New Rifle!?!?! What should I get?

[PackerBacker12]

Im looking into getting a coyote rifle. What do you guys prefer or think I should get? I want a very accurate rifle. Do you guys like ARs? I would like an AR I think. Do you guys have anything against ARs? are the ARs as accurate as say a bolt action rifle? I was also wondering what kind of caliber you guys prefer to shoot at coyotes? I shot a .308 today and kinda liked it. It was something different. My buddy has a 22-250 that I think I really like. Im fairly new to shooting smaller caliber rifles. I have shot a 30-06 and a 7mm for years.

[PurpleFloyd]

look into a .204

[K_Josh87]

22-250 is a great yote caliber... others 204, 223, 243... I shoot a 243 right now, hope to maybe get a 22-250 some day... or a 25-06... or who knows...

you can't beat a good solid bolt action for accuracy IMO... the ARs i have shot are NOT as consistent... but I think if you are willing to fork out some cash you can get into one that is accurate. If you are going with anything other than a 223 in an AR though the ammo will bite... you WILL have a tendency to shoot more rounds, practicing or hunting... Good luck!

[PackerBacker12]

Yeah my buddy has an AR 223 and that is the reason he got that caliber because the ammo is cheaper than say a 22-250

[Grayfox]

I've got a 17 REM in bolt and AR and both of them shoot tiny little groups with very little recoil. The only drawback is ammo is harder to find and pretty expensive but those 17's are a blast to shoot. My son shoots a 223 and loves it as well. If your hunting Wisconsin or Minnesota any gun you get should be accurate enough out of the box for the ranges we shoot.

Rob

[PurpleFloyd]

I have a 243 wssm but recently bought a Remington model 7 in 17 fireball and that gun is a blast to shoot.

[MN Mike]

It's been a while since I bought a new rifle but this past spring I picked up a Browning X-Bolt Varmint Special in a .243 and I REALLY like it, very accurate out of the box and a blast to shoot.

I've been shooting Hornady 58 gr. VMax rounds thru it, looking forward to getting after some yotes this winter with the setup.

Mike

[givetoget]

I've got a 17 REM in bolt and AR and both of them shoot tiny little groups with very little recoil. The only drawback is ammo is harder to find and pretty expensive but those 17's are a blast to shoot. My son shoots a 223 and loves it as well. If your hunting Wisconsin or Minnesota any gun you get should be accurate enough out of the box for the ranges we shoot.

Rob

Grayfox, you say you use a 17 for yotes, is that enough to put them down, where do you hit them and what style/ brand bullet do you use. What would be max range you would try. I have a savage 17 and love shooting it and would like to try it on yotes but never shot anything bigger that a rabbit or crow with it.

Thanks

[picksbigwagon]

TRB, grayfox uses a 17REM which I believe is a 223 necked down to take a .17 bullet, it is NOT a 17 HMR rimfire, I own a savage 17 hmr and it is the most accurate gun I own (shooting harnady 20 gr. bullets).......

[givetoget]

Thanks Picksbigwagon, I was not aware thats what it was.

[LMITOUT]

Who says an AR isn't accurate? You just have to get a good one.

Rock River .223

[Whopper Stopper]

I like AR's for yotes. The ones I have played with shoot as well as most anything out there. My favorite for long range varmints is my Ruger 77V in 220 Swift. Great flat shooting gun, and yes they do last longer than 1000 shots. Mine has almost double that and still puts three under a dime.

WS

[LMITOUT]

My bro-in-law has a .204 that is crazy fast, but have heard the downfall is short barrel life. Is this true?

[Dave S]

I've heard the same about the .17 Rem. Also curious to see what others thoughts are on this who actually have them.

[PurpleFloyd]

I have the .17 Fireball and it is more than enough for Coyotes if you aren't shooting across a section at them ad it is about as perfect of a fox gun as you can get. The.204 is also an excellent gun for fox ad if I were going to add another one it would be in .204. The barrel life i that cartridge isn't going to be as short as some say. My thoughts are if you don't care about pelt damage and want to plant them DRT then get a .243. If you want to have the fur as intact as possible then the .204 is great especially if you are primarily a coyote hunter and if you are looking at wanting to make 300-400 yard shots. If you are going to also be hunting fox, want to save pelts, ad shoot at 200-250 yards or less then a 17 or 17 fb would be all the gun you need and the 17FB has practically no recoil.

[PackerBacker12]

How far are you shooting at LMITOUT? Anyone have experience shooting a .223 AR at 300 or more yards? I'm currently in North Dakota and could see the opportunities at that range. Or what caliber would you suggest for shooting at that range?

