Short range coyote gun

[LT.Diver]

What's the best short-range coyote gun for a semi-rural area? By that I mean that I want something not too much louder than a .22 LR but with enough power for a clean kill at about 100 yards or so on a coyote, fisher, or fox.
I have a couple of .223's and they would surely do the job but they're loud as hell at 5:30 a.m.
I'm thinking of perhaps a .22 hornet or .22 WMR. The .17 has crossed my mind but I'm a little leery of the bullet weight.
I'd appreciate any thoughts you fur hunters might have.

 

[10-Ring]

22lr and a coyote killer???? My first thought was of a 30-30 lever action than I read you wanted a 22 so I thought AR15 but I'm not a hunter & I don't know if the 223 AR is enough to take down coyotes

 

[rantingredneck]

.22WMR and .17HMR will both work though they are both marginal at best. I know guys who take numerous coyotes each year with them both though. .22 Hornet would be more likely to get clean kills and less critical of shot placement, but would be louder I would think (never shot one though so I can't speak intelligently to that).

 

[rantingredneck]

Have you thought about .17 Remington?

 

[burrhead]

.22 hornet

 

[R.W.Dale]

17 HMR. In a good rifle inside 150yds the only thing to worry about is where to put the bullet, In the eye or right behind the ear.

you may want to throughly check your local regulations as centerfires aren't legal everywhere for certain coyote seasons

 

[wdlsguy]

I have a couple of .223's and they would surely do the job but they're loud as hell at 5:30 a.m.

Sounds like you could use a suppressor.

 

[win71]

22 hornet

Currently I'm shooting one from CZ. CZ American they call it. I had a Ruger but had considerable accuracy problems. Although the 22 hornet isn't known for extreme accuracy the CZ does group around 1.5 inch at 100 yards. Sometimes better with some handloads. The hornet isn’t exactly a lightening bolt and at 100 yards damage to hide should not be too bad.

 

[Gordon]

.22 hornet will do it to 100 yards and is about like a .22WMR- a BIG step down from a .223. Get a 24" barrel to be quieter. I have a .17 Ackley Hornet , which in the 28" BSA Martini barrel is pretty quiet, like a .22lr stinger, however it is an advanced reloading item. It kills well with a 3400 fps velocity with 27 grain bullets.
The only kicker in what you said was AT NIGHT. You have to have a heck of a light rig to see a yote at 100 yards at night. I shoot them at night with a shot gun with a light or a 1st gen nod WITH INFRA RED BOOSTER. tHIS WORKS TO 50 YARDS +.

 

[swingset]

Suppressed .223.

 

[rangerruck]

17 hmr will do the job fast and easy, without a doubt. I have done it many times, A sheriff i spoke with about this very topic, part of his job is varmint, coyote, hog control. his primary weapon for this is a savage 17hmr. He has killed 29 coyotes this year so far, since I last spoke with him, and his longest shot was 150 yards. A lung or neck shot drops them like lightening.

 

[RCouch]

An M1 carbine has worked well for me in the past but I've never used one over 50 to 75 yds. They are not overly loud.

 

[Clipper]

My Hi-Point 9mm carbine is one of the quietest guns I own. With a reflex sight or a low power scope, it will easily hit and kill coyotes at 100 yards.

 

[Glockfan.45]

22lr and a coyote killer????

I have dropped many yotes with my 10/22 and CCI Stingers where the farmers dont want us to use centerfire. Shot placement is key however and I have never taken a shot past 75 yards or so. My dad uses a Marlin bolt gun (dont remember the model#) in .22WMR with good results as well. In most areas silencers are illegal for hunting FYI.

 

[hagar]

Load some 40-50 grain hollow point bullets over 13 grains of Blue Dot for your 223, in a 24-26 inch barrel you will barely hear the shot 200 yards away.

 

[JWarren]

The last coyote I shot was with a Remington 700 in 30-06....

A pack of the SOB's started circling the deer I was watching in during deer season. I took out the pack leader.


John

 

[Sistema1927]

I don't know if the 223 AR is enough to take down coyotes

Sure is. Many, many years ago I paid for two semesters of college by shooting West Texas coyotes with a Mini-14 outfitted with a Weaver V9. I took some of these dogs out to ~300 yards and the .223 dropped them DRT. Since I was selling the pelts (and turning in both ears and the tail for the $25 bounty) I was taking head shots only.

I don't think that 'yotes are any tougher now than they were 30+ years ago.

 

[trainwreck100]

.22 WMR is aplenty for a coyote at that range.....22lr (the cheap Federal stuff) will make a consistent one shot drop at 80 yards, Stinger ought to be good a little farther, and WMR should be all you'd ever need a little over 100 yards.

 

[rangerruck]

http://www.varmintal.com/a243z.htm
go to the 17hmr analysis section, and check out the energy ratings. the 22wmr is most energy to about 80 or so yards, after that, the 17 hmr has it over the 22 mag.

It has less wind deflection, less drop, more velocity, more range, and more energy , than the 22 mag, in all these catagories, from about 75 yards on out.

 

[esswiz]

I agree with trainwreck100 completely. A 22WMR is pretty slick on close range coyotes. Otherwise, my REM 700 .243 with 75gr HP are a lot of fun.

 

[BsChoy]

If the action type isn't a big deal...NEF single shot in 22 hornet or 223 in that order. Hornet will be a little expensive to feed unless you reload but will do coyotes out to 150.

 

[Z_Infidel]

You might consider a Marlin 1894C in .357 Magnum. Not overly loud, plenty of killing power out to 100 yards, and easy to equip with good aperture sights or a scope.

 

[jeepmor]

+1 on using a common pistol round in a lever rifle.

The smaller calibers at lower speeds do not anchor the animals well. My BIL was using 17HMR and he stated several coyotes ran off with his bullet in them, never to be found. We all have 223s or larger for this duty now.

 

[R.W.Dale]

You might consider a Marlin 1894C in .357 Magnum. Not overly loud, plenty of killing power out to 100 yards, and easy to equip with good aperture sights or a scope.

It depends, The quietest centerfire I've ever fired was my Handy-Gun II in 357 magnum loaded with 38's way quieter than a 22lr BUT it's illegal to use for coyotes here in Arkansas as it falls outside the 'not larger than 30 caliber" rule.

Yes I know it's stupid. My 300WBY is legal but a 9mm carbine isn't.

My BIL was using 17HMR and he stated several coyotes ran off with his bullet in them,

tell him to stop shooting them in the guts and they won't run off

 

[romma]

.22 Magnum would do it I believe. I have seen one take down a couple of larger than coyote creatures!