'yote Gun...

Kale_M · #1 10-11-2009, 09:38 PM

223 or a 204?

kicking around the idea of getting a gun to slay a few dogs this winter...

I know the 223 will be cheaper to shoot..

204 faster and flater shooting...

I will not be reloading...

thinking of a remington or a savage...

anyone have there 2 cents worth?

bucknaked333 · #2 10-11-2009, 10:50 PM

I have been kicking around the idea also and I think your on the right track, you can't go wrong on both for yotes but I think the 204 is my choice for yotes. It might be a little flatter shooting and a little smaller hole, a lot of coyote hunters have switched to the 204..

Trav · #3 10-11-2009, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kale_M

223 or a 204?

kicking around the idea of getting a gun to slay a few dogs this winter...

I know the 223 will be cheaper to shoot..

204 faster and flater shooting...

I will not be reloading...

thinking of a remington or a savage...

anyone have there 2 cents worth?

Kale
Talk to me on facebook I have a 223 you might be interested in
Trav

kitecowboy1 · #4 10-12-2009, 10:19 AM

It is the best round out there
Energy,speed,range
I won STATE and Provincal benchrest championships with the 22-250
FACTORY CLASS
Winchester model 70 varmint
Bausch and Lomb elite 4000 36X

Wrongside · #5 10-12-2009, 10:49 AM

Kale,

If you intend to call the coyotes in, I would say you are on the right track with the .223 or .204.

If you just plan on taking the odd coyote of opportunity and don't care about the pelts I would go for the .243 or 25-06. Very effective for a long ways out on varmints...

I personally use and like the .223. Esp. if you may use it for gophers and paper. Pretty easy to shoot lots and not hard on barrels either. AVeryone should have one .223.

Have fun. Be safe.

NUK SOO KOW · #6 10-12-2009, 10:52 AM

I have e remington 700 vtr in .223. Its great as I use for everything from plinking cans and paper to gophers and yotes. I have shot gophers out to 500 yards and yotes out to 3-400. I also looked at the 204 but decided on the .223 because its cheap and widly availabe. I have also started reloading and hand loads can be amazingly accurate and fast. Cant go wrong with any of these calibers really(.204.223.22-250), as they all are awsome cartriges. Think my next rifle would be a 700 sps varmint in 22-250. But all in all its personal preferance, I would say the .223 all the way!!

redranger15 · #7 10-12-2009, 03:33 PM

We have three 204's and one 223 in the family.They all kill them dead.The 204 is very fast and no recoil at all.I had a 22-250 and sold it for a 204 ,I'll never sell my 204. Go 204.

Robmcleod82 · #8 10-12-2009, 07:27 PM

I like my 223, for yotes but i also like my 243, and my 22 hornet so really, i would suggest find a rifle in 223 or 204 that fits well and has a good trigger, that will matter more than the difference in caliber in my opinion

Robmcleod82 · #9 10-12-2009, 07:29 PM

oh yeah from what ive been told wind can be a real pain with a 204 but im sure inside of 250 yards it wont matter much

catnthehat · #10 10-12-2009, 09:21 PM

I would bet money that the .223 is cheaper to shoot than the 204, and one would be no more accurate than the other.
Cat

#11 10-12-2009, 10:18 PM

I'm gonna go with the .223. I hunt 'yotes with guys that are a lot more serious about it than I. Two of them were staunch .204 varminters, and they went back to the .223 due to excessive wind drift with the .204. I personally went away from the 22-250, 'cause it's too loud from the cab of a truck. Oh my gawd......what did I just say?

Matt L. · #12 10-12-2009, 11:02 PM

I dunno, but it sure as hell can't be unsaid now.

sillyak · #13 10-13-2009, 12:01 AM

The consensus on CGN is .204 if you reload and .223 if you don't. Ammo cost and avaliability will hurt you if you buy factory .204. Although, there certainly are benifits to the .204.

Kale_M · #14 10-13-2009, 12:12 AM

don't reload and probbaly never will...

most shots I can see being inside 300 yards...

would like to practice lots as well just for fun, so cheap ammo is always nice...

what gun you guys recommend? the 700 SPS looks nice , maybe even a savage...really like the thumbhole stock....

catnthehat · #15 10-13-2009, 05:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kale_M

don't reload and probbaly never will...

most shots I can see being inside 300 yards...

would like to practice lots as well just for fun, so cheap ammo is always nice...

what gun you guys recommend? the 700 SPS looks nice , maybe even a savage...really like the thumbhole stock....

Both are good rifles and will do well.
What you will have to do is look at the type of hunting you want to do, be it waking and spotting, or stand calling/baiting.
If you plan to do a lot of walking, the lighter the better.
if stand hunting and calling, you can go with h heavier rifle.
FWIW,I found that 90% of my stand hunting over the years was done with my walking varmint rifle anyway, but I keep a heavy rifle around for long range fun.
My serious coyote rifle is a lightweight Anschutz in .222 Remington, but my friend does as well with a very lightweight 700 that has the barrel turned down.

Cat

eric2381 · #16 10-13-2009, 05:41 AM

I have had great luck with my Tikka T3 in 22-250. It is a great shooter.

Robmcleod82 · #17 10-13-2009, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kale_M

don't reload and probbaly never will...

most shots I can see being inside 300 yards...

would like to practice lots as well just for fun, so cheap ammo is always nice...

what gun you guys recommend? the 700 SPS looks nice , maybe even a savage...really like the thumbhole stock....

