Greetings! New to the Firing Line: coyote rifle recommedations?

[Jangle]

Howdy from windy Wyoming.
I am interested in a rifle for hunting prairie dogs, coyotes, mountain lions and pronghorn.
Accuracy needs to be 1 MOA at a minimum.
I'm not against the AR platform but know almost nothing about them. I am considerably more well-versed with bolt actions. To be honest though, the 30 rd mags would be a nice thing to have in SHTF situations.
I own a 7mm Rem Mag, 270 Win and 17HMR but would like something that has a flatter trajectory than the 270 and is between the .177 and the .277 cals. I also own a 10mm semi-auto carbine but the mags are only 10 rds.
Maybe an AR10 in 243?
I am anxious to hear your recommendations. Especially if they are based on actual huntng experiences.

[Colorado Redneck]

Disclaimer: I've never hunted medium game with 22-250.

That said, for the critters mentioned a 22-250 would fill the requirements. It wouldn't be advisable much beyond 400 yards for pronghorn but should work great with the 65 gr. Sierra Gameking. For varmints, 22-250 is a great choice.

[mikejonestkd]

I agree with CR, a .22-250 would be dandy for smaller varmints and passable for pronghorn with the right bullets.
Buy a good quality bolt rifle, and get the best glass you can afford.

A good second caliber choice would be .243 win. Its a bit too much for small varmints, but hunting them would be good practice for pronghorn.

[Double K]

The new 6mm arc in AR-15, they should be available soon.
I don't have to tell you it's windy in wyoming so if your looking at bolt guns a 6mm with a fast twist barrel made to shoot long wind bucking bullets would put the 6mm creedmoore at the top of the list.

[RaySendero]

Jangle wrote:
I am anxious to hear your recommendations.

Jangle, Do you handload your ammo?

[jmhyer]

Other option to explore might be 25-06, 260 Rem, a 6.5 ( several from which to choose) or 257 Roberts. In any case, I agree with the bolt gun recommendation.

[Jangle]

Originally Posted by RaySendero

Jangle, Do you handload your ammo?

Yes sir. I have been a handloader since 1994ish. I only load rifle and shotgun rounds. I haven't ventured into loading for semi-auto pistols yet...

[Double K]

Keep in mind that the standard factory twist rates for older cartridges like 243 and 22-250 are slower than newer cartridges and unable to stabilize long bullets suitable for windy conditions.
New cartridges like 224 Valkyrie and 6mm creedmoor perform much better in the wind than the cartridges of yesteryear.

[Jangle]

If I were to find a 243 with a 9 twist or even 9.25 twist, would that be sufficient for stabilizing in the wind?
Or the 22-250 in a 10 or 11 twist?

[TX Nimrod]

Since the OP wants a flatter shooting cartridge than the .270, many recommendations like the .260/.257/.243 won’t really fulfill his need. Why he wants that is his business.



.

[Double K]

Twist rates would have to be faster like 1-7 and 1-8, add to that there are no factory loadings with heavier bullets in either 22-250 or 243.
6mm creedmoor outperforms the 270 win except in energy at every distance and it does with a lot less recoil.
I've hunted antelope every year since 1977 in colorado, quite a few years in Wyoming with many different calibers including 220 swift, 55gr. bullets which are about the heaviest weight you can shoot accurately in a standard 1-12 twist are a poor choice, anything but a perfect shot will result in wounded game.

https://www.budsgunshop.com/product_...green+stock+bl

6.5 prc in action 2019

[reynolds357]

Originally Posted by Jangle

Howdy from windy Wyoming.
I am interested in a rifle for hunting prairie dogs, coyotes, mountain lions and pronghorn.
Accuracy needs to be 1 MOA at a minimum.
I'm not against the AR platform but know almost nothing about them. I am considerably more well-versed with bolt actions. To be honest though, the 30 rd mags would be a nice thing to have in SHTF situations.
I own a 7mm Rem Mag, 270 Win and 17HMR but would like something that has a flatter trajectory than the 270 and is between the .177 and the .277 cals. I also own a 10mm semi-auto carbine but the mags are only 10 rds.
Maybe an AR10 in 243?
I am anxious to hear your recommendations. Especially if they are based on actual huntng experiences.

