ok guys here is my problem i am strictly a bowhunter/bird hunter i know nothing about rifles really. i am wanting to do some preditor hunting mostly for coyotes and bobcats and i am wondering what caliber/gun combination would be a good choice. so if any of you could help me out that would be awesome. also if you have any links or anything like that to sites that might help me out that would be greatly appritiated

I think a 223 Remington would be a good choice. With the 223, you have a good selection of relatively inexpensive ammo available with many different bullet constructions. The 223 is a very accurate round. The 22-250 is overkill, in my opinion, unless you' re planning to take shots over 300 yards.

If you have any plans of getting into handloading in the future, you may want to examine the 222 Remington or 222 Remington Magnum. They are both basically the same thing as the 223 but offer a few accuracy enhancements conducive to the cartridge case design. The only bad thing about them is that ammunition is a bit more difficult to find...

I would say that any of the centerfire .224 caliber cartridges are suitable within their limits. Meaning that one should realize that a .22 Hornet isn' t a 300+ yard coyote rifle. The more popular calibers are probably better, not necessarily because they are always more accurate/powerful, but also because they are redily available. Unless you are a handloader who doesn' t mind loading the more obscure calibers then I' d stick with the common calibers.

I personally would suggest the 22-250 Remington. It' s a flatter shooting cartridge with means greater range and less need for range and wind corrections. It' s also a mild recoiling cartridge and doesn' t cost but a couple pennies more per shot than the .223Rem. I can also personally vouch for the 22-250' s accuracy potential. In my Ruger Model 77VT I consistantly get sub-MOA groups with the less expensive Winchester USA White Box ammo.

Other good choices for a varmint/predator gun would be a a .223, .220 Swift, or .243 Win.

Mike

ok thanks guys. i have been looking at the 223 and 22 250 i have never done any reloading so i better get a gun that i can get good factory loads for. my family has a couple 243s and i have never been real impressed with them. what are some good gun choices that arent going to cost me an arm and a leg?

If you don' t mind single shots, the NEF or H&R (now owned by Marlin) make great little handy field rifles. Usually there accuracy is acceptable to unexpectedly great for the money you put into them as you can usually pick up one for under $250. I personally bought my NEF Superlight .223 for $195 plus tax. This is the route I went because I didn' t really know how I would like it and I didn' t have too much money into it to kick myself later. I bought the gun in December of last year and haven' t shot it but twice (guys, don' t hurt me too bad for saying that) since I got it. BUT! I don' t feel that bad because I didn' t spend too much. Hope this helps.

Josh

I would recomend looking for a .223 remington in either a remington 700 adl or savage. You can get either one almost anywhere for around 300 bucks and it will be a better rifle than the H&R handirifle. Whatever gun you get, the best scope that you can afford the better. If you are already a bird hunter you might try predator hunting for a while with your 12gr first. federal 3" 2oz lead 2s is a dandy predator load and will work out to 40 yards or so and most places where you predator call you can get a animal within that distance.

Here' s my opinion,

I own a NEF handi rifle in .223 Rem. Bull barrel, good scope. I love it. It will shoot 1/2" gropus at 100 yards. I doubt if a Remington or Savage wil do MUCH better. You are tied to one shot though, instead of a quick follow up with a bolt action.

I also own two different savage rifles, one is a .243 and the other a .308.
The .243 will shoot 1" groups. I do like it a lot for predator hunting, but I switch back and forth on whether to take the Savage or NEF.

As far as .223 or 22-250? The 250 is definitely flatter shooting, but there isn' t that much difference.

If both guns are shooting a 55 grain bullet, and both are sighted in 1/4" low at 25yards, the .223 will be 1/2" LOW at 250 yards, the 22-250 will be zeroed
at 250 yards. At 300 yards, the 223 will be 5" low and the 22-250 will be 3" low. That 1/2" difference isn' t much at 250 yds. ( this info is straight out of " The Gun Data Book" by F. Philip Rice )

No, I can' t argue that the 22-250 is flatter shooting, BUT that much difference isn' t worth it to me.
The .223 rem is cheaper to buy ammo, cheaper to reload, quieter, less recoil, (not that either one kicks much) and the 223 won' t burn the barrel out as quick.

This is just my opinion.

ill tell you like i tell everyone else i love the .17 with a bull barrel and 3x9 scope it shoots the fastest but lightest bullets with extreme accuracy at far distances it also shoots very flat. Winchester .17 caliber is what i own also i own a 10/22 ruger killed them with both but i perfer the .17 caliber.

I have a Savage Model-12fv chambered in 223. I put a cheap Simmons 8x32x44mm scope on it. I bought a cheap scope because I only varmit hunt with this rifle. I use this rifle for Coyote, fox, gophers, Prairie dogs & rock chucks.

Coyotes are tuff critters and if you're going to take any shots that may be over 100 yards., I'd go with at least the .223 cal., and pick your favorite gun that you can afford.