As I've posted in another thread, I'm looking at getting into calling coyotes.
OF COURSE this means I'm in the market for a new rifle. Everything I have now is a 30-06 or 308, which will do for the time being, but I'd like for it to be a viable choice for deer also. 22 centerfires are illegal for big game in Washington, so I'm thinking 243, 6.5 Creedmoor, or 7-08 moving light bullets at warp speed.
Or should I just handload a super-light .308" bullet in an existing rifle?
Thoughts?
Okie John
Build or buy another rifle, dedicated for calling.
Build or buy another rifle, dedicated for calling.
That's where I'm leaning. Any thoughts on cartridge?
Okie John
Hmm...depends on how involved you want to be. Factory or reload? SAAMI or Wildcat?
Yeah, I forgot that one...cause I dont.
The answers to the questions asked by the respondents will determine the advice you receive. If you are a reloader, the world is your oyster. If not you'll be slightly more limited in what you'll want to chose. The fur or no fur is a big one as well. While you may make some non damaging shots on fur with a 243 and some of the lighter bullets, the likelihood is that you'll make as many fur damaging shots as not. If you're not worried about fur, then any combination will work and the 243s, 257s, 6.5s and 7mms in any of their iterations will work well. So will your 308 and 30-06. In fact the heavier hunting bullets in any of those offerings will generally do less fur damage than the lighter, more explosive rounds, and generally provide better ballistics at longer ranges. The very light bullets, even at very high velocity fall off fast and lack the BC to hold up for long range sniping.
Some thoughts to consider when deliberating a coyote calling rifle. Most called in coyotes are shot at under 200 yards, rather than over. Sometimes at bad breath distance. You'll likely have a variable scope so set it on the lowest setting before you start calling. It will be much easier to find a coyote at 21 feet on 6x than it will on 24x. You almost always have time to turn the power up. You never have time to turn it down. In fact you don't need a mega variable on a calling rifle. One of mine, a Savage 24V 222 over 20 gauge wears a 2.5x Weaver. I haven't wanted for more scope on it.
Since you already have two deer ready chamberings, consider a calling specific rifle, of small caliber. It would be hard to go wrong with a 221, 222, 223, 222 Rem Mag, 204, 17 Rem or 17 Fireball. All will cover 99% of all calling needs and are generally far more fur friendly than any of the bigger calibers.
If fur hunting is not a priority, then anything you chose will work. If I was wanting a combo rifle to slay coyotes, with no regard to the fur and wanted it to do double duty on deer, I'd look long and hard at a 25-06.
You can save fur easily with a 243 if you reload.
Other than saving fur, there is absolutely no need for a special coyote rifle to start out.
I have three dedicated calling rifles...
An AR in regular old .223, a CZ in .223AI, and a 700 in .22 Creedmoor. They all have their purpose.
A lot of the advice you get will be useless, as every calling style is different. Myself, I prefer to reach out and smack em, other like to call them into shotgun range.
Hmm...depends on how involved you want to be. Factory or reload? SAAMI or Wildcat?
Factory/SAAMI for now. Maybe reload later.
Okie John
Fur is not a priority.
What about the 22-250?
Okie John
A fast twist 22-250 is about as ideal as it gets, in my opinion.
Fast being 1:8?
Okie John
Yes Sir...a fast twist 22 slinging heavy bullets is a thing of beauty.
Maybe even 1:7 if you want to use it for other game/Long Range with 70+ grn projectiles.
You can save fur easily with a 243 if you reload.
Other than saving fur, there is absolutely no need for a special coyote rifle to start out.
A 243 makes a fabulous coyote rifle. Load it up with a TNT or Vmax and you will drop them like they were struck by lightning.
Either will work fine....with speed, the 1:8 will spin a 75+ pretty well for the most part...but yes, a 7 twist would be ideal.
I'm an avid coyote hunter from your part of the country but I also hunt coyotes in up to five other states every year.. A fast twist 22-250 requires you to hand load. For called coyotes a regular 22-250 with 45-55gr bullets will cover all your hunting. If you really feel that long range coyote killing is in your future you would be better served with a 243 or 25-06 for a non reloader. If your not saving fur any of your deer rifles will work fine and you will be even more comfortable with them come deer season. I'm a pelt hunter so saving fur is at the top of my list and I hunt with a 222 Rem, 22-204, 5.6x50R Mag, 22 Sav. Highpower and a 22-250 with custom handloads.
