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Best caliber for coyotes AND deer?

34K views 52 replies 30 participants last post by  Newbie53 
#1 ·
I'd first like to say that I am new to this forum and that I have enjoyed going through old threads and reading the advice and information. I realize my question is a much-debated one, but I had a specific situation that I was hoping I could get some help with.

I have always been an upland game hunter. My experience with rifles is limited. I recently decided to purchase some hunting property that had good numbers of upland game. However, I now find myself facing two interesting dilemmas: (1.) the property also has a number of tempting whitetails and (2.) there are a lot of coyotes around.

I have decided to purchase a rifle to address these dilemmas, but I'd like to handle both with one rifle. The property is such that would require longer distance shots and quick kills. The average shot is going to be about 250 yards and because part of the property is impossible to get through, numbers of bleeding running deer will have to be minimized.

Can you recommend a rifle caliber that can handle these tasks?

I was initially considering a 7mm Remington Mag., however, I was discouraged when I compared the price of the ammunition with that of the 30-30. I am now between the 308 and the 30-06, but am also considering the 270.

Am I on the right track?

Thank you, in advance, for any help.

P.S. If you would like to recommend a specific make/model of rifle and scope, and/or type/weight of ammunition, it would also be greatly appreciated.
 
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#2 ·
Of the calibers, you mention, the .270 Winchester would be a wise choice. Also you might consider .243 Winchester, .25-06, or 6 m/m Remington; however, of the three, you might have some trouble in purchasing a 6 m/m Rifle. I am uncertain if it is still chambered in various brands of Rifles.
 
#4 ·
Are you a reloader? Whether or no, for pure economy the .308 is probably the best choice of those you mentioned. It uses the least powder and factory ammo may be cheaper/more plentiful at this point, though the others should be close. If you're willing to consider an alternative, think about a .243 Win. It'll do what you're asking very nicely.
 
#5 ·
Welcome to the forum. Are you going to try to salvage the coyote hides, or just pest control? Any rifle that will handle a whitetail will do in a coyote, but most of them will make a mess of the hide.

If you don't care what becomes of the coyote, any of the popular calibers in .243 / 6mm and up will suffice. I'm partial to the .257 Roberts myself.

What's the most reasonably priced ammunition in your area? That might be your best best.
 
#6 ·
I think the .308 would be hard to beat for store-bought ammo, also the .243. The 7mm and .270 could do the job admirably, but I have not seen the varmint ammo in the stores. For reloaders the options (and choices) get much more varied, just about anything can be loaded for varmint. Then I would throw in the 6.5 (.264) family and .25s as well.

A nice bolt-action with a 4x12 scope and plenty of time to practice quick accurate shots (coyotes don't always give you much time), and you should be ready for all kinds of hunting situations. I have a 4x12 Leupold VX II on a Ruger M77 (1970s vintage) in .243 that does the job for me. However, I just got a 6.5x55 Swede on a CZ 550 Full Stock that would work too. So many choices, so little time. :D

Happy rifle hunting!
 
#7 ·
Ditto to what MikeG said (as usual - he's one smart guy!). I'd opt for a 250 Savage or 257 Roberts, as either one is just a comforting bit better on deer than either of the 6mm rounds. But neither is a pelt-keeper's friend.

Any moderate power round in the action style you prefer will do the job: 243, 6mm, 250 Savage, 257 Roberts, 260, 7-08, 270, 280, 300 Savage, 308... But as mentioned, the better it does with one size of game, the worse it'll do with the other.
 
#8 ·
I use a 243 win for both. 58 gr at 3700 for varmints and 100 gr at 2900 for deer. I have lots of rifles but my 243 win mod 70 has more notches than all the rest when it comes to taking deer but it has also been around a lot longer than the rest.
 
#9 ·
I'd vote for the .25/06 or .243 as well, both will easily handle whitetails and coyotes. .243 ammo is a little cheaper than .25/06. The .25/06 packs a lot more punch with no gain in recoil.
 
#10 · (Edited)
I think the 7mm-08 and the .260 Rem are good choices, especially if you reload (edited to add .260 Rem). If not, I would go with 25-06. .243 is also a good choice, and I've killed a bunch of deer with them, but if the big muy grande steps out, I'd rather have something that I'm confident would put 'em down with a double shoulder shot.

Just my .02. Congrats on the land, btw, and here's to pest control.

Deck
 
#12 · (Edited)
P.S. If you would like to recommend a specific make/model of rifle and scope, and/or type/weight of ammunition, it would also be greatly appreciated.
If you are looking for a quality rifle without shelling out a bunch of dough, there are a bunch of choices. With that said, Weatherby sells the Vanguard in a package deal that comes with a bushnell banner scope pre-mounted, and a rifle case. You can pick one up on gunbroker.com for between $500-$550. The Banner scope isn't anything to write home about, but the hard case and rings alone are worth buying it that way. You can upgrade the scope at your convenience, and you've already got a setup that should be close to sighted in. It also comes in bunch of calibers folks have listed in this thread: .223 Rem. .257 Wby. Mag. .243 Win. .25-06 Rem. .270 Win. 7mm-08 Rem. .308 Win.
 
#13 ·
yep the vanguards are nice, then there is the howas & savages and rugers and...... heck they are all good!! if it were me i would just use the deer load to whack yotes, there isn't much sense in trying to sight in for two loads. this way you get to know your deer load a little better in the offseason when you're whacking songdogs.
 
