Coyote Rifle, Guide Me

**fishermann222** · 06-12-2006, 19:05

Tikka .223

The T-3 Lite is an AWESOME gun. Fairly inexpensive and a great shooter. Check it out.

**AlleninAlaska** · 06-12-2006, 19:35

Heck for a measly $375.00 you can buy my Remington 788 in 222 Remington.

**Murphy** · 06-12-2006, 20:02

Coyote Getter

W_G,

There are several candidates for you coyote rifle. However, you say some things that are inconsistant with my experience with coyote rifles.

First, the best coyote rifle isn't in 22 caliber.

Second, the 22-250 is a much farther reaching and more accurate round(down range) than the 223.

Third, the Ruger Mini-14 is likely the least accurate rifle on your list.

Fourth, a good AR rifle is available and waiting for you for $800 in the form of a Rock River Arms, 18" with Stainless Varmint barrel and is capable of 1/2 MOA accuracy at 300 yards. This rifle is;

A. Short and handy
B. Very Accurate.
C. Reliable.
D. Quick with follow up shots.
E. Ambidextrous (Works for left or right handed)
F. Flat topped and scope-able with any scope.
G. More versatile than any of the others.
H. In your desired caliber...223 Rem.
I. Available with the Wildey chamber. (Match 223 Chamber)

All for only $800 (or less)

Or, check out the CZ 527 with the H-S precision stock in varmint version, great buy, great shooter.

There are other makers of the AR but I think this one is the best buy for the features you get. Good shootin'.

Murphy

P.S. Allen, do you have a 788 in 222?!!

**Water_Gremlin** · 06-12-2006, 20:23

Thanks everyone for the comments.

I have been looking and discussing coyote rifles for about 6 months now. Everything I posted was coming from other people's comments. Especially the Mini M-14 comment. Bascially, I am not very knowledgable when it comes to firearms. But I would like to buy a coyote rifle for my weekend expeditions.

Murphy, which caliber would you go with? A .223 or 22-250 with ammo price and availablity out of the question. Which one is the better of the two. On some Randy Anderson videos they shot a couple of coyotes with 22-250's. Maybe I should rephrase my sentence, I heard .223's are more acurate in windy conditions. Maybe I was miss lead.

A buddy I have hunted coyotes with has a decked out AR. I have fired my friends AR, and it felt like a nice rifle. Thats a great suggestion.

Am I correct in assuming my SK, even at best, is an ok coyote rifle? When I sighted in the SK I was knocking down coke cans at 75 yards, but the next shot would be way off. I know flinching and other variables should be considered too.

So the AR is the best rifle for coyote within 800 dollars? Does that include a scope? I am hoping ot have a scope within that price range.

**BrownBear** · 06-12-2006, 20:48

A whole lot is going to depend on how you hunt them.

I spend 5 months a year in the Southwest, most of it in the country, and I take coyotes as they come. If you're calling or anticipate long shots, then an accurate bolt or semi-auto and a good scope will be just right. It really won't matter much what you use for slow deliberate shooting like that, so long as the gun is accurate for the range involved and you do your part. I'm just as happy with the 223 as a 22-250, simply because I almost never get shots past 300 yards or so where we do our calling.

For me it has boiled down to two coyote rifles rather than one. For calling and such I have a stainless Savage in 223, which is also my prairie dog gun. It has a 6x18 scope for poking the little critters at long range, but it stays down around 6x when coyote calling. I can't recommend that rifle highly enough simply because it's tough, relatively cheap, and will hold almost any factory round under an inch at 100 yards. I don't have any other rifles in any caliber that will do that with factory loads. No time for reloading in the spring, so accuracy with cheap factory loads is a plus.

My second coyote rifle is in fact a Mini 14 with plain old iron sights. I use it for a saddle gun for its quick handling and streamlined form. No, it isn't worth a hoot on coyotes at even 200 yards offhand from horseback, but it's pure hell on coyotes when you jump them at 50 yards or less and they are a streak of dust headed for the horizon. Quick followups are almost mandatory, especially if it's only 100 yards to thick brush and you miss on the first shot. I'm not happy with any saddle scabbards I've tried for quick use with scopes, so the heck with them. Gotta say though, that it's sure fun to keep shooting that Mini 14 at running coyotes when the range stretches way out there. If I hit within hand grenade range at 700 or 800 yards I feel pretty good, and it sure is fun. We're not all that intent on killing them on the range, so long as they stay away during calving.

Back home, where the coyotes develop an appetite for cats, young cow dogs, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys and the pheasants in our fields, the coyote killing gets serious. That's where we do the calling and rely on a scoped bolt action. If I had an accurate semiauto like Murphy describes I'd be happy too, but when calling the quick followup is almost never needed. BTW- If you want to attract coyotes in ranch country, the heck with wounded rabbit calls. Practice sounding like a lost kitten or puppy!

An all-in-one gun for me would have to be very quick for close running shots on horseback while accurate out to at least 300 yards on prairie dogs as well as coyotes. That means it would wear a scope whether it was a semiauto or a bolt, and I'd still be searching for the right scabbard. But the scope would have to have great field of view for those close shots, so I'd probably opt for a 3x9 rather than one with big numbers at the top of the zoom range.

Like I said, it all depends on how you will be hunting.

**AlleninAlaska** · 06-12-2006, 20:57

Originally posted by Murphy

P.S. Allen, do you have a 788 in 222?!!

