coyote and prairie dog caliber.

[2XS]

So I'm looking at starting to coyote hunt and want to kill some prairie dogs. I'm looking at a savage 12 bvss rifle. So what is your recommended caliber. Not really interested in .223. I trying to decide between 204,243,22-250. What would be the best option and hopefully economical. Is there any point of trying to save the coyote pelts when shooting them ? Is it worth the hassle ?

[J]

How far out do you want to shoot them? 243 is a really versatile round, and really quite good ballistically. But if you want a barrel burner 22-250 is hard to beat. Super hot and a laser beam out to medium distances.

If you choose a proper caliber and a proper projectile coyote pelts are absolutely worth saving. You aren't going to want to make a coat out of em, but they make great trophies.

[cofi]

another bonus i have seen 22-250 in stock at walmart during the whole panic the shelves would be empty and there would be like 5 boxes of 22-250 just sitting there

[MarkCO]

.204 Ruger. Not too hard on barrels, laser beam trajectory, wind it is real tricky. Tops out at about 300 yards.

22.250. Barrel burner, pretty flat, wider bullet selection, can handle wind if you can read it and know your ballistics. Tops out about 500 yards or so.

.243. Better for longer range, like past 400 out to well, it can get out there if you have the bullet and platform to launch it from.

I have had all of them, but I shoot the .223 the most and sold the .204. The .223 is the most economical, then the .204, then the .22-250.

If you are mostly Coyote hunting and maybe a few hundred a prairie rats a year, I would go with the .243. If you are looking at 200 round sessions on dog towns, might go .204.

[Husker95]

I have a couple 22-250s (rifle and bolt pistol) and love them - for what they are. If i still lived in Huskerland, however, i would have a 243 as my main rifle. Great cartridge for deer, antelope, yotes and varmints. Low recoil and you can almost always find ammo.

[TRnCO]

When I started calling coyotes 20 some years ago, I used the only rifle that I had at the time. It was a .270. It was rough on them and they were worth quite a bit of money back then. So I bought a .243 and used it for a few years. It was also rough on them and that rifle had a bull barrel so carrying it for a day or two of calling got old real quick. I then bought a 22-250 and used it for many years. It killed 'em dead but some times was rough on the pelt too. I also used it to shoot prairie dogs and even though the caliber has a reputation of being a "barrel burner", when I sold the rifle to a nephew it had a few thousand rounds through it, sometimes I even warmed the barrel up pretty good on prairie dogs, BUT my nephew is still using the rifle for coyote hunting and it still shoots plenty accurately. Reason I sold the 22-250 is because I had an AR custom built by D-Tech in the .204 caliber. Used it for several years, mostly on coyotes and it worked very well on called coyotes. I still got that rifle, but last year I had a custom .17/204 bolt action built and that's what I used almost all of last calling season. I did use my .17 Rem. on a couple outings. BUT I killed 91 coyotes last season and I never felt under gunned with the tiny .17 calibers.
With all that said, I'd suggest either the 22-250 or the .204 for your intended use. Nice thing about rifles is that if you ever burn out a barrel, they are replaceable.


The fur market is coming back a little bit. I averaged just over $20/ea. for coyotes in the round last winter. I simply freeze them whole and when I had a full freezer, I'd make a trip to meet the fur buyer and sell them.

[Buckaroobonsai]

For reference, I've probably dispatched over 1000 pdog and wabbits in less than a year that I've actually been hunting them. I have only used (2) of the calibers you mentioned. You're against .223, but it's economical, easy to reload, and deadly on pdogs, even past 300 yards. In fact, I scored my longest intentional headshot with a Remington 700 in .223 @ 395 yards!
https://www.ar-15.co/threads/114955-...pdog-headshot!
That being said, my current favorite calibers are 17 HMR and 22-250. 17 HMR in lessor winds from 25-200 yards, and 22-250 from 200+ yards with my longest kill at over 400 yards on a Pdog. Haven't had a chance to hunt 'yotes yet, but considering that I can hit a wavering target no bigger than the size of a shoe at those distances with it, I'm confident it would do the job.
As far as burning out the barrel, I'd guess I've shot maybe 500 rounds through my Savage 11, and although it gets pretty hot with each shot, it's never been an issue when using the slow, deliberate bolt action associated with varmint hunting. It's usually one shot per customer!

[Lars]

Buy one of each and try them all. But in all seriousness, I say the 22-250. They call it a barrel burner but I have one that has just over 2000 rounds through it and it still shoots tight. I have another that is actually a 22-250 Ackley Improved that is fast approaching 3000 rounds and it shoots like the day I got it back from the gun smith. The Ackley is my favorite varmint round. But lately I've switched to my 6.5 Creedmoor. Excellent on coyotes and it does wonders on priarie rats. A 140gr. Is a bit large and a little uneconomical for a 2lb critter but when you start taking longer shots, it will out perform all the rest. I do on occasion use my .243 on coyotes and it is a great all around cartridge. While a little big for rats, which the right bullet choice it's great for coyotes and it makes an excellent deer and antelope cartridge. I to was like you and had no interest in the .223 but have started to really like mine. It is by for the cheapest and easiest to reload for. Just my few opinions.

[Superorb]

So if price is a determining factor something in .223 would be wise?

[J]

Yes, feeding .223 is cheaper than any of the other calibers discussed.