#14 ·
I vote for a 25-06 as well. Good for varmints up to elk. Can't get much more versatile than that. I have had great results on coyotes using Win. 90gr hp's or sierra's 90gr. hp in reloads. For deer I have settled on a 100gr. Nosler Partition and have had excellent results on big Wisconsin whitetails. And referring to big dan's post...the point of impact between the two is so small there is no need to resight for a different load. I usually do anyway...just a good excuse to go shooting!!

As far as a rifle , you have to pick which one is best for you. you can take 100 different suggestions here and none matter until you personally pick one up. Every maker has a good rifle anymore and which is best is as bad as asking which caliber is best for what:) They will all work and you can't really go wrong no matter which you decide on.
 
#15 ·
Another vote for the 25-06. It's flat shooting, great knockdown power, meat and user friendly.

Find a rifle that fits like a hand shake from an old friend and put decent 3x9 glass on it. My favorite is a Browning A-bolt composite stalker with a VX-II leupold.

I handload, found no fault with the 100 Gr. Sierra pro-hunter.

Goodluck on what ever you choose, and congrats on the land acquision.
 
#16 ·
If you handload, the choices are wide. But in store bought ammo the 308 would be my choice. You can get military surplus ammo for practice. The 308 hunting ammo is about the cheapest to be found right now. In 308, I like the Ruger M77 with a Timney trigger. A good 2x7 scope would work OK.
 
#18 ·
Lots of good suggestions here. Look around at some of the local sporting goods stores and talk to the counter folks. You didn't say what kind of budjet your looking at so giving you a specific rifle and scope is a little harder. Many of our members have given you good advice.

I shoot two different 243's, a Ruger #1 single shot and a Remington 700 VLS varmint rifle. Both do in both coyotes and deer with good results and ammo is available everywhere from Walmart to Cabela's and all sporting goods dealers have 243's. This is an easy to shoot dual purpose cartridge that literally thousands of folks nationwide have been whacking deer and coyotes with for lots of years.

I own and shoot several varmint, deer and elk rifles and found that I like a dedicated rifle for each type of game I hunt, but I'm really into hunting and shooting. For a one rifle person any of the above recommendations are good.
 
#19 ·
I wanted to thank you all for your advice thus far. I had not thought of the .25-06, and I will definitely consider it as one of my final choices.

I also wanted to answer some of the questions that were raised so that you may better respond:

1.) I DO NOT reload. All of my ammunition will be store-bought ready-to-shoot. Therefore, a readily available caliber (with bullets that can handle deer) is important.

2.) I do not know yet how much I am willing to spend. I would definitely spend a little more for a nicer gun than a nicer scope. I cannot see myself putting an eyepiece on a rifle that costs more than the gun itself. Some of the scopes that were suggested, although very nice, can pass $1000. I'd like to stay around $200 for the scope (and even that is a little high for me), but I could approach a $1000 for a nice Browning or something.

3.) At first, I was considering saving the coyote hides, but now I think I just want to get rid of them as quickly as possible before they do any more damage to the game populations. So, at this point, being able to DROP a deer and a coyote at 250-300 yards is most important.

I hope this information helps. Thank you all again.
 
#20 ·
You're getting the scope thing backwards, my opinion. A cheap scope that fails on an expensive gun still misses critters. A modestly priced gun, with a good reliable scope that always works, doesn't lose adjustments and fog up, gets them every time.

Not that cheap scopes can't work. But you get what you pay for. $200 isn't a bad budget, though. There are good scopes in that range.
 
#21 ·
i personally think that your spending ratio for the gun vs scope is rather flawed. i put the best glass on my rifles that i can afford, there has just been too many times that i've upgraded the optics and seen considerable increases in accuracy. to me if you are willing to spend a grand on a rifle why would you put just any 'ol scope on it??
youy can't shoot it if you can't see it. me personally i've had too many aggravations on account of cheap glass, in the end its just not worth it.
 
#22 ·
Just want to second Mike's comment about scope cost. No rifle, no matter how pretty, can shoot any better than the sights you are using.

Get a good scope. Pay way more than you think you should. Once you have enough experience with it, you will come to understand it is money very well spent.
 
#25 ·
+1. You can get a good Zeiss Conquest for $350-$399, same for good (not excellent) Leupold, Nikon, Burris. Put that on a solid Rem 700, Win 70, Browning A-bolt, Weatherby Vanguard, Ruger Hawkeye, Tikka, Savage, etc. - all of these rifles with a $200-$400 scope would put a very nice combination for what you're doing in your hands for around $1000 TOTAL. Best of luck.

Deck
 
#23 ·
25-06 Remington all the way, Federal Premium or Winchester supreme 85 grain Ballistic tips on coyotes and a 117 grain Sierra Gameking for deer, 100 grain ballistic tips are my LONG range load for everything
 
#26 ·
I'll ring in on good quality optics... I'm looking at $500 in cheap scopes that did not hold up, one is a Nikon, one is a Simmons, and 3 are BSAs - JUNK. That is $500 I could have spent on Leupolds and I would be happy.
 
#27 ·
I'll chime in too on the scopes: Get the best you can afford. Most rifles today shoot better than the average shooter but none of them can shoot well if it has a cheap scope that can't hold a zero or is affected by minor bumps. Nor do they show good clarity when it counts. I learned that one the hard way years ago and it cost me a nice buck.
 
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