Choice of calibers .204 .223 or .243 hmmm ........

mallardshoot

mallardshoot

New member
Hello to all, I suppose I should introduce myself my name is Rick and I'm from NW Iowa. I have been an avid hunter all my life and until the last year or so my interest has been strictly shotguns and waterfowling. I have on occasion hunted deer with a muzzleloader but never really been interested in rifles........ That is until about a year ago. I'm thinking about purchasing a gun to hunt coyotes and was wondering what suggestions you guys could offer someone with very little knowledge about rifles.
I'm primarily interested in something for coyotes but but wouldn't rule out prairie dogs.
I don't plan on reloading at this point but may consider it in the future. I already reload for shotgun and spend plenty of time with that.
I dont know what else I'd use it for but what sized game can be taken with a .243.
I'm not a long distance shooter because of poorly corrected eyesight so 300 would be the farthest I would ever shoot with 100 or 200 more the norm.
I'm thinking about the Tikka T3 lite or Hunter for a gun but don't really know what to consider for caliber.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, I've got a bunch of questions but I'd like to start with this one.
Rick
 
Boy you came to the right place with a question like that!

You'll need a 204 for 300yd shots at prairie dogs facing NE;

A 22-250 for prairie dogs facing SW;

A 220 Swift for prairie dogs befor 11:38 am;

A 22/243 for pararie dogs in the afternoon facing N;

A 5.6x57 for paririe dogs you miss with the 204;

A 22 Hornet will work nicely for those shot's under a hundred where the dog has it's back to the wind;

A 5mm mag will work nicely when they are wintin 100yds and the air is still;

For the occassional dog encrusted in dry mud you'll need a 243 shooting Barnes x bullet's;

There will always be the smart alex dog that pop's up at 1000yds and a 338-378 Weatherby should do nicely;

Those dogs wanting to hand out between 300yds and 578yds can be handled nicely with a 25-06 and 100gr bullet's;

Those dogs between 578yds and 892 yds will require a 6mm-284;

Between 894 yds and 999yds should be shot with a 300 RUM;

Should one show itself at 893yds, leave it alone, that's a cursed number!

Do you really want to know what to get for coyote's?

Other than this outstanding list of necessary arms, a 233 would do reasonably well. Kind of a jack of all trades and master of none!

Moral: Never ask a rifle nut what you need to shoot prairie dogs and coyote's, ask his wife!
 
I'd go with the .223 for predator hunting.If you're not saving fur the .243 would be a good caliber too.I've only shot one coyote with a .204 and was'nt too impressed but they will destroy a prairie dog.I know alot of guys use the .204 for predator hunting though so it will work.I just like the .223 for some reason so thats what I would choose.
 
In Iowa you have the option to hunt the lower two tiers of counties during late antlerless with 243 or larger caliber rifles. If you are not planning on hunting deer you could go with .223 and the Tikka comes in a 1 in 8 twist which is ideal for a 77 gr bullet. Black Hills Ammo loads some and Cabelas is one source for them. The 77 gr .223 is the best choice for long range with the 69 gr sierra matchking being a close second choice designed as a 300 yd match bullet it is quite effective on coyotes. Prairie dogs and other small critters are taken effectively by a .223 Also note that Tikka T3 is available in .223 with a 1 in 12 twist ideal for the 55 gr bullet. Another choice is the 22-250 with a 1 in 14 twist ideal for a 50 to 52 gr bullet the lighter bullet travels faster and drops less for the first couple hundred yards then significantly looses performance so I dont care for the lighter bullet. If you though you were likely to hunt bears or elk etc out of state you would probably want a heavier caliber than .243
but Tikkas .243 wiht 1 in 10 twist is ideal for bullets in the 90 to 100 gr weight. Cost and availability of ammo should be considered also. Most guys who shoot varmits just love .223 22-250 and .243. Here is a scope I really like: http://swfa.com/SWFA-SS-3-9x42-Tactical-Riflescope-P41044.aspx and I would mount it in Talley lightweight rings
http://swfa.com/Talley-Lightweight-Aluminum-30mm-Scopemount-P8377.aspx Good Luck

caliber rate of twist
204 Ruger 12"
222 Rem 14"
223 Rem 8"
 
I believe I own most of the rifles Don spoke of, and love them all. For coyotes - 223; if you want to hunt animals up to mule deer - 243. Those are what many other experienced hunters, and I, agree on.
Mark
 
Originally Posted By: mark shubertI believe I own most of the rifles Don spoke of, and love them all. For coyotes - 223; if you want to hunt animals up to mule deer - 243. Those are what many other experienced hunters, and I, agree on.
Mark

+1

I have a .223 and love it, but wish i had bought a .243 or .22-250.
 
Of the cartridges you listed I would pick the 204, they are accurate and good in the wind. The biggest advantage to the 204 is it forces you to shoot 40 grain or lighter bullets like you should shoot in the 223. But then I am a light bullet guy.
 
The 243 will do the same job as the others stated , but will also do so much more its like a 204, 223, 22-250 with some STANK on it !!!!
 
Simple .223 unless you hunt deer with it.

