good coyote guns

[B.A.M.F]

I am looking for a first coyote gun. Tired of using my 7mm rem mag deer gun. I was looking at the savages and some remingtons. Does anyone have experience with these? I was looking for a more accurate rifle and would prefer to not have to take it to a gunsmith for anything other than a trigger job. Will take any suggestions though. on a learning curve here. . Appreciate any help.

 

[Leanwolf]

Do you reload??

I use a .223 Rem. in a Rem. 700. One of my hunting buddies uses the Savage in .22-250 with the adjustable trigger. Both work well.

Jim Horn, well known game caller, said in a seminar I attended last Saturday, that although he's been using a .22-250 for years, he's going to a .204 Ruger, as when he's used it recently, he's "never seen anything like it to put down coyotes."

FWIW.

L.W.

 

[B.A.M.F]

I don't reload.Yet. that is my next investment after the rifle. i was looking for a .223 as they are cheap as dirt to shoot and can put down coyotes at long ranges with proper shot placement. that is what my local coyote hunter told me. Also i cannot find any .20 cal bullets in my area so realoading is hard. Any how thanks for the advice.

 

[Glockfan.45]

I use a 10/22 (.22lr), AR15 (.223), or a Remington 700 (.308) depending on where I'm hunting them. My uncle really likes his new .204 Ruger for the task. Oh .243 is a popular coyote caliber as well.

 

[CB900F]

B.A.M.F;

As to platform, I don't think you can beat either a Tikka or a CZ at the present time. My personal coyote bopper is a 6mm Remington, but neither CZ nor Tikka offers that caliber. The 6mm's do make life a little easier on the shooter out here where the wind blows though.

900F

 

[dispatch55126]

If you're looking for a volume rifle and shoot within 100 yds, I'd look at a .22Mag

 

[B.A.M.F]

sorry for not specifying. i live in alberta and the closest shots i see are 100 yards. So i am actually looking for a long range rifle in either a 223, 22-250 or 243 caliber.
sorry for any confusion

 

[rangerruck]

ah here we go, , you want one of two things here, either a 224 with a 26 inch bbl, or a 6mm , with a 26 in bbl, no not a 243. Savage makes a varminter, with a 26 inch bbl, get that, or a ruger custom shop for the 6mm remmy, or see if you can get the 223 in the savage, and have it chambered for a 6mm remmy.
why the 6 mm remmy? because it is WWWAAAAYYYY better than a 243, plus it will give you excellent bbl life, because of the long neck case design. the 6mm is one of the top 5 fastest , flattest shooting production carts ever made, that didn't first start as a wildcat, or was a Weatherby mag.

 

[B.A.M.F]

thanks for that i will most certainly look into a savage then

 

[MinnMooney]

B.A.M.F. - If you do take up reloading, you'll have a lot of fun at it. Reloading makes you just a tad more proud of those smaller groups that you'll eventually be shooting. .204 bullets should be no problem getting if you order thru Midway, Midsouth Shooter's Supply or ebay. I've bought probably 3000-4000 bullets thru ebay and sometimes get great deals.
I shoot prairie dogs (PD's) with the new, very-heavy-barreled, Savage 'Long Range Precision Varminter' in .22-250 with Weaver's Grand Slam 4.5-14x40 AO and a Harris 6-9 inch bipod. With the proper reloads (or Winchester's 50gr Ballistic SilverTips), I shoot 0.40 - 0.45 MOA consistantly. We don't shoot any PD's under 350 yds with our .22-250s and shoot many in the 500 - 650 yd range.
What's really fun is shooting the little hole-makers with my AR-15 style, Bushmaster Varminter in .223Rem. I bought that rifle in the .223 cal. 'cause the ammo was dirt cheap last year ($4/20) and I go thru a lot! The AR is good (so far) out to 450 yds but this summer I plan on reaching out and touching a couple of PD's at around 500+.
Whichever way you go - and there have been some good opinions expressed so far - have fun and good luck.

 

[EricTheBarbarian]

50 BMG

 

[joneb]

Often you will encounter multiple coyotes, this will require kick follow up shots.
http://www.bushmaster.com/shopping/weapons/pcwvms20fpred8.asp

 

[CZguy]

CZ-527

I use a CZ-527 Varmint with Kevlar stock in .223 with a Burris 4.5x14 scope. I couldn't be happier with it. Most of my shots are within 100 to 250 yards.

