30 caliber coyote rifle

Why use anything bigger than a .243 Win or .25-06? Flat-shooting, low recoil, and more than enough gun for a coyote. .30 cal with light bullets just sacrifices too much BC to be worth it unless you already own the gun for deer or whatever and don't want to buy a whole new rifle. The only .30 cal I'd consider for coyotes is 7.62x39, and that's just because the ammo is so cheap, not because it's better than the alternatives in any way. Hunting coyotes with a .300 magnum is like hunting deer with an elephant gun.

I've also never understood the .22-250 at all. The .243 equals or outperforms it in energy at all ranges, has less wind deflection for comparable bullets, and wears out barrels less quickly. The ammo is cheaper, more rifles are chambered for it, and you can make brass from all the .308-family calibers if you reload. On top of that, the .243 is suitable for up to deer-sized game, while the .22-250 is marginal at best for anything but varmints and predators. The .243 also loses less velocity with shorter barrels.
 
I've had the best success on coyotes with a .264 and .284. Both were bolt rifles and accurate, flat shooting guns, and the coyotes dropped in their tracks. Also dropped mule deer in their tracks.
 
You would have to stick to the used market but a 6mm remington is ideal for coyotes, deer, or varmints depending on bullet weight. Very similar to the .243 win but with a little more case capacity. If you reload you can get 150+ fps over the .243
 
Along with the 22-250, I'm going to have to consider the .243 too. The bullet selection for the .243 is off of the chart...not to mention the ballistics comparison to the 22-250.

Since I'm considering Savage rifles, there seems to be 2 barrel types/lengths to choose from, in both calibers.
There's a 22" sporter barrel and a 26" heavy varmint barrel.

What would make you choose one over the other?

Thank you, Bowhunter57
 
.308

I own a couple of .308's...You spoke specifically on the savage...I have a model 10 fcp with a heavy barrel,and it loves 165gr + pills, but anything under 150 starts to get a bit wild with the 1/10 twist that most savage varmint barrels have... I own a Howa 1500 in .308 with a 1/12 twist and load a 110gr sierra hollow point varminter that it shoots really well... 43gr of RL-15 pushes it over 3000fps with minimal recoil and stays accurate and flat well beyond 200yds... While the savage remains my favorite over all rifle, the Howa is by far my favorite coyote shooter....
Hoodlum
 
I won't claim to know everything on the subject but after playing with flat-base 125 grain bullets in the 30-06, I'm going back to 150 boattails. At 2900+, they are wicked on anything and you only have one trajectory to dope, year round.
 
A .30 caliber is a bit big, but using enough gun is an old rule, for good reason. I'd be partial to a .308 or .30-06, personally, I just like them. You get a lot of versatility out of the .30 choice, you can ramp up to hunting deer, elk, or hogs, at range, while a .270 or similar may not do that for you.

For a cheap .30 caliber, think 7.62x54R in a Mosin-Nagant, you can trick one out for not much dinero. I used a sportered SMLE No. 1 for some years as my coyote rifle, worked fine for a $50 bargain.
 
I am always a proponent of using enough caliber to do the job right, but most of the 30 cal's sure seem like a lot of overkill to me for what you are proposing. A 22 centerfire like the 22-250 or 22 swift would be great, but if in open windy areas, the .243 or 6mm's offer a long range advantage with bullet stability.
 
You get a lot of versatility out of the .30 choice, you can ramp up to hunting deer, elk, or hogs, at range, while a .270 or similar may not do that for you.
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If you can't easily take a deer, elk, or hog with a .270, you might as well just stay at home. Using "too much" gun or just as importantly, the wrong type of bullet, is just as bad as not having enough gun.

And lets face it, coyotes are not that hard to kill. Any bullet over about 80 gr (unless its made for varmint hunting) is a waste and won't expand as well unless its at close range or in a magnum. Lots of coyotes are taken with the light 35 and 40 gr .224 bullets and they're just as dead as if they were shot with a .50 bmg
 
It depends on whether you have to walk much when hunting. If not, a varmint barrel would be a bit steadier, but not necessarily any more accurate.

I love the .243 Win for Eastern yotes! Wind deflection is less than a .22-250, which was used for many years. Misses on smaller critters are easier to see in turfed areas.
 
Bowhunter57 said:
Along with the 22-250, I'm going to have to consider the .243 too. The bullet selection for the .243 is off of the chart...not to mention the ballistics comparison to the 22-250.

Since I'm considering Savage rifles, there seems to be 2 barrel types/lengths to choose from, in both calibers.
There's a 22" sporter barrel and a 26" heavy varmint barrel.

What would make you choose one over the other?

Thank you, Bowhunter57
Click to expand...

I've got a .243 Kimber Montana, 22" sporter barrel. Personally I love it, super light weight gun and I'm running around 2860 fps with a 95 g SST hand load. Zeroed at 215 yards its around 6-7" low at 300. It takes the yotes and drops them in their tracks.

Wind drift at 15 mph at 300 yards is 12-13".
 
If you're going to be shooting coyote and smaller, get the .22-250. If you're going to be shooting anything bigger than coyote, .243.

The MPBR of the two bullets I mentioned (55gr .243 and 35gr 22-250) are nearly identical. There is essentially no difference out to 400 yards and only 2" difference at 500, although the .243 has about 10" less wind drift at 500 in a 10mph wind.
 
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