tahunua001
New member
this is just personal preference but 40-50 yards is a bit of a stretch for any shotgun, not because they don't have enough power but because the patterns expand too much but reliably hit an animal, especially a small animal like a coyote at that range. as you're not after meat it's not quite as big of deal if you end up getting a couple balls in the legs or backbone, and immobilize it long enough for a couple followup shots, but as hunters, it's our duty to make the animals suffer as little as possible in the process of harvesting them. a rifle would make this much easier to accomplish. 20 gauge is actually a pretty decently recoiling caliber, a 223 remington or 7.62x39 would be well within the range of your tolerance level if you are comfortable with the 20 gauge. if you really don't want to spend a lot of money on a rifle that's just going to sit in the tractor for coyotes then might I suggest something like a cheap Chinese SKS? they usually can be found for about $250 and would easily dispatch problem puppies at 40-50 yards as long as you do your part.
in the end, it's your decision, not mine, or any other member here, what you propose will kit coyotes, just not reliably at the ranges you specified.
in the end, it's your decision, not mine, or any other member here, what you propose will kit coyotes, just not reliably at the ranges you specified.