Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints Caliber for thermal

Wanting opinions on calibers for mainly coyotes. I’ve used everything from 17 remington to magnums for day time calling over the years. Mostly been using the 243 since pelts aren’t worth anything. Surprisingly the 90 grain ballistic tip is fur friendly if you do your part. No suppressor yet so wondering if smaller might be better? I’ve got plenty of choices in the safe but not sure if any will get designated to the night duty. Might have to buy a new rifle I guess. 😂

6.5 Grendel for the win!

6.5 Grendel Videos

I generally run my thermal on an AR in 223 shooting 55BT’s or a 22” Rem 700 with a muller works barrel shooting sierra 1365’s. If they’re paired up or the country I’m in isn’t too open I swap it over to the AR but after a lot of thought had the 22-250 built specifically for the thermal. If your scope has a built in range finder I wouldn’t be as hard set on the 22-250 but mine doesn’t so I much prefer the flatter shooting 22-250.

My 22-250 load is running right at 3600fps which allows me to use center mass hold out to a bit over 300 yards and still kill the coyote. If time ever permits I’ld like to try to work on a new load and powder and try to get a little more speed just to maximize my ability to hold center mass. Both rifles are suppressed.

I’ve ran the thermal on bolt action 17Rem, 223 and 22-250 and the AR in 223. Pretty well settled on the 22-250 in open country and the AR in smaller country. My thermal is a Pulsar thermion 2 XP50. I’ve killed 6-8 past 400 but there was a bit of luck involved. If my 6ackley was threaded I’d put it on there and run 55BT’s at 4200fps and life would be even better! My next thermal will definitely have the LRF.

Thanks for the replies! I’m definately gonna try to get one with a rangefinder. I’ve got a 22-250 sitting scopeless in the safe, so I may have to consider that.

Speed is your friend at night, and a rangefinder is a game changer for open country, which can somewhat negate the speed thing.

I kinda like the 6mm for a little more oomph, but my #1 night time gun is an AR in 22 DTI, which spits out 52 Bergers at 3500.

Check out my 6 Hagar stuff I have listed for sale...70 grainers at 3300+.......

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...-hagar-ar-barrel-dies-brass#Post18726123

Especially like the skunk and beaver videos. Subscribed.

If you can ( it’ll depend on what scope you get) get a very good mount that allows you to swap the scope between different firearms ( mines a quick detach that rides on a pic rail). Because you will be swapping it, at least at first. I’ve probably had mine on 6-8 rifles since I’ve had it.

Yes speed is definitely your friend at night. The more you use your thermal the better at guesstimating the range you will get, but it hard to judge the range by looking into a “tv screen”. I don’t know what you budget is but my next thermal will be the thermion 2xp 50 LRF model.

I generally run it on suppressed rifles and one of my absolute favorite combos was a custom 21” barreled Rem M7 in 223. It was light and short which definitely helps out when you hang a can on it. 16-18” would be even better…. But without the LRF I’m still chasing speed.

22-250 would do great. Just open your safe and spend the cost of a new rifle on load development. The coyotes won’t know what hit them!

Whacked my first coyote with the new 22-250 a few nights ago. He was about 250 yards or so. Rifle is dead on at 265. Bullet hit right where the dot was. Bang flop. Pretty hard to beat a22-250 for coyotes.

Longest shot I've made with my thermal was a hog at 264 yards. I was in a tower blind and watched a big boar moving through the mesquite on a hillside. Popped him as he entered a gap in the trees. Shot him with a Tikka T3x in 6.5 Creed. Ranged it the next morning with a Leica rangefinder.

One shot dropped him, and he kicked a few times. No follow-up shot needed.

Most decent thermal optics have a minimum of 4 different POI "profiles" and mounts that return to zero. That will accomodate 4 different rifles.

IIRC, most quality thermal optics are rated for the recoil of a 12 gauge shotgun or 375 H&H.

I'd say "That's Amore!"

ya!

GWB

Hmm…

Them Texas hogs getting bigger. .375 H&H?

Ha!

Good info on different settings for those scopes.

Maybe one day when I can afford one.

DF

Not thermal but I was capitulating on whether to put it on my AR in .308 or 6.5G or 7.62commie and kept bouncing back and forth until I finally settled on putting it on 1 of my 7.62commie. I figured that round will do whatever I need it to do inside the range limitations of the scope. I figured that a 500+ yard rifle is unnecessary if I can only see out to 300.

I really like the idea of thermal but I’m treating it like I did with IR and holding off as long as possible since the technology increases by leaps and bounds and the prices come down. The quality and features of the Sightmark Wraith would have been extremely expensive 10 or 15 years ago if it was even available but now anyone can get a decent night vision scope for <$500…..thermal is high on my list. The amount of information that I’ve learned about thermal from the guys here has been invaluable in my search. 👍🏼

My Thor 4 is going on my 24 Varmint AR-15, when I get the load development work done.
I have the 80s at 3,000 for barrel break in and fire forming, want to get up closer to 3,200 and about 3/10ths inch. Then will go to the 95s to see how they run.

Pulsar is rated for 12 gauge/375. Is there another manufacture claiming the same recoil rating?

Truth.

22 or 6mm is my preference but nighttime is the one time I don’t sweat not utilizing heavy-for-caliber bullets.

Sounds like the OP has options so the first priority should be to get in line for a tax stamp.

I've had my thermals on. 223, 224 val, 6x45, 6arc, 6.5 grendle, 6x6.8.
All do the job nicely.
In my 6mms I used 80g bullets, 6.5 85g, 22s 55g.

Been using 22-250 with thermal and now trying out a 204. Distance at night harder to judge I recommend the fastest cartridge you can get like 22-250 ackley, 220 swift ect. faster the bullet less drop or hold over.