# new yote gun



## minnesota_hunter (Jun 29, 2008)

I live in S.E. minn. and i just started yote hunting last year when i started i bought a Savage 17 rimfire with the varmit barrel, but im now looking at getting a tikka in either 233, 22-250, or in 204 ruger. which one do you think i should get. most of the shots i take are 50 to 300 yards. i also would like to know which one does the lest amount of pelt damage.

THANKS


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## huntinND (May 1, 2008)

You will probably get a response supporting each one of these cartridges but I would choose the .22-250 if you are only going to use it for coyotes. The .223 is fine too but the .22-250 will have a slightly higher velocity with the same bullets. And I'm assuming you won't be shooting hundreds of rounds so cost of ammo probably won't be as important. I have never used a .204 for coyotes but I guess I don't see any advantages of using it over a .22-250. Some might say that it will have less pelt damage but with the right bullet any of these will cause minimal damage. The smaller bullet would drift more in the wind and I would worry about marginal hits with a .204.


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## CoyoteBlitz (Apr 11, 2007)

I would choose .204 or 22-250; with the 250 you shoot the same bullet as a 223 but with more killing power and velocity, and the 204 shoots lighter bullets, and with more killing power than a 223. Do you reload?


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## cwoparson (Aug 23, 2007)

I agree with huntinND if coyotes are the sole target then the 22-250 would be my choice with the .223 behind that. If most of my shooting was for something like PD's with a coyote now and then, I might look towards the 204 with it's flatter shooting with light bullets. However the 204 at 300 yards with a Hornady 32 grain PP (500 fpe) is still 22 fpe short of the .223 and a Hornady 40 grain Vmax at 522 fpe at the same distance. One thing you can do with the .223 is move up in heavier bullets when required which is something not possible with the 204 and those 50-55 grainer's in the .223 are still running 550-600 fpe at 300 yards. Of course the 22-250 beats both the .204 and .223 and is almost as flat shooting as the 204. So for me it would be 22-250 and then the 223. For a dedicated coyote gun I don't think I would even consider the 204. But that's just me.


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## kdog (Mar 13, 2007)

Good to see another MN hunter on here.

We have been down this road before. Just go to the Hornady website and look it up with your own eyes. Most hunters (bless their hearts), are a little misinformed when it comes to ballistics. When people think of the .204, they for some reason think only in terms of the 32 grain bullet. The .204 uses 40 grain bullets as well (and larger). When you check the Hornady website, it will give you ballistic coefficients for all sizes of the Vmax bullets, velocities of each as loaded ammunition, and you can plug all of that info into their ballistics program to get all the data you need. Things such as bullet drop, wind drift, terminal velocity etc. are all right there in front of you. The fact is, that the .204 is overall superior to either the .223 or the 22-250. If you compare a 40 grain .204 Vmax to a 40 grain 22-250 Vmax, you will find that bullet drop is less in the .204, wind drift is less, and energy is greater at 300 yards! The real key is the increased ballistic coefficient of the 40 grain .204. The ballistic tables don't lie. Do yourself a favor and check it out for yourself.

Good luck with your decision! :sniper:


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

Do yourself a favor and get a 250. If you plan on shooting ALOT (and dont reload) maybe look at a .223. But its inferior to the 250.

Dont know much about the .204 other than the two dogs ive seen hit with it didnt anchor.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

> .204 is overall superior to either the .223 or the 22-250. If you compare a 40 grain .204 Vmax to a 40 grain 22-250 Vmax,


That is the best bullet for the 204, and the worst bullet for the 22-250. It's like comparing a 100 gr bullet in a 243 and in a 308. Throw a 55 gr in the 22-250 and top the 204 by 250 ft/lb. at 300 yards. You can't do a lot better with handloads in the 204, but I push a 60 gr V-Max at 3650 fps. The 204 can't touch that. It's a great little gun, but it lacks the versatility of the 22-250.


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## kdog (Mar 13, 2007)

Let me get this straight; the 22-250 in either a 40, 55 or 60 grain bullet will drop less at 300 yds, drift less at 300 yards, and will be more fur friendly at all ranges than the 40 grain Vmax in a .204?

Hmmmmmm.

Check out the Hornady website minnesota_hunter


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

I'm not saying it will drop less, I am saying that the larger 22 caliber bullets will put down a coyote more decisively at longer ranges. I am also saying that with the 204 you can not go much larger than coyote. With a 22-250 you are legal for deer, and if you have a fast twist barrel there are bullets available up to and beyond 80 gr. 
Coyotes to 300 yards take your pick. Coyotes beyond that shoot heavier bullets in a 22-250. If you want to legally hunt deer you can do it with the 22-250. If the 204 was just as good it would be a legal deer cartridge here in North Dakota. 
I have not used a 204 for coyote, but I think it's a great little cartridge. I would expect that like the 17 caliber it's accuracy is slightly more susceptibility to barrel fouling. It would have to be because if you deform a 20 caliber bullet one or two ten thousandths of an inch it will have much more affect than one or two ten thousandths on a larger diameter bullet. Also like the 17 caliber I would expect that Moly will greatly extend it's ability to maintain accuracy.
You did get my point that you were comparing the best bullet in the 204 to one of the worst for the 22-250 right? Same weight bullets with smaller diameter always have a better ballistic coefficient. It is a law you can not get away from. The 22-250 performs best with heavier bullets. Still I shoot some 40 gr in the 22-250.


