Coyote Hunting

[Mark M]

 

[ELD Pilot]

Didn't figure that would last. Like the Light Beer commercial, some decisions just aren't right. At least they had enough sense to reverse the closure. Coyotes are extremely prolific. They have no natural predators so without management for 3 months, populations will increase at rates that can't be managed during the next 9 months. They will kill all nesting and birthing birds/animals during that 3 month spring period.

 

[Mark M]

Didn't figure that would last. Like the Light Beer commercial, some decisions just aren't right. At least they had enough sense to reverse the closure. Coyotes are extremely prolific. They have no natural predators so without management for 3 months, populations will increase at rates that can't be managed during the next 9 months. They will kill all nesting and birthing birds/animals during that 3 month spring period.

I figured it was brought on by lobbyists from the insurance companies, trying to reduce the deer population, cutting down on deer related auto claims

 

[ELD Pilot]

I figured it was brought on by lobbyists from the insurance companies, trying to reduce the deer population, cutting down on deer related auto claims

Did you see the interview that MOOD did with the individual that explained why the closure was in place ? If not, go online and see if you can find it. It was pretty obvious the DNR was folding on the subject based on this opinion showing they felt the need to give attention to all sides of this issue. Didn't take long for them to get their senses back.

 

[Songdoger]

Next they need to consider the caliber restrictions on night hunting and change to cartridge restrictions. Can’t use my 6.8 spc but can use 6.5 CM and .243 which both have more range and terminal performance over 6.8 spc. Other than weight I’m happier running .243. Gained 200 yards on those educated February yotes

 

[ELD Pilot]

Next they need to consider the caliber restrictions on night hunting and change to cartridge restrictions. Can't use my 6.8 spc but can use 6.5 CM and .243 which both have more range and terminal performance over 6.8 spc. Other than weight I'm happier running .243. Gained 200 yards on those educated February yotes

Pretty poor rule for sure. Lots of calibers under .269 that are ballistically superior to the 6.8 SPC for sure.

 

[Alan]

Anyone here tried out that similar setup? I’m curious about how it performed for you.

 

[ELD Pilot]

Anyone here tried out that similar setup? I’m curious about how it performed for you.

I've had a 243 for years.Startee my daughter out with one for deer. Great coyote round for sure. If I were looking for a lightweight, low recoil but very effective one, I'd be shopping for the 6ARC in a bolt gun. It's pretty impressive. I have a 6.5 Grendel and love it. Very similar cartridge.

 

[Alan]

I've had a 243 for years.Startee my daughter out with one for deer. Great coyote round for sure. If I were looking for a lightweight, low recoil but very effective one, I'd be shopping for the 6ARC in a bolt gun. It's pretty impressive. I have a 6.5 Grendel and love it. Very similar cartridge.

I’m a big fan of the .243 as well for taking down coyotes. Grendel’s if you want versatility.

 

[Eric300]

I'll stick with my .223 with 55gr. Hornady V-Max bullets. They put the smack-down on yotes easy out to 300 yds. with My Remington R-15 VTR Predator topped off with a Nikon M223 4.5-16x43mm scope. I used to do a lot more coyote hunting on my days off when I worked the midnight shift then I do now. Still have all, though. Fox Pro caller, squealers, decoy, etc.

 

[ELD Pilot]

I'll stick with my .223 with 55gr. Hornady V-Max bullets. They put the smack-down on yotes easy out to 300 yds. with My Remington R-15 VTR Predator topped off with a Nikon M223 4.5-16x43mm scope. I used to do a lot more coyote hunting on my days off when I worked the midnight shift then I do now. Still have all, though. Fox Pro caller, squealers, decoy, etc.

View attachment 155View attachment 156View attachment 157View attachment 158View attachment 159

.223 is the perfect coyote gun for sure. At least for Michigan Yotes it is. Wyoming and out West may be a bit different. Faster twist .243 for the 90-105s for the bit further ranges out there would be a good choice. Course the .223 with 75-80s even in a 223 gets it done at 600+ yards.

