Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints Midwest calling rifle

What would you like for an upper midwest calling rig? Coyote almost 100% of the time with foxes as target of opportunity.

Figure a lot of farm edges, UP timber and likely not the wind you see out west or in the plains. Winter time calling with ranges that aren't really likely to go beyond 300.

I'm starting to plan/budget such a rig. Want to anchor coyotes without blowing the hide to hell. If prices up - save, if not, I want to tan them for camp decorations etc.

I was originally thinking an original Montana in 223 but they don't make them anymore.

So what's next - if not going light and more "standard" weight for a rifle, 223? 17 Hornet? Would a 22 Hornet punched K work?

I have a stripped AR15 lower still but that option REALLY doesn't entice me. Very little appetite on my end for an AR for this.

Teal,
It sounds like you are talking about a .17 Remington....I’m basing that on your comments about coyotes at <300 yards, saving the fur and not popping a fox like a bloody, water ballon. You will likely have to build one and you play Hobb trying to find factory ammo or brass but it will fit the situation to a T.

Good Luck and enjoy the search!

A .22/250 in a sporter model of some kind.

I would stick with the 223 idea. With a 1 in 9 twist you would be should be good from 40 to 70gr bullets. The 17 and 22 hornet will definitely kill coyotes but range and shot placement become more of a factor.

What elks said!!

I do have a WIn push feed 22-250 in their "Coyote" offering. It's chunky... and haven't connected on fur with it yet. Was just thinking it was a bit large to save fur? Is there a bullet I should be looking at to utilize the 22-250 but not blow holes I slide the rifle through?

teal: I hunt in northern michigan. mix of farm land and timber. shots are short: 75-200 yds. I do not kill many coyotes because I don't see that many. I watch quite a few videos and of course, they don't say what caliber they're using, but of course, they don't show the bad experiences. I like to use the same rifle, or model as my other hunting, so almost all of my kills have been with a .270. The last one I shot I used a .220 Swift. But this is the point I"d most like to make: in MY experience, coyotes are tough animals. I've had numerous coyotes run a distance after taking a 130 gr. .270 cal. hit. I know this contradicts what you see, but that's my experience. Even that one taken with the swift, about 75 yds with a 50 gr. Nosler bt and perfect front shoulder hit, ran about 50 yds. So my experience is limited caliber wise, but for those reasons, I personally would be looking at a .22 caliber on the low end with plenty of snap so if I wanted to use a bit heavier bullet, it would still give me the flatness I desire. I've even seriously considered building a .25-06 as I really like that caliber. Just my 2 cents worth. Good luck.

Thanks - we're covered up with coyotes by us, enough that you're likely to see one simply cruising timber on any given day if you're quiet about it.

Might want to try these if you want to save fur.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1165165907

Take Ken's advice with a grain of salt! He hunts bunnies with a 416 Rigby for Pete's sake!

22-250 first choice. .223 second. I've tried a bunch of bullets on coyotes and for both quick kills and not blowing things up too much, the 55 grain NBT gets it done for me from any range and any angle. I've sold lots of 22-250ed coyotes using the 55's.

Fringe hits or hard strafing angles are always going to be bad with about any bullet when it comes to making a mess. If saving fur, was the most important and hoping for only an entrance hole most of the time, I might drop back to a 50 grain NBT or maybe even 40.

Umm.... I use a .460 Wby.

I've been using a 22-250 with 50 gr. nbt for the last 6 years and if you stay off the shoulder it don't tear up hide to bad. I'm running them out of my Tikka at 3750 fps. suppressed.

22-250 with a 50 or 55 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip.

I had 55s exit but they left up to 3 tiny holes when they did.

50s never did exit.

Sorry!! I didn't mean to make you sound like a stunt shooter like say, Ingwe!

Hmm. Maybe I'll keep rocking the Win with a 50 NBT.

Wish it was lighter tho...

Pick up a McMillan for it.

The last coyote I shot (few days ago) I used my 260 and a 120 gr NBT. He flopped around a lot more than the ones I’ve shot using the 223 and 40 gr NBTs. Just a guess, but I think that all the energy from that little bullet at 3500ish FPS stays in the coyote, whereas a 120 grainer from the 260 wastes a lot of energy in the ground on the far side of the coyote. That little 40 gr bullet hits way above its weight.

