good luck and let me know what you come up with.
Wayne.

 

[Kenny474]

Well, since someone has to rain on my parade, I am not allowed by state law to use FMJ ammunition while hunting any game animal.

So any suggestions on a .308 bullet with minimal expansion? Would hard cast lead work just as well?

Maybe it's just telling me I need a 22-250.

But night hunting is legal. You know, because when you can't see where you're shooting it's far safer than using FMJ ammo. ???

 

[Joe O]

If you want to stick with the 308 you might try http://www.nosler.com/Bullets/Ballistic-Tip.aspx ,the 125gr balistic tip.Not much else out there in 30cal except the 110s.

 

[Kenny474]

But, it's a 10 twist and doesn't really like anything under 150grs, and I was hoping to shoot 110gr HP's or 125gr BT's.

Sorry, but they don't work. As stated above, 10 twist doesn't like them. I am also looking for something to do minimal pelt damage, so expansion needs to be minimized.

 

[alf]

I'd go 22-250 and load it up with 40 grain Ballistic Tips.

I've been shooting 22 Dashers with that bullet at 4200 and the results are just what you're looking for.

 

[RonAKA]

One option you may want to try are the reduced youth loads from Hodgdon for the .308, to keep velocity down.

http://www.hodgdon.com/PDF/Youth%20Loads.pdf

I see that you can get muzzle velocity down to 2500 fps with H4895. I also see that loadings for cast bullets can get velocity down to 1400 fps or so, by using powders like Unique.


For bullets can you get away with hollow points? If so then the Berger or Sierra Match bullets at 135 grains may minimize the expansion. Berger, and I suspect Sierra too put heavier jackets on the match bullets, and they should expand less, especially at lower velocities.

 

[moorepower]

How many of the light bullets have you shot. My Stevens 200 when it still was a a.308 loved the 110 V max and the 125 grain TNT bullets shot very well. Alot of the new gun tests with the factory 110 VMax is the most accurate load on 1-10 twist .308's. Try a different powder combo? My vote if you switch would be a .243 , and if it is blowing a hole through,load it down a little.

 

[bozo699]

I have a .300 savage similar case capacity to the .308 win it has a 1:10 twist and it shoots the 125 nosler Bt very well.

 

[Kenny474]

I am going to let the barrel smooth out a bit more with the 100 rounds of 7.62 hard ball I bought today, then try the light stuff again. I only tried about 24 of the 125 Nosler BT's (all I had left) and they weren't doing so well with best groups around 2". I just did a quick ladder with 6 sets of 4 rounds with H4895 from 46gr to 48.5gr in half grain increments. I picked up another 100 Nosler's and 100 Hornady 110hp's to see if I can get some better results. I will probably try Win 748, V-N133, H380, RL12 and BL-C2 along with H4895 again as that is all I have for powder that is listed for those weights in my manual. Not necessarily in that order, but that's what I have that is listed. Any suggestions for loads or powder will be greatly appreciated. I am very open minded and will try most anything I deem safe. I know others are more experienced than I and respect the knowledge of others. That is why I am asking questions, in hope of learning from the experience of others.

I also cast a bunch of 160, 180 and 200gr bullets from linotype, which is very hard and should penetrate very well with minimal expansion. I should be able to push the 160 at a velocity of 2400fps, 2300fps for the 180's, and 2100 for the 200's. And I can go quite a bit slower if needed as well. I figure it's worth a shot, and it makes for really cheap practice anyway, so it's worth the effort.

I am going to call Jim Briggs at Northland Shooter Supply tomorrow and see if he has any idea of when he will have more 22-250 sporter barrels in stock, and I also may inquire about a .243 as well.
I am going to stay away from the .223 for now, as all my .222 brass is reformed .223 and I don't need any accidents.

Thanks again for the help and suggestions. I will update after I get some range time again, hopefully that will be tomorrow.

Any load or powder suggestions for 110 and 125 grain .308 loads are appreciated!

Thanks
Kenny