Coyote rifles

[257 ROB]

I am thinking of getting another coyote rifle:happy13:. I'm thinking of getting a Remington 700 sps varmint, in either 22-250 or 243. If I go with the 243 I can use it for deer as well but mostly coyotes. The 22-250 is a bit faster but that cuts down on barrel life. Does anyone have any opinions on other rifles and these two calibers?

[versifier]

While I'm not a big fan of the 700 action, I am a big fan of the .22-250 for general varmint hunting. If you don't push max loads, barrel life won't be a real issue, and if you shoot a barrel out (that still takes way over 5000 rounds with factory ammo), it only costs a few hundred to rebarrel it and it isn't a difficult job. Mine has over 6000 with no appreciable throat wear, but my handloads are all in the middle of the charge table, never pushing Max at all. There is no coyote that a 55gr Sierra GK won't take down, and I have killed some VERY large ones, along with a number of feral dogs way over 100lbs. (I used to raise sheep.)

There is the question of its versatility. A lot of hunters use .22-250's and even .223's for deer hunting, but even with those good 60gr Nosler PAR's, I personally think it's too small a bore for reliable killing of large deer except in the hands of an expert. And unfortunately, many of the people choosing them are far from expert.

For me, the minimum cartridge for deer is a .243. As a Hunter Ed instructor, I am constantly being asked for my recommendations. I deal with our local game wardens a lot, and they see a lot of wounded and lost deer with the .22 cal centerfires. .243, .250 Sav, .257Rob, 6.5x55 can all do double duty as varmint, deer, and black bear rifles. As we have discussed, with the right bullets and careful shot placement, the 6.5 is quite effective on larger game, too. The .243 has an advantage in that ammo for it is much more widely available, the others are becoming strictly handloading propositions, which is a shame because they are all excellent deer killers. I really like all four of them and would have a really hard time choosing between them if I was just starting out.

It's not a fair answer to your question, but I use both a .22-250 and a .308. In a pinch, I could use the .308 as a varmint rifle (and I have at times), but it is not as accurate with lighter bullets as it is with 150-180gr, so I generally rely on 150gr Sierra GK's to do most of the work. I also shoot cast bullets in it, which increases its verasatility for me but it is not by any stretch of the imagination what I would call an ideal varmint rifle. When I had to face the same decision you are trying to make, I sidestepped it and went with a different rifle for each specific purpose. So to be fair, if I had to pick just one rifle, it would be a tossup between the .243 and the 6.5x55, and I would tend to lean more towards the 6.5. If I didn't handload, there'd be no question, I would go with the .243.

[257 ROB]

I was thinking the 243 because of light recoil and the velocity with lighter bullets. It also has a lot of knock down power out to 500 yds for coyotes.(and the occasional gopher) I am also looking to get a tactical style setup so the 700 sps varmint fits the budget and style. Do you have any other suggestions for these kind of rifles?

[versifier]

Savage. IMO, they're the best value and the most accurate out of the box production rifles made today. Not only that, you can swap barrels on them with only a barrel nut wrench and a headspace gauge. GunTests reviews on new Remington rifles have been documenting very poor accuracy.

[257 ROB]

They are saying the stocks are bad, that is what's making them less accurate.

[versifier]

All the more reason to cross it off your list. Tactical rifles are also very heavy - nice from the bench but no fun to be carrying around all day.

[257 ROB]

A rifle that is very accurate would be nice, but for what i do if it can shoot .75 at 100 It would more than ok. I like the look of the 700 sps and my dads friend just bought a 700 sps in 7mm-08 and it is one of the most accurate rifles he has.

[kodiak1]

257 the two most accurate rifles out of the box are 22-250 heavy barrel savage model 12 and a Ruger 25-06 heavy barrel 77 this thing cut a clover leaf first three shots.
Either of the two cals you are looking at would work fine on dogs.