Called coyotes are almost always a under 200 yard shot with many from your shoelaces to 100 yards. I personally feel that if your getting a lot of CALLED coyotes beyond 200 yards your doing something wrong. As Mart said there is always time to turn a scope up never time to turn one down. My calling rifles wear 1-4, 1,5-6 and 2.5-10(it hardly ever gets taken out) 2-7 are great calling scopes also. With my 1-4 and 1.5-6 scopes I am more than comfortable out to 300 yards. With the lower end power on a scope you gain field of view, with 1 or 1.5x on the bottom end you have 60-100' FOV at 100 yards with a 3x on the bottom end you are down to 35' FOV, with more FOV you have much faste target aquisition and the abillity to see an opening in the brush ahead of a moving coyote.
Coyote hunting can be a good excuse to buy a new rifle 223 and 22-250 have great coyote loads in bulk in the Win. White box.
Like I said, opinions vary. I like killing them way out there, other folks want to see the whites in their eyes.
I hate hiking a quarter mile to a coyote(even more so if I'm postholing through the snow) and then dragging it another quarter mile or more back to the truck, much rather shoot them and reach down and grab them.
Easiest way is to not worry about fetching them...
I mostly use the 223 for coyote hunting, as it's all you need, and the variety of rifles and bullets for it are practically endless. I also use the 243 on occasion. I don't save fur, so that's of no consequence. If I was going to buy a rifle to use on both deer and coyotes, the 243 would be my first choice. The lighter weight 243 bullets shoot like lasers and kill like a lightning bolt. The 243 is also a good deer killer.
Some years ago I went with a 25-06 and a 6x Leupold for my primary mule deer rifle. Also hunt pronghorn with it.
Turns out it's one heck of a coyote rifle as well. I just shoot the same ammo for everything, 115 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips. Never mess with the zero. Just point & shoot. Very deadly. Have taken coyotes out to about 425 yards.
I'd think the .243 would be pretty similar.
Regards, Guy
I've hunted, and hunt, with 223s, and am often left wanting or needing more gun for coyotes.
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...369809/tikka-t3x-22-250-1-8#Post12369809I like a calling rifle to be sporter-barreled and easy to pack as far as weight is concerned. Also a fan of the 22-250 for coyotes.
The above rifle would make a darn nice for a calling rifle IMO.
I rarely walk more than a half mile from the truck when calling, so packability isnt a huge concern for me. Again, everyones needs are different, based on hunting style and demand.
I've hunted, and hunt, with 223s, and am often left wanting or needing more gun for coyotes.
The only problem I've ever had with a 223 on coyotes has been with a VMax bullet splashing on the shoulder, and failing to penetrate. I really like the VMax's, and use them, but every now and then, one fails to work. I also shoot a 55 grain SP, and a 52 grain HP, both of which will give a coyote a dirt nap in a New York minute. Long shots are rare here where I usually hunt, but I have made a 450 yard shot with a 223 on a coyote. If I hunt in an area that might present me with a long shot, I usually carry a 243.
With the parameters of legal for deer in WA, factory loads and no need to save fur, I'd go .243 or 25-06 with a 2-7 scope mounted as low as possible. The low mount is to keep the bullet path as close to line of sight as possible for medium range and close shots through small holes in your wet coastal brush. 2-7 gives a pretty good sight picture from close to more than 300 yards for the open clear cuts. Once in awhile a coyote will be too close to focus on with 2 power but they die the same when blurry. For factory coyote bullets with no concern for fur I'd go with light, fast and frangible.
If you are a long ranger, make it a 6.5 Creed with a 6-18 or higher 50 or 56 mm scope with a bipod-- and kick the close ones.
Added: as said by others, start calling now with the .308 rather than wait for a more specialized rifle. It is prime time to call, with naïve young adults just now blundering about on their own. It was my experience shooting coyotes with 30-30, .22 and 30-06 that led to my choice of a heavy barreled 6mm for coyotes that would also be good for deer. It is.
Use your .308 Win. with 130 grain bullets. Hunt in different terrain as in deep cover and open country. When you discover your preference for the type of hunting, adjust your equipment to meet your needs.
Play with different type and power scopes to find your sweet spot. If you decide to build a dedicated rifle later, you will know what YOU like.
