Help me pick a rifle!

[Mastergunner]

Hey firing line, recently got the coyote hunting bug and I've looked online and I've seen lots of opinions about rounds for coyote

These are the rounds I'm considering:

.243

.270

.308

I'm a little hesitant to spend the money on a rifle that I can't hunt big game with
So the .223 and .22 250 are not on the top of my list

What I'm looking for in a round:
Quiet (I know that any rifle will be loud but something on the quieter side is what I'm looking for)

Low recoil would be nice

Good to at least 350 yards.

Price.

To the rifle:
I will probably be hunting in a wooded area most of the year, so close quarters

but when I go to eastern Washington for deer season ill probably hunt coyote when I'm there

What's a good platform?
I like the idea of an AR 15, I'm just not sure if its practical for me.

I'm looking to spend under $800
My favorite gun shop always has lots of rifles for cheap and a various selecton

recommendations are more than welcome!

[jehu]

If just Coyote get the 243, if Coyote and deer 270 or 308.

[ligonierbill]

The .243, .260, 7mm-08 are all based on the .308 case and can be had in an AR-10, but not within your budget. Get a decent bolt action - a lot of good ones out for not a lot of money. If you are going to hunt bigger critters, consider the .260 or 7mm-08. Still low recoil and very versatile. I like the 6.5mm round, but the 7mm-08 has become one of the most popular hunting cartridges, and with good reason. Popular = plenty of ammo available. Enjoy!

[kraigwy]

Coyote - big Game;

You're in Washington, you might want to move past coyotes/deer to elk.

I'd vote for the 270. Light bullets for coyotes, 130s for deer, and there are some great 150 gr .277 bullets for elk.

Also some supper high BC/long range accurate bullets out for the 270 now days extending the range past that of even the 308.

[9mm1033]

I had a nice size rifle I believe would fit your described needs, the Remington Model Seven in 243. It's not a long barrel and solidly built. However, it is loud and the 243 round has some recoil. I shot groundhog and whitetail deer with her, so I'm sure it would take a coyote. However, a new one is probably over your price limit.

Here: http://www.remington.com/product-families/firearms/centerfire-families/bolt-action-model-seven.aspx

[Metal god]

Does your $800 dollar buget include the optic . If it does not your really looking to spend $600-ish out the door for the rifle .

The savage rifles are good there Model: 11/111 Trophy Hunter XP comes with a scope for $700

There Model: 11/111 FCNS For $700 does not come with a scope but does come with there accu-stock .

IMO - 270 is your best choice . One of the best all around cal. out there . 243 is great for the smaller game but not as good for the larger game as the 308 . The 308 is over kill on the smaller game , very loud and can beat you up a bit with recoil .

That being said . If this rifle is just one with more to come soon-ish . I'd get the 243 then later get the 308 .

If this is the only Rifle you plan on buying for a while then the 270 is the way to go .

[silvrjeepr]

A Remington model 700 270 was my only hunting rifle for many years, and it kept the freezer as full as I wanted without fail.

[sc928porsche]

For coyote and deer at both close and long range, It is very difficult to beat the old 25-06. Recoil is about the same as the 243. The trajectory is about the same with heavier bullet but with a lot more energy downrange. Noise level is about the same. The 25-06 will do everything the 270 will except for heavier game at long distance (elk at 300+ yards). Not much is mentioned in the forums about the 25-06 but it is an outstanding cartridge and those that own them really love them.

[Mastergunner]

I was just giving a number for my budget and what I would prefer to spend

It'll be a while before I can buy this rifle, Ill have to buy a vehicle soon

How about $1200 with scope.

[Metal god]

This may be the perfect gun for you . http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=503106 . this guy is trying to help his friends widow sell a rifle . looks like a nice gun and a good caliber . Not a 243 or 270 but a 260 :D

[tahunua001]

I would recommend a weatherby vanguard S2 in 243 winchester. they are nice rifles and guaranteed to shoot under 1 inch groups at 100 yards from the factory. they can usually be had for around $450 so that leaves you around $300 for a nice scope after taxes.


interesting though, I wasn't aware that Washington had banned 22 cal centerfires for hunting. guess that means I'll just have to stay on my side of the river and hunt in Idaho.

[Mastergunner]

I would recommend a weatherby vanguard S2 in 243 winchester. they are nice rifles and guaranteed to shoot under 1 inch groups at 100 yards from the factory. they can usually be had for around $450 so that leaves you around $300 for a nice scope after taxes.


interesting though, I wasn't aware that Washington had banned 22 cal centerfires for hunting. guess that means I'll just have to stay on my side of the river and hunt in Idaho.

