Next year I think I will be getting into so coyote handgunning... What are you folks suggesting for calibers that work without doing too much damage on the pelt?

Jim

Hands down, .223 in my Contender. But not the 40 grain loads, stick with the 50 or 55 grain loadings. The 40's open REAL fast and may not penetrate to the vitals, leaving a nasty surface wound. They work real well for fox though.

I agree. Can't beat the .223.

a good lil 6mm would make a nice dog thumper too. the 6br in the encore, or 6x45, 6x47, and 6tcu in either contender or encore. i would consider them perfect for the category.

I agree with everyone, the .223 is a great caliber if the proper bullet selection is made. I like my Savage Striker 6.5 x 284 or my XP 100 in 7mm IHMSA. Bullet selection is not critical, and they are DRT!

A 223 would be just right. I use a 308 XP most of the time. 110 gr Sierra's. Not as fast as a 223 with 50 gr but a little flatter shooting.

Thanks for the replies, guys! Should I be looking at a 14/15" barrel so to lessen muzzle-blast and increase velocity?

Thanks again,

Jim

I prefer 14" barrels for most cartridges.

I too would vote for the .223 Remington in a 14" or 15" Barrel. I have a new current production Super 14 Stainless-Steel .223 Remington Contender Barrel that I have been working with. 55gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips loaded with H-4895, Military LC Brass and Remington # 7 1/2 Primers in consistantly producing sub 1/2" 100 yard 3 shot groups from the bench.I haven't had a chance to chronograph this load as yet, but it sure shoots good.

I have had several .223 Contender Barrels over the years, and with the exception of ONE they have all shot really good. I have had a couple 10" .223 Contender Bull Barrels and to be honest was totally disappointed in them. I did manage to find a good load for the last 10"er I had (40gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips with IMR-4198) that shot quite good, and the muzzle blast was at least tollerable. However most factory ammo or commercial reloads in a 10" .223 are a sight to behold in regards to muzzle flash (and blast too for that matter).

Hopefully in the next week or so I can report as to how the 55gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips from the Super 14 .223 work on Coyotes.

Larry

I picked up a junker 32HR Mag T/C Contende bbl a year or so a go. It had a drill bit rammed into it and the rifling was ruined. A friend / gunsmith drilled it out and sleeved it with a .17 liner and chambered it for the 17HMR. It is a 12" Oct TCA bbl. I topped it w/ a Weaver mount 30MM 1.5x - 4x Tasco scope; just because I had it sitting around. I took it to the range for the first time yesterday to sight it in...wow, shoots great. My expectations were low, the results were great. 10 shots all within 2" at 100 yds. The conditions were 24 degrees and a 15 MPH crosswind right to left. 5 of the shots were within an inch.

Anyone else have a Contender in this caliber? Are you getting the same results? Do you think that this round will drop a coyote under a 100 yds or does the bullet run out of steam or blow up without deep enough penatration?

Again, happy holidays and thank you for all the advice over the years!

Don't know about that bullet at that velocity but the 30 grainers work wonderfully out of my old .17 Mach IV (now 17 Fireball) to about 250-300 yds. on coyotes.

Bill...according to the opinion of one fella at a local gunshop last week, the .17HMR seems to be so wonderfully amazing that it could just about drop an elephant. I'm a bit more reserved and think it would be light for coyotes and would feel much better off with something around a .22 Magnum level....mainly for the much stouter bullet construction.

a feller at work shot a bobcat at short range with the 17hmr with bad results n a tough kill. i would feel undergunned on dogs with the hmr at most ranges.

While I don't have a .17 HMR (and probably never will for that matter) I think it would be on the light side for Coyotes. Will it work under perfect conditions, you bet it will.

Heck a couple years ago I shot a Coyote with an old Marlin Model 25 in .22 LR using Remington Sub Sonic Hollow Points. However the situation was perfect and I was able to place one of those Sub Sonic Hollow Points right between the Coyotes eyes as he was looking at me from about 40 yards.

On the other side of the coin, miss the mark slightly and Coyotes can be tough to put down as was the case with a .243 Savage Striker shooting 58gr. Hornady V-MAX at about 3000 FPS. I hit the Coyote too far back. At the shot the Coyote hit the ground like it had been struck by lightning. However as I was patting myself on the back I saw the Coyote lift it's tail as it was laying on the ground. Before I could cycle the action the Coyote was up and running. Yeah I got the Coyote but it took a little doing to get it finished off.

At close range and under the right conditions yes the .17 HMR will work, but there are too many variables to make it a viable Coyote Round for all conditions in my opinion.

Larry

Your right Larry. I have taken bobcat and coyotes with my MK II Ruger, but just because that was all I had when they ran past me and stopped (BIG mistake on their part!). The coyotes dropped dead within 20 yards after one shot, the bobcat ran 150 yards and was hit 5 times and then took a follow up shot. This little 17HMR is a bit different though. I'll give it a go on big jack rabbits this weekend and will report back on damage. I know that more then one ammo maker is producing the cartridge I don't know if one or the other has a harder bullet for penetration into dog size animals? It sure ought to make mince meat out of p-dogs, sage rats and the like up to 100 yds or so.

Bill

It has been a while since I did any amount of reading on the .17 HMR but it seems to me that the Hornady .17 HMR Ammo loaded with the XTP Hollow Point and the CCI .17 HMR 20gr. Hollow Point ammo used bullets that were tougher than the 17gr. V-Max designs.

Yep I am thinking Prairie Dogs and Gophers are where this cartridge would really shine. In fact there are a couple farms that I shoot Flickertail Gophers on that we are restricted to using only Rimfire Cartridges. I think the .17 HMR would be great for those instances, I just can't convince myself I can't live without one.

Good luck with the Jacks.

Larry

I know quite a few people that like 12 ga’s and tell me that they use them because they don’t tear up the pelt. But it is also a close range gun. ANYTHING is a good coyote gun. Bullet selection is you main consideration AND RANGE is what I think you need to consider. I had good luck shooting a 708 with a full metal jacket.

Duane