I wouldn't recomend it even with a great scope the .233Rem 55gr.SP will have significant drop (also consider the elements,wind drift,etc..). Not to mention that at 500yds. est. velocity would be @ 1,000fps, and energy could be as low as 180-200ft.-lbs. not a risk I would take. (My opinion). A special forces sniper conversion 5.56 Nato rifle against a human target is one thing, a humane animal shot with a civilian Bushmaster 20" is another.
I sorta figure that if it's serious pest control, anything goes. But for just casual and occasional coyote hunting I fall back toward the old clean, ethical kill idea. So, I limit myself to around 250-ish on Wily Coyote. It doesn't take much of a breeze to get a six-inch drift at 300 yards, and the farther out you try, the worse it gets.
It's a coyote. They are pests. Take any safe shot you think you have a chance of hitting. A wounded animal is as good as dead-drop shot. Nature will finish what you started, and the population of a nuisance animal goes -1.
^^^ Couldn't agree more! ^^^Be that animal a mouse, a coyote, a wild hog, or a monster buck. All animals should garner the same amount of respect in death or the manner of death. I.E. quick and humane vs long lingering painfull.
Yes mother nature is cruel in the way things die, But personally I try not to be. YMMV
As far as the ethics and morality of how a varmint is killed, the primary issue is the food on the table from the net profit from the rancher's livestock.
If a thief with his gun comes into your house to steal your money or your family's food, do you really worry about a clean, ethical kill?
For sheep and goat ranchers, a coyote is a thief coming in at tooth-point to steal the real-world equivalent of money.
what twist are you working with? do you handload? if you got a fast twist then run some heavy Barnes or bergers 62gr+. and if 500 is the max shot, you'll be great on everything else. my brother took a whitetail doe this year at 350 with a 70gr tsx from a 16" 1:7 twist YHM barrel on his AR carbine. it went in the temple and out the other side. didn't even take another step. just flopped over people really underestimate the 223/556 it's performance really comes down to putting the right bullet for the job in the chamber. if you can stabilize a Barnes VG they are nasty on yotes. you'd have to look at velocities though and see if you had enough left to blow a big round hole out the other side
"....a coyote is following its nature and is searching for food..."
Same deal for house flies, mosquitoes and cockroaches.
You can probably hit one that far if you are a very good rifle shot.Is 500 yards on coyote doable??
IMO: A .223 is at best a 250 - 275 yard caliber for quick humane coyote kills.
Beyond that, velocity has dropped so much the explosive bullet performance necessary is very poor.