I really wish that wasn't the case, I'd probably already have found the rifle I was going to buy if I could hunt deer with a .223, seems like a really good round.

[Mastergunner]

This may be the perfect gun for you . http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=503106 . this guy is trying to help his friends widow sell a rifle . looks like a nice gun and a good caliber . Not a 243 or 270 but a 260 :D

Thanks for showing me, I just don't feel comfortable buying a firearm online and I don't currently have the money.

[Hoosier_Daddy]

For the woods I think the .308 win would be my first caliber choice based on your criteria. .243 win if the woods wasn't an issue.
For the money, I really like the Ruger M77 line but there are many other rifles out there as good or better.

[Mastergunner]

Why would the .308 be your choice for the woods?
For some reason Ive always thought of it as a longer range round.

[sc928porsche]

You can get a Weatherby Vanguard series 2 synthetic chambered in 25-06 for weatherbys list price of 699. That will leave you more than enough for a good scope. They also guarentee sub MOA with the series 2. You can probably get the rifle a little cheaper through your dealer because that is factory price.

[Joe Chicago]

I second Tahunua on the Vanguard S2. I have one in .308 that shoots under an inch at 100 yds with several loads and 9/16" with 180gr Rem CoreLokts. It is well made, accurate, has a three position safety so you can cycle the bolt on safe and a crisp two stage trigger. It is heavy, and the two stage is not to everyone's liking, but you should handle one before making your decision. I bought mine for $425. You can get a detachable mag for long action S2s.

[Mastergunner]

Anyone else?

[Metal god]

Sure I'll act like I'm someone else :D For the amount your willing to spend you can buy 2 Ruger American Rifles . One in 243 the other in 308 . :cool:

I own one and like it very much . Here is my review ;)http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=492169

[jimbob86]

If it's a dedicated coyote gun, then a 5.56 with twist fast enough for long bullets would be great......

If you want one gun for everything, .270 WIN with the standard 1in10 twist will do for everything from grass rats to elk...... bullet weights from 90gr (at up to 3500 f/sec!) to 150 gr (at up to 2900) shoot well out of mine.

[Picher]

I've been a gunsmith, benchrest shooter, varmint and big game hunter for over 40 years.

For my money, the Tikka T3 and T3 Lite are excellent! My new .243 T3 Lite has impressed me more than any factory rifle I've shot in many years. They are presently selling for about $550 and they're a high-quality rifle. Mine shoots preliminary handloads under 1/2" and may be better as I find the right load.

I also have an older Tikka in .243 Win that consistently shoots 1/4" groups at 100 yards.

The Weatherby Vanguard is also a good rifle, though it's quite heavy for walking around a lot.

I also have rebarreled my pillar-bedded 1980s Remington 700 ADL.243 Win with a fancy (read Expensive) Super Match barrel and the Tikka shoots just as well out of the box!!! Tikkas have the same match quality barrels as more expensive Sacos. They're super-smooth and clean very easily.

[GunXpatriot]

Yeah, I think the .270 is a nice medium between the .243 and .308. Still very powerful and hard hitting, but quite a bit less recoil than the .308. And yeah, for a dual purpose coyote and big game rifle, it's hard to beat.

In short, it's not overkill for coyote and it's not underkill on a deer.

An ar-15 will work and a good caliber for a hunting ar-15 right now is Remington's new .30 Remington AR, as well as the .243 WSSM, which will surpass the .243 winchester. A regular 5.56/.223 AR is great for coyote, but if you'll be doing other hunting, obviously you'll want something better, and a good upper can cost as much as a good dedicated bolt action. I don't know much about hunting caliber ar's, so I wouldnt know about pricing.

Going back, I think you'd be better off with a plain jane .270. Not sure on models though.

[Mastergunner]

Well guys, I really appreciate you're replies and advice, I think I'm going to go with the .270

I'll have to look at rifles and see what I like!

Thank you all very much!!

[Picher]

The .270 Win is a bit much for range shooting, warming barrels much quicker than .223, and a bit quicker than the .243 Win, but if you handload, it has tremendous flexibility.

For Maine deer, I use 130 grain GMX bullets, but used to use 130 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips ahead of 60+ grains of Reloder 22.

For target shooting and short-range varmint control, the 90 grain Sierra HPs ahead of a mild dose of IMR 4895 are fantastic and shoot to the same POI as my hunting loads at 100 yards.

I've never found the need for 100-110 grain bullets, but am told they work well for long-range varmints. The .270 Win isn't the best p-dog cartridge, because barrels heat quickly, but I've found it to be very accurate in my rifles.

[sDot]

Marlin XS7 in .270