Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints Truck gun for coyotes

My idea of a truck gun is a gun that I don't mind if it gets a scratch or two. Decades ago, a Winchester 94 30-30 often filled that role. Today, we have even better options IMO.

CZ 527.

Howa Mini

Ruger American Ranch

That Ranch is only 36" long! 223, 6.5 Grendel, 300 BO, 7.62x39, what's not to like? Well that new 6mm ARC might be the best, if Ruger chambered it.

I have used everything from a Henry lever carbine 22 to a Ruger SR-556 as my truck gun.

Lately, I have been keeping a Marlin 22 mag or a Model 7 308 in my vehicle or on the buggy.

I like the AR in theory for a truck gun, but it's another platform I just haven't warmed up to.

I’ve been eyeing one of those lever-action Henry centerfires in .223 for use as a “truck” gun. Has a 20” barrel; also, the detachable box mag (no loaded guns in vehicles, and ammo kept separate around here) would not only facilitate fast loading, one also wouldn’t be restricted to blunt-nosed ammo.

I use a Ruger American w/16" barrel in 300 BLK

2-8 Vortex glass

110 Noslers or V max

I just bought a Remington Mohawk in .243 for coyotes. I have been using a Tikka T3 Lite but it's length is an issue. It shoots too darn well to mess with - single hole groups with Sierra 70 gr Blitzking and Varget.

Sometimes, I use my Mini 14 when calling - it shoots just under 2 inches at 100 yards, which is good enough for called coyotes where and how I hunt.

I kept this'n in the pickup truck when checking cattle.....Grandson 'borrowed' it.
So, I guess I need to build myself another new 'runnin' coyote' truck rifle too.

I saw the perfect rifle in a gun shop in Hico, Texas. It was a tang safety Ruger 77 Ultralight in 223. A tiny light rifle. It was sort of beat up, so it appeared to have been a truck gun at one time.

And, my 220 Swift was once a truck gun. It’s a 77V and the barrel had been shortened to 20”. I bought it off a New Mexico cowboy that had the barrel shortened so it would fit on the top of the dash of his truck. Back when they had flat dashes. He said he could grab it and pop a coyote very quickly.

Coyotes and pigs AR-15 .223 carbine, almost never leaves my jeep, but I have 4 gun racks in my jeep, others .243 A.I. 12 ca. 870 and what ever. Rio7

My truck guns get beat up, also need tough scopes.

1/2" accuracy is good enough. They have to be light enough and short enough to handle in the cab....and they can get stolen. Shop the pawn shops in your area and you can find the Remington 783's that are very, very accurate. They are disappearing fast, and they are heads and shoulders ahead of a Savage anything.

I am not a big fan of AR's as they are too dam heavy I do have one custom bushmaster with a 16" barrel, still not a truck gun.

Tikka would be my second choice...lot of money to loose if they are stolen.

Guns are darn hard to find, and why pay three prices for a truck gun that someone may steal, accuracy and cheap price rules the day for me.

Scopes....the old burris made in America, 3x12 with the light collector on the front is a battle tank of a scope, still not too long. With the muzzle on the floor board, the scope has to be very rigid to not get bent bouncing up and down on the edge of the seat. Scopes made with 7075 al bodies are best...bar none....many others are just junk for taking any kind of hard use.

One of my favorite truck guns was a Thompson Center Contender in 223, 20" barrel made for a very light and handy rifle, but I would not leave it in the truck.

After owning 6 Ruger #1's, no more of them for me as they can be just too cantankerous to tune, three point bedding system, no adjustable trigger, barrels were Schitt on the older ones to begin with and you have a small fortune in one by the time you get it to 1/2" groups day in and day out.

Hunting pards had some rifles that were of notable mention:

TC contender in 22 Mag
TC Contender in 221 Fire ball

Old Sako in 222 and 222 Mag

I had a Ruger Mark II in 6 Rem compact and it would not shoot. Have had every model 7 made, they can be difficult to tune until you put on a gentry muzzle break, then 1/2"-5/8" groups abound.

For leaving guns in the Truck, the Rem 783's and the TC Venture's are both a great option. You can re spring both of these model guns and get triggers down to 1.5 lbs if you like.

Mine is an AR

purty close here

Ruger American in 300 BO

Sure with they would have designed the early ones with the AR mag's

I'd buy this one but I'm broke.

https://www.proxibid.com/Remington-760/lotInformation/61415298

700 ADL synth .243.....last 20 yrs.
Now wears HS stock.
And I aint shot anything with it since the upgrade

I keep a TC Venture 2 in 223/5.56 in my SxS on the farm full time. This might be the most accurate rifle I have ever owned and with several different loads. 20 above or 20 below zero it don't matter this rifle works and shoots. I keep a bipod on it and can shoot 5 shots touching off the back or front of my SxS. Anyway it is not fussy about ammo & the trigger is the best factory trigger I have.
I bought a 5 rd. magazine from FCW so it gives me a little more ammo for those runners.
And to the windshield dude, I hear you, I kept a Ruger Mini 14 223 in my Ford F-150, the windshield cracked when I shot a coyote, it was around 15 below zero and the empty case flew into it and cracked the glass, I learned my lesson about semi auto's, windshields and colder than hell temps. AR's don't have the ejection speed of a mini or SKS. But I wouldn't trust it not to break a windshield. LOL

^^^This^^^

An AR has been my truck gun for YEARS.

Works well for Coyotes, hogs, other varmints.
And a great deterrent for trespassers. 🤠

AR is a damn good tool, for daily work. Rio7

In the town where I hunt in MT, I have seen coyotes once or twice in 12 years.
But when my brother [who lives in that town] gets in a plane to shoot coyotes with a shotgun, he says there is a coyote on almost every section [square mile].

I found a Winchester Ranger 94 in 30-30 several years ago made in mid 70's. It was eat up with rust on outside of the barrel and action but I got it for $150. 0000 steel wool and oil with some cold blueing cured the rust. Looks rough but shoots great and had been my truck gun since. Thinking about looking for and overhead cab mount for it but have not found one for my F150 yet. Coyotes getting so brave around here they'll walk down the middle of paved roads at night.

look at Shelf-it/Rifle-it, too......

http://www.vdpusa.com/truck/shelf-it.php

An AR is the logical choice and I used one for a while but the past couple of years I've had some form of .223/.223 AI, usually in an MDT chassis with a SWFA 6x. I just prefer a bolt.