 

[Alan]

I'll stick with my .223 with 55gr. Hornady V-Max bullets. They put the smack-down on yotes easy out to 300 yds. with My Remington R-15 VTR Predator topped off with a Nikon M223 4.5-16x43mm scope. I used to do a lot more coyote hunting on my days off when I worked the midnight shift then I do now. Still have all, though. Fox Pro caller, squealers, decoy, etc.

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I’ve got to admit, I’ve always been a tad jealous of those who use .223 for coyote hunting. I’ve been looking at a setup like your R-15 Predator with a solid scope, and hearing how it can easily stretch to 300yds makes me seriously consider finally making the purchase.

 

[Eric300]

I’ve got to admit, I’ve always been a tad jealous of those who use .223 for coyote hunting. I’ve been looking at a setup like your R-15 Predator with a solid scope, and hearing how it can easily stretch to 300yds makes me seriously consider finally making the purchase.

I don't think you'd be disappointed IF you can find one. They came in a few different variations, and the one like mine seems to be the hardest to find. They are (well, WERE made by Bushmaster for Remington). Well-built, run great and pretty dang accurate, too. Roughly .25 MOA.

There was really no need to, but I just can't seem to leave anything stock. lol
So, I swapped out the factory stock with a RRA Operator stock, replaced the factory pistol grip with an ERGO grip, installed a Timney 3# skeletonized trigger, replaced the buffer spring with a Sprinco enhanced buffer spring (which smoothed up the already smooth rifle length impingement gas system recoil), and installed a Magpul trigger guard. I LOVE the set-up, but the coyotes and varmints around here hate it! LOL

**Click on the link below the video.

**https://www.guns.com/used-guns/p/remington-r-15-vtr?i=586766

 

[Alan]

I don't think you'd be disappointed IF you can find one. They came in a few different variations, and the one like mine seems to be the hardest to find. They are (well, WERE made by Bushmaster for Remington). Well-built, run great and pretty dang accurate, too. Roughly .25 MOA.

There was really no need to, but I just can't seem to leave anything stock. lol
So, I swapped out the factory stock with a RRA Operator stock, replaced the factory pistol grip with an ERGO grip, installed a Timney 3# skeletonized trigger, replaced the buffer spring with a Sprinco enhanced buffer spring (which smoothed up the already smooth rifle length impingement gas system recoil), and installed a Magpul trigger guard. I LOVE the set-up, but the coyotes and varmints around here hate it! LOL

**Click on the link below the video.

View attachment 173


**https://www.guns.com/used-guns/p/remington-r-15-vtr?i=586766

The way you describe that rifle really makes me crave one! I've had the chance to handle a couple of those older Bushmaster-built Remingtons, and I can say they all felt rock-solid in a way that some modern rifles just don’t. If yours is hitting around .25 MOA, that’s precisely the kind of performance I’d expect from that era.

 

[ELD Pilot]

I’ve got to admit, I’ve always been a tad jealous of those who use .223 for coyote hunting. I’ve been looking at a setup like your R-15 Predator with a solid scope, and hearing how it can easily stretch to 300yds makes me seriously consider finally making the purchase.

The R15 has a 9 twist in the 223. A bit slower than most AR15 rifles. The 7&8 twist rifles will shoot the 75-90 grain bullets. The 75/80s in the ELDM are excellent coyote bullets. You can turn that 300 yards into 500-600 easily with those heavier high BC bullets with excellent accuracy. My 7 twist AR shoots 80 Grain ELDs in a 3" group at 500 yards. The R15 I'm sure can as well. The 69 grain Sierra SMK was the heaviest BT bullets I could shoot in the 9 twist. Those would do very well in the R15 and kill coyotes fabulously.

 

[Alan]

The R15 has a 9 twist in the 223. A bit slower than most AR15 rifles. The 7&8 twist rifles will shoot the 75-90 grain bullets. The 75/80s in the ELDM are excellent coyote bullets. You can turn that 300 yards into 500-600 easily with those heavier high BC bullets with excellent accuracy. My 7 twist AR shoots 80 Grain ELDs in a 3" group at 500 yards. The R15 I'm sure can as well. The 69 grain Sierra SMK was the heaviest BT bullets I could shoot in the 9 twist. Those would do very well in the R15 and kill coyotes fabulously.

