12 Gauge Coyote Round

C

chewie146

New member
Hey all,

I have a Remington Wingmaster 2 3/4" 12 gauge. I'm attempting to find a coyote load other than slugs that will work for this bad boy. Thus far, I've tried #1 buck from Remington, but it patterned like crap with the chokes I have. The 00 Federal buck was much better, and would reliably place 4-5 pellets in a coyote kill zone out to 35 yards even through the turkey choke. Slugs are excellent, but not exactly fur friendly. If you read my other post a couple weeks back, I did connect on a youngster with a foster slug. It was akin to the damage on a prairie dog from a 223 SP. It was total carnage. That was a target of opportunity, though. The #4s I have from Federal patterned horribly, so I won't be using those for anything other than blasting at cans and the occasional squirrel. Turkey is out for those this year.

Ironically, the best pattern I got with any choke was Federal bulk pack 7.5s. Those won't work. I continue my quest, but I really don't want to spend $3 a shell on coyote ammo. Are there certain loads out there that you all have had better luck with? I ordered some Rio #4 buck from Cabelas, just to see. It was .50 apiece. If it's reliable, but doesn't pattern that well, it will do for home defense and camp duty. If it does pattern well, I've found my load.

So here's the set-up I'll have after the weekend, as far as my gun goes. I will have I/C, Modified, and XFull turkey chokes. The Modified is on order. What say you? Any leads on a solid 2 3/4" shell that won't break the bank and has a reputation for good patterns?
 
That's on order. I'm just puzzled why I'm having troubles patterning with anything else. The #4 bird seems like it should pattern from a turkey choke. Has anyone here tried patternmaster chokes?
 
They may be more than you want to spend but the hevi shot dead coyote rounds in T shot pattern great in my mossbergs with a modified choke. They are pricey but I only used 6 shots to pattern with and the rest are for the yotes.
 
I'd definitely wait and see how #4 Buck shoots. I got my best pattern through my 870 with Remington Modified choke. Full choke was sporadic.
 
What the man said about using less than a full choke is worth considering. My friends Winchester throws 000 out of his modified choke better than out of his full. My Mossberg is the other way around. You just need to fire a few rounds to find out.
 
I'm not trying to be a smart-ass, but why are you going coyote hunting with a shotgun? It'll do the job, but I wouldn't consider it an ideal weapon for taking a coyote, as you're effective range is only about 35-meters.

Admittedly I've shot coyotes with everything from a .22LR up to a MAC-10 SMG, but that was just targets of opportunity.

Why wouldn't you just use a rifle if you're setting out to go coyote hunting?
 
Hornady Varmint Express #4 buck seems to be designed with coyote in mind. Their YouTube video shows it being used for that.
It has the flight control type wad, so it should pattern pretty tightly.
I picked up a box at my LGS, but have not had a chance to shoot any yet.
 
i use #4 buckshot loads on called in coyotes; it works very well: So does Hevi-Shot T. However, Hevi-Shot gets expensive-fast.
 
#4 Buck is what I've purchased to use in my Valmet 412, 12ga over .308. I have not yet, however, had the opportunity to pattern it out of the IM barrel. With 21 pellets, I'm figuring it should work to 35 yards or so and the rifle barrel (gun is also scoped) for longer shots.

Bottom gun
 

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I have used Remington #4 buck in my 2 3/4" 1100 before I purchased my 870 Magnum that is now my dedicated coyote shotgun. I had pretty good success with it dropping a few coyotes.

It is cheap and reliable.
I found 3" on sale at Natchez shooter's supply for under $5 a box so I stocked up!

I agree with what
the other guys said about seeing what works in your gun with different chokes. You may even try just a factory full choke. You never now what will work best!

@ Baretta686, he didn't say that was the ONLY gun he was taking with him. MANY predator hunters, including myself, take both a rifle and shotgun to each stand.
 
Hey all,

Thanks for the replies. I'm hoping my choke gets here soon along with the buckshot to see how it goes. Beretta, speak American. How many feets is that? ;) Just kidding! I know the range is limited, but I'm really looking for a coyote load for my shotgun and what combo may work. Certain times of the year, I may have the shotgun with me for an all-animals hunt.