It is hard to beat a .22-250. As you get hooked, you'll end up with several dedicated predator or varmint rifles.
If you end up doing a lot of shooting and especially long range, then accuracy and cost will become an issue. Reloading will become a recommended option. With it, you'll be able to specifically load for each type of hunt and bullet type.
Most important, don't let specialized equipment keep you from hunting. go hunt and build memories every chance you get.
Killed my first coyote with a 30/06 loaded with 110 gr SP. I bet your 308 loaded with 110 Barnes ttsx would work for coyotes and 99% of the deer you hunt too. I've never owned one since I'm hung up on other cartridges, but how can you beat a .204 if you are just starting out? I use a .221 Fireball an awful lot for a calling rifle and it is about ideal balance between noise, accuracy, and anchoring ability.
Another consideration- All the bigger rifles make so much noise they ruin multiple call-in opportunities the quieter rifles, like the .17 Hornet, leave open. That can be a huge factor in a days success ratio.
as a suppressor will, also.....
as a suppressor will, also.....
Yep.. A suppressor is the single best piece of calling gear I've ever purchased
I shoot coyotes with lots of different calibers but if I had to settle on one it would be a standard factory 22-250.I think they are 1in 14 twist. Shoot 55grn white box Winchesters or reloads either. My old 700 adl will shoot half inch groups with factory.
A good .22-250 is my pick or a swift... But I have .25-06, 270 or 7mm Mag. for windy days and long shots.. Here there is lots of wind,and shots can be as long as you want to take...
We are covered up with coyotes this year, killed 17 last week, with .243 A.I. from close to far .243 A.I. works, also like 22-250 for coyotes, but for me the .243 A.I. is a better all around daily carry for deer,pigs, coyotes, and anything else I run into in S. Texas. Rio7
I wonder how many die hard predator callers use a Remington 788 in 22-250
20 years ago, I carried a 26" bull barrel .22-250. Got to the point where I did not like the weight. Moved down to .223's in various flavors for 4-5 years. Savage, Ruger, AR15. A 2-3 years ago, I purchased a nice little R700 chambered in .222 I've not taken anything with it yet. It's a super accurate cartridge, mild report and just a joy to shoot.
Bottom line, I'd say shoot the rifle that you're most comfortable shooting, and the most accurate with.
I use several rifle/scope combinations, and almost anything will work. I have really come to prefer my H&R 317 ultra wildcat, which is essentially a sako vixen. Mine is chambered to .222. It has a leupold compact 4x on it. It is light, handy and accurate, and it simply does the job on close range coyotes very well.
I have on occasion carried the .222 and wished for a .243 or a 25-06. And I have both available. And both are in Model 70 classic fwts. The .243 wears a 2-7 VX1 and the 2506 a 3-9 VX2. I have killed more coyotes with the .243 than I probably have with all other rifles combined.
I wonder how many die hard predator callers use a Remington 788 in 22-250
Quite a few...and I still dont understand why. My father was a 788 junkie, carrying a well worn .223 carbine with a 3-9 Weaver for as long as I remember. I saw more coyotes and cats fall to that gun in my life than any other. After he passed, some brotherly love caused all of his guns to wind up in various pawnshops and gunsafes across the who knows where (with the exception of his CZ527 that replaced the 788 at the end)
A couple years later,I got on a 788 kick, at one time having 4. I finally decided the junky little things are / were bargain rifles, and didnt really do anything any better than a 700. I dont have any now, and dont intend for that to change. I also know why my father retired the 788 for the 527.....I just dont know why it took him so long.
My first introduction to what a flat shooting centerfire rifle can do, was the result of buying a 788 in 243. It was also my introduction to reloading. I shot a bunch of chit with that rifle and a cheap Bushnell scope. But, to be honest, the 700 is a much better rifle, and I wouldn't want it back, except maybe for nostalgia sake. The 788's served a purpose........a decent rifle at a decent price. They were well worth the money, and just about every one of them that I have heard about, shot very good. They made a good truck gun, or a good knockabout rifle that you didn't mind getting banged up. However, I'll take a 700 over a 788 any day of the week.
I have shot many called coyotes and seen many more shot by my son and brothers. The vast majority of ours are shot with 223 and usually out of an AR. How ever, the 17 rem, 22 250, and 220 swift also work well. A friend that is a contrast caller uses a 243.
