Autoloader for coyote, rec's?

mtlucas0311 · December 28, 2008, 07:31 PM

My best friend has become infatuated with coyote hunting and wants to buy an autoloader. I recommended a flat top AR, but he won't hear it. He wants an auto with "a wood stock". The only thing I can really find is a BAR in .243, which I know will be a fine rifle for the job, but we both thought .223 loaded with FMJ's would induce the least damage to the hyde (and I have .223 dies). Opinions?

hpg · December 28, 2008, 08:20 PM

I second your suggestion, a Flattop AR would be perfect.....hpg

L_Killkenny · December 28, 2008, 08:54 PM

Remington has made a few over the years and used examples can be found at a reasonable price. I had one in .243 and it functioned flawlessly with factory ammo. Had trouble with reloads though even though I was using small base dies. Accuracy was so-so, around 2-2.5" at 100 yards (reloads were much more accurate just wouldn't feed em).

BTW, skip the FMJs. Use a hunting bullet like the V-max (my favorite, very minimal damage) or a match BTHP (suppose to be very fur friendly).

LK

hoytinak · December 28, 2008, 08:55 PM

Mini-14 works great on yotes.

mtlucas0311 · December 28, 2008, 09:39 PM

Thanks for the idea's, I know anything "military looking" will be a hard sell. He belittles my collection all the time as pointless and "no good for hunting". But I'm a target shooter, not a hunter (I'm lazy and like trigger time, not get up early and freeze my hind end off time). Any reason not to use FMJ's? I wouldn't think that they would have any problem taking down something as small as a coyote?

L_Killkenny · December 28, 2008, 09:54 PM

Plenty of reason not to use FMJ's.

Coyotes are alot tougher than you give em credit for. Small entry, small exit means little blood for tracking (which you will do if you use FMJs). FMJ's ricochet all over hell and pose a danger. Use the right bullet, you aren't punching paper.

mtlucas0311 · December 28, 2008, 10:23 PM

Maybe I should have asked the question differently. What are some of the most common rifles used to hunt coyotes? I initially suggested a bolt gun in .223, but somebody put it in his head that they kill 2 or 3 coyotes at a time when a pack of them come into a bait pile with an auto, so now he's GOT to have an auto. He's hunting a 600 acre farm field (cut corn and potatoes) with a 5 road killed deer buffet about 300 yards off one of the corners. It's a target rich environment.

Inspector3711 · December 28, 2008, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Use the right bullet, you aren't punching paper.

Plenty of yotes get killed cleanly with FMJ's. There are also plenty of places where a FMJ can be used without fear of richocet. I suspect as many yotes have been killed by FMJ's as any other single design.

My .223 is a Remington 700 predator rifle. A semi would be nice in some situations but the bolt action tends to be more accurate for long shots.

Art Eatman · December 29, 2008, 08:27 AM

For years, a Mini-14 was my truck gun for coyotes. Weaver K4 scope on it.

This was back when the GI ammo used the lighter bullet. Inside 100 yards or so, it seemed to blow up as well as soft points.

I don't really see much point to a semi-auto, really. Unless it's in short-grass country, any miss on the first shot has Ol' Wily in the brush before you can fire off a second, aimed shot. But, the Mini is real reliable for a first-shot hit.

HiBC · December 29, 2008, 01:55 PM

I think you are right,the flat top AR would be my choice,since I can't afford a Barrett .50.
But,your friend gets to have his preferences.A bolt gun loses less brass.
If you want to hit coyotes instead of just shoot at them,an accurate rifle you can shoot well is good.

A Hornady A-max flies good and the nosecone helps them come unglued.

VaFisher · December 29, 2008, 06:24 PM

Browning makes a 22-250 in the Safari grade Bar, I had a freind ask the question and found these looking for him and I think they are the only ones that make a semi auto 22-250 without it being a custom made to order gun.

LateNightFlight · December 30, 2008, 02:07 AM

Wood stock - semi auto - .223? Sounds like a mini 14 to me.

And a .243 would work. One of my first few deer guns was also my coyote gun, a Sako .243 shooting FMJ handloads.

Then a long time favorite is a single shot, a Ruger #1, 220 Swift... just to point out that you don't need many rounds, much less a semi auto. It's very rare that you get more than one (useful) shot. (Yes, the DVD Santa put in my stocking, ‘The Truth, Calling All Coyotes,’ was three inspiring hours of coyote herds racing toward the callers. I guess I should get some Primos calls because my calls seem to be 'One & Done' models.