Ken. :fighting68:

[257 ROB]

I personaly don't like the way the savages fit me, I find that most of the time I'm either scrunched up or stretched out. The rugers fit me nice but I'm kinda on a tight budget of about 1100 all done with scope and I think the ruger I was looking at with a heavy barrel costs about 1000 alone.. I handled the sps fits like a glove, love the feel of the action and I know it works.

[kodiak1]

If she fits you and it feel right run with it man!!!!!!

Ken.

[257 ROB]

Now that I've decided that, I want to know what scope you would throw on it? I am thinking a lupy 4-12x50 or somthing along those lines. Would you go with a scope with m1 turrets for easier distance shooting or would you stay with a regular field click?

[kodiak1]

I am so old school I use all plain field clicks and have learned pretty well how high to hold over them.
Heck I don't kill them all but the ones I miss I just blame on the wind or updrafts.....

Have a Burris on my 22-250 4 X 12 X 50 I believe
4200 on the 220 Swift 6 X 16 X 50 I believe
Tasco on the 223 4 or 6 X 24 X50 a;; seem to be okay.
The 4200 is the best of the 3 though all BS aside.
I actually think it is clearer than my 3 X 9 X 40 Lupper.

Good Luck Ken. :happy13: :p

[257 ROB]

What about that Burris ballistics plex it would be very handy?

[257 ROB]

How do you like that Tasco? It is a cheaper scope but was it worth the money?

[versifier]

I have a 6-24x50 Tasco that I have no problems with and have been using on my varmint rifle for five years. The 50mm objective makes the biggest difference, especially late in the day. They are not the finest scopes out there, but they are a good value for the money - nothing in their price range comes close to them. I would love to have one of those fancy mil dot tactical scopes, but they cost twice what a good rifle does. They stand up well over time, too. I have a 30yr old 3-9x40 that now I use as a range scope for testing cast loads, but it sat on my .22-250 for 25 years and many miles of carrying. I will probably put it on my daughter's 6.5 when I get it finished until I see how serious she's going to be about shooting and hunting.

[257 ROB]

Yah those special mil dot scope are a bit pricy but you get what you pay for. Would you buy another tasco?

[versifier]

Yes. I bought two to see which I liked better on the rifle, and sold the one I didn't to a friend who is happy with it. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to be able to afford a top dollar Zeiss or a Kahles, but I can't, and probably never will be. When I can, I buy Leupolds for my deer hunting rifles, when I can't, I buy Tasco. The bigger variable Leupold and Nikons I drool over, but when it's a question (as it usually is) of buying a really nice scope, or buying a Tasco (and gas and food and heating oil), I generally end up with a Tasco. Sometimes I can upgrade them later. Is there a big difference in image quality? Yes, of course there is. If I were a pdog shooter and spending many hours a day looking through it and firing hundreds or thousands of rounds, I would save up for the very best, but we don't get many pdogs in New Hampshire unless they're stuffed and mounted. At most, I may fire twenty rounds at varmints in a year, ten times that on the range. I shot it a lot more when I was younger, but not that much more (mostly I carried it looking for coyotes or popped feral dogs chasing my sheep and woodchucks in the vegetable garden). It is not and has never been my primary rifle, so I can't justify sinking that much into a scope for it.

[kodiak1]

Tasco yes i would buy another for smaller cal rifles especially.
Burris Ballistic plex would be a definetly a yes.


Ken. :fighting68:

[257 ROB]

Thamk you for the info I will check them out this week.

[257 ROB]

I was looking a while ago at a leupold mark 4 and all I can say is wow on both the performance and price. I guess that is why only the army can afford them and when you think about it, we sorta buy them with the taxes we pay. Another option would be the bushnell trophy, it isn't to pricy about the same as tasco. I have one on my 223 handi rifle and love it, other than it is only a 3-9x40.

[257 ROB]

Would you reccomend any other scopes and or rifles?

