Help me help a coworker

You haven't said what it is that these folks need to protect from varmints. Since they are not gun people, and they have neighbors, it might not be their job to control varmints for the neighborhood. They are not accurate enough to take 200 yard shots on coyotes. It sounds like their range is going to be 100 yards and in. Centerfire rifle cartridges do not sound like their comfort level.

Since they are not gun people, you kind of have to find out what they are comfortable with and what they will practice with. It sounds like they are comfortable with a pistol caliber carbine. They don't sound like shotgun people. Will they go to the range and practice and gain proficiency?

To do all that and stay within her budget, it has to be a 12 or 20 ga shotgun. But I don't think she's going to get close enough to a coyote to kill it with a shotgun, at least not humanely. That's pretty much a job for .223 with a 3-9x scope.

I put my vote in for a 20 ga. pump shotgun. Mild on recoil, reliable, ammo is plentiful, and it is never looked at as an "evil gun".

.357 lever is a good do-all rifle, and probably all she'll ever need. They are simple, rugged and plenty accurate within 150 yards. My wife is not a huge gun person but she is very good with the 16" Rossi 92 and absolutely loves shooting it.

I've handled and shot both Henry and Rossi 92 in .357. The Rossi model 92 is a remake of the Winchester 92, a venerable pistol caliber cartridge carbine. In stainless, the Rossi 92 is a durable firearm that shoots great and accurately.

Add a Limbsaver slip-on pad if concerned about recoil. But the Rossi 92 is a great, fast, light weight action that will be effective against coyotes at 200 yards and closer.

I found the Henry to be heavy, by comparison. Its pretty, but its not handy. If you are running out the door to get a coyote, you'l want the Rossi 92 in either 16 or 20 inch barrel.

IMHO she is talking 2 guns. 'Yotes and other varmints don't fit into the home defense box very well. Remington 870 for home defense. Varmint gun later. I would not compromise the best HD options in this way, the 'yotes can wait.

There's an inherent clash between a home defense rifle and a coyote rifle.

Assuming you are going to be shooting any sort of distance, you'll need a good scope with decent magnification, something that's easy to hold steady, maybe even a bipod. (yes, bipod for 'farm defense' coyote shooting, sometimes you see the buggers out there a ways trotting away with one of your dead chickens)

That's kind of the opposite of a home defense gun. Home defense you want as short a barrel as legal, and optics with very minimal zoom, and probably a flashlight on it.

Honestly, for their needs, for NOW, they are probably best off viewing the handgun as the main home defense firearm and then get something more for predator control that is a backup home defense gun but not a great one.

I'd recommend getting a 22 magnum rifle. Maybe one of the semi-auto ones. 22 mag or 17 HMR is no slouch coming out of a rifle barrel. 8 to 10 rounds and all you have to do is pull the trigger. I see savage makes an A17 and an A22.

Pair it with a variable scope that has low magnification, possibly an illuminated reticle. Something like the Weave Kaspa in 1.5x6 sells for just under $200.

I think that would be a MUCH more effective coyote gun at 50 yards.

Given the price point in the OP, my firt thought was an SKS--intermediate round, handy length, wood and iron, so not "scary" and inexpensive. Plenty of blot-on stuff, too.

Also, the SKS is not a weapon which "grows" with a shooter--it's lacks and inefficiencies will nag at a person until they buy better.

However, in reading through the whole thread, I find myself gravitating more to one of the .357mag lever guns. I'd have a bias towards the Marlin, but mostly since it's bored & tapped already, so a red-dot would be no big deal to install. Or a holo; I'd stay away from glass for limiting peripheral vision too much.

Gotta say, the pistol caliber carbine in .357 is the perfect starter rifle for a newbie.

They need to practice (a lot) at a range with 38 special. To get comfortable with the rifle and proficient with accuracy. Both off-hand and supported.

They need to learn the 4 rules of gun safety, believe them like the Gospel, and practice them religiously ---especially the rule "Be sure of your target and what's behind it." They have houses a mile away on both sides. There are roads, possibly people walking, on horseback, or riding ATVs.

When they draw a bead on a coyote in the neighborhood, they have to be aware of what's beyond their target. They have to make a shoot/no-shoot decision based on correctly identifying the target and what's behind it.

To give some safety margin for a new shooter, I recommend the .357 pistol caliber carbine over a center fire rifle cartridge like .223 (anything sub 30 cal.). They don't want a shot to carry past 300 yds, (when fired level at a target) and they won't be making shots past 150-200 yards. Until they get really proficient with the pistol caliber carbine, they should stay away from a high velocity round.