The great rifle debate

H

Huntingdog

New member
Hello Predator masters

First time post long time reader.

I recently got into the night scene with a thermal monocular and nv scope with IR light. Been running it on my 223 gas gun and been getting lots of runners… 53gr vmax

Shots usually 100-400 yards.

I have a 6.5 cm I have been considering switching to, however I do my best to save pelts. 100gr eld vt

So what do you think? Light and fast or the slower heavy hitter?

I hunt the high line of Montana

Thanks
 
I shot a few yotes yesterday with 20” James Calhoon 57 gr DBLHP in 223 AI 3465 fps. Dropped one close DRT but head on chest shot.
266 yards travelled 15 yards before it expired.
375 yard shot traveled 25 yards with through and through chest cavity. The double hollow points are explosive rounds. The 53 gr Vmax is as well. It should retain velocity better. Are you hand loading? How long of a barrel?

In my 18.5” gas gun Hornady SF 53 vmax are 3317 fps at 2500 ft elevation. 3600 out of 24” gun.

Speed kills, hitting the vitals does as well.

6mm Creedmor would be my choice for a factory varmint rig or fast twist 243 for shots past 400 yards. Usually we like them <250 yards.
 
Shot placement is king. 223 and your 53gr V-max has been used to harvest thousands of coyotes by a lot of people. Hunted with a 223 for a long time and did not have very many runners. How confident are you in shot placement at 300-400 yards?
 
I get up on the Hi-Line too. That area up there is a place that puts a lot of demand on a rifle. The .223 is a pretty marginal cartridge in my experience that yields an unacceptable percentage of runners as you have discovered. If you have to choose between the 6.5 and the .223, I'd choose the 6.5. I've seen too many runners on those long shots that are so common up there.
 
223 has its place but I would definitely get a speed demon like the 22-250 shooting 52 grainers or a 243 shooting 58 grainers . Start piss pounding them and not just using something that just gets the job done sometimes . 6mm creed is something Im going to try soon too . No offense meant by the way just want to see you smile when coyotes chins hit the dirt 9 times out of ten . These calibers too save your butt sometimes when you make a bad shot as well .
 
Thanks for the responses fellas.

I am confident in my shooting, the increase in runners might just be a part of spending more time afield and shooting more coyotes. I plan on putting the 6.5 to use until enough i can justify another rifle.

bangpop, what is your go-to?
 
High Line of Montana or anywhere else, go with more than 223 if you want bang flops and far fewer runners. Especially in the night game. With fur being worth about nothing, make it easy on yourself and more humane on the coyotes. If you have the horsepower, use it. Just my opinion.

I stepped up to a 243 from a 204 Ruger and haven't been disappointed in the least. 204 worked well when everything went to plan. Some marginal hits resulted in runners and/or unrecovered coyotes.
 
When you start getting out far enough that edge hits can be of a higher probability you need to compensate. 6mm, 257 and 6.5s can give you that margin with the right bullet.

Good luck I hope you find the right combination.
 
See this is what I hate about this site!! Now y’all done got me wanting to swap from the 87gr V-Max to something in the 50ish grain size which means one box won’t do me and I’ll have to resight my thermal. Who actually owns or monitors this site so when I get served papers I can have someone to blame and convince the wife I wasn’t acting on my own behalf? It was peer pressure and I failed miserably!!
 
Spurchaser said:
See this is what I hate about this site!! Now y’all done got me wanting to swap from the 87gr V-Max to something in the 50ish grain size which means one box won’t do me and I’ll have to resight my thermal. Who actually owns or monitors this site so when I get served papers I can have someone to blame and convince the wife I wasn’t acting on my own behalf? It was peer pressure and I failed miserably!!
Click to expand...
That would be the significant other and she's not buying it.
 
Spurchaser said:
See this is what I hate about this site!! Now y’all done got me wanting to swap from the 87gr V-Max to something in the 50ish grain size which means one box won’t do me and I’ll have to resight my thermal. Who actually owns or monitors this site so when I get served papers I can have someone to blame and convince the wife I wasn’t acting on my own behalf? It was peer pressure and I failed miserably!!
Click to expand...
Don't you dare switch...I have shot virtually everything (Hornady) from 58gr up through 100gr and by sticking with the 87's I don't have to remember what each of my 243's will shoot which. All handle the 87's very well. (y)
 
Spurchaser said:
See this is what I hate about this site!! Now y’all done got me wanting to swap from the 87gr V-Max to something in the 50ish grain size which means one box won’t do me and I’ll have to resight my thermal. Who actually owns or monitors this site so when I get served papers I can have someone to blame and convince the wife I wasn’t acting on my own behalf? It was peer pressure and I failed miserably!!
Click to expand...
In the stuff you hunt in, you should probably just stick with the 87’s. I can’t think of any reason dropping into the lightweights would benefit you. Besides, if you tell your wife you were persuaded by some Yankee she’d leave you for different reasons altogether! 🤣

Sounds like you’ve found a great bullet and a great wife. Don’t screw it up! 😉
 
I have shot a lot of coyotes in the last 15+years. Have used every thing from a 17 Remington up to 25-06.

A .243 or 6 creed loaded with a 87g vmax is awesome (hard on fur).
Ran 75g vmax's and they work as well.
 
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