300 Yards

[KentuckyWildcat]

Slightly considering a gun that will reach a coyote at 300 yards. Not sure anything I currently have will do that consistently. I've been reading about the 6.5 creedmoor lately and it sounds promising and the Savage below seems to be a good value, but I do wish it came with a 16x scope. Reading articles and reviews, it seems everyone has a different opinion about every gun's accuracy...So I thought I would get a few more here. Or some other suggestions.

https://www.sportsmansoutdoorsuperstore.com/products2.cfm/ID/165269/22569/savage-axis-ii-kryptek-highlander-exclusive-6.5-creedmoor-w-4-12x40-scope-and-heavy-barrel

Not sure there is a price range for me, but realistically I'm not a great shot so this gun is probably better than I am capable of. And I won't shoot this a lot outside some occasional coyote hunting. I'd be willing to spend more if something is considerable better.

[bigsky]

I've shot my buddy's custom.264 mag for years. It's a freakin raygun. Of course it will wash out a barrel in a hurry. Something about those 6-7mm bullet coefficients. I know there are more modern cartridges in those calibers that come close. A 26" bull barrel is nice, too. I used to have a .220 Swift that I'd load to 4000 fps with a bull barrel and it would reach out and whack a coyote with authoriteh. Shot anything up to antelope with it.

[dan_bgblue]

I was very fond of my Remington .223 back in the day. About a 7 inch drop at 300 yds with off the shelf ammo. Well placed shots will drop a coyote in its tracks at that distance. I have no experience with other varmint calibers.

[bigsky]

Not a fan of .223 because rifling has to be compromised for military ammo. Better option (again, old school) is that .22-250, or 222 remington magnum (more modern)

Still think ballistically the 6-7mm is a better bet.

[truecatsfan]

243 has served me well at that distance, i have brought down deer farther than that.

[CitizenBBN]

If you don't want to have to calculate drop at all at 300 yards, I suggest .50 BMG. If you hit him there won't be a carcass to try to clean up, and if you miss you may get lucky and hit one a mile away you didn't even see.

Seriously there are a number of good rounds for that range. That's a butter zone range for a ton of US and military chamberings. 22-250, .222, but also .243 and .223 Rem, and a lot of people like .308 . The heavier rounds like .308 won't be as sensitive to wind as well.

Then there are exotic calibers, like the 6.5 lapua, or the 6.5 grendel, or the 6.5 creedmoor. In that group I'd look hard at the 260 Remington, another 6.5mm.

The reason the 6.5mm rounds perform so well is that they have a different ratio, being usually a much longer bullet compared to width, which leads to better wind and drop attributes but does require a higher twist rate to stabilize. The 260 Rem is a necked down 308 with that 6.5mm bullet ballistics and more twist.

But at 300 yards you can't go wrong with 308 either, though that's overkill for coyotes. There are just a lot of rounds that are really good at the 300 yard range, many out to about 500 yards. Then it's down to wind impact, recoil and personal preference IMO.

BTW, that doesn't include mil surplus options. I know some guys that swear by Mosin Nagants at that range, and if you like the 6.5 you can shoot one of the originals in the old Swiss military rifles, and they are VERY well made guns if you find one with a good barrel.

[KeithKSR]

Have you checked out .204 Roger? It was designed as a varmint cartridge, based on the .222 Remington cartridge.

[CitizenBBN]

243 has served me well at that distance, i have brought down deer farther than that.

Out of all the calibers I listed, IMO the .243 is a great choice for its availability, weight versus wind, drop and recoil. If I had no budget issues I'd probably get the 6.5 lapua, but you can get a good .243 and use it for a lot of things for not a ton of money.

Didn't even get into the 7mm options, which are also plentiful and would also work fine. Though for coyotes at that specific range I'd go .243 or into the 6.5mms and call it a day. If it was deer that would be different, but not coyotes.

[KentuckyWildcat]

Really know very little about anything that starts with a 2 other than 223 and 22. I can't say I care about the coyote's suffering, but I would like to kill and not wound them and the 223 seems kind of light at that distance, but I could be wrong. Looks like I at least need to read some more about the ammo types suggested.

[CitizenBBN]

If you want something a little heavier the .243 or 308 would both work. The 25-06 or 270 are in between those two, also good choices. Seriously you can't go wrong with any of those.

I will say for purposes of considering the power of the round that 243 and up are used for deer, though 243 is on the light side for it for many. 270 is uber popular for deer, it's definitely more than enough for coyote, as are all of them.

Now if you it it in the back leg it won't matter what you use, the shot still has to be placed, but any of those have enough power to drop a coyote immediately.

[KeithKSR]

.243 is a good all around cartridge, it will easily take down Whitetail deer or varmints. The .243 is based on the .308 cartridge, should shoot a little flatter than a .270, which is based on the .30-06 cartridge.

[jazyd]

Love my 25-06. Dropped every deer I have shot at, flipped one over backwards. Flat, fast, no recoil. Shooting 117 grain bullet. Been told by a friend who is a gun fanatic.. His two closets are impressive which contain 14 Browning over unders and 18 Remington. And assorted custom made guns. He said the 25-06 is good on antelopes so it should be good on the dogs

[KentuckyWildcat]

What is the recoil like on the 243?

[KeithKSR]

What is the recoil like on the 243?

