born2climb
New member
I'd say a 7 mag is plenty for anything on the North American continent, though I myself don't have one. I simply don't care for belted magnums.
I will say shot placement is key most of the time, but the bullet used is also a large factor in how the scene unfolds. I know a guy who has killed countless deer, who now shoots a .30-06. He had a 7mm Rem. Mag., and lost several deer with it. He would hit them, trail them and lose them. After going to the '-06, he claimed his ratio improved. He thought the 7 mag was shooting so fast it didn't do the job. I think he was using the wrong bullet for the job.
I had a brother-in-law (now deceased) who was a deer slayer. He shot a Remington 700 in .270 Win. One year, the local hardware store didn't have the 130 grain CoreLokts he normally shot, so he bought 150's. He lost several deer that year, due to pass-throughs, where the bullet just didn't expand. He found this out by recovering some of the deer, and the exit wound was visibly less than that of the 130's. My thinking was (and still is) that using the correct weight bullet for the game you're pursuing will give you an edge with those shots that don't go exactly where you plan for them to go.
Will the .22 mag drop EVERY coyote in its tracks? Absolutely not. Is it reasonable to expect it to kill them regularly out to 100 - 125 yards with correct bullet placement? Definitely. Would the .22 mag be my choice of weapon for coyote calling in general? No, I'd prefer my .223 or .243. Will I shoot at coyotes again with the .22 mag? You betcha!
I will say shot placement is key most of the time, but the bullet used is also a large factor in how the scene unfolds. I know a guy who has killed countless deer, who now shoots a .30-06. He had a 7mm Rem. Mag., and lost several deer with it. He would hit them, trail them and lose them. After going to the '-06, he claimed his ratio improved. He thought the 7 mag was shooting so fast it didn't do the job. I think he was using the wrong bullet for the job.
I had a brother-in-law (now deceased) who was a deer slayer. He shot a Remington 700 in .270 Win. One year, the local hardware store didn't have the 130 grain CoreLokts he normally shot, so he bought 150's. He lost several deer that year, due to pass-throughs, where the bullet just didn't expand. He found this out by recovering some of the deer, and the exit wound was visibly less than that of the 130's. My thinking was (and still is) that using the correct weight bullet for the game you're pursuing will give you an edge with those shots that don't go exactly where you plan for them to go.
Will the .22 mag drop EVERY coyote in its tracks? Absolutely not. Is it reasonable to expect it to kill them regularly out to 100 - 125 yards with correct bullet placement? Definitely. Would the .22 mag be my choice of weapon for coyote calling in general? No, I'd prefer my .223 or .243. Will I shoot at coyotes again with the .22 mag? You betcha!