A 22-250 would fit the bill very nicely Kshafer. Plenty of range and very light recoil. Very good coyote medicine but not to much for the ground hogs either. As far as actual rifles, you could go with the H&R single shot. Very inexpensive, accurate and well made. You could go with a bolt action too. There are many different brands to chose from but I have no experience with any of them. If it were me I'd go with the H&R. One shot is usually all you get on a coyote anyways. Good luck, Scott Woody