rifle question
Question:
I am thinking about getting a 22-250 or a .223 for coyote hunting. Any preferences for either of these? Also, does anyone use a semi-automatic for coyotes or mostly bolt-action? Thanks. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
> I am thinking about getting a 22-250 or a .223 for coyote hunting. Any > preferences for either of these? Also, does anyone use a semi-automatic for > coyotes or mostly bolt-action? Thanks.
Both are excellent choices. The .22-250 will have slightly longer range but the .223 has the advantage in ammo cost – lots of cheap .223 stuff out there. (Can you spell F-U-N?) Even if you plan to reload the .223 is slightly cheaper because it uses a little less powder and you can use the brass from the cheap factory loads. Accuracy is a wash and will depend on the gun. My brother has a semi-auto .223 Ruger, a Mini-14 (?). Have fired it on several occassions. Love the gun but was not impressed with the accuracy. His Ruger M77 .22-250 bull barrel has taken prairie dogs at 400 yards (Leupold scope). Hornady factory .22-250 varmint loads push a 40 grain bullet to 4100 fps. Nosler’s reloading book says 38 grains of Varget will do the same with their 40 grain Ballistic Tips in a .22-250. This was also the most accurate load Nosler tested. www.accuratereloading.com shows about 38 grains of Varget with the Nosler BTs shoot under .4" groups in their test gun. You will have to check on .223 loads as I have not done any research on them. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
writes: >I am thinking about getting a 22-250 or a .223 for coyote hunting. Any >preferences for either of these? Also, does anyone use a semi-automatic for >coyotes or mostly bolt-action? Thanks.
Go for whichever turns you on. It’s like the difference between chocolate or strawberry. Either will nail a coyote as far as you are likely to be able to hit him. For the rifle my preference is bolt-action. That’s because, for hunting, it’s more estheticly pleasing. But to the coyote it would not make a lot of difference. Right now I have a .222 Rem and a 25-06 that have the varmint field pretty well bracketed. But my next rifle _is_ going to be a 22-250. Why ? Because I think it will fill in for either of the others. Bill Van Houten (USA Ret) Nothing that is politicaly Right can be Moraly wrong.—— Th. Jefferson Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
