what is your go to cartridge for yotes?

[sick4x4]

i guess this is kind of an open ended question but when you hunt what is your ideal round? fast, flat and long-range... me i have been using the .270 wsm and love the results (used it on red fox, yotes and badgers with little damage) but i was looking into a new smaller round? 6.5ge 7mm or some of the new .243 shortys...just wanting some piratical reviews not experts with perfect conditions lol you know, yote weather!

[Timber Butte Outdoors]

sick4x4,

You are right! this is an open ended question. I suppose everyone has their favorite caliber, cartridge, reloads, and platforms.

I would think if a guy is going to save furs for sale, I think a guy needs a cartridge that will do the least amount of fur damage. That is where I would think that the .17 calibers would be the way to go. The bullet enters, with no exit. Perfect for the skinner and stretcher.

But if a guy was going to just shoot, then I would think any caliber would be ok, including the Magnums.

I have for the last 35 years used the 22-250 Remington. I think it is the perfect round for small game, including deer, & antelope.
But for varmint critters it is hard to beat. It shoots fast and flat, which is what you want.

I have shot the 52 gr. Speer HP for all those years, due to the last several coyote I shot, the 52gr blew big hole in the pelts, so I now want to test some new bullets. I bought a couple boxes of bullets, 52 gr. Sierra Match HP, and the 55 gr VMax. But I haven't had time to go shooting, hope to soon.

Recently I have been thinking of moving to the .243 caliber. There are a bunch of great .243 cal. cartridges on the market now. It used to be only 2 rounds that were available, one being the venerable 243 Winchester, and the other was the 6mm Rem. Both are great rounds.

The 243 Win, was the small caliber favorite for many years (still popular), being chambered in every rifle made by every gun maker.

But! I believe that the 6mm Rem, was a better round, due to it being a few hundred feet per second faster, and able to buck the wind a tad better.

Then came onto the scene, cartridges that ended in "Ackley Improved". The 243 AI is the cartridge that I want a bolt gun built in. I have friends that shoot this cartridge, and one is shooting rockchucks out to 1000 yards.

Most recently the WSM's and the WSSM's. Of these cartridges I have no experience, other than my hunting partner has a DTech AR in 243 WSSM, and man does that thing shoot great.
If I hade the money, I would be adding one of these to the lineup. I am very impressed with the result of the kills that I have seen my hunting partner make with his rifle. He shoots the 87gr VMax, and it is one shot kills.

I have killed every critter I have gone after, including several deer, with the 22-250 Rem. I have even went elk hunting with it once, I didn't see an elk, so I didn't get a chance to see if it would kill on. I have been tinkering with the notion of having my 22-250 turned into a 22-250AI, or change the barrel into a 243AI.

Edited: I forgot to mention the 6mmx284! A great all around cartridge. And I also believe if you are not a tinkerer reloader, the 6x284 brass is commerially avauilable for reloading, and I may be wrong, but the loaded ammo may be available also!

Good Hunting
Gary

[leper]

I've bought & used the following cals on the coyotes. Looking for the perfect coyote rifle to me.
20ga, 12ga, 223, 22-250, 243Win, 30-30, 30cal M-1 carbine, 30cal AK-47, 30cal SKS, 308, 8mm Mauser & .243WSSM. Out of them all, the .243WSSM was tops.

The 243WSSM didn't kill them any better. But what was oustanding[IMO anyway]. Was every coyote I hit in the body long range, hit the deck. Many got to their feet to take another pounding. The only one that didn't hit the deck on the 1st hit. I hit him in the front paw as he was a flat out running way out there.

That coyote stumbled then quickly recovered. I killed him a short time later. As I caught him napping in the same field. Previous rd, cut a notch on the posterior side of his front paw.

The .243WSSM 95gr Winchester SBT. Is an excellent wind bucker way out there. With plenty of knock down thump. Gotta like that ;D

[Loren]

.223, .223AI, 22-250, .243, .243AI. I am spending a lot of time with the .243AI it seems like with a little work at the reloading bench it will be a killer. I have been looking at a DPMS in .243, I think I can put it to good use. Loren

[earthwalker]

.204 getting to really enjoy this cal. you hit wrong there is some wicked damage.
I shoot for the hide.
Late winter long range will go to the 22.250

[Timber Butte Outdoors]

earthwalker,

Welcome to the IVH Forums. Thank You for signing up. I hope that you will add some good discussions, and will add your thought and ideas to the forums.

Although I have only had a small amount of experience with the .204 (shot squirrles) I can't add comments or experiences with it on largers animals like the coyote, badger, or fox. I am a hide hunter also.

Now! for the 22-250 Remington! That is what I have shot for the past 35 yrs.