I like my remingtons, check out the rem model 7 predator hunter i have one and quite like it for yote hunting. But you probably cant go wrong with a savage either, my yote hunting partner shoots a savage 12 with a heavy barrel and laminate stock nice gun, and the bonus part is it will shoot near half inch groups with remington umc factory ammo which is dirt cheap. I have a rem 700 vs in 223 that shoots quite well too.
post script. this savage also is the only gun i have ever seen cleanly decapitate a gopher not that it really matters it was just cool

6.5 shooter · #18 10-14-2009, 05:31 PM

I shoot a 222 rem in a sako vixen and the wife in a krico in the same caliber I have asked the same questions as to witch one to buy the 243 55gr nbt or the 204 with a 32 gr, pill ballistics etc. are nearly the same with the edge going to the 243 in the wind....the 222 are great for in close but wind and range are a big factor...and most of the yotes around here seem to be long gone anywhere inside 500 yards....as for calling the 222 (with 36 gr, varmint gernades)or 204 would get my vote as the 243 and 260 just do way to much damage......ahhh the troubles we go through to find the perfect coyote..killen rifle next will be scopes ballistic plex etc......

redranger15 · #19 10-14-2009, 09:11 PM

I got a rem 700 sps ss it was cheap and it shoots great. I say go 204 and don't worry about the wind, it's going to fast to matter

gube · #20 10-14-2009, 09:39 PM

204 if you reload, 223 if you don't.

I now have 3 204's and don't plan on going back to a 22-250 or 223. They are all fun calibers, but the 204 has just a bit more "fun factor" for me

.

I also like my 243 T3 lite for those real windy days.

Sir Rollo · #21 10-15-2009, 03:47 PM

.204 is a little harder to clean well, IMHO, than the .22 cal's, and it may be a little more prone to fouling. Not alot of bullet weight choices for .204 either, compared to .22 .

kewlhand · #22 10-22-2009, 10:03 PM

I like to use my 243 with 62 gr vg .It shoots great whenever .But i am not a pelt keeper either .

roger · #23 10-24-2009, 01:45 AM

i know you said a coyote killa, but id suggest the 2506 with 75 gr pills:
here is why.
its street legal for big game,
lite recoil,with crazy ballistics.
.

more importantly, what other calibers do you own already?

but from your two choices id probably look at the 204 for no real reason other than its newer.
because i reload id probably go for a 22-250AI, but whichever you get...put the best scope and bases you can afford on it,

Big Daddy Badger · #24 07-26-2011, 12:37 AM

The 204 is fun to shoot but I'd stay away from it. The rounds are so small and so fast they can vaporize if you hit a rain drop or even a snow flake. Hard to believe? Yup..until you see it for yourself. My buddy had one...it was a scream on a nice day but in foul weather we might as well of fired insults of at those yotes.

I use a 22-250 it seems to have the most going for it. That said...there are a lot of guys carrying 223.

jim-bo · #25 07-26-2011, 10:18 AM

Considering that shoots will be kept +/- 300 yards, the 204ruger will have a MPBR of about 275yrds where as depending on what pill is used for the 223rem, you can expect a MPBR of 230-235yrds. (http://www.chuckhawks.com/rifle_trajectory_table.htm).

The drop at 400yrds for the 204ruger is anywhere from 25-27" and depending on the pill for the 223rem (40gr.) 30-31" (50gr.) 34-35". Another interesting point was the wind kicking ability of the two cartridges, the 204ruger will have almost 18" of drift with a 10mph cross wind, and the 223rem will have 19"; basically equal in my books. This sight covered alot of points that you may want to consider, http://www.6mmbr.com/20caliber.html.

In all honesty they are very similar despite the velocity of the 204ruger. There will be far more ammo availability for the 223rem as well as a larger selection of bullet types in loaded ammunition. If you reload then one really isn't any better than the other, firstly you don't have to worry about availability/price for the 204ruger, but the 223rem really leaves the 204ruger in the dust in the sheer number of components available for it.

Personally I would go for the 223rem, it may not be as snappy as a 204ruger or 22-250rem but it has outstanding barrel life, huge selection of loaded ammunition, a component selection that surpasses that of the 204ruger, and for the distances that you are shooting and the fact that you are not reloading the cartridges, I think the 223rem would be a better more economical fit into your arsenal.

Or you can step up to a 243win

backstraps · #26 07-26-2011, 11:21 AM

Love my SPS in .243 for Yotes, reload the 65g VMax at around 3700fps and slams em down at 300+

. I have had very little pelt damage as well with that bullet, just turns the inside to mush.
Best one was shoulder shot off bipod from 327yard and I heard the smack like it was on a towel in a shower!!! Put a smile on my face.

Kale_M · #27 07-26-2011, 12:22 PM

wow, this thread was brought back from the dead!

I ended up gettting a .204. Love it!

All my coyote hunting is done by calling. So the shot are inside 300 yards.

Sight my gun in at 200 yards and I only get 4' of drop at 300 yards.

Get it done! Never had one get away all were dead where they stood!!

redranger15 · #28 07-26-2011, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kale_M

wow, this thread was brought back from the dead!

I ended up gettting a .204. Love it!

All my coyote hunting is done by calling. So the shot are inside 300 yards.

Sight my gun in at 200 yards and I only get 4' of drop at 300 yards.

Get it done! Never had one get away all were dead where they stood!!

Most do and most are.

wolf308 · #29 07-27-2011, 04:11 PM

204