RE: Caliber for Coyotes?
 

Indeed it does. Thats what I use mine for mostly and it performs like a champ.

RE: Caliber for Coyotes?
 

IMO the finest round for coyotes is the .223

Take it from there.

RE: Caliber for Coyotes?
 

223, 22-250 250 Savage 243 257 Roberts 6.5x55 Mauser. All would do the job very well. Right now I am using a 257 Robert with 87 grain Hornady's I sometime use the 6.5x55 with 120 grain bullets to keep in tunned up for big game seasons. I have a 6x24x50 for varmit shooting. Tasco Mag Four.

RE: Caliber for Coyotes?
 

proline:

The shooter was my cousin, and he would not lie to me. Besides the .17 HMR is the only varmint rifle he owns, and carries while on the ranch.

RE: Caliber for Coyotes?
 

I realise that you don't want to go with a wildcat but I thought I'd mention my setup for doggin. I really liked the 22-250 for coyotes and used it for the first two or three years of my coyote hunting ventures. The 55 grain Nosler Partition Ballistic Tips did a great job of expanding on impact and I have never had a coyote unrecovered. The rifle was a Husqvarna FFV; supposedly one of the quickest lock times of any action out there. Two years ago I brought that rifle to my gunsmith and had him convert it to the 22-250 Ackley Improved. The rifle was fitted with a Northwest Precision stainless barrel in a #10 contour, Lilja graphite stock and complete accurizing and blue printing of the action. Obviously the rifle is now held to much higher tolerances and the way it shoots validates my statement. The only time I don't use this rifle on coyotes is when the wind is howling. Up here in Montana this can be the case quite often and can have a strong effect on the light bullet. If I want to hunt in the wind I'll choose another wildcat of mine, the smoking 257 STW. The higher ballistic coeffecient of the 115 grain bullet bucks the wind a little better but of course hits with a helluva lot more energy. I believe the wind in your hunting areas is something to consider when choosing a coyote caliber. There is a lot of guys shooting .223, .243, and 25 caliber rifles at dogs up here. Obviously the larger bullets means bigger holes in hides; FMJ bullets can alleviate some of the damage but not all. That's my two cents.

RE: Caliber for Coyotes?
 

Granted I don't want to use a wildcat but that was some great info Osmedicus.

RE: Caliber for Coyotes?
 

I wouldnt trust the 17, lord knows the love this little bugger two. Step up to a .223 remington, cheaper to shoot thant he 17 hmr as well. Out to 200 yards the 223 remington is all you would need. Now if your shooting little critters by all means grab a 17 and have a blast, they are realy realy accurate.

RE: Caliber for Coyotes?
 

I just use my 308 for everything including coyotes

RE: Caliber for Coyotes?
 

Depending on how well you shoot it, the 17HMR would be enough for what you're wanting. If you can guarantee head shots at 200yrds, then I'd go for it. However, there are a good deal of 22cal centerfire cartridges out there that are much better suited to what you're asking for, just to name a few: .22 Hornet, .22-250rem, .223rem, .222rem, .204 Ruger, .223WSSM and quite a few others. There are various larger but sub 30cal rounds available that are very handy for coyotes as well: 6mmRem 6mm PPC, .243, .25-06, .257Roberts, .243WSSM, .25WSSM, .270WSM, basically any 7mm out there, .260rem.

Pretty much any deer hunting cartridge would do you very well too, if you've already got a deer rifle that is...they're a little more costly to shoot, but the performance is there for sure.

My advice is this: Go to walmart and buy a Savage 110 Tactical rifle in .223 rem, under $500 new. It'll give you coyotes out to about as far as you can ever think about shooting them, for a very cheap intro price.

RE: Caliber for Coyotes?
 

ruger .220 swift .