well, i like the Remington 700 part. it is for most hunting applications, a tough act to follow. i started coyote hunting with an H&R single shot heavy barrel 223. i had great beginners luck, shooting my first yote in less than 2 hours on the first time out. but then i paid for that luck, i did not see another yote the rest of the season. part of that is because of my other obligations, and another part is a limited area to hunt. the next season i went with my 22, and had a shot, but out near 200 yards. needless to say that one is still alive. after that, i decided i was going to get the next one, no matter where he was. so i made up some 110 grain loads, and took to the woods with my 300 Winchester Magnum. i know that is WAY OVERKILL, but the price here is so low on pelts, it isn't worth the time to drive them to town, let alone all the work in between.
The Ultimate Coyote Gun
- Thread starter fredhorace77
- Start date
After loosing a nice light colored male Yote on a cold December day with a shot in the front of the ribcage.. I sold my beloved 7 pound 18" Lilja 1:13" Howa 223 Bolt gun and switched to 243 AI, Havnt lost a single yote since then. My only mistake I feel is that Iwent with a 1:10 twist on a Hart barrel instead of going to a 1:9 or even 1:8 twist which would have given me a little more options for bullets. Currently Im shooting the Berger 95grVLD's at almost 3400fps... Dont ask what load I shoot its only good at around 40* or less in North Dakota.
What this rifle does for me is alow me to take short shots as well as those Dogs that like to hang up at 300 to 600 yards and yip at you or your caller. I consider myself a fairly accomplished long range shooter and hence picking this cartridge allow's me to have more options on those longer shots. A buddy calls me when he goes out into a area that others have Educated the Yote population knowing the shots can be long.
I really like SS COYOTE's idea of using a Striker or XP100. That would be real easy to put in my pack and carry along with for the short shots. Great idea. just what I needed another project.
Another vote for the 243 or even the 6mm Rem.
RussT
What this rifle does for me is alow me to take short shots as well as those Dogs that like to hang up at 300 to 600 yards and yip at you or your caller. I consider myself a fairly accomplished long range shooter and hence picking this cartridge allow's me to have more options on those longer shots. A buddy calls me when he goes out into a area that others have Educated the Yote population knowing the shots can be long.
I really like SS COYOTE's idea of using a Striker or XP100. That would be real easy to put in my pack and carry along with for the short shots. Great idea. just what I needed another project.
Another vote for the 243 or even the 6mm Rem.
RussT
AckleymanII
Gold $$ Contributor
we killed a lot of coyotes in Mexico with the 80g sierra at 3500 fps out of a 243 and 3600 out of a custom 6 Rem. Same bullet out of a 6AI is 3800 fps....big WHOP on bullet contact, dead yote laying right where you hit him. If you shoot them in the stomach with this load, they are laying right were you hit them, if you shoot them in the hip, the whole ass end is gone! This load worked very well out of a std 243 and 6 Rem out to 450 yards which is as far as I had to shoot(once).
If you know your gun and ballistics you will be happy with most of the mentioned rounds. I love my 243, but my goto gun for coyotes is my 22/243. As easy yo load as a standard 243 and amazing ballistics. I push 75gr amax bullets at a 3500fps with no pressure problems. Its good to 400 yards with a very slight sight adjustment zeroed at 350yds. It is not a pelt gun though, big holes. 22/250, 6mm, 243 are all great choices.
The Ultimate Coyote Gun ... that title will solicit a gambit of responses ... LOL. I have shot coyotes with quite a few different rifles and cals over the years Here are some factors I would consider:
1. What is your budget. Components and gunsmithing add up fast. I have 1 custom rifle. (barrel- $170, chambering and install-$300) My barrel is a Green Mountain. Add another $200-250 for a Bartllen/Lilja/Krieger etc
2. Keeping the furs? This is a major factor ... as this rapidly narrows your cal selection to 17-22 cal IMO.
3. Avg distance of shots
4. Terrain of hunting grounds and wind factor Most misses occur because of wind calls
5. Do you reload .. bullet selection is vital ... ballistic and terminal
6. Barrel life
7. Will this rifle be multi-use. ex : Coyotes and deer
For me ... I use 300 yds as my basis. I want a cal that my trajectory stays within 6 inches with no more than + 1.8 in zero @ 100 yds. I also want it to be less than 10 inches of wind drift with a full value 10 mph wind.
