# .243, 6.5-06, or 7mm for yotes?



## spitfire_er (Jan 23, 2010)

I am going coyote hunting this weekend and I don't know which rifle to take. Each one is extremely accurate. The 7mm is about 13.5 lbs but has a 14 power scope. The .243 is about 10.5 lbs and has a 3-9 power along with the 6.5 but the 6.5 is the lightest under 10lbs. Ballistics are all about the same with the 6.5 winning the flat trajectory game and the 7mm edging out the 6.5 with the wind by about 3 inches at 700 yards.

I'm sitting here not being able to decide which one to take. the .243 has 95 gr Noslers BT's, the 6.5-06 has 120 gr Nos BT's and the 7mm has 160 gr Nosler Accubonds. Most likely be taking some long shots... past 300 otherwise I'de use the .22-250 or the Swift!

Not to worried about the pelts at this time I guess unless I see a really nice one that I would like to tan.

:sniper: :sniper: :sniper: :sniper: :sniper: :sniper: :sniper:


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## xdeano (Jan 14, 2005)

any of the above would work. If I were to be limited to the 3 i'd probably go with the 6.5 but that's just me. The weight issue is whats going to get you in the end. The lighter the rifle the nicer it is to carry around. Depending on where you are the snow might be an issue with carrying heavy weapons around so go light.

xdeano


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## duckp (Mar 13, 2008)

If the Swift is light,I'd go with that-otherwise ditto to Xdeano.


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

I can't speak for the others but I love my 243. 3-9 scope is nice for calling since sometimes too much magnification can hurt you on the chargers. That 7mm you said has a 14 power scope..what is it's lowest magnification? I have a 4.5-14 on my 223 and I leave it on 5 most of the time and only turn it to 14x when I have one standing for the shot.


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## spitfire_er (Jan 23, 2010)

Yeah, the 7mm has a 4.5-14. The swift weights prob about 10 lbs too. Most of my rifles are heavy barreled customs. The swift has a 5 contour barrel, but i'm limited to 55 gr bullets with the twist. I'm leaning towards the 6.5 just because of its light weight and I haven't shot it as much as the others and I would like some trigger time with it. I won't be walking too much so weight is not a huge issue. The only crappy thing about the 6.5 is that I have not fully accurized it yet, but it's still shoots around 3/4" at 100, the others do at least 1/2" or better on a good day.

I'm expecting some shots up to & possibly past 500 yards....... open country! so maybe I'll give the old 6.5-06 a try.

The .243 is my go to rifle for deer hunting, with the 7mm as a back up. So I have bucked both of these around before.


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## kingcanada (Sep 19, 2009)

all will make a big hole, so i would take the one that performs best for you at longer ranges. if you have been fortunate enough to use a range were you can shoot out past 300 or at least to 300 yards, then it should be an easy choice. if not, i will say that 100 yard groups don't always indicate what happens at longer ranges. if this is the case, then take the one that you shoot best with. good luck and post pics when the hunt is done! :thumb:


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## spitfire_er (Jan 23, 2010)

well today I narrowed the field down to two. I just put the 6.5-06 together a few weeks ago and took it out today... and well....It needs some work. Was shooting 2-3" @ 100 groups off a good bench. It's a light barrel and it is not shooting good enough for me yet so that one is on the back burner.

I think I'll just end up taking the 7mm cause that's the one I have the most ammo loaded up for.


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## kingcanada (Sep 19, 2009)

i used to have a 6.5-06, it never did much for me so i went with something else. mine never lived up to my expectations, but i did bust a few coyotes with it on a few windy days.


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## spitfire_er (Jan 23, 2010)

Went out this morning for about 3 hours and saw three coyotes. Took the .243 and took a couple shots at about 700 yards and missed by about a foot both times before they ducked for cover in the tree line. First shot was a fouling shot, so I only missed once!  :sniper: :sniper: :sniper:


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