Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints Coyote Rifle Questions

As I've posted in another thread, I'm looking at getting into calling coyotes.

OF COURSE this means I'm in the market for a new rifle. Everything I have now is a 30-06 or 308, which will do for the time being, but I'd like for it to be a viable choice for deer also. 22 centerfires are illegal for big game in Washington, so I'm thinking 243, 6.5 Creedmoor, or 7-08 moving light bullets at warp speed.

Or should I just handload a super-light .308" bullet in an existing rifle?

Thoughts?


Okie John

Build or buy another rifle, dedicated for calling.

That's where I'm leaning. Any thoughts on cartridge?


Okie John

Hmm...depends on how involved you want to be. Factory or reload? SAAMI or Wildcat?

Saving fur or no.....

Yeah, I forgot that one...cause I dont.

Think AR......

The answers to the questions asked by the respondents will determine the advice you receive. If you are a reloader, the world is your oyster. If not you'll be slightly more limited in what you'll want to chose. The fur or no fur is a big one as well. While you may make some non damaging shots on fur with a 243 and some of the lighter bullets, the likelihood is that you'll make as many fur damaging shots as not. If you're not worried about fur, then any combination will work and the 243s, 257s, 6.5s and 7mms in any of their iterations will work well. So will your 308 and 30-06. In fact the heavier hunting bullets in any of those offerings will generally do less fur damage than the lighter, more explosive rounds, and generally provide better ballistics at longer ranges. The very light bullets, even at very high velocity fall off fast and lack the BC to hold up for long range sniping.

Some thoughts to consider when deliberating a coyote calling rifle. Most called in coyotes are shot at under 200 yards, rather than over. Sometimes at bad breath distance. You'll likely have a variable scope so set it on the lowest setting before you start calling. It will be much easier to find a coyote at 21 feet on 6x than it will on 24x. You almost always have time to turn the power up. You never have time to turn it down. In fact you don't need a mega variable on a calling rifle. One of mine, a Savage 24V 222 over 20 gauge wears a 2.5x Weaver. I haven't wanted for more scope on it.

Since you already have two deer ready chamberings, consider a calling specific rifle, of small caliber. It would be hard to go wrong with a 221, 222, 223, 222 Rem Mag, 204, 17 Rem or 17 Fireball. All will cover 99% of all calling needs and are generally far more fur friendly than any of the bigger calibers.

If fur hunting is not a priority, then anything you chose will work. If I was wanting a combo rifle to slay coyotes, with no regard to the fur and wanted it to do double duty on deer, I'd look long and hard at a 25-06.

You can save fur easily with a 243 if you reload.

Other than saving fur, there is absolutely no need for a special coyote rifle to start out.

I have three dedicated calling rifles...

An AR in regular old .223, a CZ in .223AI, and a 700 in .22 Creedmoor. They all have their purpose.

A lot of the advice you get will be useless, as every calling style is different. Myself, I prefer to reach out and smack em, other like to call them into shotgun range.

Factory/SAAMI for now. Maybe reload later.


Okie John

Fur is not a priority.

What about the 22-250?


Okie John

A fast twist 22-250 is about as ideal as it gets, in my opinion.

Fast being 1:8?


Okie John

Yes Sir...a fast twist 22 slinging heavy bullets is a thing of beauty.

Maybe even 1:7 if you want to use it for other game/Long Range with 70+ grn projectiles.

A 243 makes a fabulous coyote rifle. Load it up with a TNT or Vmax and you will drop them like they were struck by lightning.

Either will work fine....with speed, the 1:8 will spin a 75+ pretty well for the most part...but yes, a 7 twist would be ideal.

I'm an avid coyote hunter from your part of the country but I also hunt coyotes in up to five other states every year.. A fast twist 22-250 requires you to hand load. For called coyotes a regular 22-250 with 45-55gr bullets will cover all your hunting. If you really feel that long range coyote killing is in your future you would be better served with a 243 or 25-06 for a non reloader. If your not saving fur any of your deer rifles will work fine and you will be even more comfortable with them come deer season. I'm a pelt hunter so saving fur is at the top of my list and I hunt with a 222 Rem, 22-204, 5.6x50R Mag, 22 Sav. Highpower and a 22-250 with custom handloads.

Called coyotes are almost always a under 200 yard shot with many from your shoelaces to 100 yards. I personally feel that if your getting a lot of CALLED coyotes beyond 200 yards your doing something wrong. As Mart said there is always time to turn a scope up never time to turn one down. My calling rifles wear 1-4, 1,5-6 and 2.5-10(it hardly ever gets taken out) 2-7 are great calling scopes also. With my 1-4 and 1.5-6 scopes I am more than comfortable out to 300 yards. With the lower end power on a scope you gain field of view, with 1 or 1.5x on the bottom end you have 60-100' FOV at 100 yards with a 3x on the bottom end you are down to 35' FOV, with more FOV you have much faste target aquisition and the abillity to see an opening in the brush ahead of a moving coyote.

Coyote hunting can be a good excuse to buy a new rifle 223 and 22-250 have great coyote loads in bulk in the Win. White box.

Like I said, opinions vary. I like killing them way out there, other folks want to see the whites in their eyes.