)

Now I have a couple of ARs, one of them is a 24" bull "coyote rig." Other people have their reasons for wanting a semi auto - shooting doubles, running shots, immediate follow-up, and I figured their reasons were good enough for me (since I wanted to play with some ARs and couldn't come up with original excuses.)

And then I have a Rem 700 in .223... "For coyotes."

My point is, I'd tell your friend to keep economy in mind, holding back enough money to buy an XL safe for all the coyote guns that will follow.

armedtotheteeth · December 30, 2008, 10:31 PM

Eugene Stoner had no Idea back in the 50s when he made the Best Coyote Rifle ever known to man.
Now that it is available ( for a limited time only) Id jump on one.Yeah, I know they are also 2000 Bucks now. Thanks Barack. Im not thinking he would like the Mini 14 for very many shots on coyotes. Missing stinks.

jdscholer · December 31, 2008, 12:57 AM

Of the people I know who actually Kill a lot of coyotes, none use a semi-auto. jd

mtlucas0311 · December 31, 2008, 08:19 PM

I think a 1919A4 would go over as well as a mini 14, he hates anything "military looking"; His taste, not mine. All but a few of my rifles are 20th century military. If it were me, I'd tromp out there with a bolt gun; but the great white hunter apparently thinks the coyotes will be flocking to the bait pile like a herd of hyenas and he'll mow em' down as they retreat to the wood line 300 yards away. The farm is barron right now, so it's a clean open shot from the pile to the wood line. If the stars aligned just right and gave him the herd shot, I'd like my odds with the mini 14 or one of my AR's. But in reality, if even two coyotes came out at the same time, I forecast one dropped in it's tracks followed by 300 yards of flying dirt, corn and potato shrapnel, followed by a lot of swearing. At least I'll stay amused with the story. Thanks for all the input.
Mike.

December 28, 2008, 08:20 PM	#2
hpg Senior Member Join Date: September 14, 2002 Location: in the Bluegrass State Posts: 1,610	I second your suggestion, a Flattop AR would be perfect.....hpg __________________ NRA member Semper Paratus

December 31, 2008, 12:57 AM	#14
jdscholer Senior Member Join Date: March 23, 2008 Location: Jefferson State Posts: 1,197	Of the people I know who actually Kill a lot of coyotes, none use a semi-auto. jd __________________ "We're all dummies, just in different ways." Old Okie Philosopher

December 28, 2008, 07:31 PM	#1
mtlucas0311 Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: Shelby Township MI Posts: 125	Autoloader for coyote, rec's? My best friend has become infatuated with coyote hunting and wants to buy an autoloader. I recommended a flat top AR, but he won't hear it. He wants an auto with "a wood stock". The only thing I can really find is a BAR in .243, which I know will be a fine rifle for the job, but we both thought .223 loaded with FMJ's would induce the least damage to the hyde (and I have .223 dies). Opinions?

December 28, 2008, 08:54 PM	#3
L_Killkenny Senior Member Join Date: February 2, 2007 Location: Iowa Posts: 2,676	Remington has made a few over the years and used examples can be found at a reasonable price. I had one in .243 and it functioned flawlessly with factory ammo. Had trouble with reloads though even though I was using small base dies. Accuracy was so-so, around 2-2.5" at 100 yards (reloads were much more accurate just wouldn't feed em). BTW, skip the FMJs. Use a hunting bullet like the V-max (my favorite, very minimal damage) or a match BTHP (suppose to be very fur friendly). LK

December 28, 2008, 08:55 PM	#4
hoytinak Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 5,721	Mini-14 works great on yotes.

December 28, 2008, 09:39 PM	#5
mtlucas0311 Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: Shelby Township MI Posts: 125	Thanks for the idea's, I know anything "military looking" will be a hard sell. He belittles my collection all the time as pointless and "no good for hunting". But I'm a target shooter, not a hunter (I'm lazy and like trigger time, not get up early and freeze my hind end off time). Any reason not to use FMJ's? I wouldn't think that they would have any problem taking down something as small as a coyote?

December 28, 2008, 09:54 PM	#6
L_Killkenny Senior Member Join Date: February 2, 2007 Location: Iowa Posts: 2,676	Plenty of reason not to use FMJ's. Coyotes are alot tougher than you give em credit for. Small entry, small exit means little blood for tracking (which you will do if you use FMJs). FMJ's ricochet all over hell and pose a danger. Use the right bullet, you aren't punching paper.