Yes I do Murphy. Sweet shooting little thing too boot.

**Water_Gremlin** · 06-12-2006, 20:59

Calling Them In

So far, mainly in the Knik area, I use rabbit distress calls. The coyotes I have seen got within 100 yards and hid behind a bush, it was a real brushy area they jump into and I lost them. In different areas I am sure that would stretch to 200 yards or so.

This is really a tough descission because I want to spend my money wisely and not regret my purchase. I have looked at the Savage .223 and its well within my price range. The guy at boondocks recommended a 4-14 scope with the Savage. I forgot the brand name.

Also if anyone has any hunting areas full of coyotes they are willing to share I would highly appreciate it. :-) I still havnt shot my first yote. :-/

**AlleninAlaska** · 06-12-2006, 21:02

Here is a picture of my Fox gun. Bushmaster with a Leupold 1X3X14 CQ/T with the circle dot reticle. It also illuminates. This scope is mounted on the removeable carry handle and is used for shots out to about 200 yards. If I suspect that the Fox will be hanging up at a further distance, I have a Burris Signature 6X24X44 that mounts on the rails.

**Brian Richardson** · 06-12-2006, 22:15

Tikka T3

Tikka T3 stainless/synthetic in .223 topped with a reasonable quality low light scope --- using 45-55 grain loadings like Winchester bulk-pack HP, Black Hills w/ Hornady v-max or Nosler Ballistic tip, Hornady brand custom MC v-max� etc.

For Alaska� I�d say you�d be very hard pressed to find any better, particularly in this price range and 4-real guaranteed accuracy.

My best groups have gone .057" (yes) to less than 1/4 @ 100 while worst groups 5/8-3/4" with just about any ammo ---- except Federal trophy bonded (those printed with shall we say no satisfaction, but why use these anyway!)

While I love my Rem. 788 for its accuracy... it is not nearly as suitable in the Alaskan extremes as the Tikka.

**keelermk** · 06-12-2006, 22:56

remington model 700 VLS chambered in 22-250

Its a little pricey but worth every Penney.
Thats what i use back home in New Mexico and it slays them. make that 1st shot count and don't worry about the followup, but if you do wait for him to stop at that 400 yard mark they always do. When he stops to look and see what happened put another one down range. This thing is a tack driver and has plenty of knock down power for those pesky dogs especially shooting Nosler Ballistic tips. Good luck on your purchase all of the rifles mentioned are pretty good just thought I'd through mine in there....Matt

By the way i payed $700 for the rifle. You can take a look at Remington's website.

**AKWannabe** · 06-13-2006, 05:37

Another...

Let me just muddy the water a little more, how about a .25-06 in say a Remington 700 CDL or a Ruger 77? They both have a 24" barrel, will shoot good and flat and have the added advantage of making an awesome deer/antelope rifle too!

Many good suggestions here. I've always liked Remington's Varmint Synthetic rifles (all flavors), especially those with the excellent H-S Precision stocks. Certainly you can't go wrong with Tikka and Savage for accuracy, plus there's always the Sub-MOA Weatherby Vanguards. They also have an accuracy guarantee.

A little more than you have to spend, Bushmaster has an excellent Varminter AR with a 24" fluted parkerized barrel and flat-top receiver and a match trigger. Very nice.

Have fun deciding!

Dave

**alaska bush man** · 06-13-2006, 06:00

223 Wssm

The new 223 WSSM would make a ideal rifle as well as a small deer rifle.

**elmerkeithclone** · 06-13-2006, 08:34

AKWannabe

You echoed my thoughts. I have a Ruger 25-06 that is my calling or tracking gun. Nothing more fun tha picking up a set of yote tracks early in the morning after a fresh snow and then putting the sneak on. I have rolled them out of their nest at 400+ yrds with it. If the wind is blowing and the snow is deep then I sometimes pack my Ruger 77 all weather ultra light in 270.

When the boys and I are out chasing them the I use a Rock River AR flat top with a J&P trigger group installed. It wears a straight 6x42 Leupold scope. It is my opinion that the trigger makes the gun concerning all AR's. I have about $1300 in it as is.

Then there is my behind the seat gun. About this time last year I bought one of those cheap Stevens 200's and stuck a cheap scope on it. I shot the cheap Winchester USA 223 ammo in it last year and got groups of 1 1/2 - 2 inches. I played with it some this spring using Blackhills 50 grain fodder and am around an inch now. As I said the gun is barely a year old but is already pretty beat up. I killed a few yotes with it last year all between 50 yrds and 300 yrds and all on the run. This gun is so light on the front end that I had a real hard time holding it steady when shooting free handed so I had a buddy turn a piece of aluminum on a lathe. It is 1 1/4 inches in diameter and about 10 inches long. I slid it on the end of the barrel and glassed it in place. It not only made the gun balance but I think it hepled the harmonics! Then I painted the whole thing white. It looks like hell but it works!

**aufevermike** · 06-13-2006, 09:04

Weatherby Vanguard 22-250

You really can't go wrong with either the Weatherby Vanguard with synthetic stock and stainless in 22-250. or the Savage modle 16 weather warrior in .223. I have both and use both on coyotes. Savage has the combo package that includes the Simmon hunter scope, not the best but will do. The Vanguard also used to have a cobo package deal with the Bushnell Banner scope, again, not the best but will do till you can save up for a better more light collecting scope.

Good Luck,
Mike

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