Originally Posted by
SchuLace
The .223 is legal here. I have heard quite a bit about the accuracy of the Mini so I am hoping he will trade for a .17 and I can get another .223. Then I would have the best of both worlds. I do not plan on selling pelts. With you saying the .17 is stretched for longer shots, it makes me lean more towards the .223. Some of our shots are 200+ and we have some that are probably closer to 400. We take those shots not thinking we would hit anything but if we do, we can say "I hit a dog from 400 yards"
That said, 200 yards is easily within the capability of the .223, but it's well beyond where you're likely to have any success with a .17 HMR. The .223 loses its steam pretty fast beyond about 300 yards, but since most of our shots on coyotes fall between 100 and 300 yards, the .223s are generally what we carry.
One of the guys has brought along a .204 Ruger on a couple trips. Don't know if it's the rifle itself or something else (he's otherwise a very proficient shooter), but we haven't hit a coyote yet with it to tell what it can do. It's going to lose its steam faster though than does the .223, so 400 yards might be pushing it.
Back to your question about the Howa 1500. I don't have it, but I do have a Weatherby Vanguard, which is essentially the same rifle. It's proven to be very accurate, though the trigger's a bit stiff. It and the Howas tend to be reasonably priced, and I don't think there's much reason to think it wouldn't shoot as well as a Vanguard, so I don't think I'd hesitate if I found a deal on a Howa.