Mountain lion complicates it. I prefer to shoot critters that can kill me with a lot more gun than I shoot non dangerous game with. I am thinking 243 Winchester or 6mm Creedmoor.

[Jangle]

Originally Posted by reynolds357

Mountain lion complicates it. I prefer to shoot critters that can kill me with a lot more gun than I shoot non dangerous game with. I am thinking 243 Winchester or 6mm Creedmoor.

I don't get to hunt kitty cats too often. The biggest use would be for coyotes and other pests around the house....rioters, feral cats, skunks, mother-in-laws, politicians, vacuum cleaner salesmen....you get the idea.
If I felt that whatever rifle I decide to get wouldn't handle mountain lions, I could/would opt for my 270 Win. It has been good medicine for my previous cougar hunts.

[jackstrawIII]

I'd echo the 243 Win recommendations. For me, it would be in a bolt action.

[Double K]

Before they banned hunting lion with dogs here a friend ran a guide service, they shot most of them with either a 22 magnum rifle or pistol, one of the easiest "big game" animals there is to kill, they average 150lbs before being skinned, carcass weight is about 130. Any centerfire will be more than adequate as far as killing power.

[handlerer2]

I know of two men that chase cougar with hounds, until they're bayed. Then shoot them out of the tree with a 22lr. They say the 22lr rifle only leaves a pinhole entrance scar on the hide and no exit.

If you must have something flatter shooting than your 270, then consider what I did. I bought a varmint rifle chambered in 6.5x284.
This chambering is flat shooting and very, very accurate. People take big game up to moose with these. Mine has a barrel replacement policy. Shoot out my barrel, and for $120, plus shipping, they will replace and test your replacement barrel . I plan on using this policy maybe next year. Only I'll just drive it over.

I'm not really endorsing a varmint rifle. They are expensive, heavy and generally only single shot, but as far as repeatable accuracy goes they can't be beat.

[Double K]

Cooper alert!!! This man has good taste in firearms! I'd love to have a Jackson Squirrel with a wood upgrade.

[603Country]

I hunted coyote for 30 years with a 220 Swift. Bought some land in central Texas and hogs showed up as much as coyotes did. The 220 won’t stabilize either the 65 gr Sierra GK or the 60 gr Nosler Partition, so it wasn’t great hog medicine. So I went to the 260 and 100 hr Nosler BTs. A 243 would also do quite well for coyotes and hogs.

[Double K]

The only hogs they have in Wyoming are on hog farms and at Golden Corral, they take a dim view of you shooting them at either one.

[ammo.crafter]

I use two rifles:

A Remington model 600 in .222 Remington with a 22-inch barrel.

A T/C G-2 in .204 Ruger with a 20-inch barrel.

Both are scoped with appropriate Burris scopes.

[Double K]

Unless you live in eastern Montana, Wyoming ,Colorado or New Mexico the average hunter from the east or south cannot fathom what it's like to hunt in the wind. When you pull into a parking lot in Laramie or Casper you better be pointed west when parking most of the time or you'll regret it.
Little toy cartridges that do so well in the east and south fail miserably in such conditions.

[Colorado Redneck]

Ruger American 22-250 is equiped with a 10 twist tube. That will stabilize the Sierra 65 gr Gameking at 3400 fps, 5000 ft. elevation. Should be good to about 400 yds for speed goats. 22-250 with the right bullet is great for prairie rats, coyotes, badgers, about any critter less than 150 lbs. 243 Winchester is, as mentioned above very suitable. 6mm Creedmoor would be another good choice. Enough options to cause "analysis paralysis."

[Scorch]

I have used a 22-250 for almost 30 years. I like the flat trajectory and the accuracy without the recoil. That said, if I was building an AR for varminting, I would get a 224 Valkyrie just for the velocity. Bolt action rifles are lighter, though, so I carry a Mauser 98 or a Remington 700 when I go out to kill something. In the wind, a 7mm high BC bullet will do anything in that needs killing, or a high BC 22 caliber bullet, so a 7-08 or a 22-250 would be my reccomendation. So choose your platform, then choose your cartridge.

[GeauxTide]

My 243, in a Magpul Hunter Stock, shoots 75gr VMAX to 3300 and is flat to 400.

[603Country]

If I wanted a long distance coyote rifle for use at distance and in the wind, I’d probably go with a 243AI. It would give me the excuse for a new rifle.