I have a Bushmaster Varmiter Special, 223 With a Leupold 4X12, very accurate, 1/4" 5 shot groups at 100 yards is common. I also have a stainless Ruger MarkII with a laminated stock in 223 with a 4.5X14 Leupold.

[QUOTE=Howler;3745639]While that is technically true the 22-250 and 220 Swift have faster twist rates generally that allow them to shoot the heavier bullets more accurately than the .223. You can get different barrels with faster twists that allow you to shoot .223's with heavier bullets accurately, however. 1 in 12 twist are good for small bullets at high velocity. 1 in 9 twist is good for heavier bullets. You can shoot the heavier bullets out of the .223 but you will suffer in accuracy and will burn your barrel our quicker. The bullet size just depends on the gun and the twist rate that you purchase.

K thanks guys I've got some more ideas now on what gun to buy.

ruger hawkeye in .270 you dont have to look for them, they drop in their tracks. Not a good choice if you are selling pelts though

I have never had to look for a coyote when shot from a 223, does a fine job and doesnt mess up the pelt.

The .223 is cheaper to shoot and the real difference in reach is actually not all that much.Same goes for accuracy.Both the .222 and 222 Mag are more accurate than either the 22-250,223.

I have a .270 but I figured it would like you said blast a hole through them and that's not what I really want.

I owned a Kimber Model 84 Longmaster - .22-250. It was a beautiful rifle, but it weighted 11lbs+. I used it for two years and got tierd of carrying it. Also, I live in hog country and felt undergunned when I ran into hogs.

I sold the Kimber .22-250 and bought a Remington 700 Mountain Rifle in .243 win. It only weights 6lbs (7lbs with scope). With 55gr bullets it has has better trajectory than the .22-250 with the same bullet weight. I like it so much, It's also become my deer / hog rifle with 100 gr bullets.

If you're only hunting coyote and smaller game, the .22-250 is a great round. I would recommend an average weight rifle vs a target / bench rifle.

Many Considerations ...
 

There are a number of variables you might consider when hunting for a dedicated coyote rig. If you're walking around calling, you'll want something fairly portable - not the heavy-barrelled long-toms that are best used over a prairie dog town. If you're selling pelts, you'll want to be careful with bullet and caliber selection. If you expect to deal with wind, selection becomes a bit more difficult.

I've gone through fits and starts because I often have to deal with the wind. I sell pelts when I can. I call and often walk quite a bit. I tried using my dog-town rifle for awhile (a CZ550 Varmint Laminated in .22-250), but it's far too heavy for walkng around and too long to carry through the brush. I liked it enough that I tried a CZ527 Varmint in .223. A bit shorter, still a heavy barrel but the micro-Mauser action compensates somewhat. Not as much power as the .22-250 at long distances, but my shots are most often from 75-150 yards and the .223 is plenty of gun in that window. On windy days, I'll stay indoors or take one of my deer rifles - A Ruger No. 1 in .243. I know I won't be saving many pelts on those days.

As far as bullets go, I've been using the 50-grain V-Max in both the .22s. (Yes, it's true - the .22-250 and .223 can be loaded with the same bullets). Closer than 75 yards, the blistering velocity from either opens the bullet up violently and blasts gaping holes in pelts, another reason for shooting a bit farther out.

Given that I now have three rifles and a single-shot pistol chambered in .223, it's probably no surprise that it's my preference on coyotes. AR-style rifles can become heavy and are initially almost double the price, but can make a great coyote gun as well.

But, my recommendation for most coyote hunting would be a bolt-action .223 in a standard-taper (not heavy) barrel, topped by a good quality 3-9x scope. The CZ I have is great, but it's a bit more expensive out of the box than some will want to pay. It's not made any longer, but a couple friends have old Remington 788s that are just fantastic walkaround coyote rifles. I still see one on the auction sites every so often. That particular configuration is probably as close to ideal for my kind of hunting as anything.

That may be with Benchrest rifles, but not uncommon with the majority of rifles given the time to find the correct load. But I both have and can find both 250's and 223's and my 220 Swifts that will shoot sub-1/2"MOA groups till you get tired of shooting them. All of my 22's either turn in 1/2" groups or I get rid of them. I have groups out of my 220 Swift I just shot a few weeks ago before the weather turned to crap the was .247" with 5 shots!!!!! Thats not uncommon for a heavyweight barrel or even a taper weight barrel either.