Long range/first Coyote rifle on an budget

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coyotekillingfish

New member
I want to start off by saying I am new to the forum. After months of reading posts I finally broke down and signed up for a membership. I recently got invited to come down to a friends farm to do some coyote control. The corn field we will be hunting is over 700 yards. I am in high school with a part time job so I can't buy any Ruger Precision Rifle. For under 450 dollars (scope and rifle) what should I buy? What caliber would be best for this range?
 
Welcome aboard.

Given your parameters I would be looking at Ruger American or Savage Axis package in 243, or possibly 6.5 Creedmore or .260. These chamberings will be pretty tough on hides, but will carry the mail all the way across the corn field, and be dandy for deer if you decide you want to use the rifle for that also. You should be able find ammo easy enough, especially for the 243, or online for the others mentioned. The weak link will be the optics to consistently shoot 700+ yards in that budget. These are just my opinions, but I hope they give you somewhere to start.

Good luck, and have fun.
 
With scope? That's tuff to do. Savage bolt gun in .223 on sale a lot of the time (WalMart) for that kind of money with enough left over for a $100 scope. Perhaps a Nikon in 3X9. On occasion you will find the big box store selling Rems 700 for that money but then there will be a refund wait period. 700 yards is a long way to shoot a Yote. Camo up and call them in closer. 100 to 200 yards seems more reasonable.
 
Do they have a savage rifle chambered in .260 from the factory? And thank you for the responses. Glad to be part of such a great community.
 
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Welcome to PM.
I'd get a Ruger American Predator and look for a good used scope.
Calibers: 243 or 6.5 creedmore, depending on ammo at your LGS.
 
Just because the cornfield is 700 yards across does not mean you will kill a coyote at that range. Even where it is wide open, most are killed within 150 yards. If this is your first coyote gun, setting up for 300 yards might be more useful. Later, add a second gun when you have the money for good optics.

If you still are set on 700 yards, on that budget, you probably need to look for used glass. You can look at ebay or gunbroker for scopes. Get a used leupold and it still has a lifetime warranty with no receipt, but there are more good options. If you get a .243, a 1:9 twist will let you shoot the heavier high BC bullets. Savage are 1:9. Not sure who else is making them. With the holidays coming, there should be some really good sales soon.
 
I bought a Savage Axis Camo in 243 for $400 out the door. I then dropped a $15 trigger spring in it that I bought off of Ebay and now it's great. The only thing that I wish I would've done different is to have bought it, or another Savage Axis, in 6.5 Creedmore.

My 243 is a tack driver though. In my opinion you can't go wrong with a Savage for a budget gun.

Chad
 
Originally Posted By: coyotekillingfishSavage is a solid brand. I've heard barrels in 243 burn out quickly. Is this true? I'm interested in the 6.5 creedmoor also.What about 25-06?

This question is better answered by others, as I have no knowledge or experience with this.
 
If you are worried about spending 400 bucks, you will never burn a barrel out. It should be good for 2000 rounds or so. Ammo costs about 1 dollar a shot or more.

A savage barrel can be replaced easily without a gunsmith if it ever burns out too. When you replace it, you can move to any caliber based on 308 by only changing the barrel. That is .243, 260, 7mm 08, and 308

While out of your budget, a close out tikka t3 can be had in the 450 dollar range. That is a lot of gun for the money.

Look at the cost of ammo on cabelas or midway and compare. 243 is significantly cheaper than 25-06, 260, or 6.5 creed. I think 243 is a great starter gun. It will smack any dog as far as you can shoot, and it will drop deer too. If you want a coyote gun that can take a deer go with .243. If you want a deer gun that is not too overkill for coyote a 25-06. .260 may also be great, just consider ammo is harder to find, but they had some at bass pro when I was there last week.

The 25-06 does not really have high BC bullets for long range available, but I would not be worried about it myself. A 24" barrel would also be better for 25-06. That limits gun choices if the length matters to you.

If you are not going to hunt any big game, do not overlook a 22-250.


 
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Originally Posted By: TripleDeuce660

A savage barrel can be replaced easily without a gunsmith if it ever burns out too. When you replace it, you can move to any caliber based on 308 by only changing the barrel. That is .243, 260, 7mm 08, and 308



Hmmm, I did not know this.
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Originally Posted By: obaroWelcome aboard.

Given your parameters I would be looking at Ruger American or Savage Axis package in 243, or possibly 6.5 Creedmore or .260. These chamberings will be pretty tough on hides, but will carry the mail all the way across the corn field, and be dandy for deer if you decide you want to use the rifle for that also. You should be able find ammo easy enough, especially for the 243, or online for the others mentioned. The weak link will be the optics to consistently shoot 700+ yards in that budget. These are just my opinions, but I hope they give you somewhere to start.

Good luck, and have fun.

Welcome! This place is great! As others have said....if your setups and calling is good then your shots should be way less than 700 yards. However, if you want to be able to shoot coyotes at that distance then the above advice is spot on. I would lean towards the Savage in 243.
 
Also take a look at Howa's. Basspro has the Howa for $499 with a Nikko Sterling scope on them.

Remington 700ADL is another good choice, and can be had for $450 with a cheap scope, or even less without the scope.

I would also get the 243, just due to ammo variety.
 
Savage axis shoots very good for the price. If you pair it with a Nikon prostaff 4-12x40 you will have a pretty good beginning package for around $400ish. A couple more options would be a used stevens 200 in 243. They can typically be found for under $300 bare gun if you do some looking. They are a savage 10/110 action with STEVENS on the bolt instead of Savage and in a grey stock instead of black. It makes for a very good platform to change barrels on and build what you want in the future. I have put together 4 different rifles off of stevens and savage actions and have been pleased with all of them.
 
+ on the Savage Axis. The Ruger is a good rifle but some are hit and miss on accuracy. Savage Axis rifles shoot good. If you get the package rifle, they have Nikon scopes, or most do and it will serve you well.
 
In my opinion, since you do not hunt big game, I would recommend a 22-250. To think you are going to shoot out to 700 yards having never done it before is just not realistic. Maybe, just maybe you will shoot out to 350 and possibly 400 yards with any level of accuracy and in that case, the 22-250 would be a great caliber for what you are wanting to do. There is plenty of factory ammunition available for it as well.
I don't want to discourage you at all but there are very few people that could even hit a coyote at 700 yards. But, with a lot of practice, you could consistently hit out to 500 with a 22-250 given the right conditions and shooting form.
I am glad you are getting into it and glad you found this site, welcome to the campfire! There is a lot of good information and people on here willing to help and share their experiences.
Good luck with whatever route you go and most importantly, get out there and have fun with it!
 
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