I would be taking them at no more than 200 yards. I have just about every caliber you could want to choose from. Would prefer not to do a wildcat. What are your thoughts on that .17 HMR? Or is that the bare minimum....
I think you will find the 17 HMR a bit on the light side for coyotes. I would say that rimfires aren't the best choice for coyotes. 17 Rem or 223 Rem at the minimum. If you want to get serious then the 22-250 Rem or 220 Swift.
I've shot coyotes with a .270 and a .223. Both did the job, but the .223 is a more suitable caliber. Less recoil, cheaper ammo, and like I said, all around better suited for coyotes in my opinion.
From what I have done with my .17, I do not consider it a valid coyote caliber at all. I shot a turkey (legally: DISCLAIMER) last year, and it did the job, but got terrible penetration. That small a pill is not the medicine a coyote needs, once again in my opinion.
I feel a .17HMR is a great groundhog/gopher/rabbit gun...and it stops there.
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Depends on whether you care about the pelts or are just shooting them for pest/predator control and don't care.
If you are interested in maintaining he pelts in sellable condition, then you might consider a .243 Win shooting FMJ or a non-explosive expanding bullet designed for deer sized game. Both bullets will go straight through a coyote, bot won't leave a fist sized hole on the exit side like a varmint bullet will. The downside is that a non-varmint bullet, perticularly the FMJ, is far more likely to ricochet, making backdrop a major consideration and shots around livestock problematic.
The .223Rem is a great caliber for coyote inside 250-300 yards, but with varmint bullets the pelt damage can be severe. With the .22-250 and .220 Swift the exit wounds can be downright spectacular (instant disembowelment is very possible), making a coyote very dead, very fast, at the expense of the pelt.
Location: NW Ohio , 5 min from Ottawa National / Magee Marsh
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RE: Caliber for Coyotes?
I use a 223 ,where I live in Ohio I must be carful of whats behind my target . FMJ will not do a lot of hide damage but will skip a long ways. I shoot a 50 gr nosler BT never failed to drop the yote on the spot out to 300 yds.
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I have used rifles from a 22 mag. to a 270 win. . I personally like to use my 243 with the 75 gr. Horn. V-Max bullets. Or if I know that there is going to be alot of pups out , I take my shotgun. We have alot of Yodle dogs here in Western N.M... So I get alot of practice with my shooting.
I dont bother with the pelts. Here about 7 or 8 Years ago we had a trapper come down with the Blue onic Plegue from a flea bite. So now days we just let them lay.
Out here the 17 cal. and the 18 bee cal. do well. Unless the wind is over 20 mph. (which is allmost every day during the Spring. So it is really what you like and what has proven to work for you..
I saw some pictures of what a .17 HMR did to some coyotes at 100 yds. It blew off half the head of one, and put a softball sized hole in the chest of another. Good luck.
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Handloader...If you weren't there to see the shot, I would seriously question that the 17HMR put a softball size hole in anything.
The bullet is 1/2 the size of an asprin, so incredible expansion is impossible. I've shot groundhogs with V-Max's and hollow points, and have been really happy with the results. However, the damage, even at 150 yards was minimal. Up close shots, inside 50yds, I'm seeing no damage whatsoever. Just a pin hole in, and sometimes no exit hole at all.
Maybe if a bullet caught a rib and pushed it through...but I'd still question whether the 17HMR has enough KE to do that.
Not questioning you if you saw it.
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I was just doing the tables on the .17HMR...it's probably going to be too light for what I want to do.
Using my chrony to test it out I was getting about 250ish FPE at the muzzle with a down range at 100 yards being just around 100 FPE...so at 100 yards it's about the same as a normal .22 rimfire at the muzzle. That light little bullet really sheds a lot of energy fast...and it really doesn't look like the .17 MACH2 is going to be any better....
Thanks for all your help...I think I'm gonna go with something a bit more potent. I will say the .17 HRM does wonders on crows.... pop...PUFF.....
Caliber for Coyotes?