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## minnesota_hunter (Jun 29, 2008)

well i think im getting the 22-250, but i'm also shooting at fox is that to much and also what bullet for the 250 does the least amount of pelt damage.

thanks for all of the info!


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## 308 (Jul 10, 2007)

22-250 will be fine :beer: for fox


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## kdog (Mar 13, 2007)

My mistake minnesota_hunter, I didn't catch that you were looking for a rifle that will double as a deer gun. I've got to admit, the 22-250 would make a great deer gun given the correct twist, and comparatively the .204 with a 40 grain bullet is probably not going to anchor a coyote between 50 and 300 yards - not the way the 22-250 will anchor a deer at those ranges. I'm not sure why those crazy DNR folks don't allow the 22-250 for deer here in MN. It just doesn't make sense to me.

I didn't catch either that you were looking for a fox friendly rifle too. It would make sense though, as often times a fox shows up when calling coyotes (depending on the sound you are using). I would have to say that you should go with the 55 grainers in the 22-250 just in case you get a shot way out there. I'll bet there is at least one or two times a season that I consider shooting out past 300, and when that happens, well you had better have that extra energy. I don't think it'll matter to a fox if you poke one at 50 yards with a 55 grainer either, as they sure are tough little buggers. :beer:

Best of luck to you :sniper:


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## minnesota_hunter (Jun 29, 2008)

how big of a hole will a 55 grain put in a hide that seems alittle big if you ask me.


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## minnesota_hunter (Jun 29, 2008)

another thing one of my friends told me about the rem 17 fireball. is that a rim or a center fire and is that a good yote killer?


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## DeadCoyote (Dec 27, 2006)

1) 22-250
2) 204
3) 223

Having owned all 3 I would put my favorite as the 204 have smoked many woodchucks past 300 yds and you do not have to put much consideration in the drop of the bullet at all, because that sucker shoots
so flat and accurate. But being I have not yet killed a coyote with the 
204 I cannot put it above the 22-250. The 250 is a great all around gun 
like others have said and does a number on yotes. I shot the 55 grn. PSP
in mine and it DRT them. If you dont go with the 22-250 I would definately consider the 204 before the 223. Many might disagree with me
but I just feel based off experience that the other two calibers perform much better then the 223. :beer:


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## lyonch (Feb 26, 2006)

kdog said:


> I'm not sure why those crazy DNR folks don't allow the 22-250 for deer here in MN. It just doesn't make sense to me.


If you check out he MN DNR website you will see that the .22-250 is now legal in minnesota as a deer rifle. The smallest you can go is .220 caliber centerfire so the 220 swift will be about the limit. they changed a lot of things for the upcoming season.


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## DeadCoyote (Dec 27, 2006)

minnesota_hunter said:


> another thing one of my friends told me about the rem 17 fireball. is that a rim or a center fire and is that a good yote killer?


The .17 Fireball is a centerfire :beer:


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## johngfoster (Oct 21, 2007)

lyonch said:


> kdog said:
> 
> 
> > I'm not sure why those crazy DNR folks don't allow the 22-250 for deer here in MN. It just doesn't make sense to me.
> ...


Not sure if you meant it like this, but the 220 Swift is not "smaller" than a 22-250. They both shoot a .224 diameter bullet, and the 220 Swift is a larger case with a higher MV. Just clarifying.


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## Lach0831 (Dec 31, 2008)

hey all im new to coyote huntin and im going to be hunting this year on a 180 acre field with a wood line pirimeter would you think that my 270 WSM would be to much for the job


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## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

lyonch, I use a 220 Swift, my BIL uses a 22-250. we buy our bullets in a thousand box lot then split them. They are the very same dia bullet. The 22-250 has nosed the 220 Swift out because of the bad rap it took in its infancy. It did do a good job on deer for those who only took those perfict shots. It was a disaster for those who took the gun writers word that it was good deer cartraidge, disaster for those who were to lazy or cheap to become good marksman with it.* I still do not recommend it for deer.* It also got a bad rap for erodeing throuts and barrels due to the high vols. it shot. which was only part of the problem. The powders today are much nicer to the barrels as is a slightly reduced speed.
I just like my 220 Swift, second choice off the shelf would be a 22-250. The Cheeta would be my choice of a wild cat. Really suprized Winchester does not make it the 22 cal to replace the 225.

 Al


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