 

[glimmerman]

I have a NEF Handi rifle, heavy barrel in .204 ruger. WHAT A ZIPPER!!!!! I have taken yote's past 300yds droped dead!!. The NEF is inexpensive, has a decent tigger(mine breaks like a glass rod at 2.25lbs, and is VERY!! accurate(with my loads im getting 1/2moa at 200yds). Just dont skimp on the optics!!

 

[Essex County]

Have five .223s, one .22-250, a .243 and a .257 Ackley. I can grab whichever, but I'll admit to being partial to a CZ 527 and a Tikka .22-250. All will do a fine job. If push came to shove I think I might go for a .223 if I could have only one. Essex

 

[cheygriz]

Remington 700 heavy police in .243.

 

[LeonCarr]

Mr. B.A.M.F,

Have you ever had a coyote get up from your 7 Mag? If not, keep using it as your coyote gun. I know it is more expensive to shoot than something like a .223 or .22-250, but you can use the same load you use on larger game. That way you are getting lots of off season practice with your big game rifle, and you only have one set of trajectory tables to memorize, which will benefit you when that big buck walks out in front of you. Besides, coyotes deserve to be shot with the largest caliber firearm you own .

Also, handloading for the 7 Mag will allow you to fine tune your ammunition to your rifle, increasing accuracy. Use the money you were gonna spend on the rifle and get set up to handload.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[sansone]

savage or howa in .223 or .243 if your lookin' cheap but good / remingtn 700 of course, but more $$

 

[Onmilo]

I have been hunting coyotes since 1980.
I started with a .30 Carbine because that was all I could afford at the time.
I moved on to a Ruger Mini 14 and then a Winchester Model 70 featherweight in .223
I now use a built AR-15 featuring an Olympic 24" 1 in 10 twist barrel and I shoot 52 grain hollowpoints.

The one consistant is that I have stuck with the .223 cartridge.
It works well to 400 meters, is relatively quiet for a powerful cartridge, it is fairly flat shooting and doesn't tear the heck out of the hides.

Any decent rifle will do the trick, especially if you use it in conjunction with a very good quality scope.

Some suggestions for what is available on the market today would be Savage or CZ bolt guns or the AR platform if you like semi auto rifles as I do.
The fast second shot from a semi auto has saved me from losing a dog more than once.HTH

 

[esswiz]

In the group.

My family has shot a lot of coyotes over the years. Primarily with Rem 700 in .243 with hand loads (75g HP). I would agree that a 6mm and a 22-250 have velocity advantages. I suppose if I were to start over again I may choose the 6mm. It has the same bullet options as a .243, and it's faster. I use the same rifle in .243 for praire dogs, coyotes, whitetail & mule deer. Nothing I shoot in Nebraska requires a larger load and around here I can find .243 casings in greater supply than 6mm. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the following: 22-250, 223, 243, 6mm. These are great coyote guns. The .22Mag is nothing to snear at. Especially if you're calling coyotes to within 75yds.

 

[slzy]

i vote with leon.

 

[mustanger98]

Three rifles I believe in... Winchester .30-30, Savage .243Winchester, and Model 70 in .243.

Some folks I hear from opine that .30-30 has killed more of everything than any other centerfire... deer, coyotes, feral dogs, whatever.

One of my cousins is a farmer in Alabama... he keeps a .243Winchester in his truck just for coyotes. They're a problem there.

That said, if I think I need to shoot a coyote, I'll use whatever I'm carrying that day.

 

[chris allen]

coyote gun

As you can see there are all sorts of opinions not only which gun ,but also which caliber.Only you can decide what is right for you .

Shooting long range or short?
Carry rifle or stationary?
Saving fur or not?
Price range?
Reload or factory ammo?
Magaine rifle or hinged floor plate.

ON AND ON.

over the years i have found that in most cases you can't go to far wrong with whatever is popular , it is popular for a reason .

 

[telecaster1981]

Well, the first gun that comes to mind for me is a Remington 788 in .222. They can be had dirty dirt cheap used too! My 788's accuracy is just sickening...good that is...most of the time around 1/2 MOA and rarely exceeding 3/4 MOA with off the shelf ammo. I used to think that kind of accuracy was reserved for heavy barrels, but my .222 turned me around! It's made hamburger out of several deer too...with head-shots out to 250yds.

My < $.02

Ben

 

[Gordon]

115 grain Speer hollow points in the 7mm mag are mighty coy dog medicine out to 500 yards. The 120 Sierra is no slouch either!