New predator gun.... need help.

[Mojo Chick'n]

I'm reviving this thread, cause I'm gun searching....

Chatted with hubby (who knows quite a bit about guns) last night. Never hurts to get other folk's opinion, also, though.

Now, we have a lot of guns - hubby collects and shoots - but, many of them are sort of heavy for me - I want a gun that isn't too heavy, isn't gonna knock me on my butt (or leave a bruise for a year

) and will get the job done.

I love my .22 - lightweight, I am pretty accurate with it, and I just like how it feels in my hands. Hubby says I need a .22 magnum to get the coyotes, however (at any distance). Well, I don't have one (that .22 mag/.410 sounds VERY interesting, if I could find one).

Hubby also says that if I use higher quality ammo it'll have more "punch" (like Stinger ammo, or some such). He said the cheap stuff is good for target practice, but to "do the deed" properly, I'll need to use something better.

I plan to go looking for some of that today (since it's rainy and I can't do much of anything else.) I'm in a small town and have maybe two options to find guns or ammo - so I'm hoping one or the other has the ammo I want.

My next best option (for guns we already own) is an SKS - which is a great gun, also, but a bit heavy. Not much kick to it, but I'm afraid the weight will cause me to miss my target more times than not (coyotes don't stop and wait for you to shift to a more comfy position). That's why I like the .22 - it is like an extension of my arm - not something I have to struggle with.

so, I guess my question is - have any of you used a straight .22 to take down coyote? what ammo did you use?

My nearest neighbors are 1/4 mile away, but I wouldn't be shooting towards them, even then. Only risk is the other neighbor who is 1/2 mile away over a hill, so anything halfway up the hill or below would be safe, anything higher and I risk possibly goign too high and hitting one of their cows if it happens to be in the upper pasture. (this is also why I would prefer a lighter gun that I can handle easier than a heavy gun). It's a big hill, but even so, my neighbor is cool and I don't want to make him angry or have to buy him a new cow.

This is an issue now, because we've had such a horrible time with Coyotes lately - I even had two of them chase my dogs almost right into our front yard the other day (had a post on it, here, somewhere). I was right on the porch at the time, when they topped the hill, reached inside to grab the gun that we keep inside the door, and by the time I got back out to aim, they were in a spot I couldn't shoot safely at them

so I didn't even get a shot off (but I heard another neighbor down the road a ways did some major shooting shortly after, so I'm hoping he got one of them, at least).

That night however, the whole pack was on our land scoping it out, howling to each other, gathering up...made me afraid to even let the dogs out to potty. I didn't see them but I heard them, periodically in different spots, right from dusk (when we did chores) to well after midnight. (I have 25 acres, 1/3 of it is wooded, the rest is yard/pasture/hayfield).

Last month we had one come right into our yard and take a chicken not 40 yards from my husband (he was out working on our new back deck).

I know the .22 will take care of smaller preds, but the coyotes - I just want to do the job right, not wound them and have them running off to come back injured and more dangerous.

meri

 

[mxpres]

a well placed bullet from a 22 will take down a coyote,I have stopped them in their tracks at 75 yards with the 22 minimag hollow point,the 22 stinger and the yellow jacket are good choices,at close range I have took them with a 20 gauge with #3 buckshot,good luck and shoot often

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
Thanks for the answer

I have some Remington hollow points, but I think it's still the lower line Rem ammo. I'll look for any of those ones to use.

Last time I shot hubby's shotgun I about knocked a part of my body off that I've become quite attached to over the years (or at least it felt like it

) I'll leave the shotguns to him

eta - I can hit a squirrel in the head every time - I am hoping I can hit a coyote in a vital area at a longer range. I plan to do some longer range shooting practice, to get a feel for how much "drop" I get on my shot.

meri

 

[RedStarDaddy]

Hi, Meri. Thanks for talking about your varmint guns in my thread.