So I've noticed a common trend, 1:9 twist barrels can still perform quite well, but as soon as you start experimenting with those longer, heavier bullets, they reach their limits pretty quickly. Personally, I've found that 69 SMKs have always been the sweet spot for any 1:9 rifle I've owned. They group nicely, retain energy better than most folks anticipate, and they really pack a punch when it comes to coyotes. But I have to say, using a fast-twist setup can really spoil you. My 1:7 rifle practically craves 75–80 grain bullets, and once I began loading those heavier ELDs, reaching out to 500+ yards didn’t feel like such a challenge anymore. It’s amazing how much more stable those high-BC bullets are when the wind starts to kick up.

 

[ELD Pilot]

So I've noticed a common trend, 1:9 twist barrels can still perform quite well, but as soon as you start experimenting with those longer, heavier bullets, they reach their limits pretty quickly. Personally, I've found that 69 SMKs have always been the sweet spot for any 1:9 rifle I've owned. They group nicely, retain energy better than most folks anticipate, and they really pack a punch when it comes to coyotes. But I have to say, using a fast-twist setup can really spoil you. My 1:7 rifle practically craves 75–80 grain bullets, and once I began loading those heavier ELDs, reaching out to 500+ yards didn’t feel like such a challenge anymore. It’s amazing how much more stable those high-BC bullets are when the wind starts to kick up.

I agree the 9 twist is the sweet spot. I have one in a 22-250 AI that I built. It's nice because even using the 70 berger boat tails, they stabilize fine and because they hit the 3650 fps, they reach out further than the 3000 fps 223 does. It also shoots the 50 grain bullets very well. I guess if I had to have one 223 rifle, it'd have a 9 twist barrel.

 

[Alan]

I agree the 9 twist is the sweet spot. I have one in a 22-250 AI that I built. It's nice because even using the 70 berger boat tails, they stabilize fine and because they hit the 3650 fps, they reach out further than the 3000 fps 223 does. It also shoots the 50 grain bullets very well. I guess if I had to have one 223 rifle, it'd have a 9 twist barrel.

Your example of the 22-250 with a 1:9 twist really highlights the “best of both worlds” idea. When you can fire those 70 Bergers quickly and keep them stable, it makes the whole twist-rate debate feel more about the cartridge than anything else. That added velocity really helps to flatten things out compared to a .223 shooting the same bullet at 3,000 fps. If someone were to ask me for a one-size-fits-all .223 setup, I’d probably say what you did. For general use, predators, and everything in between? A 1:9 is no doubt my top choice.

 

[ELD Pilot]

Your example of the 22-250 with a 1:9 twist really highlights the “best of both worlds” idea. When you can fire those 70 Bergers quickly and keep them stable, it makes the whole twist-rate debate feel more about the cartridge than anything else. That added velocity really helps to flatten things out compared to a .223 shooting the same bullet at 3,000 fps. If someone were to ask me for a one-size-fits-all .223 setup, I’d probably say what you did. For general use, predators, and everything in between? A 1:9 is no doubt my top choice.

I will also say that if I had to have one .224 cartridge, the .223 would be that cartridge. Probably the most versatile of them all considering the AR15 is an option.

 

[Eric300]

And don't forget to add barrel length into the amount of twist equasion.....

 

[Songdoger]

And don't forget to add barrel length into the amount of twist equasion.....

Bbl length equates to velocity which in turn equates to bullet RPM’s. In my heavy for caliber days I built my rifles based RPM’s. Mfg’s of 80-90 gr .224 VLD’s recommended 7.5 to 8 twist. I was stabilizing out to 1k with a 9 out of 22CHeetah at 3400+ fps. Same with 105’s out of 6-284 I. 9” twist. Tried an 8 twist in the cheetah but had to back charge down a bit due to pressure increase and was only getting about 3300 with the 80’s. In 223 velocities 1-7” for the 80’s. For Rpm Formula
Velocity x 12
Result divided by bbl twist
That result x 60
I could blow 50gr bullets up before they got 25 yds out of the cheetah. 1-9” was too many rpms at 4100 fps