which caliber for coyote and fox
- Thread starter bigtommy
- Start date
The age old question and quest for the perfect pelt friendly predator gun.
The 204 and 20Tac are just using different brass, it's still a 20cal.
I have friends that use or tried 204s, and we sell the hides. I can say that they have just as many blow-outs as I do with the 243 and 22-250
What i have found is that if you get a 22-250, with a 1:14 twist rate (typically in older bolt guns) and use the 40gr vmax load, not loaded for speed but for accuracy at around 3600-3700fps or less you will have the energy to anchor both animals. I have drilled bobcats, fox and coyotes at 50yrds without a blowout using this setup.
The challenge with a smaller gun or FMJ bullets, which can zip through and not achor animals or people, is that you will spend time tracking them. I want the coyote Dead right there (DRT) every time, or as close to that as possible. You can't sew a hide on a coyote or fox if you don't recover it.
So I will take DRT over pelt damage everytime. Sewing isn't that hard to do. I found that blowouts seem to have more to do with the shot that you are taking than anything. I can shoot a coyote on one stand at 60yrds and have a pin hole, and then on the next stand shoot and hit a bone at 100yrds and have it look like a Samuri got up there and tried to decapitate them.
I try to avoid the head on neck shots, since it makes skinning tougher when you hit a bone in the neck/high chest and get a blow out (common) I try to avoid headshots because scraping the scalp off the hide when skinning doesn't make it faster. I try to be patient and wait for the broadside heart/ lung shot and try to avoid the shoulders.
Last year I sold 30 pelts, and once you get it down, a hole here and there isn't a big deal. If you sew it right, you can't tell it was there.
Just my 2 cents and personal experience.
The 204 and 20Tac are just using different brass, it's still a 20cal.
I have friends that use or tried 204s, and we sell the hides. I can say that they have just as many blow-outs as I do with the 243 and 22-250
What i have found is that if you get a 22-250, with a 1:14 twist rate (typically in older bolt guns) and use the 40gr vmax load, not loaded for speed but for accuracy at around 3600-3700fps or less you will have the energy to anchor both animals. I have drilled bobcats, fox and coyotes at 50yrds without a blowout using this setup.
The challenge with a smaller gun or FMJ bullets, which can zip through and not achor animals or people, is that you will spend time tracking them. I want the coyote Dead right there (DRT) every time, or as close to that as possible. You can't sew a hide on a coyote or fox if you don't recover it.
So I will take DRT over pelt damage everytime. Sewing isn't that hard to do. I found that blowouts seem to have more to do with the shot that you are taking than anything. I can shoot a coyote on one stand at 60yrds and have a pin hole, and then on the next stand shoot and hit a bone at 100yrds and have it look like a Samuri got up there and tried to decapitate them.
I try to avoid the head on neck shots, since it makes skinning tougher when you hit a bone in the neck/high chest and get a blow out (common) I try to avoid headshots because scraping the scalp off the hide when skinning doesn't make it faster. I try to be patient and wait for the broadside heart/ lung shot and try to avoid the shoulders.
Last year I sold 30 pelts, and once you get it down, a hole here and there isn't a big deal. If you sew it right, you can't tell it was there.
Just my 2 cents and personal experience.
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You could try the .243 in very light bullets and still have the hunting rifle for your daughter.
Then if that does not work out ...... keep her .243 and go looking for a varmint only rifle.
I started with .243 and I am just into DRT ...... not interested in pelts. I never have worked with the light bullets ....... they did not exist then. All my .243 hits were THERMONUCLEAR!
Just the way it is.
Later I went to the .22-250 .... there I found that the 55 gr. Balistic tip would enter the chest cavity and STAY .... one hole in and big mess inside with no exit. I drove my .22-250 hard and payed a price .... it sits needing a barrel.
I have done .223 .... I like it ... but even 55 gr. Hdy SX will create a mess.
I recently made up a Savage in .204 ruger and it's a BOMB on coyotes ...... shot one in the neck at 275 yds and it never exited ......... later shot a pup and hit it wrong and a big mess .........
My point is this:
I don't think you'll find a cartridge that will be perfect even just for coyotes everytime. Light bullets real fast seems to be the better choice and get ready to toss a few pelts or sew .........
(Or just DRT like me)
Good luck and best regards
Three 44s
Then if that does not work out ...... keep her .243 and go looking for a varmint only rifle.
I started with .243 and I am just into DRT ...... not interested in pelts. I never have worked with the light bullets ....... they did not exist then. All my .243 hits were THERMONUCLEAR!
Just the way it is.
Later I went to the .22-250 .... there I found that the 55 gr. Balistic tip would enter the chest cavity and STAY .... one hole in and big mess inside with no exit. I drove my .22-250 hard and payed a price .... it sits needing a barrel.
I have done .223 .... I like it ... but even 55 gr. Hdy SX will create a mess.
I recently made up a Savage in .204 ruger and it's a BOMB on coyotes ...... shot one in the neck at 275 yds and it never exited ......... later shot a pup and hit it wrong and a big mess .........
My point is this:
I don't think you'll find a cartridge that will be perfect even just for coyotes everytime. Light bullets real fast seems to be the better choice and get ready to toss a few pelts or sew .........
(Or just DRT like me)
Good luck and best regards
Three 44s
Lungbuster
New member
17 Remington