Best Caliber for Coyotes?

223 or 22-250 imo. but like others have stated, if you're not looking to save furs, there's no such thing as too much gun for coyotes.
 
I have a Weatherby Vangaurd Series 2 in .243 and I love it. Had my choice of any Series 2 caliber in production since it was a raffle prize and chose the .243 just for it's versatility. Could make a good antelope or deer rifle with the right bullet..I shoot Hornady 58-grain V-Max out of it and couldn't be happier. Just stay away from the shoulder blade shots and it won't damage fur, and I've never had one run at all on me.
 
Originally Posted By: doggin coyotesOriginally Posted By: jmeddy
As for a gun, both my savage model 11's (223 & 22-250) print less than 3/4 in. at 200 yds.!

Right on bro!

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I just picked up a TC venture predator in 22-250. Love it already. Shooting 55 grain factory varmint x's from Winchester its consistently shooting .700 up to .800 at 100 yards.
 
22mag, not enough, nor is a 22lr
17hmr, not enough range either
223-I like it the best. Easiest to find ammo
243-no much gun I think-but if it is all you have, then it is fine
17WSM-new Savage B-Mag is proving to be a pretty nice little gun. Hot out to 250 yards.

Anything above 243, it will kill em, but it is over kill, more expensive, hard on the shoulder.

To me, ammo cost & the 223 rem OR new 17 wsm are something to really look at. Joy to shoot them both.
 
I have had the 223 and the 22-250. There really is not enough performance difference to justify the expense of the 22-250 ammo. If you go with an AR platform you can purchase different uppers and have multiple calibers as well.
 
Originally Posted By: jefo65Not a single mention of ole reliable 220 Swift!?!

Here's a vote for the grand old Swift. When I lived in good coyote country my old Ruger 77V stacked up several truck loads of coyotes. It is my favorite if I'm going after strictly coyotes. It's darn hard on bobcats and fox though. They seem to be a bit fragile for the Swift or the 22-250 if one is saving fur.

That being said, as much as I like the Swift the 22-250 is a great choice as far as available models and ammo. Unless you reload the Swift can be a bit of a challenge to find ammo for. I had a couple before my first Swift. They work fine, I just like the old Swift.

Mart
 
Originally Posted By: jmeddyAll 4 dog I have hit with .223 has spun & ran 30-60 yds. & 1 I never found. You're doing it wrong.
 
Originally Posted By: rockin90I have had the 223 and the 22-250. There really is not enough performance difference to justify the expense of the 22-250 ammo. If you go with an AR platform you can purchase different uppers and have multiple calibers as well.

While I'm totally an AR addict and own several myself, the problem I see for many is the cost of an upper is equivalent to the price of an Axis, Ruger American, Mossberg ATR, and a few others. And those rifles typically come with some sort of optic.
 
I started using my 22-250 AI again this season. Fantastic coyote killer with a 55gr Nosler BT. It has exited almost all the time and isn't predictable on exit wound size. But it is flat, accurate, and just plain works for me. However it is loud, very loud like the 243 which also works but not fur friendly.

I went back to the smaller cased rounds like my 17-204 or regular 204 Ruger. May play with a 223Imp some more too. I rarely shoot past 200-300yards anyways, usually
 
I began seriously hunting coyotes about 15 years ago. I drug out my ole reliable Remington 700 varmint special in .22-250 and started calling. The first thing I realized was that, although great for groundhogs, a heavy varmint barrel wasn't the proper tool for predators. I sold it, and bought a Winchester model 70 featherweight classic in .22-250. To this day I feel that this is the perfect setup for hunting coyotes with a bolt action rifle. I had the model 70 at the gunsmith's shop getting the trigger lightened up, so I borrowed my uncle's Remington 700 BDL in .243 Winchester for a while. After dumping three or four coyotes with it DRT, I decided I needed a .243 chambered rifle. I found a 700 BDL custom deluxe on sale and quickly stepped up on it. When the 700 CDL came out I bought a new take off stock and restocked my BDL's shiny stock with it. This rifle served as my favorite coyote rifle for about 5 years or so. It seemed that I couldn't miss with it, and it's still at the top of my list as a perfect predator rifle. As I hunted harder and harder, I concluded that I needed an all weather rifle, so as not to goof up that polished steel and wood, so I added a Remington 700 SPS stainless synthetic in .22-250. This rifle seems to do it all for me. It has a sporter weight barrel so it's not too light for open field calling where I may get a 400 yard shot. It's also light enough that it swings easily on close in moving coyotes called from thickets. I've also added a 700 Mountain Guide stainless in .243 Winchester. It is a featherweight barreled rifle and carries and handles just like my Model 70, but is all weather. Over the years I've also used AR 15 platform rifles for coyotes. Liking a light quick handling rifle for coyote hunting, I preferred a 16" carbine AR. I built my first in .223 and had good luck with it. As I used it more and more I began seeing an issue with it. It seemed to me that the .223 from that 16" barrel was losing a lot of steam. I was having more spinners that needed a second shot than I ever did with my .22-250's and .243's. I shot a called coyote at about 75 yards square in the shoulder one morning and saw the 52 gr HP bullet impact. That coyote went down then came right back up and ran into the brush. I followed a light blood trail for about 100 yards then lost it. When the same thing happened again, I went back to my bolt action rifles in .22-250 and .243 Winchester. Because I really like the AR platform, I built an AR in 6.8 SPC. Shooting a 90 gr HP at 2850 FPS, it is an excellent rifle for called coyotes. Because of the poor BC of the short fat bullets though it doesn't shoot nearly as flat as the .243, but its really great out to about 200 yards. With the current availability of 6X6.8 AR barrels, I may make one of those my next build.
All in all, after hunting coyotes over the past 15 years, I've concluded a few things. First is that coyotes don't hold still for a shot like a prairie dog so your shot placement can be a little iffy. To CYA you need at least a good 55 grain hunting bullet at over 3200 FPS to reliably penetrate through the shoulders and into the vitals of large Midwestern coyotes. This is where a .22-250 rises above a .223. Secondly, a sporter weight rifle works best for both in close called coyotes and also for calling around large open fields where you may get shots at 300 yards or more. I, at least, shoot my sporter weight rifles noticeably better than I do my featherweight rifles at long range. An AR-15 platform rifle is a great choice so long as you can keep the velocity of your .223 over 3000 FPS or if you can use a heavier cartridge such as a 6.8 SPC or 6.5 Grendel, or better yet, one of those necked down to 6mm so it will shoot flatter. I've pretty much settled on .22-250 and .243 for bolt action rifles. What the .243 does with heavier bullets such as 85 gr Sierras, the .22-250 does with higher velocity with 55 gr sierras for me.
 
It is the bullet for the .223. 60 grain vmax or even soft point will put them down in the correct spot. You don't have to burn the barrel out with it either. Drop off the max and shoot for accuracy.
.243 is a great wind bucker and with the right bullet it may not tear up the hide either. My last three didn't exit. I don't load it to the max and have great luck with it. The .223 is the most logical choice for one gun.... IMHO.
 
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