Buddy of mine is having problems with coyotes and asked if I would be willing to get rid of them. I am leaning at getting a .223 cal, but not sure what kind of rifle. We use the M-16 at work, like the round, but not the rifle. I was thinking about a Mini 14 or bolt action, which would be better. I don't plan on shooting past 100 yards. Any input would help.

That is a popular cartridge and it will get you out to 100 yards in either rifle. The Ruger will probably cost less than a decent M16 clone. Now, some M16 clones do shoot surprisingly well. (Not my cup of tea after military years tho.) The thing about a bolt rifle is that if you should ever need more accuracy, it will be there. You will probably struggle in the accuracy Dept with a Ruger. The 223 should get out to 300 in a decent piece, unless the wind is bad.

A good bolt action would be your best bet in either a .223 or 22-250. The thing is a bolt action will be more accurate and thus giving you the option of more available range. Even tho a bolt rifle is good at long range,it's also good at short range as well. Even tho you will only be shooting 100 yards now,you might have chance of longer shots later and will already have rifle capable of em.

In this case, bolt action always for hunting situations!

If you don't want an AR-15, then get a bolt gun although my preference would be the AR-15.The mini-14 is just an expensive range toy- if you want to use it for accurate shooting, you'll be sorely disappointed.

Why is that the case?

I vote for the AR-15/M-16 over the bolt gun anyday. If used properly and maintanined properly they are about as good as it gets for coyote shooting. The .223 is also a great choice. To get a Mini to shoot as good as a decent AR it would take a lot of money and tweaking.

What don't you like about the AR-15/M-16 rifles????

I just don't like the way in feels in my hands, I also hate hearing that recoil spring going through the butt. As a matter of fact I have to requalify with it this week, the only thing I like about it is when I shoot it on a 3 round burst. The soonerI get done shooting this rifle the better.

rbeckman, you Army? I am, stationed at Ft Carson here, been in just shy of 11 yrs..

The mini-14 is a fun coyote rifle. Perfect for inside a couple hundred yards or so. A bolt action will give you more accuracy, though, but if you're only shooting 100yds then that's not necessary. One isn't going to be better than the other at such close range so my vote is "either."

I remember when I was going to gunsmithing school in the 70s,I cut my teeth on running jackrabbits with a mini 14 and 20 or 30 round mags. With it I could hit them stationary up to 300 honest yards. What more is needed anyway? If I really want serious accuracy,I'll go with a bolt rifle as I got too much exposure to "black rifles" years ago and will never own 1.