I trained quite a bit with the M16 at one point. Its semiautomatic equivalent is the AR-15. Once I get a few more pennies put together I will probably be getting an AR-15ish rifle of my own. That will stop a coyote in its tracks at any range I should be shooting at one with open sights. It speaks with a loud voice but it doesn't back up much at all. The gas-operated action even mitigates the already minuscule recoil to a huge degree. If you don't want to be toting a military-looking rifle then take a look at the Remington 7615 Police.

The 17 HMR is a likely candidate for pest control, but there have been some recent warnings about using it in semiautomatic rifles and it appears that semiautomatic rifles chambering it have been removed from the market, leaving bolt-action and single-shot rifles. I haven't seen any pump-action rifles chambering it; that would be a sweet little rifle.

Returning to practicality, the 22 Magnum is a good choice. It is available in semiautomatic rifles and does have more power than the 22LR. Ammo is more expensive, but for as much as you'd be shooting it to control pests it won't be too bad. The rifles are no bigger or weightier than a 22LR of the same or equivalent model, so if the one you have now suits you it may be worth seeing if you can get one like it in 22 WMR.

If you are much taller or shorter than hubby then odds are outstanding that his shotgun won't fit and it'll beat you up if and when you shoot it. Remington makes their 870 in compact and compact junior models. If you are short then one of these may fit better and won't hurt as much to shoot. Their compact models are also 20 gauge rather than 12 ("gauge" being from an archaic measurement of bore diameter based on how many balls of bore diameter can be cast from one pound of lead -- "12 gauge" meaning 12 balls can be cast from one pound and "20 gauge" meaning 20 balls can be cast from one pound of lead). The smaller bore will help the recoil situation too.

Good luck in finding the varmint gun that works for you.

RSD

 

[acdoc]

i dont think there is anything in the united states that you cant kill with a 22. The question is how far away do you want to shoot it? If you are going to be shooting at the body you should into a 223

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
I was reading about AR-15s last night - those sort of peaked my interest also.

availability and cost of ammo is one of the first things I consider when getting a gun - (small town, and these days... well, a lot of previously common stuff is harder to find, or outrageously priced).

I'll definately look into the .22 mag - I think hubby said he wanted one of those, anyway, so I won't have to twist his arm over another gun

Thanks -
meri

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
distance is the factor, here. I dont want the round to lose too much momentum by the time it reaches the target. Those coyotes don't usually come in very close. (although lately they've been pretty brazen).

Just guessing, but the average furthest distance would probaby be close to 100 +/- yards.

meri

 

[mxpres]

I had good experiences with the 22 winchester model 9422m.lever action,short barrel,light in weight.I use a marlin model 25m also but the stock is too long for my reach,Like the guy mentioned ,the 223 is a good choice also.It don,t take much really to put down a coyote or any animal,just the well placed shot,I did have the good fortune to put down a nice deer with my 22 with one shot,,but it was very close range and I was sure where my rifle would shoot,with your experience and hubbys knowledge of guns you won,t have any problem finding the right gun,,,

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
Mine is a Marlin 60W .22 Long Rifle. (the W stands for Walnut Stock - it's a fancy collector's thing, I guess, has gold colored lever and trigger - and a little round gold seal on the stock). Hubby's is the Marlin 60 .22 LR - no walnut stock, and no fancy trigger or lever colors. (I'd actually prefer his gun

, as I wouldn't want to mess up a "collectors item".) Other than mine being slightly fancier, they are basically the same gun, though.

I've never shot or handled a Winchester model, but I like how the Marlin seems to be pretty tight and smoothe (everything that moves, I mean, it's not "sloppy" anywhere).

If I could find a Marlin .22 magnum, I'd definately take a long hard look at buying it.

meri

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Ok, just did a search and was checking out the .223

that looks like a very nice small gun. I'll have to see if I can find one locally (and reasonably priced.)

The one I found a page on was a Ruger - it looked quite similar in size and weight to my .22

thanks for the tips, everyone

meri