49 replies to this topic

[youngdon]

My favorite is .243 it will pretty much do it all on coyotes if you are not a fur harvester. I like it because it is flat shooting and has enough energy left at some pretty long ranges to do a coyote in. But any caliber/gun combination that shoots as well as mine would be my favorite I think.

[Chris Miller]

Big fan of the .223 myself. Have 3 guns in that caliber and enjoy them all.

[bar-d]

.17 Remington, .204 Ruger, .222, .223 and .243. I have taken coyotes with .25-06, .270 WSM and .308 also but I prefer the small bores. I have always had a fondness of small bore high velocity rounds. Loaded right they can be more than effective. If I can ever get the seller to make good on my upper, I think the AR I built in .223 will become my favorite night hunting rifle. Basically, what it boils down to is what ever caliber I happen to be carrying, coyotes beware.

[TexAgBQ81]

i, like bar-d, am a small caliber fan-- i have used the 223, 22-250, 243, 6mmbr(87grain V-max does a number on a bobcats head at 20 yards). the bigger cals 308, 6.5X284 30.06 only if they show when i am deer hunting. i guess i am getting old enough to where the larger cals rock me more than they used to. i have been teaching my kids placement/placement/placement no matter what you are shooting if you flinch when you are shooting a larger cal. you can make a bad shot and that does not show respect to the animal you are after. so choose your target animal then choose the caliber you have confidence in and can make a clean kill with.
sorry about the soap box guys -----had a discussion with a "hunter" this weekend about feral dogs, his solution was shooting them in the guts and let them crawl home to die. i cannot dissagree more DRT should always be your goal. again sorry for my ranting.

[knapper]

No matter what I shoot at it is to kill and not just wound.

[youngdon]

I am of the same school of thought, those who would have an animal of any kind suffer needlessly do nothing more than give the rest of us a bad name. I will not hunt with a person who is of a different mind. The only animal that I would allow to suffer is a human who knowingly brought pain and suffering to another. Because a human makes a conscious decision to hurt another, an animal does it on instinct. People who do that make me sick. Sorry my rant for the day.
Back on the subject matter I do also have a Ruger#1 in .204 that I am quite fond of. I just love the look and feel of it and the fact that it is a single shot makes it a great prairie dog gun, but not so good on a coyote double coming in hard.

Edited by youngdon, 10 May 2010 - 11:53 PM.

[bar-d]

bar-d said:

.17 Remington, .204 Ruger, .222, .223 and .243. I have taken coyotes with .25-06, .270 WSM and .308 also but I prefer the small bores. I have always had a fondness of small bore high velocity rounds. Loaded right they can be more than effective. If I can ever get the seller to make good on my upper, I think the AR I built in .223 will become my favorite night hunting rifle. Basically, what it boils down to is what ever caliber I happen to be carrying, coyotes beware.

Horrors! I forgot to list my .22-250, one of my all time favorites!!!
Any ethical hunter should strive to kill any target animal as quick and cleanly as possible. Purposely gut shooting something just to let it die slowly does not IMO, show respect for animals and the sport itself.

Edited by bar-d, 11 May 2010 - 05:12 AM.

[youngdon]

bar-d your 22-250 called and said it would like to be placed in my custody until such time as you give it the credit and respect it deserves!!

[bar-d]

youngdon said:

bar-d your 22-250 called and said it would like to be placed in my custody until such time as you give it the credit and respect it deserves!!

I am so ashamed to have let it slip my mind. It is a Ruger Model 77V Bull Barrel with an FN Mauser Action. Talk about your tack driver.

[ebbs]

LOVE the clean kill talk on here. Can't say I've ever hunted with someone malicious enough to let an animal suffer before it was put down, but I have seen guys ignorantly hunt with something too small or "barely enough" in the name of trying to show how skilled they are. Hunted with a guy who wounded countless whitetails before hanging up his 22 Hornet. That's right! I said 22 Hornet!!!!!

[bar-d]

Unfortunately a lot of folks are not knowledgeable enough on ballistics to realize that all cartridges in a given caliber do not perform the same. A .22 is a .22 does not hold up. The Hornet is a good little cartridge for what is was designed for but it is no .22-250.

