Best coyote round?

25516 Views 40 Replies 23 Participants Last post by 556plinker, Oct 27, 2010

mossberg kid

Discussion Starter · Jun 11, 2008

I live out in az so coyotes are everywhere, so i decided to start hunting them for fun and fur but, im not quite sure what is the best round and ammo for them. I want to save as much of the fur as possible. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated

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Dillinger

· #2 · Jun 11, 2008

I've only been twice. Both times were in AZ when I was down for SHOT. Both times I brought my AR and shot the standard 62gr. loads. Nothing special.

The first year I didn't even get a shot - because those damn things are smart.

The second year I got one at about 120 or 130 yards after waiting all damn day and missing, no sh1t, at least 3 opportunities at ones sniffing around.

Those things are infuriatingly intelligent when someone is looking to zap them. No wonder they say stalking them is like stalking a live human.

The round hit a bit high, and more on the shoulder. It dumped him @ss over tea kettle, but I think he struggled a bit. Wasn't moving by time we got over there. But, I still wonder...

In any event, it seemed to do the job. For my one grand experiment with coyote hunting.

JD

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RL357Mag

· #3 · Jun 12, 2008

mossberg kid said:
I live out in az so coyotes are everywhere, so i decided to start hunting them for fun and fur but, im not quite sure what is the best round and ammo for them. I want to save as much of the fur as possible. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated

Out here (NY) the .17HMR is gaining in popularity - but shots are generally under 200 yds. If I lived in AZ I would probably own a 220 Swift or .22-250. If you are interested in minimal pelt damage you will have to get closer and use smaller ammo like the .22mag or .17 calibers. Like JD said though, they are one of the wariest, and therefore toughest, animals to stalk or call in. Harder than turkey.

cpttango30

· #4 · Jun 12, 2008

Rimfires are NOT coyote rounds. I don't care what anyone says.

The be all end all is the 22-250. this is one of the most popular coyote rounds out there. Any of the 22 centerfire cartridges would fit the bill except maybe the 218 bee and 22 hornet. Though they can be used you need to keep shot to no more than 200 yards.

The 220 swift and 22-250 are going to be the go to rounds or western yote hunting. The 6mm cartridges like the 243 or some of the wildcat offerings. All three rounds will provide you with at least 400 to 500 yards. If you get a 8 or 9 twist barrel you can shoot the heiver bullets in the 220 swift and 22-250.

You could go with a smaller 22 centerfire like the 222 Rem or 221 fireball also don't count out the 20 cals like the 204 Ruger and 20vartarg. If you want to look into sub cals (smaller than .224") also look hard at a Tactical 20 it is based on the 223.

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RL357Mag

· #5 · Jun 12, 2008

cpttango30 said:
Rimfires are NOT coyote rounds. I don't care what anyone says.

.

More deer have been "jacked' with .22 lr than any other round! If deer will fall to a .22 lr a coyote will certainly fall to a .22 mag! Much has been written over the years, and especially before the introduction of the .17 HMR, about the efficacy of .22 lr and .22 mag for coyote. A coyote is no tougher to put down than a domestic dog. It all depends on range.

matt g

· #6 · Jun 12, 2008

.50 BMG?

I'd look at the .22-250 as a minimum. There is just no reason to not get a quick, clean, humane kill with one shot.

RL357Mag

· #7 · Jun 12, 2008

matt g said:
.50 BMG?

I'd look at the .22-250 as a minimum. There is just no reason to not get a quick, clean, humane kill with one shot.

Agreed - but the poster was concerned about pelt damage. A "coyote gun" is any gun that will kill a coyote...they are not difficult animals to put down at close range. You wouldn't get a shot at one on the prairie with a .22,but in the northeast where shots are under 100yds. a .22 works just fine.

cpttango30

· #8 · Jun 13, 2008

RL357Mag said:
More deer have been "jacked' with .22 lr than any other round! If deer will fall to a .22 lr a coyote will certainly fall to a .22 mag! Much has been written over the years, and especially before the introduction of the .17 HMR, about the efficacy of .22 lr and .22 mag for coyote. A coyote is no tougher to put down than a domestic dog. It all depends on range.