[J Ernest]

Sorry i missed out on this one. has anyone considered the 204? If you can ever get Savage to produce one this year they have some nice models at reasonable prices. In the 22-250, I know it's Japanese, but my Howa 22-250 outshoots anything I have. Just a thought.

Anyone who gives up their freedom for security......deserves neither!

[257 ROB]

I think that the lighter bullets of the 204 would be a problem on bigger coyotes at greater distances than 250 yds. I have seen some guys use them on videos and most of the time the coyote limps for about 50-100 yds before dropping. With the 223 or 22-250 they drop everytime.

Welcome to the site J Ernest

[kodiak1]

257Rob
We have a couple of fella's here that tried the 204's and were not at all impressed.
They could hit the dogs but lost a few and not as fast a kills as with the 22-250's and the 220 Swifts.

Ken.:fighting68:

[257 ROB]

That is exactly why I will never own one

[WildmanJack]

Boy, I hate to tell u guys this, but I bought a Zeiss 3-9 scope in the box, as new for $75.00!! My buddy said he was going to buy a scope with mil dots and he didn't like the Zeiss.. Heck, I don't even have a rifle to put it on but I bought it anyway..
Jack

[257 ROB]

Welcome to gunloads, Wildman Jack, That is one hell of a deal you came across there they are usually 700 to 800 dollars up here.

[WildmanJack]

Wow!!!!! That's a heck of a lot of cash, They normally sell in the states for about $469 or so. One of these days I'll buy a rifle I can put it on. I shoot CAS with a Winchester '73 (Uberti) and .45-70 Pedersoli, a pair of Taurus Gaucho's and a miserable "Remengton" Bakal. I really hate that gun.. Oops, sorry i didn't mean to hijack the thread...
I humbly appologize...
Jack

[257 ROB]

Up here almost everything has doubled from guns to scope rings.

[JoeD]

Well, I've owned a Rem 700 VS in .25-06 for 30 years. This one is my favorite. A little heavy but for an all around rifle it's tough to beat. With 87 gr bullets I've never seen anything better on groundhogs and other animals about that size. Move up to 117 gr bullets and it will take a deer at any range that you can see it.

This rifle is now on it's second barrel, a match Krieger in .25-06 Rem. For varmint hunting I use strictly fixed power scopes in 24x or 36x.

I've owned 2 Savage rifles, a 10FP in .223 and a 12 VSS in .22-250 Rem. The 10FP is the most accurate rifle I've ever owned. With a 36x Leupold it shoots groups under 1/4" at 100 yards. The 12 VSS was never very accurate and I sold it. Replaced it with a Rem 700 VS in .22-250. The Rem shot circles around the 12 VSS. I ended up selling the Rem too though as there is no comparison between the .25-06 and a .22-250. The .25 was just more accurate at long distance and more versatile.

I also have the pleasure of owning one of the last Win 70 Stealths to come out of the old plant. This one is a .308 with a 36x Weaver fixed power. Again an accurate rifle. With only 80 rounds through it the gun is hardly broken in.

I'd hate to choose only 1 of the above. If I did it would undoubtedly be the .25-06 Rem.

Most of the rifles I've owned have been very accurate no matter what brand. I've found that it's hard to beat a synthethic stock too.

Even though my 10FP is the most accurate rifle I've ever owned it has flaws. For some reason 30% of the time the next round misses the chamber, not very dependable in my opinion. The 12 VSS was very expensive and a disappointment in the accuracy department.

JoeD

[257 ROB]

Another option would be a Tikka for a little more money. I like the tikka because it has a detachable magazine, and a nice synthetic stock, not to mention they shoot very accurately.

[kodiak1]

Joe
I couldn't agree with you more on the 25-06 the two that are left around here are the Ruger and The Rem and man they do shoot some tight groups both of them.
Ken. :fighting68:

[Woody]

Personally, I like the 25-06 with a 75 gr Hornady for coyotes. I see no need for a smaller caliber, as you aren't shooting that many shots.
Woody