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Due to what I shoot and familiar with, a fast twist 22-250 AI that can drive something like a 70-90 grain projectile.
What that wont cover, and the wind does become an issue out further, then 6mm 06 or something in a 25 caliber.
I'm actually fortunate that I generally cannot have a shot at a yote past 300 where I'm at so my long barrled 223 upper on the AR gets almost all my work.
Thin barrels are as good as heavy, its all dependant on how many rounds you will shoot, how you travel and so on. For a multi round gun, a bit heavier. For coyotes you often don't have multi shots, and for a walking gun I'd just stick with a normal or light contour tube. Much different than a PD situation.
True long range in windy conditions I"d be really keen about thinking 257 wtby or 257 stw area. In a nice light gun(super light backpack type guns are tough to learn to shoot correctly but very accurate) that would double as a prairie goat gun and the like.
Maybe I"m in the minority like the others say, of course I think I"m in the majority but thats probably due to the company I keep. And I may purposely have blinders on not wanting to see the slobs. Though those barrage shooters.... heck I suspect, and may be wrong, that those types of shooters wouldn't even be lucky enough to wound and animal much less get close and tend to even discount those shooters...
BTW on the spot shooting, BTDT, lost out a few times but the few times I"ve had shots over 1000 I"ve also not been totally comfortable with the shot at all. Thats 2 times. Both would have been instant kills had I not shot the spotter. Both times the animal walked off and would walk and stop. Not the shot I was looking for....
As mentioned RE the paper issue, given enough time, those groups will be centered. ITs the fact that you cannot govern conditions or when the allotted time starts. So you have to shoot the paper even if you wouldn't shoot an animal. I"m much more lucky as my sport allows 1 minute per shot, sometimes more and from 10-22 shots for a match. I don't shoot slowly, but often will allow up to half the time to elapse to get to a favorable condition to me to be able to start center and finish center.
My longest shot, well it would have never been taken on the early days of the hunt due to the winds. Just got lucky on having ideal shooting conditions when it was demanded. Of course earlier days I had shots at 300 and under but on animals I did not want.
Jeff
Jeff