[wilded]

There are lots of good varmint calibers but the .223 has more factory loaded ammo, remanufactured ammo and special loads than any other caliber. There are also loads of surplus ammo from all over the world and from military contractors at bargain prices. This fact alone means most of us will shoot the .223 more and be a better shot because of that fact alone. It has enough power to do what you need to do and lacks recoil allowing one to shoot it for long periods of time without shock or fatigue setting in as it does with the larger rounds. If you want a good varmint round for a good price look at Ultramax, Black Hills or Shooting Shack Ballistic tip ammo. I have had excellent results with those three. If money is no object and you want the very best and most accurate I do not believe you can find better ammo than the Hornady .223 ballistic tip. JMHO

[hassell]

I just have my 22-250 Ruger Bull Barrel with a 6-18 Acutrac Tasco on it, love to shoot it all day, have a 264 mag that I got years ago on a good deal and haven't fired it yet though it looks deadly, my favorite is my 30-06 BSA with a brake and is supper lite, had since that fiasco with the altered 303 British, its looks terrible and should be reblued and varnished, been with me for 45 yrs., Have met,seen and hunted with people who tell these tales about long distant shooting, running shots at these incredible distances whether its predators,deer or larger game, usually call them on it, and end result is I don't hunt with them if they can't make a clean kill with one shot. My longest shot is 350 yds on a moose up north, If I can't get closer I don't shoot, period!

[bar-d]

Good policy Hassell. No need to waste ammo or risk wounding ANY animal. I have no qualms about killing coyotes but if I am not pretty certain the dog is within my comfort range, I will even let them go and wait till next time.

[bar-d]

wilded said:

There are lots of good varmint calibers but the .223 has more factory loaded ammo, remanufactured ammo and special loads than any other caliber. There are also loads of surplus ammo from all over the world and from military contractors at bargain prices. This fact alone means most of us will shoot the .223 more and be a better shot because of that fact alone. It has enough power to do what you need to do and lacks recoil allowing one to shoot it for long periods of time without shock or fatigue setting in as it does with the larger rounds. If you want a good varmint round for a good price look at Ultramax, Black Hills or Shooting Shack Ballistic tip ammo. I have had excellent results with those three. If money is no object and you want the very best and most accurate I do not believe you can find better ammo than the Hornady .223 ballistic tip. JMHO

I agree Ed, the .223 is an all round good varmint caliber. Of course, that does not stop me from switching up from time to time.

[ebbs]

wilded said:

There are lots of good varmint calibers but the .223 has more factory loaded ammo, remanufactured ammo and special loads than any other caliber. There are also loads of surplus ammo from all over the world and from military contractors at bargain prices. This fact alone means most of us will shoot the .223 more and be a better shot because of that fact alone. It has enough power to do what you need to do and lacks recoil allowing one to shoot it for long periods of time without shock or fatigue setting in as it does with the larger rounds. If you want a good varmint round for a good price look at Ultramax, Black Hills or Shooting Shack Ballistic tip ammo. I have had excellent results with those three. If money is no object and you want the very best and most accurate I do not believe you can find better ammo than the Hornady .223 ballistic tip. JMHO

Have you seen HSM "Hunting Shack" ammunition? It comes in an orange box and is remanufactured with several different available bullet tips. They produce handgun ammunition too for fairly reasonable prices. I found this box (see pic below) of 50 count for $24.99 with the Hornady 50 gr V-Max. The V-Max happens to be my favorite light caliber bullet of all time (which I'm sure isn't saying a lot due to my age). Was hoping for some Fiocchi with the same tip that Chris Miller shoots out of his R15 with some incredible groups and results even at sizeable distances and I think it's around $22.99 for 50. Which would be a lot for just surplus ammo, but for hunting ammo that is shot more sparingly it seems reasonable.

Edited by ebbs, 12 May 2010 - 03:21 PM.
photo wouldn't appear

[SWAMPBUCK10PT]

Tough question!!! Well in .224 caliber i like my 225 winchester the best and my 222 rem for the populated areas----.243 cal i like my 243 win--- .257 cal my 256 win mag is one favorit but i'm really starting to really like my 25 wssm. Its a m- 70 coyote lite winchester --75gr serria hp varmint--very short bolt throw is super nice--but i've had this love affiar with my m-70 225 win for very long time, so i guess i'll stick with her ----

[youngdon]

It seems to me that a lot of us are afflicted with the same disease. notenufgunsitis!

[TexAgBQ81]

according to my wife it is toomanygunsitus

[youngdon]

Don't you know where to hide your key. Rule #1 never ever open the safe in front of the wife. Rule #2 deny, deny, deny, I,ve had that gun for three or four years now. So long I don't even remember exactly when I got it. Rule #3 Always carry your guns in in a case of some kind (they all look the same that way) Rule #4 every gun you ever bought was on sale (clearance is even better).

I have a friend who is a gun freak no I mean FREAK he has 6 count them 6 huge Browning safes FULL when he wants a new gun (which is rather often) he goes to the gun shop (who knows him well) and tells them that this is the gun I want, and when his wife comes in to buy it with him they should sell it to him for THIS amount. He then proceeds to pay them the difference. He gets the gun- she thinks it cost squat. Everyone is happy.:>)