Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire 6mm-250 caliber for coyotes

Just watched a coyote calling video by Darrell Holland. He recommends a 6mm-250 wildcat. Is this a custom rifle? I looked at a few production manufactures websites and didn't see this caliber offered. Is this really specialized and expensive to shoot. I was looking to purchase a .223 but Mr. Holland suggest it might be too small for coyotes.
MWC

A 6mm-250 is a wildcat and will grant you a bit less than a standard 243.

A 223, especially with a faster twist barrel is plenty.

His mileage obviously varies.

Having lived in the boonies of Tucson, a 223 is plenty enough. I have used all sorts of guns on Coyotes including shotguns. Howl Dogs aren't hard to kill actually. Time was I could get $75.00 for a coyote, not skinned, not cleaned. Easy money back then.

I just got a barrel in 6mm/22-250. In researching a bit I found that most barrel makers will do the chambering. I saw it at Pac-Nor for sure and Mike Bryant listed a reamer on his site. It's a nice little cartridge, with easy to make brass. Longer barrel life than a 243.

If you want to mess around with gunsmiths, custom reamers, wildcats, reloading, reloading dies for wildcats, etc. the 6mm-250 will kill coyotes.

If you just want to kill coyotes, and save a ton of money, get a .223. If you want to kill coyotes and deer with the same rifle, get a .243

No coyote will live with a 55 g softpoint in the ribs.

Sycamore

Mr. MWC;
First off I would like to welcome you to the Campfire from southern BC.

While I�m sure the chap in your video has shot more coyotes than I have, we have shot a couple here and there.

The last two died with a .22 rimfire using CCI Velocitors, which is what the yard guns get fed.

We have shot them with various calibers from .223 up to .338, but the original �coyote rifle� is a much too heavy .22-.250AI. I will admit that last year I borrowed our youngest daughter�s deer rifle to shoot a coyote and it worked quite well too. It is chambered for another wildcat round, a .22-.250 necked up to .250 and blown out to AI specs.

In all seriousness, the next coyote rifle I build will be a light .223, maybe an AI just because, but I�d be shocked if any coyote would tell the difference.

Good luck on whichever way you decide for a coyote rifle.

Regards,
Dwayne

Ya know Dwayne instead of building you could consider a Montana in .223?

Just a thunk

Dober

The 6/250 I built is a 6XC..Pac Nor 8 twist bbl on a s/shot Savage action....at 15# its not a carry 'yote gun...as suggested the 223 is plenty 'nuff yote medicine...

Mark;
One of the downsides of living in this part of the BC sticks is the almost total absence of certain types of rifles, one of which is the Kimber.

The one I did handle was very nice I thought. I think it came from Alberta��

Anyway, I believe your nomination of a Kimber as a walking around rifle is a good one. It would no doubt be cheaper than a build!

Regards,
Dwayne

I am not a coyote maven by a long stretch, but I have shot them as well as feral dog. I've used 22 LR, 30-06-- (both 165 grain deer loads and saboted Accelerators) and 223 Rem and 12 GA shotgun. They impress me as an animal that is hard to hit, but easy to kill. In my part of the county, they are a target of opportunity that are shot with whatever is at hand. I've even shot at one with my .54 Cal Hawken, although you'd have heard me crowing on here if I had hit it. My last one was shot with 3" #4 Federals as she was making a run at my turkey decoys.

Bottom line: don't spend money on a wildcat unless you love wildcats.

I have a buddy who is the retired local animal control officer and he still loves to hunt them as a hobby. His two favorite rifles for long distance work are both AR variants in 308 WIN and 338 Lapua. He likes my place, because it is an "opportunity rich environment." I let him shoot off the front porch when I'm not there.

James called me up a while back grousing. "I'm getting too old." he said.

"What's the matter?"

"My days of 600 yard shots are over." He replied "I've got to start limiting myself to 400 yards."

"Where on earth are you getting 600 yard shots on my place?" I asked.

"Oh, I just start on your place." he said. "I was missing them over on (he went on to describe a neighbor's pasture that was two ridges over.)"

For close in work his choice is a 12 GA semi-auto shooting 2X6 Remington Duplex turkey loads. He had a reputation for using rookie state highway patrolmen for bait in getting stubborn pit bulls from out from under porches and trailers. He says they really go for the fancy uniforms.

If I get some time this before Turkey Season, I hope to get out and do some dedicated coyote hunting with my sons. For calling and baiting, I will probably use 223 Rem and 55 grain Rem soft points out of a scoped Mini-14 (yeah, I know, but this one is surprisingly accurate) while my son backs me up with a 12 GA loaded with buckshot.

LMAO.

Really, how much does it take to kill a coyote? The Inupiat on the North Slope of Alaska favor the.22-250 as an all around gun for seals to polar bear. Can't recall of anyone getting et in the 35 years I've been up here, tho I'd favor a .338 for any big bear myself.

