Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters shotgun load for coyotes

Combine that #4 buck with a tight Patternmaster choke tube and you will be amazed.

I have a bunch of 2-3/4" B Hevi-Shot that is dang nasty on coyotes. Otherwise, I'd shoot a lead BB of some sort, or maybe dive into this TSS stuff.

Reloader7RM ,

Good morning , thanks but no thanks - Lord knows i've got enough hobbies .

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MOGC ,

It was you who inspired me to take up shotgunning predators a long time ago - on PredatorMasters site i believe . Thanks .

I've said it before - if i had a shotgun in hand on every calling set - i'd have killed twice as many coyotes as i have in my life .

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Did some looking on youtube - people patterning shotguns - one interesting tidbit - lead weighs 11.6gr. , hevi-shot weighs 13.3gr. not nearly the weight difference that I would have guessed . Hevi-shot is a little too spendy for that small percentage of performance . TSS on the other hand weighs 18+grs. so that's substancial over lead , and hevi-shot .
One test into gel block hevi-shot penetrated 8'' , lead penetrated 7'' - same load same velocity ammo .

When intentional either of these (4 buck on left):

I bought a pattern master choke for my benelli thinking it would tighten up my pattern for farther shooting out of the helo
in the timber. At 60 yds the full choke that benelli provided have a tighter pattern than the pattern master. I think this is because the pattern master choke is designed to work off of a regular type wad. In most, if not all 4 buck that I have examined, there isn't much of a wad. More like a thin plastic divider between the powder and shot.

atse,

Which proves, once again, that we always need to pattern a particular shotshell load in a particular barrel before coming to any firm conclusions.

Dad had an old JC Higgins bolt-action shotgun he used for coyote hunting for years and years. He always used Winchester SuperX 4 buck, and he could roll them with that old gun, all the way out to 50 yards. He even rolled a couple further out than that, but had to hit them a couple of times to finish them. That old gun had a heckuva pattern, and it held six shots in the tubular magazine.


I can attest that it was no fun to shoot, though, it kicked like a mule, and it was slow to operate. Then again, Dad usually only needed the one shot. That poor old gun was flat-worn-out years ago. The safety didn't work, the magazine tube was held on by a hose clamp, and the bead had gone for a walk somewhere. But my nephew wanted it when Dad passed away, and I let him keep it.

If you want tight patterns through a standard choke, the Federal "Flite Control" wads do really tighten things up.

I patterned both federal, and Remington shells with similar results. Those are the only 2 brands we use. Do you know of any other brands that use an actual wad with 4 buck? If so I bet the pattern master would work well with it.

As a turkey nut for over 40 years, I'm gonna say whatever coarse shot patterns the best from your set-up.

I'm running 2 1/4 oz of copper plated 2's from a BPS 10 ga and coyotes just don't walk away from the front of it. A looooooong way in front of it. Yotes generally hit the dirt so hard they bounce. Have also used #4 buck from same with OK results. BB shot doesn't pattern worth a crap. Go figger… ???

The Winchester Longbeard Turkey loads in lead #4's should hold lots of promise. The pattern VERY tight through the Indian Creek Black Diamond Strike choke tube. And the penetration of the HTL pellets can allow you to go down in shot size while going up in penetration.

The Winchester Longbeard pellets are HTL? What are they made of? It was my understanding they are standard Pb lead composition.

i have always done well with Federal 3 inch copper plated BB`s.

No. The Longboards are lead. But they pattern so tightly that the #4's can give you a TON of large pellets on a small target at distance. I think they could be quite effective.

Winchester also makes a coyote/predator specific load with copper plated lead BB's using the same components as the Longbeard turkey loads. I'd bet on those to work better on yotes than the #4 turkey loads.

Federal #4 buck, premium in the 3" version is very very good. Remington 3" is in second place. I would not depend on them being as close next time.

Contrary to what the ill informed say on the internet, you want to use a Full choke at a bare minimum, Extra full better, and I use Carlson's turkey chokes. I have been hunting coyotes for 30 years.

Federal makes or used to make 3" Magnum with 1 7/8 oz of BB, they are darn hard to find.

Winchester 3", #4 Buckshot may pattern well in your shotgun, a pattern board tells all, you can use regular newspaper as pattern material taped together. Pattern at 40 yards.

My Carlson patterns 100% in a 20" circle at 40 yards, a tad tighter with 00 and 000 Rem 3" buckshot.

BB and #4 buck is better for coyotes. #2 Lead shot is very effective if you can ever find any left over from the good ole days of shooting geese with it.

Steel shot is NOT the way to go on coyotes, if it all you can find, use a Modified choke with T shot, and aim for their heads.

killin coyotes isn`t that complicated ,full choke ,12 gauge auto is better on a runnin coyote, we just buy 3 in copper plated lead BB`s box of 25 its cheaper and sometimes you do shoot alot. anything shot size bigger wrecks the hide sometimes kind bad, i hate skin`n coyote hides with guts hangin out from shot with # 4 buck and then have to sew the hide.plus most of the time that hides value is less then too. years ago a old coyote caller i read alot about used a 10 gauge with lead BB`S he called his old auto loader Moose Dick i think his first name was Jerry ? that old coyote callin said any shot bigger than BB`s just wreck hides and he was right too.

I have killed many hundreds of coyotes with Ithaca 10ga semi auto(2 1/4 oz of Copper plated bb and 52? count of #4 buck, and 12ga( 42 count of #4 buck and 1 7/8 oz of BB)., Pete I don't recall tearing up hides unless it was a 20 yard shot.

Pete, Federal boxes of 25, 3" copper plated BB's are darn near non existent, old stock only on the shelves.. I have not seen any for 5 years+ which was Federal Premium, buffered.

BB's start gimping up coyotes around 45 yards if not hit in the head, after 45 is where #4 buck really shines.

I found this on LEAD copper plated bb, Hornady has a load but it was not effective my chokes

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1017367255/


Pete, I checked Federal web site, does not look like they make our favorite 25 count copper plated bb load anymore in 12 ga, steel only

Still #4 lead birdshot and it still penetrates like smallish lead birdshot. Sketchy at much over 30-35 yards. Been there and done that. There are so many good coyote loads out there I see no reason to go there.

In my experience, coyotes are pretty much like geese: Have seen them killed cleanly at 30 yards with #6 lead shot, But as the range increases the density of the pattern (and shot itself) makes a considerable difference.

But good to know the problem is so complex.

#4's ARE on the small side for serious coyote duty. But the Longbeards (properly choked) will put a boatload of them in a small area at distance. I tested all the Longbeard offerings when they first came out. I was getting 55-60 #4's in a 10" circle at 60 yards. I'm not real confident in the PPE of a #4 to break coyote skull bone at 60 yards. But I would add at least 10 yards to your figures with a fair amount of certainty. To clarify...……….. I'm talking SPECIFICALLY about a head/neck shot, here. No way I'd wanna be body shooting yotes with 4's at 45 yards.