Is the 243 a good long rangs coyote gun??

Wa_Coyote_Hunter

Wa_Coyote_Hunter

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Is the 243 a good long range coyote gun?? Thinking of getting a new rifle 22-250 or 243 don't save furs, the ammo is the same price. And already have a deer rifle! I am looking at several makers from savages model 10 predator max-1, a regular savage synthetic blued with a dbm. A remington, or a weatherby vanguard, or a ruger Hawkeye. I have used my wifes 243 youth model to shoot coyotes out to 300 yards and it works great and leaves a big mess.

What is the recoil comparison in the two calibers out of full size rifles????

Any help would be appreciated Thanks!!
 
Absolutley! 243 may have a little bit more, I'd say comparible and a touch more if your shooting 100gr+ bullets. Either will make a good LR yote gun.
 
I was debating this same issue not too long ago. I went with the 22-250, Savage model 12 FVSS with a bull barrel. Not the best gun to pack around but walking into fields isn't too hard so I am not concerned with the weight. Haven't regretted it, although I do not own a .243. The accuracy of the savage out of the box is awesome and if you already have a deer rifle I'd go with the 22-250. Last spring I hit a rockchuck with it at 315 yards (used a rangefinder for distance, not guessing). The recoil of the 22-250 is nothing, very easy shooting. That's my vote!
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. 243 has always been my got to.

I'd have to say 6.8 SPS is quickly running a close second for anything under 200 yards.
 
Either rifle will work, what are YOUR arguments for either??

The one thing that might make you lean towards the .243 would be if you have kids up and coming to a hunting age. The rifle could double as a kids rifle for deer hunting later on.

Washington has a minimum caliber of .240 for deer hunting, but as you said, your Wife already has one...why not continue using that for 'yotes, or would you one day hope to bring Her along???

Just thinking out loud here....do you hand load???
 
I have used 22 cal and 243 cal varmiters The heavier bullet doesn't get pushed around by the wind as much. Drop is constant, wind is always fluid. Just my 2cents
 
Two totally different guns... You said you had a deer gun. With that out of the way, The 243 is a great long distant gun if you reload. Factory loads are crap. Every one runs to a 100 gr bullet what a waste. We load an 85 gr that will put a BIG mule deer in the dirt at 300 + and do a 55 gr that will turn a coyote inside out at 500. That's the problem there too good, We hunt year round for then and in the "Non" prime season we'll shoot a 243, and many others, other wise its "22" only. So if your just after a coyote killer way out in the wind by all means the 243 is a VEAR good choice. There no way as flat and you will need to do some practice to get the hold over right but like every one said the windage is easier.
 
I was in the same situation and contemplating almost the same guns you have listed there. I went with the 22-250 Savage Model 10 max-1. The rifle will amaze you on its accuracy and is not finicky with what you run through it. That said, my cousin lives on a large ranch in Kansas and has always shot them with a .243 with 85 grain hand loads. He kills about 70 coyotes per year (combined between trapping and shooting) and the .243 is his choice also because it is a nice deer rifle. I think either gun will satisfy your needs but don't overlook that savage. Good luck to you.
 
Harold Broughton had killed 5000+ coyotes using 220 swifts for years, he switched to a 257 AI which is the equal of a 25/06 in speed. He used the 100g Ballistic tips for those yotes that "hang up" at 500 or so where the 220 swift runs out of gas.

I shot more than a few yotes with a Sako Varmint in 25/06, Ruger Varmint, and Savage 112J Varmint in 25/06. I have seen coyotes flip with all 4 feet going in the air at 300 yards and they cause a lot of damage to pelts at 300 yards. I shot the 100g sierra BTSP and Sierra 90g BTHP with close to max loads of IMR 4350.

Shooting coyotes at long range demands extremes in accuracy and knowing your rifle, with a very good higher powered variable scope(IMO). When calling in coyotes in the field, you only have seconds to make decisions on distance, wind speed, and sight correction.
 
A 22-250 with a good bullet with a nice BC will take coyotes further than most recreational callers can shoot. It's only a 25-35lb animal, not a 200 lb deer.
 
For some of your questions!! I do not reload yet. And I do have an m-4 my daughter wants to use for yotes. and I will be studying the balistics a little more. Because I do get that occasional that sits out there at 500 yards. Or across one of the many swamp areas we have around here. I once went out and had more then 5 dogs running back and forth on the other side of a wasteway but couldn't cross at 500 0r so yards. And I couldn't get any closer because of the swamps and ticks between us. But most are well under 100 yards.
 
If your talking long range at 300-500yrds I would probably go .243, but if you want to shoot longer than that I suggest you look at a .260rem.

They use the same parent cartridge (.308win/7.62x51NATO), but the .260 is a the clear winner in real long range scenarios. .243 is going to shoot real flat out to the 5-600yrd range with light projectiles, but those bullets have very poor ballistic co-efficients and bleed velocity quickly. The BC's on the 6.5mm bullets of the .260 just keep chugging along because they have great BC's.
 
I too have used the great 220 Swift for a number of years and have killed large numbers of coyotes/foxes. I am now using a 223 and it doesn't have near the knock down power that my Swift had. If I were going to go with a new gun I would opt for the 243. Loaded with 58gr V-max bullets they are traveling at better than Swift muzzle speeds, hold up better in the wind, have good downrange knockdown power, and you can buy many more loads that will make it useable for other deer sized game. The 22-250 is generally only going to be a good varmint gun and ballistics are pretty similar to the great Swift. Kevin
 
I have had a .243 for years and I love it, but I have not owned a 22-250, so I want one. They are both close in comparison, but until I have given them both some history it is hard to say what one is better than the other. I will say that my .243 is a savage, and it is an awesome weapon. Good luck with your choice. What made me pick was the options for different bullet weights and configurations in the .243.
 
I've used both the .243 Winchester, and .22-250 extensively for coyotes. The coyotes here average 30-35 pounds for mature females and 35-40 pounds for mature males. I've found that the .22-250 and .243 seem very equal in killing power. Seems that what the .22-250 lacks in bullet weight it makes up for with velocity. And what the .243 lacks in velocity it makes up with bullet weight.
My .22-250's and .243's, are my go to bolt action rifles for coyotes.
 
i cant say anything bad about either rifle, i have a 243 that me and my family have had for many years and just that gun alone has 37 deer kills on it a few bobcats some coyotes and about 9 javelinas. the 243 is one of my favorite guns but it think the previous poster hit it right on the button if you want to compare them.

I have heard and seen a couple people kill deer with a 22 250 but i have never done it personally
 


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