.223 is the best if you don't reload its the most affordable and is probably the most popular round for coyote. It is the chepeast to shoot and will do anything you need it to. Don't get a .204 unless you reload. Its hard to find in local shops, there are only a few factory loads. Probably better off with .243 its way more common. For your second rifle get a .204. .223 is good to 300 yards.

As for the rifle CZ 527 american is probably the first choice for myself and TONS of people on this site will agree. Next up and probably just as good would be a tikka t-3. Either of these guns will run you about 600 bucks. they should both be amazing accurate, reliable, and last you a lifetime. You couold spend more but probably won't gain a whole lot in performance.

If you want to go cheap get a stevens 200. Its about 300. its a savage with a crappy trigger and crappy stock. No problem. Later on you can upgrade the stock and the trigger.

Scopes get something fairly low power like 3-9 or 2-7. I myself got 3-12 but they cost a little more. SPend a decent amount on the scope its just as important as the rifle. You will probably NEVER use it past the lowest setting hunting coyote. Most coyote are killed within 100 yard unless you are hunting some really wide open country.

Get some camo, cheap at bass pro or cabelas.

Get some sceery hand calls cottontail and maybe a jackrabbit.

make a decoy or buy one. I just use a feather on a stick with fishing line.

Make some shooting sticks. Check out the varmint al's bi-fur pod.

Most important part! Watch byron south coming to the call volume 2. Then consider other volumes 3, 1, 4 , 5 they are all good. Those movies will give all the info you need to get started.

GET OUT THERE AND SLAY EM! YOU CAN'T KILL ONE FROM THE COMPUTER!

Good Luck!

How do I know all this junk works?

527firstcoyote002.jpg


Sceery cottontail distress, cz 527 .223, home made varmint al shooting sticks. Learned everything I know from watching those bryon south movies. Before the movies I called and called only saw 1 after endless days calling. Watched coming to the call volume 2 next morning killed my first one in 5 minutes after getting out of the truck!

oregon280.jpg

here is that first dog. Sceery jackrabbit distress, My old gun from dad 22mag I upgraded now to the 527. He was watching that feather on a stick so i could turn and blast him only 15 yards away maybe less.
 
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I have a 17hmr, 204, 22hornet, 218bee, 223, 243 Super Rock Chucker (25-06 neck down and blown out), and alot more rifles 25 caliber plus. For the most part my AR15 in 223 rides around in my truck. Its not legal to deer hunt with a 223 here in Wyoming but when I lived in Michigan we would often use them for whitetail hunting, with 55gr Nosler Ballistic Tips.

My AR only has a 1.5-4x mounted on it but feel comfortable with it taking shots out to 500 yards on something with a 10" or larger kill zone. My long range rifles have 16x or larger scopes.
 
Originally Posted By: Don FischerBoy you came to the right place with a question like that!

You'll need a 204 for 300yd shots at prairie dogs facing NE;

A 22-250 for prairie dogs facing SW;

A 220 Swift for prairie dogs befor 11:38 am;

A 22/243 for pararie dogs in the afternoon facing N;

A 5.6x57 for paririe dogs you miss with the 204;

A 22 Hornet will work nicely for those shot's under a hundred where the dog has it's back to the wind;

A 5mm mag will work nicely when they are wintin 100yds and the air is still;

For the occassional dog encrusted in dry mud you'll need a 243 shooting Barnes x bullet's;

There will always be the smart alex dog that pop's up at 1000yds and a 338-378 Weatherby should do nicely;

Those dogs wanting to hand out between 300yds and 578yds can be handled nicely with a 25-06 and 100gr bullet's;

Those dogs between 578yds and 892 yds will require a 6mm-284;

Between 894 yds and 999yds should be shot with a 300 RUM;

Should one show itself at 893yds, leave it alone, that's a cursed number!

Do you really want to know what to get for coyote's?

Other than this outstanding list of necessary arms, a 233 would do reasonably well. Kind of a jack of all trades and master of none!

Moral: Never ask a rifle nut what you need to shoot prairie dogs and coyote's, ask his wife!

Don you crack me up, but seriously it's pretty much the excuse I give myself trying to buy yet another rifle..
smile.gif



-Juan

PS I would Get a .243 given those choices..
 
I would go with the 223 as well(nothing against the other rounds) just that I have a soft spot for the 223, as was mentioned if your not going to load to start you will have better luck finding a factory offering your gun likes with the 223, I load a 40gr V-Max in my 700VS.
 
Thanks guys and Don I appreciate the humor, it's kind of like asking a duck hunter what the best call is LOL
I'm thinking I'll be going with the .223 because I don't foresee really needing the .243 at this time. At the price of the Tikka guns I guess the possibility is always there to just get another one right. Now I know why my wife hates me LOL
 
If your only going to be shooting at most out to 300, just get the 223 and be done with it. Its cheap to shoot, accurate, and will more then do the job out to 300 on coyotes. I"d use a 55g nbt or vmax and be good to go.

243 is a little more then what you need for coyotes at that range, but the good thing is you can shoot deer with them versus the 20 cal and 22 cal (altho legal in some states)

I have no experience with the 204 and dont really think I ever will. Just never caught my fancy...
 
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