Nomercy448

Short Version:

AR-15 of reputable build, EOP or flattop, with a 4-16x50mm side focus scope with turrets, 20-22" barrel, mid-weight to heavy barrel in 1:8" or 1:9", well fit stock (CHEEK WELD!!!!), 50grn Hornady V-max's. For non-reloaders, there’s no need to pay the premium up-charge for Hornady "Super Performance" ammo, but either ‘standard’ or “Super Performance are very accurate, and plenty of punch to kill coyotes.

Long Version:

The bullet: Any time I look at a new rifle for a certain purpose, I start with the bullet and the speed I want it running. For predator hunting, it's very hard to beat a 50 or 55grn V-max. Again, I prefer the 50grn boattail V-max over the flat base 55grn V-max. The 53grn boattail V-max is a fine choice as well. I also shoot 50grn Combined Technology (Nosler and Winchester) Ballistic Silvertips, factory loaded as Winchester Supreme Ballistic Silver Tips, and have been very happy with them. Bullets heavier than 50grns often start doing too much pelt damage for me. Under 200yrds, I almost always get small exit wounds with the V-max, longer range might not exit, but still gives quick drops. Heavier bullets that I have used, up in the 69-73grn ball park tend to leave a lot bigger mess. These bullets would be great for summer time when I wasn’t picking up hides.

If you are playing at the ragged edge of your stabilization spin rate, then the sectional density (SD) of your bullet will really come into play. SD effects the bullets ballistic coefficient, as well as its moment of inertia, which is the stabilizing force created by the spin. Lead cores help keep the weight near the center of the bullet, so it takes a bit extra spin to stabilize a copper solid.

Speed: Moving from there, a .223rem should push that 50grn pill anywhere from 2900-3400fps, give or take, depending upon barrel length and twist rate. Since calling coyotes can be a test of shooting skill as much or more than any hunting, I like to have as much speed as I can get to flatten out the trajectory, extending my Maximum Point Blank Range. When a double comes in, the second dog I shoot at will always be on the run, so I want to minimize my ‘figuring on the fly’ to dope the running shot at range. Heavier bullets will be slower, dropping down to between 2500-2900fps ballpark for 69-75grn pills, again, depending on barrel length, which makes my dope on the run a bit more difficult.

The Barrel:

Twist rate: Another benefit of 50grn pills is that a 1:9” twist will stabilized almost any barrel length from 16-26”. For shooters looking at heavier bullets: 16-18” 1:7” or 1:8” will get you up to 75grns, 20-22” can run a 1:8-1:9” to get up to 75grns. 24-26” will do fine with a 1:9” for up to 75grn bullets. I haven’t been satisfied with 1:9” 16” barrels with anything over 69grns. I’ll assume anyone running 90grn pills out of a 223rem will know they need a 1:7” and enough length to get the speed they need.

I’ll throw out some info here about VLD bullets as well. VLD (very low drag) bullets are longer than traditional profile bullets, so again, they need a special consideration. A 1:9” 24” barrel might shoot one 75grn bullet well, but then not stabilize a 75grn VLD because of the extra length, especially if it has a lower SD. You also have to consider seating depth and throat jump effect of a VLD. The 'flat side' of these are generally shorter, so you're limited to a more specific range of COALs than with some other bullets. The longer profile tends to move the start of the ogive farther from the tip, so your throat jump can become excessive and actually hurt your accuracy. If you're building a rifle and want to shoot VLD's, have your chamber cut to suit that dimension - but it might preclude you from using other 'standard' bullets in the future.I have never seen a need to shoot anything heavier than 69grns for coyotes in a 223rem, so I’m content with my 1:9” barrels, but I’d consider that 1:8” is probably the most versatile twist for a 223rem.

Length: There are two things to consider here, velocity and handling. I’m still spry enough that I don’t worry much about barrel weight for carry, and I generally shoot off sticks, so I focus more on velocity. A short barrel might be easier handling, but as I’ve addressed above, it sacrifices a lot of velocity. I run the same 50grn V-max load in a 16” AR-15 and a 26” Savage bolt rifle, I’m getting 3420fps out of the long barrel, 2980fps out of the short barrel. The variance between barrel lengths over 22” becomes pretty small, so 20-22” is the best balance of velocity and rifle weight and length. This length preserves the velocity for heavier bullets too for those that choose to shoot them.

So now the rifle:

An AR-15, where legal, is my heavily favored rifle preference for predator calling. Bolt guns are fine for it (my wife runs a bolt gun), but an accurate semi-auto is well worth the extra cost, and carrying the extra weight. Watching a dog run across open ground in plain sight as you’re cycling your bolt gun is STRONG motivation to move to a semi-auto rifle. On the AR-15, the A2 carry handle sucks for a scope (even though the A2 iron sights are favorable to the A3 detachable carry handle sights), so a flat top upper receiver, or an Elevated Optics Platform (EOP) upper is the route to go. With a flat top, you’ll end up adding ring risers, or tall 1pc mounts, so the EOP is handy. I’m not into quad rails, but it’s nice to have either a single rail, or an extra stud on the fore-end to mount a bipod.

Scope: I’ll start with the objective diameter. Coyote calling “prime time” is dusk and dawn, so the improved light gathering of a 50mm objective really pays for itself in the long run over a 40mm glass. 50mm scopes also have a wider FOV, which is beneficial if you’re picking up a double, or need to anchor a running dog. Most guys will never need more than a 3-9x scope for their shooting, but for guys that want a bit more range, it’s nice to have a bit more magnification. 6-18x, 6.5-20x, or 6-24x can be a bit too much zoom for close in shots, so something in a 4-16x, 4-12x, 4.5-14x, 5.5-22x are fantastic options. Bushnell makes “Elite 6500” scopes in 2.5-16x50mm and 4.5-30x50mm that are GREAT options. The speed of side focus parallax adjustment is valuable while coyote hunting.

Ultimately, that’s how it all shakes out for me.