Coyote gun

[OlongJohnson]

The extremely high velocity of a.204 Ruger makes it frag when it touches anything. I’ve read accounts of testing relative to use in semi-suburban environments, and the bullet came apart passing through a leaf. I’ve even read that you can’t take a rabbit at 100 yards if it’s raining due to the bullet breaking up on the drops. But it will kill ‘yotes. Tend to be hyper accurate. May be worth further research.

[Totem Polar]

I have had issues with .22 ricocheting off of chicken skulls when the shot angle is not orthogonal to the skull. That was a total cluster. My wife ran into the house to tell me that one of her birds was badly injured but was running whenever she got close. She figured the wound was fatal and wanted to reduce suffering. So she asked me to grab the 10/22. I did, found a safe angle for the shot (backstop), and took it. Less than 25 yards. Well, the bullet hit right where I aimed but it did not penetrate the skull. It literally slid around the head. My best guess is that since the bullet impacted the skull at an angle, it bounced rather than penetrated. I still get nauseous thinking about that poor bird. I made the sure second shot did its job, but I still feel horrible about that hen.

Ammo was 36-grain Federal HP. No way I would use a .22 LR on a coyote unless I could put one in an ear or eye (trapped). And I would rather avoid a close shot due to rabies concerns. Shotgun at distance makes the most sense to me. Then gloves and shovel or let the vultures deal with it.

OT, but how did we not hear this story earlier, in the "5 rounds of .38 or seven rounds of .22 mag" thread, when the subject of .22LR for defense came up?

(Paging @BehindBlueI’s, one more for your files...)

[lwt16]

12 or 20 gauge single barrel ought to end that problem quite nicely.

I have a Marlin .22 magnum that, with HP rounds, would also end that yote problem.

[mmc45414]

I'm still thinking about getting a H&R 72430 HANDIRIFLE 300BOTB RFL 16

I thought they quit making those? There is still a www site but doesn't seem to be any inventory out there?

[1911Nut]

If the 'yote is trapped in a leg hold trap and your friend doesn't want to offend the nearby neighbors, an old aluminum baseball bat is perfect for the chore. Not for the queasy, I suppose.

This makes me recall a girl I used to date way back in another life. At the time, I ran a trap line in southern AZ and did a fair job of reducing the coyote population, along with an occasional bonus bobcat.

The aforementioned young lady took to dispatching "yotes with the old baseball bat with such glee that sometimes I needed to advise her that after she had hit one squarely on the head three or four times, she could probably feel safe in stopping!

Fortunately, she and I parted on amicable terms. (I kept the old aluminum baseball bat, by the way).

[cornstalker]

The extremely high velocity of a.204 Ruger makes it frag when it touches anything. I’ve read accounts of testing relative to use in semi-suburban environments, and the bullet came apart passing through a leaf. I’ve even read that you can’t take a rabbit at 100 yards if it’s raining due to the bullet breaking up on the drops. But it will kill ‘yotes. Tend to be hyper accurate. May be worth further research.

Personal experience with .204 Ruger. V-max bullets will sometimes splash on impact and not penetrate enough to kill a coyote. Great for cats and fox. 35 and 40 grain Bergers are better, but I still had to shoot one coyote 5 times with them to put him out. Quit the .204 after that.

I have a friend that kills five or more times the amount of coyotes that I do every year and he has taken a bunch with the .204 Ruger. (and Bergers) He is now using a .17 Remington and still slays them left and right.

[Casual Friday]

I've killed 2 coyotes since July on my property with my kids M&P 15-22 with a Primary Arms micro red dot. Yotes ain't hard to kill. Think of it like shooting a small to medium size family dog because that's about how big most of them are. Prior to that I just used a 5.56 AR or 7.62 AK but I find the 15-22 to be sufficient. You won't go deaf firing off a round out the back door if you forget your ear pro and the smell of burnt gun powder dissipates more rapidly. I've got the "Did you shoot another coyote out the back door?" text from my wife on more than one occasion after she's arrived home from work.

[Dorsai]

Going back to the original post, the idea that a 12 ga will leave a big mess shows a lack of direct experience with a shotgun and too much Hollywood. Unless it is virtually a contact shot, you will get individual holes. The smaller the shot, the more little holes, closer together, and less penetration. Such that a shot at 30m will more likely in a wounded animal, not a kill. So buckshot would be a proper load, probably No. 4. My suggestion would be an inexpensive single barrel break open. There have been a lot of expensive suggestions, very tempting for a gun guy, but that doesn't fit the need. He doesn't own even a single gun, so obviously, he isn't a gun guy. He is looking for something to solve a single coyote problem, not a career in coyote hunting, etc. A good shooter can do a lot with a .22, but the operative word is GOOD. IF he gets a .22, I'd pick a simple Ruger 10/22. And mount a light.

[41magfan]

I've killed 2 coyotes since July on my property with my kids M&P 15-22 with a Primary Arms micro red dot. Yotes ain't hard to kill. Think of it like shooting a small to medium size family dog because that's about how big most of them are. Prior to that I just used a 5.56 AR or 7.62 AK but I find the 15-22 to be sufficient. You won't go deaf firing off a round out the back door if you forget your ear pro and the smell of burnt gun powder dissipates more rapidly. I've got the "Did you shoot another coyote out the back door?" text from my wife on more than one occasion after she's arrived home from work.

This ^^^^ for heaven's sake. I can kill any coyote that walks this planet with a .22 LR at 30 yards. Use a good solid bullet (CCI Velocitor, for example), put it in the lungs and you'll have a dead coyote. Heck, I've killed foxes and coons with both a .177 caliber RWS (springer) air rifle and Aguila Colibri .22 loads.

[Totem Polar]

I at first suggested a shotgun, partially because they’re good for all sorts of things.

Since your friend doesn’t own a firearm, I vote for something like a Mossberg 590A1 with the ghost ring sight setup. Might be overkill for the ‘yote, but I think you were on to something with your OP. Just saying.