Good luck ... Its a tough choice. There are so many variables to consider
1. What is your budget. Components and gunsmithing add up fast. I have 1 custom rifle. (barrel- $170, chambering and install-$300) My barrel is a Green Mountain. Add another $200-250 for a Bartllen/Lilja/Krieger etc
2. Keeping the furs? This is a major factor ... as this rapidly narrows your cal selection to 17-22 cal IMO.
3. Avg distance of shots
4. Terrain of hunting grounds and wind factor Most misses occur because of wind calls
5. Do you reload .. bullet selection is vital ... ballistic and terminal
6. Barrel life
7. Will this rifle be multi-use. ex : Coyotes and deer
For me ... I use 300 yds as my basis. I want a cal that my trajectory stays within 6 inches with no more than + 1.8 in zero @ 100 yds. I also want it to be less than 10 inches of wind drift with a full value 10 mph wind.
Good luck ... Its a tough choice. There are so many variables to consider
Hey guys for the past 3 months I have been working with the 250 savage.
Guess none of the big guys thought to try the newer powders with it, a really dumb mistake if you ask me.
I'm running 36.5grs of varget behind a Sierra 90gr BTHP = avg. 3054 FPS
42grs varget under hornady 75gr VMAX = avg. 3416 FPS !!!
This was from my savage model 1920 bolt-action with a 1:14 twist & 22" barrel.
I use the 36.5gr load with Sierra 100gr MK BTHP = 3084 FPS
Out of my savage 10 with an E.R. Shaw 27" 1:10 heavy barrel I put together for the 250 savage.
SB
i'd go with the 6MM remington for the longer neck. brass wont be as accessible or cheap however.
Why not update this thread? New bullets maybe some new cases. I've run 15 straight with my 9T 223 AI AR-15/69 TMK at 3075 mv using the old VLD magazine and love it, but it's not a fur bullet no doubt. 2 long shots at 490 and 350 yds. so far. Buddy's running 223 AR with the new 77 TMK and killed one at 575 this year so far. His new load drives the 80 ELD-M @ 2910 with the help of the only other VLD magazine we could find. Saw him nail 3 cottontails along a ravine bank couple weeks ago in 6 shots at 700 and 730 yds. Hadn't even zeroed his 75 A-Max load but ran the #'s and still killed one in 2 shots at 730--phenomenal. Nice system IMO. Will find out the 80 ELD-M performance soon.
Last edited:
Rem 700 22/250 1-7" Krieger at 28" and 90 gr. Sierra HPBT using 35.5 grs. H4350! If a yote stops at 700 yards and looks back.....he's in the dirt!
Fastwt by Sharps Man, on Flickr
Fastwt by Sharps Man, on FlickrI built a 6mm Remington Imp. for my coyote hunting. Kills them dead with 75 gr V-Max bullets. It is a walk-around gun, with a sporter-weight Shilen select match barrel on a trued-up Remington 700 action. The stock is the original wood, which I pillar bedded. Shoots 1/2 MOA.
A regular 6mm Remington worked well also. The 6mm Rem is a superior cartridge over the .243. (How’s that for an opinionated statement?) It has more case capacity, a longer neck, and a sharper shoulder.
In addition, nothing kills a coyote better than a .22-250 and a 55 gr Hornady SX bullet. It bounces them off the ground mid howl. No exit hole, no pelt damage. In my experience, you need to keep the velocity below 3600 fps or the SX bullet may not reach the target on a hot day. They are wonderfully accurate but are made to shoot at .223 speeds. They make spectacular blue streak vapor trails on a hot day and the coyotes look like they've been hit with a missile!
A regular 6mm Remington worked well also. The 6mm Rem is a superior cartridge over the .243. (How’s that for an opinionated statement?) It has more case capacity, a longer neck, and a sharper shoulder.
In addition, nothing kills a coyote better than a .22-250 and a 55 gr Hornady SX bullet. It bounces them off the ground mid howl. No exit hole, no pelt damage. In my experience, you need to keep the velocity below 3600 fps or the SX bullet may not reach the target on a hot day. They are wonderfully accurate but are made to shoot at .223 speeds. They make spectacular blue streak vapor trails on a hot day and the coyotes look like they've been hit with a missile!
