You get ONE predator caliber/gun.....

I hear ya Sled
I have switched to a 220 swift with heavy for cal bullets
I got into the small cal craze but I wised up and headed alot of older more experienced coyote slayers advice
Good luck
W.E. out.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
I can't say much about the .223 on coyote personally, I've killed two while deer hunting with a .308Win., one-shot kills and no way to salvage a hide.On the other hand in response to the .17HMR,my brother-in-law and a very close friend both of which can shoot very well, have done lung shots on our south-eastern coyotes and always have a 50 to 75 yard tracking job on shots less than 100 yards.There is no exit wound and the insides sound like jello in a feed sack....
 
Hey Sledd ,

Look for some info on a guy named Blaine Eddy . There were some articals in "Small Caliber News" by him and I think on Saubier's site too . He hunted for a living I think .
Also look for some posts by DAA and read some of his expieriences .

Some of the small calibers do a real good job on predators .
I don't knock the 243 at all and I do respect your opinion . I'm just sharing my opinion too .
 
Hi Brian M - Yes DAA is a great hunter, and an exceptional rifleman. I've seen some great posts in the "way when" by him. I always look foward to DAA's posts. Seen some video of a kill or 2 with his Mach IV. Impressive.

But they have been mostly on open ground where shooting is condusive to smaller calibers. I saw some beautiful footage where his coyote was running, and he stopped the dog at 160 yards and killed him clean with the Mach 4. Good hunting, good shooting. It was a cool clip, but an unlikely senario in the Northeast. Very unlikely.

Brian, I have killed coyotes with a 22 mag in rimfire only zones. I used the 22 mag as I would my bow, and had to pass on many marginal shots. But it was better than not hunting.

But if you go back and look at my pics above earlier in this poting, and study the terrain as well as animal size it will be obvious why I choose a larger gun for more "wiggle room".

Anyway, here is a pick of a 22 mag coyote I killed, so I'm not saying little guns are undoable, just make a tough job that much harder in the East.
But as you can tell, I'm sold on larger calibers. After over 30 years shooting at least 15 coyotes a year, my coyotes have pretty much shown me what works around here. That is a tiny number of kills (by Western standards), but for the East thats respectable, and certainly enough to let me speak with some conviction on my choice of calibers.

I'm sure even Blaine Eddy would opt for more firepower after hunting these woodlots for a few years /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

DSC00345.jpg
 
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I'm sure even Blaine Eddy would opt for more firepower after hunting these woodlots for a few years /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif






You never know. He just might. Blaine and I live within a few miles of each other, and I consider him a close friend, of which I have few. I'd never try and speak for him. But he and I have discussed this stuff at great length, many times. Neither one of us believes in dogma. We use what works for us. Because it works. Not because we are crusading for anyone else to use what we use, or because of any other reason than it works and we like it.

My all time favorite coyote rifle as of right now, and the one I'd choose if I could have only one, would be my .17 Predator (necked down, blown out .223). I'm pretty sure Blaine would choose his .17 DT (necked down, shortened PPC). Both wildcats, of very different design, but giving pretty much equal performance. But, it's easy to come up with scenarios where I'd rather have something other than my .17P in my hands. I'm not locked into anything. Both Blaine and I use larger rifles any time we feel like it. Night hunting would be one of those times, for instance. I've got a .20-250 and a 6-284 I like for that. Blaine likes his .22-284, but is going to experiment with a .20 Dasher this winter too.

Bottom line, I just don't get caught up in the controversy. I use what I want to use, for my own reasons. What anyone else wants to use, is their business and simply not any of my concern.

The mentions of bullet selection vs. cartridge selection are more in line with the way I usually think about these things. The real challenge of making my .20-250 work the way I wanted it to, was finding the right bullet, for instance.

My opinion on the OP's question, .223 or .22-250 for coyotes, I'd take the .22-250, for sure.

- DAA
 
DAA , Great post ! Would you by chance be willing to share some more info on the 17 Predator ? What are the advantages over the 17 Remington ? I have a Stiller action on order and was thinking of the 17 Remington but your 17 predator sounds very interesting .

Thanks ,
BrianM
 
I don't want to drag this thread off in the weeds any worse than it already is. I'll PM you on the .17P.

- DAA
 
Since the poster's question was on the 223 or 22/250 I will preface my answer by saying that the 223 loaded with a stiff load of N-135 with a Sierra 55g BTHP is a really wicked load to use on deer or coyotes with a velocity of 3450 fps shooting a tiny ragged hole in my rifle.

If I had to choose just one rifle, then it would be the 243, with an 80g Sierra BT Blitz, loaded with IMR 4064 between 3400-3500 fps

For Fur:
42.3g of H 4350, Win Large Rifle primer, 100g Hornady BTSP
 
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all sledog is saying is this. when you are hunting shotgun country with a rifle you will need more firepower. you are calling and your looking down an old logging road and you can only see about 70yds. down the road. the edges of the road are to thick to see into the woods. so all you can see is the road. (this is a normal set up for eastern callers). your seting there blowing away on your call and all of a suden one pops up out of the thicket anywhere from 5yds-70yds. in to the road and runing. guys with eastern experiance knows what im talking about when i say you have 5 sec. max to make that shot or its all over with. trying to get that "good shot placement" is really hard. most of the time when your fixing to pull that trigar he is running away from you cause you have been busted. with the 243. if you hit the coyotes rear end or ribs or anyware it will nock him down and even then another shot is usefull. i know with are coyotes if they dont get knocked down when hit then they will run off and are hardly found. but i use a shotgun and #4 buck. i have yet to hunt coyotes in a place where i could see one over 60yds.though. but i am going to start geting of the mountain and hunting the valley where i can see them coming before they get downwind of me. and with that being said. i am fixing to get me a 223. in the ar style. but you guys have to understand why sleddog chooses the bigger gun. you just dont get any shots at coyotes in places like this where they give you a good shot. most of them are running away from you.
 
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Answer to the QUESTION that was asked would be .204 in a Rem 700 light varmint fluted synthetic. AR's are too heavy to lug around, Rugers and Savages - well, they are Rugers and Savages... CZ's have that ugly magazine sticking out of the bottom, a light weight Sako would work as would a light weight Kimber.
 
im not sure if the original question was just about rifles or any gun such as shotguns. but if it is any firearm i would have to choose the pump 12g. 3 1/2" magnum. if only rifles. then ether a pump or automatic 223.
 
Plain Vanilla .223 in what ever rifle trips his trigger, it is enough for yotes and is plentiful usually, as well as inexpensive. While he might get dual use with other larger chamberings the .223 will do fine.
 
6.8 SPC Rock River Arms LAR-6.8 CAR A4

RRA Half Quad Aluminum Free Float, Mid-Length

ERGO Pistol Grip, Black

Winter Trigger Guard

Burris XTS-135™ Xtreme Tactical SpeedDot

Speer 90 grn HP bullets
 
I don't save pelts, so a 243 sporter is my favorite for a gun that is in a standard caliber. They are hard to find, but the 220 Swift is one heck of a coyote round.

I doubt if your friend is interested in wild cat calibers, if he were, then the 22/250 AI is a hammer on yotes with very little recoil.

I have no experience with the 20 calibers, so I can't offer an opinion in that caliber.
 
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