If I was confined to one gun for coyotes, it would be a 223 shooting 40 grain plastic tip bullets, in a bolt rifle. Most of those that call with me would say the same, only in an AR.
I've killed coyotes with nearly every rifle I've ever owned, they all work, some just better than others.
Right now I have a 22-250AI, 223AI and a 204 Ruger all in Kimber Montana's, about the most perfect calling rifle ever made. Out of those the 223AI is becoming my favorite but the other 2 will reach further and the 204 is easier on fur. I also have a few AR's in standard 223/5.56 and they work too.
Some that I regret selling sometimes are a 243AI in a Remington 700 Mountain Guide and a Sako in 17 Remington.
Like I said, they all work, picking a coyote rifle is just another way of saying I want a new gun.
Like I said, they all work, picking a coyote rifle is just another way of saying I want a new gun.
So that’s why I have so many coyote rifles!
I wonder how many die hard predator callers use a Remington 788 in 22-250
Hmm, glad you brought that up, it reminds me I have a 788 in .243 sitting in one of my safes. I just got in 1000 Nosler 55 gr BT's and now I know what I can shoot them in. At least until I finish my next Swift build.
A 788 in 22-250 is my dad's main "porch gun", as his front porch looks out over a field with a creek bottom running through it. There's a shooting bench right outside the front door and that rifle sits in the sandbags more often than not. It has zapped some coyotes, among other things.
Shot a coyote the other day with a 300 wby 180 gr ttsx, about 80 yrds, from the porch of the gun room coyote came by as I was about to clean my 300, it didn't bounce off. Rio7
Shot a coyote the other day with a 300 wby 180 gr ttsx, about 80 yrds, from the porch of the gun room coyote came by as I was about to clean my 300, it didn't bounce off. Rio7
Too Funny ! Some days, I thought that my little 45g hollow points doing 4200fps were bouncing off... The just failed to expand and passed right on through.
Shot one once out the kitchen window at 0500. We had rented a farmhouse several miles out of town and with no near neighbors. A coyote trotted by about 200 yards out one summer morning. I was having coffee and getting ready for work. I didn't give it much thought, just opened the window, rested the Swift over the sill and let fly. My sleeping wife wasn't at all impressed with the shot. Go figure. Women can be funny sometimes.
My favorite dog rifles are 22-250 (fast or slow) and the .17 Remington.
Travis
DO yourself a favor and buy a .22 or .204 centerfire rifle. They are so much fun to shoot compared to even a .243. Even if you don't end up coyote hunting much, I'll wager you'll shoot this gun way more than any of your deer rifles.
I have a lot of varmint rifles,but my two favorites which are a simple savage 204,but my favorite is a 243 win with 70 grain bullets shootin about 3500 fps out of my custom Norene AR with a 24 inch barrel/nite force scope. for starters just use your deer rifles ,kill a few then decide what caliber ? but remember this sometimes a 12 gauge shotgun is best with 3 inch/ lead BB shot . I carry 2 guns when a call a lot of the time my AR-243 and a single shot 12 gauge,that old 12 gauge kills a few always.good luck
I'm shooting a 70gr. 224 at the same speed......
Shot one once out the kitchen window at 0500. We had rented a farmhouse several miles out of town and with no near neighbors. A coyote trotted by about 200 yards out one summer morning. I was having coffee and getting ready for work. I didn't give it much thought, just opened the window, rested the Swift over the sill and let fly. My sleeping wife wasn't at all impressed with the shot. Go figure. Women can be funny sometimes.
!!
We lived on a cattle ranch for a few years, and the owner had a spot 104 measured yards from my kitchen window where he would drag dead critters and leave them in winter. Coyotes would sometimes eat a whole Hereford cow in 3-4 days. 5-7 coyotes on a dead beef was a normal morning and I think 9 was the most I saw there at one time. I would lay on our kitchen counter with the window open and shoot a coyote now and then with my heavy barrelled 6mm. Home entertainment system.
If you poke the muzzle well outside the noise isn't too bad inside the house. If the muzzle is inside the window, the noise is magnified. Our bedroom was on the opposite side of the house and my wife put up with the occasional noise.
If you want to save the hide then 223 with 40 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip, they generally do not come out but they do make a mess of everything inside. I have taken them out to 300 yds with this combo.