Phil
Gold $$ Contributor
Rem 700 22/250 1-7" Krieger at 28" and 90 gr. Sierra HPBT using 35.5 grs. H4350! If a yote stops at 700 yards and looks back.....he's in the dirt!
I`ve often thought about doing the same thing, with the AI version.
Your success is inspiring..........
Phil.
Where is a good place to see rifles such as these in person? Coyote contest? It seems a person can only guess at what the end product will look, shoot, and feel like. Once a bipod, big scope, glass bedding job are installed, the rifle you think you had suddenly is a totally different critter.
With an existing back problem, I sold my Ruger M77 varmint that shot great to get away from the weight. I went with a Kimber Montana & installed a 2.5-8x36mm with B&C reticle that handled like a dream. I just wasn't getting the bug holes @ 200 yards that my ADD requires
. I then installed a vx3 4.5-14x 40mm LR with B&C reticles and the bug holes arrived, but with fliers. I then had a Douglas barrel, a muzzle break installed and a bedding job. The barrel copied the factory contour. But the bedding job added at least a pound to the rifle!! Ouch! It now seems like a Franken-Kimber-Montana that Dr. Morrow slapped together! The Harris 6-9 notched bipod changed everything yet again. In the end, Im shooting 88 bergers @ 3200fps that performs great. But it is nowhere near what it started out as originally and if I had to do it all over again, I would skip the bedding and went with a lighter weight scope.
With an existing back problem, I sold my Ruger M77 varmint that shot great to get away from the weight. I went with a Kimber Montana & installed a 2.5-8x36mm with B&C reticle that handled like a dream. I just wasn't getting the bug holes @ 200 yards that my ADD requires
. I then installed a vx3 4.5-14x 40mm LR with B&C reticles and the bug holes arrived, but with fliers. I then had a Douglas barrel, a muzzle break installed and a bedding job. The barrel copied the factory contour. But the bedding job added at least a pound to the rifle!! Ouch! It now seems like a Franken-Kimber-Montana that Dr. Morrow slapped together! The Harris 6-9 notched bipod changed everything yet again. In the end, Im shooting 88 bergers @ 3200fps that performs great. But it is nowhere near what it started out as originally and if I had to do it all over again, I would skip the bedding and went with a lighter weight scope.Breakshunter
Silver $$ Contributor
Dang 370bc that sounds strange to add one pound of weight from bedding. I could bed many rifles with that much compound! Any chance we could see a pic or tell us what all he bedded for you? My latest favorite coyote round is a 6xc with a 1-10 twist and 70gr blitzkings.
I don't know exactly how much it was, but it was like adding saddlebags on carbon fiber $10,000 bicycle. Kinda moots the point of having carbon fiber in the first place.
xswanted
Gold $$ Contributor
In my opinion there's too many different ways of hunting coyotes to have one gun for it all. Calling, spot and stalk, still hunting stand hunting......the list goes on.
Here's what I look for.
Calling gun:
It has to feed reliably....all the time.
It has to be finished with bipod and scope under 8.5lbs.
I want fur friendly bullets and bang flop dead performance.
For me, I have a fast twist 204 I'm shooting 50gr Bergera through. It works great for a calling as well as doubles as a spot and stalk setup. Good all around performance to ~500 yards IF a guys needs it.
If I'm going after a bedded coyote it hunting in an area where I know a long shot is going to be more likely I have a 22BR shooting 75 bergers or a 22-250AI shooting 80SMKs. Both are awesome for longer range setups and not overly hard on the fur.
The 17 REM has a soft spot for me as a calling setup as well.
Here's what I look for.
Calling gun:
It has to feed reliably....all the time.
It has to be finished with bipod and scope under 8.5lbs.
I want fur friendly bullets and bang flop dead performance.
For me, I have a fast twist 204 I'm shooting 50gr Bergera through. It works great for a calling as well as doubles as a spot and stalk setup. Good all around performance to ~500 yards IF a guys needs it.
If I'm going after a bedded coyote it hunting in an area where I know a long shot is going to be more likely I have a 22BR shooting 75 bergers or a 22-250AI shooting 80SMKs. Both are awesome for longer range setups and not overly hard on the fur.
The 17 REM has a soft spot for me as a calling setup as well.
Upgrades & Donations
This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.