Fairly light. My daughter has shot a .243 since she was 10. Lots of kids start out with a .243 as their first deer rifle here.

[jazyd]

What is the recoil like on the 243?

Not much but you aren't shooting much bullet either. Shoot 100 gr or 85 grain hollow point but neither has the knock down that 25-06 does. I had a 243 Browning and my hunting partner hunted with one for years. He lost several nice bucks because it didn't have the punch on off center hits. I had two 25-06's and gave one to my nephew and sold my Browning. :) Not much recoil either but that 117 grain bullet is something.

[ukblue]

Weatherby 257 is a really good long range weapon. Enough bullet weight so wind is not a problem and at 300 yds it shoots flat with no drop. Velocity is about 3700 fps and no worry about wounded animal getting away. Stay away from those 4000 fps guns, barrels burn out at that velocity. Also 22-250 Remington with 55 grain v max bullets works great.

[CitizenBBN]

Was hoping .50 BMG would get more votes. No drop at 300 yards, no wind issues, guaranteed to drop in one shot if you get anywhere near a kill shot.

now, for safety reasons it is good to put a 2 inch steel plate behind the coyote in question....

[ukblue]

You forgot that with the 50 cal there is no skinning Chuck

[jazyd]

Weatherby 257 is a really good long range weapon. Enough bullet weight so wind is not a problem and at 300 yds it shoots flat with no drop. Velocity is about 3700 fps and no worry about wounded animal getting away. Stay away from those 4000 fps guns, barrels burn out at that velocity. Also 22-250 Remington with 55 grain v max bullets works great.

Blue. I bought a 257 once but immediately traded in back for the 243. I was told at the time, about 18 yrs ago, that the ammo was going to get hard to come by. I really wanted that gun :)

[ukblue]

Weatherby uses a belted brass ammo so with all of the shortages with ammo Weatherbys has been relatively plentiful. Just expensive. The 25-06 that you mentioned is a really effective round too Jazy.

[dan_bgblue]

Was hoping .50 BMG would get more votes. No drop at 300 yards, no wind issues, guaranteed to drop in one shot if you get anywhere near a kill shot.

now, for safety reasons it is good to put a 2 inch steel plate behind the coyote in question....

I would rather use the Barrett, or in a pinch, the Kentucky Rifle I saw several months ago.

[KentuckyWildcat]

You forgot that with the 50 cal there is no skinning Chuck

Fine with me :) I don't hunt them for sport or fur, those darn things like to kill my calves!!!

[ukblue]

A donkey or a Elpaca will put a stop to calf killings. Stay away from the jacks and if the Elpacas have young they can be scary.

[KentuckyWildcat]

Been there done that with the Donkey. We had two at different times. They bring their own set of issues, at least ours did. Trying to clip his feet one day probably looked like a scene from Blazing Saddles to anyone driving by.

My dogs do decent at keeping them away now, but I think I have lost one my dogs in the last storm. He has not come home yet. I normally lock them up, but I didn't know a storm was coming that early morning before the bad storms Tuesday night.

[KeithKSR]

A couple of Great Pyrenees pups raised with cattle will die to protect the cattle.

[KeithKSR]

The AR 15 with good optics becomes a great varmint rifle.

[elicat]

The only time I've shot a coyote it was with a 270, and it did the job just fine, though it wasn't at anything like that range, more like 100 yards. But I think it would have done it at 300.

[ukblue]

Yep!

[KentuckyWildcat]

I reserve the right to change my mind before the day is over.... :)

But I've pretty much decided on the Savage Axis II. And I'm leaning toward the 243 or 25-06 now. I can get the Savage Axis II without a scope for around $300. Or I can get the Savage Axis Kryptek with a decent scope for about $400. The Kryptek has a heavy barrel and a decent scope but not the really the scope I want. And I think they have stopped making Kryptek b/c I can't find a lot of info on it but the reviews are good.

So really is the heavy barrel worth $100+? I'm starting to think it is not the more I read.

[KeithKSR]

I reserve the right to change my mind before the day is over.... :)

But I've pretty much decided on the Savage Axis II. And I'm leaning toward the 243 or 25-06 now. I can get the Savage Axis II without a scope for around $300. Or I can get the Savage Axis Kryptek with a decent scope for about $400. The Kryptek has a heavy barrel and a decent scope but not the really the scope I want. And I think they have stopped making Kryptek b/c I can't find a lot of info on it but the reviews are good.

So really is the heavy barrel worth $100+? I'm starting to think it is not the more I read.

Savage bolt guns have the best out of the box accuracy. I have a Savage 110 and everyone who has shot it loves it.

I'm not sure the Kryptek is still available, if it is available it would be worth the extra $100.

[dan_bgblue]

Heavy barrel for 300 yard shots would be a big benefit. The weight of the barrel makes it easier to steady on target.

[KeithKSR]

Heavy barrel for 300 yard shots would be a big benefit. The weight of the barrel makes it easier to steady on target.

That's why a lot of predator/varmint labeled rifles have heavy barrels. A .17 HMR is a good varmint cartridge, not sure about the 300 yard range though.

[KentuckyWildcat]

Savage bolt guns have the best out of the box accuracy. I have a Savage 110 and everyone who has shot it loves it.

I'm not sure the Kryptek is still available, if it is available it would be worth the extra $100.

Good to know! Thanks!

I've read that about Savage out of the box and the Axis series being a good "value".