ACLakey

Very wise statement.

Any of the calibers you listed will be effective on coyotes, but the fact you do not reload I would stick with a caliber that is easy to come by. If you are calling coyotes most of your shots will be within 150yards, most being in the 50-100 yard range. The .22-250 will have more energy than all of the listed calibers except the swift of course and you will be able to buy ammo for it. The long range benefits of the .204 are not seen at the closer ranges of coyote calling so that is a moot point. With coyote calling you will not be sending hundreds of rounds down range so get a sport weight rifle, a heavy varmint rifle is not needed.

For bullets to limit pelt damage there are two schools of thought. One a bullet that will come apart quickly and not exit or a tougher constructed bullet that will have a controlled expansion and a exit. I would look at 52gr BTHP Match bullets from either Hornady or Sierra for the first type. These bullets have a much smaller hollow point than varmint type bullets and will enter and usually not exit. When a varmint bullet hits something hard you may see splash or surface wounds that will not usually kill but will make a mess out of the hide. The match type bullets have a very thin jacket and will expand violently but with the small hollow point will usually penetrate a bit before this happens. Les Johnson has a tv show called Predator Quest and nine times out of ten he is shooting a 22-250 with a 52gr BTHP Match bullet from HOrnady(most of the other time he is shooting the .204). You can visit his site and watch quite a few videos on the effect of this combination.

http://www.predatorquest.com/episodes.php

For a controlled expansion bullet one of the best on coyotes has been the 55gr Sierra Gameking #1365. This bullet is much tougher and will generally leave a nickel to quarter sized exit which is easily sewed up. With a bullet like the Gameking you do not have to be as careful with shot angle as they have superior penetration. I have taken hundreds of coyotes with the .22-250 and either of these choices have been the best for me for putting the coyotes down quickly with minimal pelt damage.

For what it is worth after years behind a .22-250 and .243 I have switch to a .223AI for my predator calling setup. With 40gr bullets I am getting just under 4000fps out of a 22" barrel(similar to the performance of a .204) and they kill coyotes like lightning with no exits so far. Granted I have only taken a handfull of coyotes with this setup but it has been impressive to say the least. I do have loads worked up with both 52gr BTHP match bullets and the trusty 55gr Gamekings but I have not seen a need to use them yet.

For a coyote at typical calling ranges you could not go wrong with any of the calibers listed. If you plan to do other things with your rifle then the choice of caliber should be based on the intended use. Good luck on your decision.