L
Posted on 06/09/2011 7:33:09 AM PDT by Notary Sojac
This fall, we are moving from the city to the country, and I've been told by all my new neighbors that coyotes are a problem.
What I want to do is bring them down quickly when they are in the house and yard area (about 7 acres). I'm not going out to the far reaches of my 100+ acres of woodlands to look for them, and I really don't care about messing up the pelts :-).
Other considerations
This will be my first long gun. I've strictly been a handgun range shooter up till now.
I don't need to go to the cheaper side when buying the rifle, but the cost of ammo is an issue as I don't handload and want to be able to practice a lot (I already have a 400 yd range site cleared).
Appreciate any advice.
I used a 12 G slug shot on a bowling ball once
6.5 Carcano or any bolt action 30-06, scopes are optional depending on how you like to shoot. Go to a local outdoor range and talk to people, possible test shoot what they have.
Got an audible from me on that one
Few things are more annoying than a yapping, squealing wounded coyote. You want something that will drop them cleanly, and while that’s possible with a rimfire, I would recommend a centerfire, something in the .222 Remington to .250 Savage range. As a number of folks here have already noted, the .243 Winchester is nestled well within there. It may be a little overkill at shorter ranges, but will extend your reach out to several hundred yards, and will provide you a good rifle for deer/pronghorn size game should you choose to hunt those at some point.
What do you mean by coyotes being a “problem”? Most issues between humans and wildlife can be mitigated with a little foresight. Unless you’re just itching to prove your country chops by killing something, I suggest you give some thought to that.
Anything above a .22 Hornet should be fine. The only upper limit would be how much do you like recoil.
I think a .223 or .243 are both just about ideal.
For handguns a .44 magnum would be good. A .357 magnum and even a 9mm should suffice.
L
Long ago when I was kid, my great uncle (long since deceased) was using 30-06 on groundhogs that were eating his garden. I thought it was a good idea. You didn’t have wounded ones running back into their holes like if you shot them with a .22. He sold produce, so the were eating his profits.
I'd take other precautions, like protecting pets at night and fencing off other areas you don't want invaded. Much more effective. But blast away at the occasional bold pest if it makes you feel better.
Xactly!
Think Wile E. Coyote.
I'd highly recommend the Barrett .50 cal M82 sniper rig.
I forgot to mention ammo. Basically, anything Federal makes especially their Supreme, will serve your needs well. Give a good .22-250 a try.
CCI has what they are terming a Stinger that competes with Winchesters Expediter .22LR.
http://www.cci-ammunition.com/products/detail.aspx?use=1&loadNo=0050
Winchesters product is hard to find:
http://www.winchester.com/library/news/Pages/News-Xpediter.aspx
I found that my 1996 Ruger 10/22 RB performed better with the Winchester ammo than it did with CCI, Remington, or Federal.
Weird.
The 7mm is one of the very best flying bullet choices because of it's inherent high coefficient (over 700) and the moderate load is not over bore capacity and is extremely accurate. Both cartridges are very easy to find and buy, since the buying frenzy trend is mostly focused on NATO rounds, like 5.56 & 7.62.
You can find a very good older action in Rem. 700, have it checked out and tuned by a good gunsmith to outperform a new factory rifle at a much lower cost.
Do this, and you will have a tack driving beauty that is a dream to shoot and maintain. Not only that, you can take it deer hunting when you graduate into that realm.
You are going to want a
Long Range Varmint Rifle from Savage in 22-250.
LOL!
You speak my language!
If it takes a second shot, I can deal with that.
How close do you want to get before pulling the trigger?
Pretty close (see post 7). If I'm not sure the round won't carry to my neighbor's property, I'm not squeezing the trigger.
If you use a .22LR, I recommend CCI Velocitor ammo. I also recommend keeping your shots within 50 yards. I have killed coyotes dead in their tracks with Velocitors inside 50 yards. You can certainly kill them further. Coyotes that are busy mousing and not spooked are usually not hard to kill.
If you limit your shots to 40 yards or less, a shotgun with full or extra full choke and heavy shot works great.
Further out, there are numerous .22 centerfires to choose from. The .223 is ubiquitous and a good choice. The .22-250 is, in my opinion better. Just for pure shooting fun it is hard to beat the .22 Hornet.
You can also take the rimfire path with the .22WMR or the .17HMR.
I have seen coyotes killed cleanly as far as 220 yards with the .22WMR. I have no experience with the .17 version, but I’ve heard it works. If you were a reloader, the Hornet would be my recommendation.
.50 cal??? Holy frijoles. You want to kill them, not vaporize them.
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