Bears and Cougars can be hunted with slugs, coyotes can be hunted with anything, and birds and squirrels can be hunted with shot. I have a small concealed carry belt-mounted "fanny pack" that has a velcro partition where I keep spare chokes, my wrench, a magazine plug, etc. The front portion holds a variety of shells. It's my do-all gun for some months. With any luck, the modified will be acceptable with slugs, good enough with #7.5s, good with #4 or #1 buck, and be the only choke I really need to have installed at any given time, other than a choke for turkeys.

With my I/C choke, the shotgun will print slugs acceptably for coyotes out to 75 yards. Hopefully my modified choke will do almost as well. Ideally, Savage will continue down the combo-gun road, and one day, I can afford a .308/12 gauge combo for everything I hunt. I'm not holding my breath, though. The Valmets I've seen are pricey.

Also, there are some places around here where a shotgun will serve me very well, as the ranges aren't going to be that far. Canyon bottoms are one example. Since all the fires, the brush is pretty darned thick, and you can't see to rifle distances.
 
Certain times of the year, I may have the shotgun with me for an all-animals hunt.
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Fair enough. I have a similar issue when I'm dove hunting on our family ranch that's full of hogs and coyotes, which are always in season. But I just carry a pistol instead of trying to change out my shotgun load & chokes. But I know some States don't allow you to carry a pistol while you're hunting.
 
That has recently changed here, actually. You can carry a handgun any time you want, so long as you don't actively hunt game that is not in the "any legal weapon" season. However, I trust myself to hit something with a shotgun firing slugs at farther distances than I can with a pistol. 75 yards is a long poke for me with a handgun. That's how far the slugs will group acceptably. I can hit that far at the range, but that's at the range. I've taken down bowling pins at 75 yards. That, however, is not after hiking up the side of a mountain in the rain, sucking air like a beached carp.

I can also snap shoot a lot better at 35 yards with a shotgun and buck, provided I can get a pattern worth anything with the new chokes. 2 weeks ago, I nailed a running coyote with a slug at 35 yards. That's a decent shot, in my book, and not one I could reliably make with a handgun.

Handguns have their place in my arsenal, and I love hunting with them. My favorite squirrel implements are a Single Six 22 and a Ruger Mark II 22.

The other option I have is my bow. That's legal for everything in season at any time. However, I just got back into archery after a 10-12 year hiatus, and I'm learning again. 40 yards is my maximum range, and that has to be ideal presentation.
 
I saw those choke tubes, and almost bought one. You like it, eh?
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Yeah I do like it but it seems to pattern larger shot better than smaller shot. It does well with 00 and really well with 000 but not so much with #4. For Birds I use a modified that came with the gun.
 
Estate #4 buck 2 3/4" shells pattern very well out of my 870 with a Johnny Stewart "dead coyote" choke. I buy mine from cabela's.

Why wouldn't you just use a rifle if you're setting out to go coyote hunting?
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A LOT of coyote hunters use shotguns because it's fun and effective. I much prefer a scatter gun in thick cover where my visibility is maybe only 60-80 yards is some directions. You can get on them quicker with the bead sight and a pump or semi-auto allows for very fast follow-up shots whereas a bolt/scope would only allow for one shot. Really good for those dogs that run in and out of a stand without stopping. The shotgun is ideal for many predator hunting scenarios.Aside from that it's flat out FUN to shoot them with a shotgun, by default they have to be inside 40-50 yards in most cases.
 
There times, many many times where a shotgun has it all over a rifle for hunting predators. Some/many dedicated fur hunters would actually turn things around and ask why in the world would any use a rifle.

4buck and dead coyote are probably the 2 best choices. Dead coyote cost too dang much so 4 buck is really my only option. Buy every kind you can find, 5 brands minimum and 10 or better if you can find em, and pattern test the heck outta your gun. No one here can tell you which one will work best in your gun. When you find what your gun likes stock up. Not talkin 50 rounds, not talkin 100, I mean stock the crap outta it.
 
Copper plated bb's worked best for me, but that was a 1 7/8 or 2 ounce 3 inch load. These are the only loads that will consistently kill coyotes up to 60 yards.
 
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