Mike1234567
member
Please keep the suggestions coming, folks. I'm mulling this over very carefully.
Coyotes In Semi-Rural Area -- Which Caliber & Bullet Type?
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Steel Horse Rider
Member
.38 Special in a lever gun. I think that would be far more lethal to a coyote sized animal than the .22 or .17 without being much more of a risk to the neighborhood. Maybe if you are lucky you can find a pre-Remington Marlin 1894 or 1894C.
MachIVshooter
Member
Varmint bullets fired from high velocity rounds tend to blow up when they hit just about anything, ground included. Handgun bullets have a much higher ricochet probability.
A .17 Rem or .223 (or .22 Hornet, .204, .22-250, etc) is also much less likely to effectively penetrate a house if it did hit one.
marineimaging
Member
.22 WMR Savage with Accutrigger and scope is my option.
451 Detonics
Member
I have it easy...Indiana allows suppressors for varmint and predatory animals like coyotes so I use my 300 Whisper...very quiet and the 200 grain slug really puts them down when I need to be stealthy.
I think I would look hard at the 357 or 44 mag Ruger bolt gun. Either would do very well at rural ranges.
I think I would look hard at the 357 or 44 mag Ruger bolt gun. Either would do very well at rural ranges.
JTJones
Member
You might want to use your 223 with Winchester PDX 1 ammo. The outer core made to frag.
MachIVshooter
Member
Can we say oxymoron? lol
200 grain rifle bullets and heavy pistol bullets are much more likely to ricochet folks. I live on 4.33 acres and it's fairly hilly, horses all around. I don't want to be stuck with a vet bill or worse. I use rat shot for rats and snakes (even possum close up! (.45acp shot shell btw)) and .22 wmr V-max or 12 gauge with #1-4 buck or 3" Turkey load for anything bigger. If I were on 2 acres I'd feel like the 12 gauge with #4 buck, T, BB or # 4 Birdshot would definitely be the way to go.
denton
Member
Steel Horse Rider's suggestion is a good one.
I load 125 grain cast lead bullets at 1250 fps in my Marlin 357/38 Spl. With a Marlin lever action, there is quite a bit of data that says that accuracy falls off badly above this speed.
Basically what you have is a 22LR speed bullet with about 3X the weight. No coyote is going to shrug that off. Yet recoil and report are very minimal.
A while back on another board, there arose a discussion about which 22LR ammo was the most deadly. With a bunch of different very high velocity options available, there was a strong consensus that CCI Velocitors were the winner. They hang together well, and penetrate well. A 22LR bolt action with Velocitors should also be very effective, but not as effective as 38 Spl.
I still worry about shooting even a 22LR in the area you describe, but you're the one that understands the local situation. Many states have restrictions on how far you have to be from a home or from a shed or corral where livestock is kept. Be mindful. Or, failing that, some of us will come see you on visiting day.
I load 125 grain cast lead bullets at 1250 fps in my Marlin 357/38 Spl. With a Marlin lever action, there is quite a bit of data that says that accuracy falls off badly above this speed.
Basically what you have is a 22LR speed bullet with about 3X the weight. No coyote is going to shrug that off. Yet recoil and report are very minimal.
A while back on another board, there arose a discussion about which 22LR ammo was the most deadly. With a bunch of different very high velocity options available, there was a strong consensus that CCI Velocitors were the winner. They hang together well, and penetrate well. A 22LR bolt action with Velocitors should also be very effective, but not as effective as 38 Spl.
I still worry about shooting even a 22LR in the area you describe, but you're the one that understands the local situation. Many states have restrictions on how far you have to be from a home or from a shed or corral where livestock is kept. Be mindful. Or, failing that, some of us will come see you on visiting day.
Mike1234567
member
^^^ LOL... I hear you. I've talked to my neighbors and I think most would agree to ridding our area of interlopers. There are many loose pets and dozens of children who live here. Also, one of my local sheriff deputies lives one block over. I've spoken to the local sheriff and he's a common sense type.
denton
Member
My mistake:
My 38 Spl round is not loaded to 1250 fps. They are a mild plinking load that gives about 750 fps out of a snubby revolver. So I would guess they might be 950 fps out of a rifle. So.... subsonic, not to noisy, and I think deadly on song dogs.
Nobody's pet is safe when coyotes are around. When I lived in Nevada, neighbors were constantly losing dogs.
My 38 Spl round is not loaded to 1250 fps. They are a mild plinking load that gives about 750 fps out of a snubby revolver. So I would guess they might be 950 fps out of a rifle. So.... subsonic, not to noisy, and I think deadly on song dogs.
Nobody's pet is safe when coyotes are around. When I lived in Nevada, neighbors were constantly losing dogs.
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