Coyote Hunting - First Rifle?

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Hello,

Lately we have had a problem with Coyotes and I want to purchase my first rifle and scare them away by eliminating some of them. We have small dogs that we cannot let outside at night anymore because the Coyotes are within 50 feet from our house.

What rifle would you reccomend? Can I purchase a decent rifle from Wal-mart? How about a Weatherby Vanquard Varmint Special .223 or a Weatherby Vanquard Compact .22-250?

Thanks for your help.

Brandon
 
At 50 feet I'd be lighting them up with a 12-gauge with 1 or 4 buck. I'm sure there are a lot of pred hunters in your area that would be happy to come out with their hot-rod 22-250's and help you eliminate the bulk of the problem just for hunting rights on your property.
 
A bolt-action .223 or .243 would work just fine for Ol' Wily. And, as said above, if they're regularly within some 30 yards or so, a 12-gauge shotgun with 00 buck and a full choke would also be an answer. Probably do okay with smaller shot, for that matter. I killed a bobcat with 7-1/2 at 25 yards, "dead right there" (DRT)"

Close ranges in daytime, iron sights are fine. If the deal is at night, a scope becomes a necessity. And, a halfway decent three-cell flashlight or better. I hold a flashlight against the forearm of my rifle for night-shooting...

Art
 
I'm confused.

The post says "coyote hunting" but a gun for 50' shots is asked for.

At 50' a just about anything will kill a yote. If you want to hunt them, 223Rem would be adequate. 22-250Rem would be ideal.

The perfect gun for yotes IMO is not in production. It would be a .22-250Rem on top of a 12 guage with 00 buckshot.
 
Here ya go Brandon.

12ga for up close - 223 for a little longer. Twist is a little slow though.

http://www.savagearms.com/24f12.htm

24f.jpg
 
The 223 seems like the rifle I would like to get first.

We have seen them as close as 50 feet but more then likely the shot will be a lot farther.

Where should I go to purchase a 223? I checked out Walmart and they are no longer carrying rifles. I was told they only have them in 2 stores now. That is kind of strange.
 
If you're going to get a rifle just for coyote hunting, get a light, easy to handle rifle in 223. The Remington Model 7 makes a great coyote rifle, but a Remington 700 is just fine too. Ruger, Savage and others make fine rifle for this purpose. The 223 will put the coyotes down just fine. MI VHNTR
 
.243 is the best coyote gun in my opinion. It shoots flat, absolutely wallops coyotes at any range and recoils very little. If you can hit the coyote hes a goner. Try calling them in and give a little whistle or something at 200 yards. Theyll stop and you can pelt them.

I am currently shooting coyotes with a .270 but that is a bit of overkill. My next coyote gun will likely be a BAR left-handed .243. Firepower...fast.

A good fast handling gun that you shoot well with a 3-9X scope and a good call is all that is needed to knock off serious numbers of coyotes.
 
What state are you hunting in? Night shooting is illegal in some states. Check local laws concerning that.

IMO .223 or .243 depending on the availability. .243 will second as a better hunting rifle for deer. A new hunter should use that as a minimum cal. for whitetail. It is more forgiving in the shoulder area than the .223.

If at night is your choice, string a couple of christmas tree lights out about 100 yards from the yard. Perched atop the house, behind the yard lights, you will be able to silouette the coyotes around the christmas tree lights with a scope. One shot is probably all you will get. Good luck.
Allowing some local predator hunters to hunt your place during the day will really help eliminate the pack.
 
Where's your house? If you're not out in the country, you can forget shooting them. Call your local Fish and Game or whatever it's called where you are.
All Weatherby's are fine rifles, but at Cadillac prices. You'll need to learn how to shoot any rifle first as well.
 
Damn the 223Rem!:)

Always getting the vote over the 22-250Rem because of people thinking in terms of buying thousands of rounds of surplus army ammo:p

It is a fine round. But inferior to the 22-250Rem by a good margin.

BTW I own a 223Rem, 22-250Rem, and a .243Win:)
 
Taurus M72 pump .22 mag. $275.00.

Ammo selection is good and cheaper than the other recommendations.

9 or 10rds in the tube very compact and handy, deadly all the way out to 100 yds. or so on yo-t's.

Sounds about ideal for your application.
 
Let me start by saying that I own both .223 and 22-250's. So I am not picking one over the other for yote hunting. They will both kill my yotes dead - one just does it a bit cheaper than the other.

There was a huge discussion some time back about the .223 being the better long range rifle once you got past a certain yardage. I believe it was around the 4-500 mark. Now I am aware that the 22-250 will shot much flatter out to around 400 yards but past that is where the 22-250 really looses ground.

I am not an expert by any means but maybe some of the guys that truly are expert in long range shooting could explain to us why the .223 is the better for long range cartridge shooting than the 22-250. Maybe I will have to dig up that thread but there was a lot of very useful information in it from people much more skilled than myself. I know that it had something to do with the fact that you could get a heavier bullet and better twist for the .223 than the 22-250.

I am just a hunter who enjoys shooting too so like I said, I'm no expert just looking for some education.
 
My coyote rifle is a H&R Ultra single shot in .223. I paid around $250 for the rifle and around $200 for a Nikon scope. Very nice rig for the money.
 
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