The .223 or .22-250 are perfect for coyote, in my opinion- tho I've never shot a coyote. Did shoot a wolf once, with a .260, at 40 yards...

ahhhh.... rotate 90 degrees...

LAS: (LMAO right back at ya!)

At least they're using "premium" bullets in the 22-250, right? Tell me they're using premium bullets. It's gotta be for polar bear, right?

I've shot at a few coyotes with a .222 heavy-barreled, 13 pound Sako... my woodchuck/varmint rifle... and it will "do" them, but it's a 225 yard cartridge that some try to "stretch" to 250 yards... but there's a HUGE bullet "drop" between 225 and 250 yards.

If I wanted to become a dyed-in-the-wool coyote hunter (which I "don't") as well as a white-tail deer hunter (which I am), I'd go for a standard, but "hot" .24 caliber like the 6mm Remington (a 7x57mm case necked down to .24 caliber). It has a bit more muzzle velocity than a .243 Win. and will "reach-out-and-touch" either coyotes or deer at 300 yards... or even 400 yards if the rifleman is capable.

Recoil is still very "reasonable" and accuracy is excellent even in a decent, light sporter-weight rifle... and the somewhat heavier .24 caliber bullet will "buck" the wind better than the lighter .224 sized bullets outta my .222 Sako.

Jus' my 2�...

Ron T.

Coyotes are like a lot of critters, easy to kill when hit in the right spot, they usually drop pretty quick. Hit one around the edges and they can travel a long ways. I think the 6's do kill them a little faster, but .223s and 22-250s easily kill them, further than 225 yards too. That said I built a 6mm rem for coyotes. I shoot 55 or 70 Nbt, and I do sell the fur too.

FWIW:

Dogzapper has a wealth of 6-250 experience.

I'd PM him.

BMT

Dogzapper here: That sounds like a joke.

I've shot a gazillion coyotes with the .223, the .223 Ackley and the 6-250. Some were Holland rifles, most were not.

If I were to grab a rifle and go out the door coyote hunting this instant, it would be either a .223 or a .223 Ackley. Actually, I'd more than likely just grab my 700 LVSF .223 Remington Normal that is stock, except for my Marine-Tex bedding job and trigger tinkering. Scope: Leupold 4.5-14 with Fine Duplex.

What bullet? Without a doubt, the 40-grain Ballistic Tip. I have never had a single coyote take one step after receiving a 40.

Given the .223/223AI and 40Ballistics, coyotes are simply electrocuted. Period.

Steve

As I sometimes opine, I have yet to have a critter demand to read the headstamp before it decides to expire or not. Nor the name on the barrel, for that matter.

As only a sometimes coyote hunter, my kill record is not impressive. But they have given up their devilish ghosts to Hornets, 223s and (yes) even my wildcat 25-308. Guys I've hunted with have used 22-250s, Swifts, 243s, 270s and even a 7 RemMag, depending on whatever they happened to own. (Amusingly, the guys with the big boomers ALWAYS seem to get shots at 50 yards or so. Most ironic, no?)

If I were to buy a dedicated coyote-calling rifle, it would be a sporter-weight 223 bolt gun with a 2-7X or 3-9X standard scope.

Agree with you Ron T. although for this 'argument' we shouldn't think of the 6mm as a necked down 7x57. Think of it as a 6mm-257, or about as close a 6mm -250 as one could get -just a touch better though IMO. A terrific round.

I hunt dogs a pretty fair amount. In fact I have gone three times this week. We are really doing more scouting for the upcoming season, but anyways.....

My #1 used cartridge by a considerable margin is the plain old .223. That being said, I am a big time 6mm Remington fan and consider the standard 6mm Remington with an 85 grain Sierra HPBT Gameking to be about ideal for western coyotes that hang up a ways out.

I just built a 6.8 spcII AR15 that I am going to do a little T&E with this fall. I will form an opinion after a few dogs have been hammered with it.

In short I could limit myself to the 6mm Rem and .223 Rem and be quite happy for all my coyote needs.

The 6/250 that I had pushed the 60g Sierra at 3800-3850, the 65's at 3700, and the 70's at 3550 with 10g-12g less powder than the 243, accuracy was in the .250-.375 range. I shot a Military Surplus powder in mine, WC844 which is about the exact burning rate of H335. This is probably why Mr. Holland recommended this cartridge.

This is a lot more gun than the 223 which gives a lot of spinners past 250 yds.

With the 60g Sierra at 3800-3850, a hit in the rear of the coyotes stomach on a broadside shot will anchor him on the spot, which happens on running shots.

I like to have enough gun so when a lion comes to the call, there are no doubts on taking a shot.