I understand that. I have taken a coyote with a 22lr. Why did I do this. Well It was a shot at 15' and I was helping a rancher who was losing emu eggs and chicks at an alarming rate. He still took off and ran 200 yards before dying. fifteen feet and shot with a Remington Yellow jacket.

I personaly believe if you are specificly going out after a yote then you need to take something with more gump than any rimfire out there. The min I would take would be a 222rem the max well anything short of a nucler bomb will work for me(If I had a tank I would shoot a yote lets just say that). I do not keep pelts so I don't care if his guts go for 3' or 30' out the back side the bigger the hole the faster they die.

To me to go after coyotes with anything less than a 22 centerfire(Minus the 20 and 17 cal cf) is unethical cut and dry.

Coyotes learn quick real quick. So to shoot one with a 22lr and let it get away may very well creat a coyote that is that much harder to kill and could possiable cause more damage than is you didn't undergun yourself and kill that mange jerk the first time.

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glockfire

· #9 · Jun 13, 2008

Ive shot yotes with everything from a .22lr to a 180gr 30-06. If you really want an effective youte round that will give minimal pelt damage, a 55gr .223 usually does the trick for me, but, like everyone has said, a 22-250 is about the best yote round you can use.

Catfish

· #10 · Jun 13, 2008

If your going 100% for hides the .17 Rem. would be my first choice with 30 gr. bullets. 2nd. choice would be the .204 Ruger with 35 gr. Berger bullets. I sell hide but don`t worry if their shot up. I carry an AR when running them with dogs and usually pack a .22-6mm when just setting and watching. If there`s not alot of wind it`s good past 600 yrds. 100% of the time, if I have time to lazer and get the shot off. When calling 1 guy will carry a .223 semi-auto and the other a long range gun. For a factory round and good deer round, the .243, or the longer range .22 cal. rounds are good, but you`ll get some big holes.

RL357Mag

· #11 · Jun 14, 2008 (Edited)

cpttango30 said:
I understand that. I have taken a coyote with a 22lr. Why did I do this. Well It was a shot at 15' and I was helping a rancher who was losing emu eggs and chicks at an alarming rate. He still took off and ran 200 yards before dying. fifteen feet and shot with a Remington Yellow jacket.

.

At 15' you didn't aim for the head? Rem Yellow Jackets are the only bullets my old Mossberg .22 will chamber reliably, but I would never use them for hunting. Velocity is low and I've found great variations in velocity from one bullet to the next. Win HP or CCI mini-mag HP is all I use. I don't suggest using a .22lr either, but at ranges of 50-75 yds with hi-vel HP ammo they will work good with proper shot placement (head shots) - I prefer the .22 mag and .223 for longer range.

4rum

· #12 · Jun 14, 2008

Bullet placement will usually win out over horsepower. Choose a caliber that will allow you to effectively place your shots well inside the kill zone at yardages you expect to shoot. If you are in brush, foothills, or mountainous terrains, range is not quite as important as prairie land.

There is no free ride, for every thing you gain, you lose something. The 'best' deer rifle has fed gun writers for decades... thing is they're all wrong... and all right. Depends on the shooter and his equipment. No amount of guns and gear will make up for a lousy shot or shooter.

Try to tailor your ammo to your purpose more than the caliber to your purpose. There are loadings in most calibers that will perform differently. From highly frangible, to FMJ, bullet design and construction should be a priority in deciding the ammo you use to for optimal terminal results.

'Yotes can be taken quite handily with a .223, however, most shooters will lose the trajectory edge at longer distances. .243's or any of the 6mm's will perform well at long yardage.

Your personal situation is twofold. First you want the animal dead as quickly and humanely as possible, secondly, you wish to salvage a marketable pelt (not one blown to heck by a strictly 'varmit' type bullet).

The lighter calibers can be devastating, but they have little in the way of bullet choice. Rimfires have traditionally been 'trappers' guns, but a cayote in the wild may be difficult to get within the range of some of the more diminuitive calibers.

Middle of the road? .223 in a quality weapon, good optics, the proper ammo and LOTS of practice.

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cpttango30

· #13 · Jun 14, 2008

rl357mag said:
At 15' you didn't aim for the head?

Chalk that one up to be young and stupid. I was always taught you took the heart lung shot. Yes a head shoot would I am sure piled him up right there.

