Post by qwagoner on Jun 27, 2006 2:46:08 GMT -6
As usual I find myself agreeing with Scott but I have a few thoughts of my own on bullets and ballistics. First of all exits don’t bother me at all because if you are using suitable rounds like the .222 to .243 you just can’t go wrong. For most callers or hunters tucking the bullet behind the shoulder of the animal is just second nature. On rib shot coyotes a bullet of nearly any design at practical velocities can only do so much “exploding” in that little 4 to 6 inch gap between the ribs. You will see little difference in killing power between the 25-06 and the .17 Remington with a perfectly placed shot. The difference will be that the 06 will exhibit more authority in doing so.
The real issue is with the not so perfect shots and when is enough enough when it comes to the so-called “knock down power.” A 25-06 is just flat out too much gun for coyotes no matter how you slice it. I didn’t say it was the wrong gun mind you, it is just too much gun. LOL
My rig is a .220 swift and I shoot 55gr bts out of it at maximum velocities. This set up for most situations is too much gun but it gets the job done on coyotes as far as I can hit them so it works for me. I think it would be a close guess to say that about 98% of all coyotes shot are 300 yards and under. Most are probably under 150 if the truth were known. At the average range of a called coyote there is really no reason why anyone couldn’t get by with a .223 Remington.
I have killed a hell of a lot of coyotes with the .223 Remington but like a lot of people I wanted more and didn’t want to be under gunned for that 2% that was 300 yards and beyond. LOL
In the end there is a trade off for everything. Noise, recoil, fur damage excreta. If you like it shoot it. You are the only one you have to answer too. I know what I want out of a coyote rifle but I can’t get it so the next best thing is the swift. Sighted in at 200 yards my drop is basically 12 inches at 400 yards and in a 10mph wind it also drifts 12 inches. With tight and simple deviations like this it makes things much simpler in the field.
Another reason or excuse rather to be a bit over gunned is human error. No coyote hunter is as good of a shot as they think they are. You can’t compensate to awful much for bad shot placement by using a bigger gun but a case can be made for it. I am not talking about leg hits or bullets burns but rather gut shots or poor angles. It does take more gun to securely anchor coyotes that are hit in the guts and it also takes a good bullet to smash through the point of a coyotes shoulder. I like to think I am a fairly decent shot but I always seem to gut shoot more than my share of coyotes every year. Also called coyotes stop slightly quartering you many many times. When they do this it puts the point of their shoulder dead center of their goodies. To pull off to one side or another makes for a smaller kill zone so I just line up on the shoulder and let fly. The solid copper boat tales of the Nosler BTs usually are enough to get the penetration I need for one shot kills but I am always ready for a fallow up just incase.
I am not happy with a bullet that will not exit a broad side coyote consistently. If it cannot blow through light bone and light tissue what is it going to do on a shoulder? What is it going to do when you have to put one behind the short ribs before the coyote gets over the ridge? I don’t play guessing games.
Good hunting.
Q,
The real issue is with the not so perfect shots and when is enough enough when it comes to the so-called “knock down power.” A 25-06 is just flat out too much gun for coyotes no matter how you slice it. I didn’t say it was the wrong gun mind you, it is just too much gun. LOL
My rig is a .220 swift and I shoot 55gr bts out of it at maximum velocities. This set up for most situations is too much gun but it gets the job done on coyotes as far as I can hit them so it works for me. I think it would be a close guess to say that about 98% of all coyotes shot are 300 yards and under. Most are probably under 150 if the truth were known. At the average range of a called coyote there is really no reason why anyone couldn’t get by with a .223 Remington.
I have killed a hell of a lot of coyotes with the .223 Remington but like a lot of people I wanted more and didn’t want to be under gunned for that 2% that was 300 yards and beyond. LOL
In the end there is a trade off for everything. Noise, recoil, fur damage excreta. If you like it shoot it. You are the only one you have to answer too. I know what I want out of a coyote rifle but I can’t get it so the next best thing is the swift. Sighted in at 200 yards my drop is basically 12 inches at 400 yards and in a 10mph wind it also drifts 12 inches. With tight and simple deviations like this it makes things much simpler in the field.
Another reason or excuse rather to be a bit over gunned is human error. No coyote hunter is as good of a shot as they think they are. You can’t compensate to awful much for bad shot placement by using a bigger gun but a case can be made for it. I am not talking about leg hits or bullets burns but rather gut shots or poor angles. It does take more gun to securely anchor coyotes that are hit in the guts and it also takes a good bullet to smash through the point of a coyotes shoulder. I like to think I am a fairly decent shot but I always seem to gut shoot more than my share of coyotes every year. Also called coyotes stop slightly quartering you many many times. When they do this it puts the point of their shoulder dead center of their goodies. To pull off to one side or another makes for a smaller kill zone so I just line up on the shoulder and let fly. The solid copper boat tales of the Nosler BTs usually are enough to get the penetration I need for one shot kills but I am always ready for a fallow up just incase.
I am not happy with a bullet that will not exit a broad side coyote consistently. If it cannot blow through light bone and light tissue what is it going to do on a shoulder? What is it going to do when you have to put one behind the short ribs before the coyote gets over the ridge? I don’t play guessing games.
Good hunting.
Q,