Let me ask you what bullets/loads are you shooting? and what kind of results are you getting?

Thank You!
Gary

[earthwalker]

My R-15 doesn't like hand loads, factory loads it kinda likes and will group about half inch, not great but no flyers for the most part.
Using .32 grain Hornaday's.
If you get the bullet into the boiler room hardly any damage with little to no sewing. But hit a shoulder or the neck wrong(already done that) it will explode and at the price of these coyotes you might as well let them lay(which I can't).
Shot a 22.250 for the last 30 years, great late season gun or when ever.
Have tried the 223 I like it but I have to watch myself and not try to reach out and touch one like I can with the 22.250.
Shot the barrel out of the first 22.250 a Ruger, have several since then different makes right now have a Remington BDL. It's a solid gun as long as you adjust the trigger somewhat or replace the trigger.

[silverback]

I am glad to see that someone else is using the 204. I bought a Rem 700 sps varmint last spring and got her sighted in on rockchucks and instantly feel in love with the caliber. Thought it was going to be a bit weak in the long range and that doubt was laid to rest as chucks were being vaporized past the 400 yd mark. I love this cartridge because it is a laser beam. Sighted in at 1" at 100 yds I have 2 inch drop at 300 and aim high shoulder at 350 and you have a bang flop on yotes. Out to 300 I have had minimal wind drift, but at my 500 yd coyote target I got about 10-12" in about a 8-10 mph wind. I also like the cartridge because it has almost no barrel lift when I touch one off and follow up shots are faster. Plus it's nice to see the chuck tip over or the coyote tip over at extended distances to confirm hits. I have only shot three yotes with it due to the fact I have not been out very much. The first one in the pic with my bro in law was in Oklahoma this year. I called the male within 60 yds he dumped him, and I stopped the female at 80 yds and she didn't even twitch, entrance and exit were pin pricks. The second was at a range of 350 and I hit him far back he spun around and I could not find him. Third was at 150 and all I had was a visual on his head above the sage and he would not move so I hit him right between the eyes and all their was, was a small entrance hole and no exit (coyote on my hood, sorry crappy camera phone pic).

[Timber Butte Outdoors]

Welcome to the IVH Forums silverback. Good to have you here!

I would like to Thank You for the report on the .204.

Your report has some good info for those that carry this cartridge.

BTW: I was glad to have seen you at the NNCCC in November. I hope to see you again at more of our events.

Good Hunting,
Gary

[Gunner J]

I have been playing with the .260 Remington lately. It is a 6.5 that nearly matches the 6.5x284 long range round. I built this rifle myself, 26 inch extra heavy bull barrel on a Savage 10 FPLE .308 action set into a Bell&Carlson tactical medalist stock. Threaded the barrel to take my supressor, and can shoot all day at 'chucks up to 1200 yards. Overkill. So what?

[Timber Butte Outdoors]

NICE!!!!!!!!

You got a picture or two or three of that bad boy!

Overkill is good if you are not saving fur! And if you are in a contest where they are counting total numbers of kills, and not weighing your kills.

Long range rockchuck splatter is very cool!!!!

I know a few guys that shoot 6mmx284's and 243AI's, my hunting partner shoots a DTech 243wssm. They are all one shot - one kill rounds.

[foxsniper]

for calling 221 fireball or 17 fireball for long shots 204 and 22-250 for relly long shots 243 and for shooting in the next zip code 300 ultra mag lol

[predatortoprey]

I'm old school. Shooting a TC Encore with a 22-250 barrel. I load Nozzler 55 grain ballistic tips. From 10 yards to 300 yards I know that if I hold inside the fur the yote is dead. This load makes little damage if I don't hit it in the soft gut area. I have skinned several yotes that I have taken in the last month with only a pencil size hole for the entry and no exit hole.
The down side to this round is, if I do make a bad shot this is what you get, CARNAGE!!!

[Timber Butte Outdoors]

I too shoot the 22-250 Rem. But recently I have changed up bullets. I went to the Sierra 52 and 53 gr Match HP. I like this bullet. Brendan and I have shot about a dozen coyotes between us this season. Everyone of the coyotes that we have shot, have had no exit, and bullet size entrance holes. Even the one that Brendan shot just behind the rib cage, hole was about the size of a fifty cent piece. And one he shot through a sagebrush, which the bullet split into 3 pieces still killed the dog, but had 3 small holes.

The 22-250 Rem. is a very effecient cartridge for hunting coyotes and small game as well as Deer size animals - just choose the right bullet for the job.

Good Hunting
Gary

[newb]

my first rifle was a remington 597, at 100yds i was able to put 10 rounds in a 1inch circle, im thinking about getting one for a varmint gun, does anyone else use one?