Hey everybody i'm new here and i need some opinions, My friend and i are wanting to get some better guns for coyote hunting right now we are both using a 22mag but its not doing the job all the time. How is the Saiga in 223 for coyotes does anyone know how accurate they are? I don't have that much money thats one reason i like the saiga's. Thanks for your opinions

Hey everybody i'm new here and i need some opinions, My friend and i are wanting to get some better guns for coyote hunting right now we are both using a 22mag but its not doing the job all the time. How is the Saiga in 223 for coyotes does anyone know how accurate they are? I don't have that much money thats one reason i like the saiga's. Thanks for your opinions


I forgot to mention this too has anyone used a .17 HMR on coyotes on of my friends bought one and he says it works great i don't know if i should blieve him for if he's pulling my leg

The .223 is plenty for yotes. Accuracy of the Siaga I am not sure about, but if like most AK type rifles, it should hold 2 MOA. Anything will kill anything with the right shot placement, but IMO, the .17 HMR for yotes? Forgetaboutit. Accoirding to my dealer, the 17 kills very quickly on game the size of rabbits and p-dogs out to about 75 yards, but after 75 yards, quick kills are not certain on even the little prarie dog. He took one out west on a p-dog hunt and was not at all impressed by it. Myself, all I have killed with my HMR is paper. From what he told me, the .17 MIGHT be ok on yotes out to 50 yards with head shots, but I still wouldn't use it. The .223 is much better suited for such game.

Have used the 17 for groundhogs and that seems to be pushing it, i would go with the 223 for yotes, if semi's are not what you really need look at the H&R/NEF single shots in 223

My dad has shot a truckload of Coyotes with a .223. I feel the 17 is too small for serious hunting, especially if the .22 Mag is not enough. I doubt if the Siaga will be terribly accurate. I think that Leadbutt is right on with the H&R single shot for the money, or a good quality used bolt gun, both would be more appropriate for Coyotes.
Andy

Does anyone know where i could get a good used bolt in .22-250 or in .223

Check the various auction sites.

Coyotehunter, check the gun shows in your area - should be plenty to choose from in popular calibers like that. I'd be surprised if you could walk into any gunshop in America and not find something in one of those two chamberings.

I'm a .22-250 fan myself. Have fun.

I just got a new remington 223 and it works great on yotes but I hunt with a guy that uses a 17 and it seems to work ok out to 100 yards. But when he shoots them at any thing over 100 yards they drop like a ton of bricks and just lay there floping.

The .223 is plenty for yotes. Accuracy of the Siaga I am not sure about, but if like most AK type rifles, it should hold 2 MOA. Anything will kill anything with the right shot placement, but IMO, the .17 HMR for yotes? Forgetaboutit. Accoirding to my dealer, the 17 kills very quickly on game the size of rabbits and p-dogs out to about 75 yards, but after 75 yards, quick kills are not certain on even the little prarie dog. He took one out west on a p-dog hunt and was not at all impressed by it. Myself, all I have killed with my HMR is paper. From what he told me, the .17 MIGHT be ok on yotes out to 50 yards with head shots, but I still wouldn't use it. The .223 is much better suited for such game.
Big Bore,

When the 17 HMR came out, a friend of mine rushed to buy the best. He got a beautiful Ruger ( don't know the model #)and put a 4.5-14x Leupold on it. Way too much money for me. He shot one coyote that I called up and at about 90 yards it was not what you wanted to see. Little bullet blew up on the pelt. There was lotsa blood and hair, but no coyote.

Outside of paper, I fail to see what this cartridge was designed for. It's a wounder on animals from what I've seen.
Same shooter has a .17 Rem that is pretty devastating on animals. He shot a nice buck with it at about 50 yards.
I wouldn't recommend any of this but he owns the ranch I hunt on. Nuff said.
I don't think this round is going to be selling that strong by next year. The .22 is just too hard to beat.
My next toy is going to be in the .219 Zipper, 218 Bee or Hornet class. But only if I can find one in the original rifles they came in.

In the part of Texas where I hunt, there are many hunters who pull out 22-250's,even for deer. One friend has a Sendero in that flavor and he's deadly.
With all of the advancements technology has made in speed and power, the hide on a deer is no thicker than it ever was.

I grew up reading Jack O'Conner so you know what calibers I use.

Good Luck,Tom

i've hunted coyoted for 30 years and i've only collected one with a rimfire.(a pack came after my dog and i had my ruger MKII) i favor the high velocity .22 centerfires for the range and accuracy. the exception to this is during extreme cold weather when the coyotes go into the heavy brush, i sometimes use a shotgun with buckshot and set up where my shot will be very close.

monty

I would definitely pass on the 17 rimfire. No offense to the other posts but I would also pass on the single shot rifles also, not the best choice for fast action coyote style hunting (I assume you're calling?). The Howa's are pretty good rifles for the price. Check around in Shotgun News, Gun List, gun stores for maybe other used rifles...Remington 788, Savage 340's. The other alternative might be a combination gun from European American Amory, 12 gauge under a 6.5 x55mm. Try this link www.cdnninvestments.com. Click on search then click on "down load new catalog". Good hunting.

Like others have said---stay away from the .17---not good for much other than putting tiny holes in paper.

The Saiga's I've looked at come with a scope mounting rail--you could try scoping one up and see if you can get acceptable accuracy.

I didn't care for the trigger placement in relation to the grip on the Saiga---but that's just me.

I didn't want to bash the .223 for coyote hunting, but the last coyote my dad shot (I called it in) was about 268 steps from us, and he had a little trouble dispatching it, needing several shots.

Caveats:
1. Don't know for sure what bullet he was using, but I think it was a 50gr. softnose.
2. Using a short-barreled Model 7, which robs velocity.
3. Didn't go to the trouble of doing an autopsy, so can't say for sure where the first round hit. Obviously it didn't hit where it needed do.
4. This was a BIG coyote, not much smaller than a German Shephard.

Conclusions:

1. .223 was kind of running out of steam at that range. Short barrel didn't help.
2. Use really pointy bullets - I think that the Ballistic Tips, V-max, etc., are the best thing going for long range varmits. Effectively increases range.

My coyote shooting has been 3 with a 130gr. XBT in the .30-06, and one with a 165gr. Partition in the same gun. In particular, I was totally impressed with the knock-down of the "X" - all three just dropped in their tracks, even on somewhat marginal shot placement (basically aiming for the middle).

I'd be real leery of the .17 rimfire at anything other than very short ranges where you can absolutely place the shot perfectly.

A sportsman uses a caliber that will guarentee the animal is dispatched quickly and painlessly, even if you don't quite hit your mark. No running off into the brush to slowly bleed to death. I cannot see using a .17 cal rimfire on anything bigger than a rabbit. If there is any doubt in your mind if your "under-gunned", get something bigger!