December 28, 2008, 10:23 PM	#7
mtlucas0311 Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: Shelby Township MI Posts: 125	Maybe I should have asked the question differently. What are some of the most common rifles used to hunt coyotes? I initially suggested a bolt gun in .223, but somebody put it in his head that they kill 2 or 3 coyotes at a time when a pack of them come into a bait pile with an auto, so now he's GOT to have an auto. He's hunting a 600 acre farm field (cut corn and potatoes) with a 5 road killed deer buffet about 300 yards off one of the corners. It's a target rich environment.

December 29, 2008, 08:27 AM	#9
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	For years, a Mini-14 was my truck gun for coyotes. Weaver K4 scope on it. This was back when the GI ammo used the lighter bullet. Inside 100 yards or so, it seemed to blow up as well as soft points. I don't really see much point to a semi-auto, really. Unless it's in short-grass country, any miss on the first shot has Ol' Wily in the brush before you can fire off a second, aimed shot. But, the Mini is real reliable for a first-shot hit.

December 29, 2008, 01:55 PM	#10
HiBC Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2006 Posts: 8,289	I think you are right,the flat top AR would be my choice,since I can't afford a Barrett .50. But,your friend gets to have his preferences.A bolt gun loses less brass. If you want to hit coyotes instead of just shoot at them,an accurate rifle you can shoot well is good. A Hornady A-max flies good and the nosecone helps them come unglued.

December 29, 2008, 06:24 PM	#11
VaFisher Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2006 Posts: 596	Browning makes a 22-250 in the Safari grade Bar, I had a freind ask the question and found these looking for him and I think they are the only ones that make a semi auto 22-250 without it being a custom made to order gun.

December 30, 2008, 02:07 AM	#12
LateNightFlight Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2007 Location: Central Missouri Posts: 552	Wood stock - semi auto - .223? Sounds like a mini 14 to me. And a .243 would work. One of my first few deer guns was also my coyote gun, a Sako .243 shooting FMJ handloads. Then a long time favorite is a single shot, a Ruger #1, 220 Swift... just to point out that you don't need many rounds, much less a semi auto. It's very rare that you get more than one (useful) shot. (Yes, the DVD Santa put in my stocking, ‘The Truth, Calling All Coyotes,’ was three inspiring hours of coyote herds racing toward the callers. I guess I should get some Primos calls because my calls seem to be 'One & Done' models. ) Now I have a couple of ARs, one of them is a 24" bull "coyote rig." Other people have their reasons for wanting a semi auto - shooting doubles, running shots, immediate follow-up, and I figured their reasons were good enough for me (since I wanted to play with some ARs and couldn't come up with original excuses.) And then I have a Rem 700 in .223... "For coyotes." My point is, I'd tell your friend to keep economy in mind, holding back enough money to buy an XL safe for all the coyote guns that will follow.

December 30, 2008, 10:31 PM	#13
armedtotheteeth Senior Member Join Date: October 3, 2005 Location: podunk, Texas Posts: 1,610	Eugene Stoner had no Idea back in the 50s when he made the Best Coyote Rifle ever known to man. Now that it is available ( for a limited time only) Id jump on one.Yeah, I know they are also 2000 Bucks now. Thanks Barack. Im not thinking he would like the Mini 14 for very many shots on coyotes. Missing stinks.

December 31, 2008, 08:19 PM	#15
mtlucas0311 Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: Shelby Township MI Posts: 125	I think a 1919A4 would go over as well as a mini 14, he hates anything "military looking"; His taste, not mine. All but a few of my rifles are 20th century military. If it were me, I'd tromp out there with a bolt gun; but the great white hunter apparently thinks the coyotes will be flocking to the bait pile like a herd of hyenas and he'll mow em' down as they retreat to the wood line 300 yards away. The farm is barron right now, so it's a clean open shot from the pile to the wood line. If the stars aligned just right and gave him the herd shot, I'd like my odds with the mini 14 or one of my AR's. But in reality, if even two coyotes came out at the same time, I forecast one dropped in it's tracks followed by 300 yards of flying dirt, corn and potato shrapnel, followed by a lot of swearing. At least I'll stay amused with the story. Thanks for all the input. Mike.