Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Ok - one rifle for coyotes?

243with 58 grain V-max over varget.

Lately I have been using a .223 Ruger Hawkeye AW UL. glass bedded, Ernie's trigger spring, iron sights, 3-9x40mm Leupold. Works extremely well for most anything I run into.

I have also used a .243, .22WMR, .250-3000 , minis and AR's.

Friend bought one of the .243 Ruger Precisions for $900. 26" bbl. 0.4 MOA with factory loads. Heavy, stable, predictable. Don't know how I'd do better than that for anything close to the same money.

It's even better when loaded with W760.

Grumpy7904: I have a custom built Rifle in caliber 240 Weatherby. It was built on a pre-64 Winchester Model 70 action and has a stainless Hart 27" heavy barrel.
I have used it on Coyotes in the past and used the same Nosler 70 grain Ballistic Tip bullets as you use.
I have a Leupold 6.5x20 variable scope on my 240.
This rig/set up definitely WILL reach out and touch a Coyote - some places I Hunt Coyotes here in Montana long shots are the norm.
Fur friendly not so much but flat shooting indeed!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

How so?

Practical ain't always fun. I think I've killed the most with .17 Remington and .223 but I really like the .25-'06 with 90 grain blitzkings and 100 grain ballistic tips in areas where ricochets aren't a concern. I also hunted for a while with a slow twist 6x.284 that loved 70 grain ballistic tips. Swift is my favorite of the .22s.

Here's my "story" 'bout .22 centerfires: it takes a .222 to do what I think a Hornet should, it takes a .22-250 to do what I think the .222 and .223 should, and it takes a Swift to do what I think the .22-250 should do. I haven't met a .22 CF that will do what I expect of the .220 Swift, but a 6x.284 sure will. Push 70 grain ballistic tips into the mid 3800s and they will "f" some "stuff" up big-time. 65 grain VMAXes are purely wicked, more explosive yet (which is kinda hard to do) but my gun wasn't quite as accurate so I had to get a little closer with them. That helped with explosiveness to 'cause closer meant velocity even higher.

Tom

I have a Howa in 223 and it loves the 50 grain any bullet.

It also does a number with those heavier but it shoots tighter with 50 grain.

It does not weigh much and after a while the Hogue stock gets comfortable and easy to shoulder.

I have to admit a love affair with W760 powder and the 243, especially in the lighter bullets. It meters easy, much better than Varget and other stick powders. It's all I use in bullets from 58 to 85 grain, and it works in every 243 I've ever loaded for. I realize it's supposed to be temperature sensitive in hot weather, but I don't shoot in hot weather, so I've never had a problem.

204 ruger with 40 gr BIB bullets, drops them dead with no exit.

I have run a .22-250 with 55 grain Ballistic Tips and they are flat wicked. After that, I went to the .243 win and just used what ever bullet I had handy. Now-days... its the .240 Weatherby. I run them for coyotes on up to deer and antelope on the Wyoming prairies. if I plan to shoot prairie dogs and coyotes, its the .22-250, if it is coyotes, or coyotes and deer, its the Weatherby.

Ok, I'll get the popcorn.. Thanks... Maybe some soda pop too..

When I was in the Army and a couple of trips up in a Huey at Yakima... a 308 out of an M60 worked pretty well on coyotes...
up with one or two running mini gun pods on the sides, work EXCEEDINGLY well...

fun watching a running coyote digitally disappear.....

Build or have someone build you an AR in .204 Ruger. You can make it as light or as heavy as you want and for your shooting environment the .204 would be perfect.

My "favorite" is whatever I have in my hand when I see one.

Obviously, lots of cartridges work well. If I'm specifically going after coyotes, I usually take my sentimental favorite...and old M70 in 225Win.

.243 works for me for the predators 17 is of little or no value on pigs, 204 is a little to weak on pigs, 223 works on most critters but I prefer .243 good all around gun for me. Rio7

I live in the middle of "hobby farm" hell and have no problem taking coyotes out with 218 Bee level loads from my 22-250. My ranges are under 150 yards usually. Further south I might use anything from a 223 to a 270.

Any rifle you happen to be carrying.

I love the 22-250 for coyotes

.22-250!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!