I have used the 223 with 40 gr Nosler BT @ 3700 fps exclusively for the last 20 years and a lot of coyotes have fallen to it, they generally never exit and most shots are bang-flops. Most of my shooting has been from 75 to 300 yds.

drover

This idea makes a LOT of sense!

Speed or weight...

I go either really light and fast (like below, or with a bigger round at least 3,600 FPS)

OR. 85 grains (243 class) either slow or fast grounds them... 6.8 SPC if there is a lot of pairs, or 6 Creed

if you do go with the .223, get a 1-7 twist

We don’t have the coyote numbers that I’ve seen out west and the coyotes that I do see are usually padding along such that I’d want something that had a faster follow up shot than a bolt action, your AR sure comes to mind or maybe a Mini14 if you didn’t want a black rifle. I don’t have any love for predators and just getting them gone by putting some kind of a hole in them would work for me. My Savage 24 .22 Mag over a 3” 20 gauge would do that or maybe one with a larger centerfire top barrel. Not a 300 yard combination, but I’m hard pressed to find long range up north for all the trees.

I’ve been calling them for 40 plus years and used most cartridges between 22 hornet and 25-06, including 17 and 20 calibers in that cartridge size range.
Most of my calling is in open country where I can see coyotes approaching from 100s of yards. But when calling, the vast majority of shots are under 200 yards.
If I could have only one cartridge for this, it would be a 223, shooting 40 or 50 grain ballistic tips.

Maybe a CZ 527 in 222 or 223

I'm partial to the 222 Rem and call with a Sako full stock Vixen and Win Mod 70 Sporter, but my goto rigs are in 20 Practical, 222 Rem, 223, 22-204, 5.6x50R and 22 Sav Highpower. In 2020 I've killed at least one coyote with each. The 20P is doing duty as my long range rig, medium weight barrel w/2-12x42mm scope. The 5.6x50R and 22 Savage HP are both in combo guns w/1-4x20mm scope so they see work in heavy cover and the little 222 Rem Vixen 2-7 Compact scope is on my back when I need to cover some ground. These will work all over the country for calling coyote/predators. I've only killed predators in WA, WY, MT, SD, MN, WI, CO, NM, AZ, UT and NV so I've only had a limited experience east of the Mississippi River.

I like .204s a lot, they electrocute coyotes. No recoil to speak of, easy to shoot.

Nothing wrong with your 22-250.

I'm mostly using a .222 with the 40 Vmax, and it does a great job. A .223 makes a bit more sense, and can be had in a really trim rifle, too.

i have a few custom predator rifles , i always carry a 220 Swift in a Ruger #1 in the truck,but if i am callin coyotes i prefer my Noreen AR-10 in a 243 Win. with a Nightforce scope on it.

I think I'm going to keep gunning the 22-250 until/unless I stumble across a decent used 223 project/rifle.

Combination guns are the cats azz for calling coyotes under 300 yards, that said the Savage 24 sucks(I owned a 24 in 20ga/223), with the selector on the hammer and having a hammer so you have to mount the scope very high and cock between shots it leaves alot to be desired for predator hunting. Combination guns work best with two triggers and a safety..

Bernardelli 12ga/5.6x50R Mag(222 Rem Mag with a rim) I have this set up with Bismuth BB's and Lead Free Nosler 40gr NBT's so I can carry it in the duck hunting boat.


BRNO 12ga/5.6x52R(22 Savage HP/30-30 necked to .228)


I do have a German drilling that I hunt coyotes with also.

RAR-P in 204 Ruger?

I wonder what Randy Anderson is shooting these days?

I used to be addicted to his vids back in the day.

This tune will change immediately after you call in your first triple/quad/quint of coyotes......

A guy don't need a stinkin' AR to kill triples, quads, or even 6 packs.

Or at least I don't. Your mileage may vary.

I've only killed 7 quads and one 6 pack while hunting solo...with a bolt action .17 caliber even

Yeah. But that's YOU.......grin

Same here. Most coyotes for me are 100 yards or less, 40 grain, HP winchester .223 goes in and does not come out. I sell my coyotes whole to a trapper and he never complains about sewing wholes. When I shot them with 22-250 55 gr sierra...i often heard about the exit hole issue. Hoopi

full discloser, I was still shooting an AR when I got the first 3 quads, but all the rest have been with the bolt action.

