Nomercy448

00 buck isn't happy coming out of a X-Full choke. 00buck generally needs an Imp or Light Mod choke to be happy. Some guys get away with buffered shot in a Mod choke, but ultimately you have to pattern it to see what works best.

Here's more info that you'll ever need to know about shot selection for calling coyotes:

Rule #1: YOU MUST PATTERN YOUR SHOTGUN BEFORE TAKING IT AFIELD. I'm giving ranges for choke constrictions below for various shot sizes, which I offer as a guide, but they may not like YOUR particular shotgun. These rules below were derived by a lot of money blowing down range while patterning and a lot of fur in the dirt over the years out of a dozen or so shotguns (remington 870's, 1187, 1100, benelli M2, Nova, Supernova, Mossberg 500, and a few other odds and end shotty's) with various chokes.

00buck: Choke = imp cyl or light mod, wanting something in the 0.715-0.720" ballpark. Buffered buckshot seems to do better with the tighter side, even reaching down to a modified choke, standard buckshot seems to do better with improved. The limitation here is that there are only 8-15 pellets, so at any substantial range, the pattern density is very low. I have used Winchester Super-X 00Buck for over 20yrs on coyotes, 2.75", 3", and 3.5". This is a great "stand-by" load for a guy that wants a load that's on the shelf at any shop, and doesn't require specialized chokes (same chokes you'd use on pheasant). It would kill a coyote at 100yrds, but the pattern density is terrible past 50, so the shot count is really limiting.

#1-#3 buck: Choke = Mod, Imp Mod, or Light Full (obviously light full will likely be too tight for #1 buck, but may work for #3 buck), something in the 0.700-0.710" ballpark. Hard to come by, but much better pattern density and pellet count than 00buck. The Federal loads are great, pattern very well for me, and have smacked coyotes like a truck the few times I have used them in the field.

#4 buck Choke = Light Full, Full, X-full is iffy, usually 0.680" seems to be the bottom end for my shotty's, you might get lucky with a 0.660" or 0.655" turkey choke, but my best performance is 0.675-0.680". I'm using an old version of the Carlson's Dead Coyote Choke in 0.680". The Federal #4 buck is quickly becoming my favorite load for coyotes over the last two years. Find me some #4buck in heavier-than-lead for about $2.50-3.00 a shot and I'd never shoot anything else. Great pellet count, good penetration, tight patterns = great range.

T, BB, and B: Choke = Full to X-full, can go as low as 0.650-0.660", but 0.680" may do better. MUST be heavier than lead to get decent penetration and good stopping power. Lots of shot, but not much pellet weight. Have heard reports of guys getting a LOT of run off coyotes with the Winchester X-tended Range High Density Coyote B shot, but I've yet to get enough of them to try in the field yet personally. Carlson's Dead Coyote Hevi-shot T shot gave me holes in my patterns and flyers with 0.655" and 0.660" chokes, but pattern BEAUTIFULLY with 0.680" old version of the Carlson's Dead Coyote Choke. The Hevi-Shot Dead Coyote T shot load is fantastic, but at $5 a shot, I gave up on it.

Patternmaster (non-constriction, wad-stripping) chokes are great, I seem to get better patterns with restriction chokes, and the wads from certain loads are NOT compatible with the Patternmaster Chokes, but I highly recommend anyone looking for a great choke for the entire gammut of these loads take a look at the Patternmasters. This DOES, however, limit you to using only one shell length with that choke. The performance difference is noticeable when you use the wrong length, and I bounce back and forth between 3" and 3.5", so I don't use the PM chokes regularly anymore.

The Carlson's Dead Coyote Choke that I have and use does not exist anymore. It is a non-wad-stripping model labeled "Carlson's Dead Coyote". The first one I bought was a 0.660", which I returned to Carlson's because I was getting holes in my patterns, and they sent me a 0.680". There are now two Carlson's "coyote chokes" available, one labeled "Carlson's Coyote" and one "Hevi-shot Dead Coyote by Carlson's". I forget right now which is which, one is wad-stripping, the other is not.

For Imp Cyl, Mod, and Full chokes, as well as Light Full, light mod, and imp mod, I have just used (or bought) factory tubes and done well. My 0.655" and 0.660" are Tru-glo Gobble Stopper and Primos Jelly Head and Tight Wad chokes, all 3 are fantastic turkey chokes, and have done pretty well with the Hevi-shot Dead Coyote load and Winchester Xtended Range HD Coyote, but really shine with #4 and #5 turkey loads.

Nomercy448

Yes, Hornady makes a few different factory loads with V-max bullets for both .243win and .223rem, depending on what bullet weight you're looking for.

SecondChance

Yes. The Hornady SuperFormance rounds will have what you want and they are GREAT on the 'Yotes!!!!
Nomercy, great reply and write up!!!! Have you ever tried the Briley choke tubes? I shoot mainly the ported Imp. Mod for all my waterfowl with both steel, Hevi-Metal and the Hevi-Shot loads and find it really hard to beat till I drop down to ported Mod for the BB steel and larger than 2's in HS.

Sheridan

".....Briley choke tubes." SC


Some would say the very best !

http://www.briley.com/

bubbinator

In the military(police) one of my duties in Africa/SEA and US was animal control on runways. 00 buck from a cylinder bored 12ga is close range work, bird shot (Note the term BIRD) is useless. I had one feral dog run away dragging his guts shot with a 110gr Sierra HP .30-06 @ 3100 fps in an AB dump that we never found! Never use Heavy-Shot(Gov't too cheap-thats a joke now), but #4 buck 3" and #1 buck 12ga worked very well under40 yds. When I was able to use my guns back in the CONUS-Mossberg 535 w/ full choke added 10 yds to the buckshot loads and 223 from M16s/Rem700 HB Varmint rifle and Savage M10 .220 Swift put it out to almost as far as you can safely see on an AB! As of my retirement 200+ dogs/cats/varmints. That count includes 21.5 yrs as a State Police officer where dogs were dispatched on search warrants, rabid/sick animals found on patrol and feral dogs seen hunting/working. Several coyotes exposing themselves during day time, crossing country roads, etc, met their fate with a Ruger MKII HB pistol/Red dot sight loaded with CCI Velocitors. Feral cats too. 1 bobcat acting sick midday passed via .45ACP.

SecondChance

The ducks, geese and clay birds would say they are smokin!!!!!!!!!! I almost don't own any other choke tubes. They are my, without question, go to tubes in all my waterfowl work and my trap guns. I have several Hastings and Carlson tubes for turkeys in my 12ga and a Stewart Wrights tube for my wifes 20ga.

wingseek

Dead Coyote Choke tube coupled with Dead Coyote shells both from
HeviShot....the coyotes won't stand a chance