jecole360

I'm looking to get a rifle for coyote hunting in either .223 or 22-250 but don't know if I should get a heavy barrel or a regular one. What is the difference and does length matter. A buddy of mine has a 22-250 with a regular barrel and says it shoots good and he can reach out pretty far with it. I just don't know what the advantages of a heavy barrel are. Here is a link to the rifle I plan on buying when I can come up with the cash. I think it's only available with a heavy barrel.

http://www.snipercentral.com/remspsv.htm

Bernie P.

Depends how you plan to hunt.Heavy barrels are stiffer so should be more accurate but not a good choice if you cover a lot of ground on foot.

jecole360

I hunt two small farms and my shots would only be about 250 to 300 yards maxbut I dont do much moving because there's just not that much land to cover. I would like to have something I could reach out there with just in case! I also plan on using it for target practice/play.

mauser06

i have the SPS varmint in 22-250....i LOVE it. its a tack driver out of the box with good glass ontop of it! ive had confirmed groundhog kills out to 350yds....the only thing that holds me back is the lack of a range finder...once in a while i'll borrow a buddies so i know the range to the holes at 1 farm i hunt....

with a bipod and Leupold VX-II 6-18x40, its a HEAVY rifle...that 26" heavy barrel is long and heavy. i wanted a rifle i could reach out and touch with...not have to carry and walk and get closer....if i gotta walk more than 100yds from my truck, something is wrong! lol..perks of being best friends with the farmer!

i love it though!! that article describes them well...stock is pretty cheesy but isnt TERRIBLE. trigger aint TERRIBLE..better than most factory, but could be better...action is a 700 action and is a good solid action and can be made more accurate down the road...exactly why i bought it....good shooter outta the box, fair price, and when i get around to it, i can work on it and make it what i want.....

jecole360

I haven't heard anything bad about it and it's a Rem 700 so it cant be a bad gun!! I know the stock isn't the best but it isupgradeable. Check out this scope! It's got a built in rangefinder but it's a little pricey!!!

http://www.swfa.com/pc-12315-983-zeiss-3-12x56-victory-diarange-rifle-scope.aspx

Vapodog

Get the regular lighter barrel unless you plan on a lot of bench shooting

coyote#68

you wont need a bull barrel gun for 300 yard coyotes.I shoot a ruger m77compact with a 16 1/2 inch barrel and leupold 4x12x40 scope the whole rig weighs a little over 7lbs and I have made some 290yard shots on groundhogs off of sand bags with it before.It is a 223 caliber,which I would reccomend if you like to shoot alot the ammo is cheaper,the 22-250 is capable of shooting alot farther but if 300 is your max range on a songdog then the 223 is perfectly capable of doing it.I have a remington 700sps in 243 and it shots sub-moa with the federal fusions so I think that this gun in 223 or 204 or 22-250 would be a good coyote rifle and you can get a remington 700 trigger adjusted by you gunsmith,Good luck!!

Pawildman

One of the best shooting .243's I ever had was a 700 BDL with factory sporter barrel. It was hand-bedded and loaded for, and was one of my favorite groundhog guns for years. It shot impressive groups with that skinny barrel.

A lot of groundhogs got impressed by it also.

il coyote

That's one if the issues I'm facing in my search for a new rifle. It'd be nice to have the heavy/longer barrell, but for the distances I walk vs. the distances I TRY to shoot, it doesn't seem reasonable to me.

jecole360

Obviously I don't know a whole lot about rifles and I keep hearing people reffering to sub-moa groups. What does that mean (moa)???