If you don't care about the hide then 22/250 with the 50 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip. The 22/250 is a "reach out an touch them machine" for the long shots. I have taken them out to 500 yds with this combo.
drover
Shot one once out the kitchen window at 0500. We had rented a farmhouse several miles out of town and with no near neighbors. A coyote trotted by about 200 yards out one summer morning. I was having coffee and getting ready for work. I didn't give it much thought, just opened the window, rested the Swift over the sill and let fly. My sleeping wife wasn't at all impressed with the shot. Go figure. Women can be funny sometimes.
!!
We lived on a cattle ranch for a few years, and the owner had a spot 104 measured yards from my kitchen window where he would drag dead critters and leave them in winter. Coyotes would sometimes eat a whole Hereford cow in 3-4 days. 5-7 coyotes on a dead beef was a normal morning and I think 9 was the most I saw there at one time. I would lay on our kitchen counter with the window open and shoot a coyote now and then with my heavy barrelled 6mm. Home entertainment system.
If you poke the muzzle well outside the noise isn't too bad inside the house. If the muzzle is inside the window, the noise is magnified. Our bedroom was on the opposite side of the house and my wife put up with the occasional noise.
I used to do the same thing except to draw magpies in. I'd leave a skinned coyote carcass about 50 yards out from the garage and use a 22 to snipe them. I only killed three birds the first winter and after that they wouldn't go near the carcass. Smart birds.The next year I moved it out to 200 and used the Swift or a 222. They still smartened up after three or four.
I did have the muzzle outside the window on the coyote shot but it was midsummer in eastern Washington with no AC. All the windows were open including the one next to our bed.
22-250 w/ 52gr Speer FB HPs will do very nicely for saving furs, suprisingly the same bullet works just as well in my 222R
I wonder how many die hard predator callers use a Remington 788 in 22-250
I don't but do use a 788 in 6mm with 75 VMax.
If you don't care about the hide then 22/250 with the 50 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip. The 22/250 is a "reach out an touch them machine" for the long shots. I have taken them out to 500 yds with this combo.
drover
My favorite combo for our Missouri coyotes.
I much prefer the .221 Fireball.
There, you see, we have that in common.
I've been shooting mine for about 25 years.
Build yourself a 20 Vartarg with 1/11 twist barrel and use 40gr bullets! No recoil flat shooting easy on fur. Doesn't get much better!
As I've posted in another thread, I'm looking at getting into calling coyotes.
OF COURSE this means I'm in the market for a new rifle. Everything I have now is a 30-06 or 308, which will do for the time being, but I'd like for it to be a viable choice for deer also. 22 centerfires are illegal for big game in Washington, so I'm thinking 243, 6.5 Creedmoor, or 7-08 moving light bullets at warp speed.
Or should I just handload a super-light .308" bullet in an existing rifle?
Thoughts?
Okie John
John, in the 308 between 49-52g of Win 748 with a 125g Nosler BT simply drills bug holes, switch out to the 125g Accubond for deer. Varget also works in this combo. Speer makes a 130g TNT that is more explosive than the 125g Nosler that we found to be amazingly accurate, just detonates coyotes.
Don't forget the 125g Nosler Accubond, they kill deer very, very well.
Stay familiar with the same rifle, buy more components, and perhaps a custom barrel. Switching barrels is very easy, no kidding.
Thanks for all of the tips. Headed home for Thanksgiving, but will return to this in earnest upon my return.
Okie John
There, you see, we have that in common.
I've been shooting mine for about 25 years.
Well, you cant be all bad then.
Fireball shooters are different in a good way.
Shot one once out the kitchen window at 0500. We had rented a farmhouse several miles out of town and with no near neighbors. A coyote trotted by about 200 yards out one summer morning. I was having coffee and getting ready for work. I didn't give it much thought, just opened the window, rested the Swift over the sill and let fly. My sleeping wife wasn't at all impressed with the shot. Go figure. Women can be funny sometimes.
!!
We lived on a cattle ranch for a few years, and the owner had a spot 104 measured yards from my kitchen window where he would drag dead critters and leave them in winter. Coyotes would sometimes eat a whole Hereford cow in 3-4 days. 5-7 coyotes on a dead beef was a normal morning and I think 9 was the most I saw there at one time. I would lay on our kitchen counter with the window open and shoot a coyote now and then with my heavy barrelled 6mm. Home entertainment system.
