Coyote rifles

[257 ROB]

I am thinking of getting another coyote rifle. 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.

[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.

[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.

[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.