RL357Mag

· #14 · Jun 14, 2008

cpttango30 said:
Chalk that one up to be young and stupid. I was always taught you took the heart lung shot. Yes a head shoot would I am sure piled him up right there.

In my experience, which has been limited in coyote hunting, I would say you were EXTREMELY lucky to get within 50 yds of a coyote, much less 15 feet! If that had been me, I probably would have been too surprised to shoot. I've sat for hours with an various calls and never saw a coyote, that's not to say that they haven't seen me.

RL357Mag

· #15 · Jun 14, 2008

4rum said:
Bullet placement will usually win out over horsepower. Choose a caliber that will allow you to effectively place your shots well inside the kill zone at yardages you expect to shoot. If you are in brush, foothills, or mountainous terrains, range is not quite as important as prairie land.

There is no free ride, for every thing you gain, you lose something. The 'best' deer rifle has fed gun writers for decades... thing is they're all wrong... and all right. Depends on the shooter and his equipment. No amount of guns and gear will make up for a lousy shot or shooter.

Try to tailor your ammo to your purpose more than the caliber to your purpose. There are loadings in most calibers that will perform differently. From highly frangible, to FMJ, bullet design and construction should be a priority in deciding the ammo you use to for optimal terminal results.

'Yotes can be taken quite handily with a .223, however, most shooters will lose the trajectory edge at longer distances. .243's or any of the 6mm's will perform well at long yardage.

Your personal situation is twofold. First you want the animal dead as quickly and humanely as possible, secondly, you wish to salvage a marketable pelt (not one blown to heck by a strictly 'varmit' type bullet).

The lighter calibers can be devastating, but they have little in the way of bullet choice. Rimfires have traditionally been 'trappers' guns, but a cayote in the wild may be difficult to get within the range of some of the more diminuitive calibers.

Middle of the road? .223 in a quality weapon, good optics, the proper ammo and LOTS of practice.

Very true 4rum! For years I tried hunting them with .22 mag only because I didn't own a .223. Unfortunately here in the northeast they are mostly nocturnal or only very active during the deer season when "gut-piles" are easily available food sources. The heavily wooded areas I hunt prohibit shots beyond 50-100 yds., so it gives me an opportunity to take my Marlin .22 mag out and dust it off..

DKA

· #16 · Jun 14, 2008

I have 2 that I like, 22-250 with a 50 Gr Bullet and a 243 with a 55 Gr Bullet.

RL357Mag

· #17 · Jun 15, 2008

I need to get a good .243. I bought a Rossi "Matched Pair (20 ga./.243) but it seems after only 500 rds. the .243 barrel is shot-out. Now I have 500 .243 brass cases with no gun! If that isn't a good enough reason to buy one....

4rum

· #18 · Jun 15, 2008

You may want to contact the manufacturer about that before laying out hard earned buck$. A barrel should not wear out in 500 rounds... or 5000 if properly maintained. They may make amends if you ask. On a new firearm, I don't consider the bore lapped till at least 200 rounds have been down the tube. Just a thought.

RL357Mag

· #19 · Jun 16, 2008

4rum said:
You may want to contact the manufacturer about that before laying out hard earned buck$. A barrel should not wear out in 500 rounds... or 5000 if properly maintained. They may make amends if you ask. On a new firearm, I don't consider the bore lapped till at least 200 rounds have been down the tube. Just a thought.

Thanks 4Rum - I feel the same way. Over a period of 4 days I cleaned that barrel probably 100 times with every copper dissolving cleaner I could find just to eliminate the possibility of copper fouling. Groups improved a bit, but with a scope at 75 yds. the grouping was all over an 8 x 10 piece of paper! After the first shot from a cold barrel everything goes haywire. I even relieved the wood from the receiver to the end of the handguard to eliminate contact with the barrel. I was so disgusted I put the scope on another gun and packed the Rossi away. Also the lock-up between the receiver and barrel seems to be a bit worn. I actually had the latch open after a shot. The gun is a piece of **** IMO, and I just may send it back, out of principle. I have many guns and this is the only one that ever gave me problems. It is made the same as the old H&R break action shotguns, which I also own, and have never had an issue with. That's why I bought it.

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cpttango30

· #20 · Jun 16, 2008

RL don't feel bad I have heard of a few people having that problems with the rossie.

Might try the savage I have heard it is a very good combo gun.

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