If you poke the muzzle well outside the noise isn't too bad inside the house. If the muzzle is inside the window, the noise is magnified. Our bedroom was on the opposite side of the house and my wife put up with the occasional noise.
I used to do the same thing except to draw magpies in. I'd leave a skinned coyote carcass about 50 yards out from the garage and use a 22 to snipe them. I only killed three birds the first winter and after that they wouldn't go near the carcass. Smart birds.The next year I moved it out to 200 and used the Swift or a 222. They still smartened up after three or four.
I did have the muzzle outside the window on the coyote shot but it was midsummer in eastern Washington with no AC. All the windows were open including the one next to our bed.
Yep, back during Desert Storm I had a deer carcass in a field corner about 170 yards from the house. One morning while getting ready for work I looked out and saw a coyote on the bait. Slid open the kitchen door and put him down with the old M99 250-3000 using 75 gr Sierra hp. The angle of the shot put the barrel at an extreme angle to the house, right back by the daughters bedroom. Thought Saddam had invaded there for awhile.
My first coyote rifle was a 220 Swift and 55 gr bullets. Works great, but then the hogs moved into my area (central TX), so I moved up to the next size I had, which was a 260. Nosler 100gr BTs were the bullet of choice, but then I decided (testing, so to speak) that the 120 gr BTs were better on hogs and deer and just as good on coyotes.
But, just for coyote shooting, that 40 gr Nosler BT is amazing in my 223. Love that little bullet, but it isn’t very effective on hogs, and i’m Not shooting a deer with it. It will, however, put a coyote down so fast that you might think you missed. All I can figure is that the bullet dumps all its energy in the coyote, and not in the dirt on the hill behind the coyote.
For the OP, based on my 260 shooting, i’d Get the 6.5 Creedmore. So many bullet choices.
I wonder how many die hard predator callers use a Remington 788 in 22-250
I don't but do use a 788 in 6mm with 75 VMax.
I use a 788 triple-deuce, many a dog with that rifle.
With the parameters of legal for deer in WA, factory loads and no need to save fur, I'd go .243 or 25-06 with a 2-7 scope mounted as low as possible. The low mount is to keep the bullet path as close to line of sight as possible for medium range and close shots through small holes in your wet coastal brush. 2-7 gives a pretty good sight picture from close to more than 300 yards for the open clear cuts. Once in awhile a coyote will be too close to focus on with 2 power but they die the same when blurry. For factory coyote bullets with no concern for fur I'd go with light, fast and frangible.
If you are a long ranger, make it a 6.5 Creed with a 6-18 or higher 50 or 56 mm scope with a bipod-- and kick the close ones.
Added: as said by others, start calling now with the .308 rather than wait for a more specialized rifle. It is prime time to call, with naïve young adults just now blundering about on their own. It was my experience shooting coyotes with 30-30, .22 and 30-06 that led to my choice of a heavy barreled 6mm for coyotes that would also be good for deer. It is.
Okie, years ago I lived in Vanderhoof. A 6mm Rem is what everyone used for Coyotes, and their bigger brothers, the wolf.
It's funny that you mention shooting out the window. I had a rancher friend in the Vanderhoof area. Lived about 50 km south of town in the bush. They did the same thing with the exception that they had built a "tree house" to shoot from. Took a lot of fur that way.
Tikka 1 in 8 twist 22-250’s
If you are not saving fur then your options are wide open. suppose next question is where will you be finding your shot opportunities. Will your shots be close or far and will there be others to be considerate of in regards to muzzle blast & ricochets bullets. My first coyote this year was taken w my deer rifle a 6.5 Grendel bolt action at 50 yards or so. I have been very partial to the 6.5 Grendel for Going on 3 years now. Quietest lowest recoil outfit I have used yet that is very adiquit for everything up to deer sized game.
f
Your 30-06 and 308 with 130 gr or 110gr HPs will work beautifully. If you ass-end a runner the big caliber HPs will turn him inside out. That way you will be more proficient for deer. Next in line would be a 243. Thirdly get an accurate AR that shoots 1MOA and use 55-65gr bullets that won't splash on a shoulder hit.
6.5 Creedmoor, you can deer hunt with it also.
Legal there, and viable for deer & up - 243 or 6mm is a good place to be.
If deer were out, 223, 22-250, are good choices - although I have a great fondness for 204
(it's in my truck most of the year)