[LMITOUT]

That was at 100yds. The range I shoot at doesn't have anything longer than that.

Rock River guarantees 3/4 MOA. I'd say it's pretty close.

[Grayfox]

If you think you'll be consistently shooting at that range I'd go with a 22-250. Bullets are fairly cheap and pretty flat trajectory for shooting that kind of range. The three doctors all hunt with 22-250's.

Rob

[fishuhalik]

Packer backer I'm living in NoDak too, working in the oil fields in Williston. Been out prairi dog hunting a handful of times and believe me, ARs are PLENTY accurate to 300 and beyond. I don't see why anyone would build a dedicated yote gun out of anything else. Got a runner? Tat tat tat tat tat tat tat tat, there I got him. One of my buds uses a rock river AR with a 26" barrel, trigger set to 3lbs and a Leupold 4-12x. It's a flipping tack driver, and just a ball to shoot. Cheap too! Be prepared to drop upwards of $1200-$1500 for a consistently accurate AR with optics though

[fishuhalik]

If you decide you do want an AR, shoot me a pm. A guy I work with has been shooting ARs for years and just started his own gun shop in Willy. Sit down and chat with him for 5 mins and you'll be sold, guaranteed

[PackerBacker12]

Im sold on the AR... ha ha I went to scheels in fargo last night, just browsing the selection. Talked to the salesman who know everything about ARs. He used to own a gun shop and build ARs. He know way more than I needed too know. I only wanted an AR for a yote gun and he went on and on about all the options of the AR ha ha it was good info to know but way over my head because i didnt do that much research on them. I told him i wanted to shoot "long range" and he goes well whats long range to you. I said 300 yards ish. He said thats not problem for an AR with a 16 inch barrel. He said they will go at 400 and he has guys that come in a get alot of bells and whistles on the AR and wanna shoot 1100 yards ha ha that seems rediculous to me. I think im gunna go with a Rock River or a DPMS. He said both are good guns and at that price range that are very similar and both would be good for what I intend to use it for. I CANT WAIT!!! I WANT IT NOW!!! Now for a discussion on scopes!

[joekleinjr]

I've shot plenty of .223 for Uncle Samit is a fastnd accurate bullet.

I bought a Remington 700 in a .308 calibur cause i wanted aa ittle more punch. I think it is just as accurate if you spend a little time with it

[LMITOUT]

Rock River has a line of hunting rifles which have 20" barrels and free float hand guards rather than your typical AR carbine which has a 16" barrel and a quad rail or other hand guard that has provisions for mounting vertical foregrips, lights, lasers, etc, etc. Stuff you won't need for hunting and just adds weight.

I have a Predator Pursuit but they have a Varmint and Coyote version as well. Unless you get lucky and find one don't plan on hunting with it this year. RRA has so much demand, just like other gun companies, that they are back logged on their orders up to 90 days and beyond. From what I have learned they will build a bunch of one type, then build a bunch of another type, etc. When the Predator, Varmint, or Coyote rifles are due for production is anyone's guess but if you are serious about getting one you better put in an order and then wait patiently.

[fishuhalik]

Can't go wrong with Leupold. Nikon has cOme a long way and has a great warranty. A great up and comer is Vortex. That's what I'm putting on my 1000 yd rifle I'm building this winter. Trijicon is making GREAT optics now too. Or if you just wanna throw caution (and money:) to the wind buy a nightforce. Theyre the best of the best.

[pike79]

Packerbacker, if you plan on full moon hunting look for scopes that have an illuminated reticle, it is a lot easier to put a red crosshair on a grey target than a black crosshair on a grey target.

[picksbigwagon]

I purchased an Olympic Arms K8 (20 in bull barrel free floated hanguard) 5 years ago from a guy near Brainerd I think. His name is Mike Milli and he is on numerous AR forums and a predator hunting site (his forum name is Dtech). His company is called Dedicated Technology's and he is a wizard when it comes to the AR format and does great custom work.

15 years ago, Olympic had some reciever issues but that ended 15 years ago, some AR guys on some websites still hold on to that memory but I will put my K8 up against any AR out there when it comes to accuracy.

[Dave S]

Packerbacker, if you plan on full moon hunting look for scopes that have an illuminated reticle, it is a lot easier to put a red crosshair on a grey target than a black crosshair on a grey target.

I'm not 100% certain on current regs, but I believe there was a time when this was illegal to use for night time hunting in MN.