Ive got a couple quads on foxes, and a buttload of triples...but not on coyotes...a different kettle of fish altogether, so I applaud your endeavors! Especially with the .17...it has become my favorite

I would get a .204

I'd look at .223, .22-250, and .204. Finding ammo and components can be a challenge right now, so it's possible that what is available in the way of bullets, brass, and ammo should weigh heavier than any difference between the cartridges.

My personal favorite is the .204. It shoots as flat as the .22-250 with the recoil of a .223. It accomplishes that by using lighter bullets. The 40 grain hornady VMAX in .204 has a better BC than the 60 grain .224 bullets. I like the .17 Remington quite a lot but you'd be building, not buying, a rifle, and again ... ammo / components.

If you're starting on the cheap and planning to upgrade as time and $$ allow, I think it is best to start with a Remington 700 simply because of market support. One of the best, coolest, most accurate ... and CHEAP ... rifles I ever bought was a 700 SPS, blued, sporter, in .17 Fireball. It'd shoot 3/8 inch 5 shot groups and after the first 100 rounds it quit copper fouling. If you could find that rifle in .204 and get ammo, I think you'd be well on your way.

Tom

I’ve been using an old Sako Riihimaki in 222 for the last few years with 50gr Vmax and saving fur. So far I have only had one exit but that shot was about 25’. Most of my shots have been between 40 and 100 yards. I think I might have to try a different rifle this year because my 10 year old thinks the 222 is his now. 😎

I just picked up a used CZ 527 Kevlar Varmint in 223 Rem (1-8 twist). Looking forward to playing with it. The wood stock CZ 527 223 has a 1-12" twist, if you want to shoot lighter bullets.

That was my first thought also. I really like the way that rifle handles and either chambering is just about perfect for minimal pelt damage and coyotes inside 300 yards imo.

22-250
I prefer the heavy barrel models

Kimber Varmint in either 204 or 22-250.

Sound thinking.

Osky

My carry/truck/fur friendly coyote rifle is a CZ (coyote zapper) 527, shooting 40 vmax's. I can't remember the last one that exited a coyote. Topped with a leupold 6x36, with a long range duplex reticle....200 yd. zero. The only thing that keeps it from being perfect, is the "backwards" safety.....but, if you can get the mindset of "cocking" the rifle, like a single action revolver...it's not a problem. The single set trigger is a great feature for any coyote that hangs up, and you have to bear down for the shot. I tend to walk quite a ways, from the rig, to my stands, and this little rifle is a pure pleasure to carry.

Mine is an older model, and after I swapped out the factory bolt handle, I was able to mount the scope lower. A more solid cheek weld helped a lot, too.

While I've killed multiple coyotes on stand with it.....my go to, UNfur friendly calling rifle, is a .243 BAR, shooting 100 gr. interlocks. I get plumb giddy watching multiple dogs coming it to this set up.....shoot the far dog first, and work over the rest. Even marginal hits typically anchors them. When fur is left behind, I take this one.

Andy3

Wht is the caliber of the rifle?

Wht is the caliber of the rifle?[/quote]


.223

Andy3

I had a 22 Creedmoor built and it shoots a 77 gn Berger like a laser. Fur damage is not too awful

It's hard to beat a 22-250 pushing a plastic-tipped 50 grain bullet at the speeds its capable of.

While I have several 223’s and a 22-250AI I absolutely love the 204 Ruger. Since it’s cat season here I use the 35 gr Berger but when these run out, I’ll switch back to the 40 grain bullets. The 40’s don’t do too bad on cats and kill coyotes as well as anything else I’ve tried.

I prefer light weight guns cause I walk a lot. Kimber Montana in 204 Ruger is a perfect calling rifle anywhere.

Like...^^^^^

If I may, I've found fox to be MUCH more "fragile" than coyotes. Combinations that work beautifully on coyotes, have blown up fox badly for me.
Out to ~ 200 yards, I wouldn't hesitate to use my K-Hornet with 40 gr V-Max. The 35's would probably be better on fox, but I wouldn't bet, re: coyotes.
Just my slightly experienced views.