good small caliber

[broomebuck]

looking for a 0 to 200 yard gun ive only ever hunted with a muzzleloader and a little bit of shotgun.The rifle i want to use for chucks and yotes fox for use in the burbs so the less bark the better thanks Rocco

[wilmsmeyer]

If you are a factory ammo shooter....223 is hard to beat. Ammo is made by everyone in every bullet type and usually economical. Guns are everywhere.

A little less noise would bring a 22 hornet or 218 bee to mind. These small cartridges will give close to 3000 fps with 40 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips and Lil gun and handloads. If you just shoot a little bit, reloading would not pay off very soon.

A .17 HMR is a little light for 200 yd coyotes IMO.

[broomebuck]

who makes a .218 bee

[broomebuck]

wilmsmeyer will the .17 do yotes at 150yards

[ozark]

I am looking forward to wilmsmeyers ruply on the .17 and coyotes at 150yds. I know it would be fine as far as bullet placement but beyond that I would have to call myself a bad source. They have 20 grain solid nosed bullets along with the .17 grain exploding type. The solid nose would probably cause death but the animal might travel some distance. speak up wilms.

[dannoboone]

The .204 Ruger would really fill the bill, and probably not be any
noisier than the .223, possibly even less so. They say it's a little
better than my Tac 20, and the Tac 20 shoots like a laser out
to over 300 yards.

[raf]

I shoot both a 22-250 and a 17 HMR. The 17 would be good up to 100 yds but probably to light after that. I shoot a 40 grain V-Max in the 22-250 and it does a great job on long range yotes. Just something to consider.

[sw]

Apr 24, 2009 21:47:34 GMT -5 raf said:

I shoot both a 22-250 and a 17 HMR. The 17 would be good up to 100 yds but probably to light after that. I shoot a 40 grain V-Max in the 22-250 and it does a great job on long range yotes. Just something to consider.

RAF,
We shoot the same guns, almost. I shoot an 8 twist 22-250 AK IMP with 40 NBTs thru 75 A-MAX/80 Sierra and Starkees(1700 left, out of business), Sav 223/40NBTs, and a 17HMR. The 20g XTPs in the 17 are definitely 100 yds or less in the 17 for coyotes, IMO(the gun is deadly accurate - .5MOA ay worst). It is my favorite gun for coyotes <100yds and foxes <200 yds: the std 17g A-max's perform about as well as the 17 and 20g XTPs to me. 223 can be down loaded to 1800'/sec or less if a noise sens load is needed. I have a 2100'/sec load with 40NBTs that is very effective to 200yds, and not very noisy. Normal load for 40 NBT is 28.0g TAC(safe for my gun and ~3600'/sec with 40 NBT and sub-MOA. 22-250 AK IMP: now that's noisy and long range!
A 223, if handloaded could be close to a do all gun as could a std 22-250: it can also be well downloaded.
A 17 Mach 4 would be a consideration as well as it's parent cartridge. The 22 Hornet might well be the best "off the shelf" cartridge everything considered: especially if handloading is not in the picture.

[broomebuck]

thanks guys my buddy told me to look at the 204ruger it looks like ill stay away from the 17hmr since this is not my first priority reloading is out for a while im going to look into the ballistics on the 204 and the 22 hornet and factory ammo for them.THANKS GUYS Rocco

[wilmsmeyer]

As wonderful as the .17 HMR is, I do not consider it a coyote flattener unless you head shoot them. That's a close range shot. Sure, put one precisely through the ribs behind the shoulder and you will have a dead coyote at 150 yds....but I bet he runs and runs and runs...possibly without a blood trail.

For a DRT coyote gun I would say that a hornet or bee, hit in the shoulder would be a minimum. Anything bigger...faster is just right.

[161]

I love the two .22 Hornets I have but if I were only going to have one center fire rifle the 223 is more versatile.

[orion]

Check out page two of the for sale page, there is CZ 204 for sale. I have not had one of these, but have one of the rimfire rifles and love it. I would purchase one if I was looking for a small cal. rifle.

I would not sell the .22 mag short either, all though it is not a 200 yard gun for coyote. They hit harder than most people think. In my opinion it hits harder than a .17 rim. and is perfect for the Burbs, and will do on an occasional close in yote, perfect for fox to a 100 or so. The only draw backs for the .17 or 22 mag are the ammo is expensive. I think your better off buying the reloading equipment and purchasing the 204, 22 hornet or 22 k-hornet.

Good Luck

[broomebuck]

thanks its just there are so many calibers i have not really heard of i do not want to make the wrong choice and i have time to research now four more weeks till i go back to work trying to make the most of it

[KerryB]

I have been shooting small caliber centerfire rifles for most of my life (don't ask ) and a few of my favorites are .223, .22-250, and .220 Swift. Any of those calibers as well as many others will fill the bill, but for inexpensive shooting, the .223 fills the bill best. For velocity, the .22-250 is pretty hot and the .220 Swift is smokin, but it eats the throats out of a barrel a little quicker than most calibers. There are just too many .22 centerfire calibers available to specify that one in particular is better than all the others. The .22-250 is very popular and ammo is readily available at most dealers although it isn't as cheap as .223. I would recommend a Savage or Remington varmint type set-up and it has been my experience that the Savage is a little less expensive while generally being as accurate or even more accurate than many other brands. I can't imagine that a Savage .223 varmint rifle wouldn't fill the bill for your needs. Good luck with your search! KerryB

[ozark]

If you settle on the .223 then I can't see you going wrong or being disappointed later. There are many as you mention but to say outright that any beats the .223 for the purpose you mentioned would be wrong. Noise, you can hear any centerfire rifle a long ways.