Caliber selection?

[Ugly Dog]

I shoot a rem 700 22-250 Ackley with 8 twist, 75g a max or hollow points and it anchors coyotes at 400 yards and beyond when I aim small and do my part. It bucks the wind pretty well.

 

[westexhunt]

Fast twist 22-250 would have been the answer for about 40 yrs but now brass/die selection makes the 22 Creedmoor an easy choice. Never considered fur damage once in my life, just dead asap. West Texas is diverse, 22 creed for everything from crow to aoudad everyday. May be a better answer, just haven't used it yet.

 

[Majestic 6.5]

So im building a rifle for cats and i was really set on the tikka t3x super varmint topped with a NF, i was gonna handload 50G pills and expect to hammer cats at anything from 100-600 yds, my buddy is telling me the 50G wont be enough past 300yds the bad thing is tikka only offers a 1:14 twist? Anyone have any advice or thoughts? Thanks in advance

I really like the .224 Valkyrie but if you get too close even a match bullet might be to much for the Hyde.

 

[Radman]

Thanks for the help! think im going to go with a 1:12 twist 22-250 and also shoot my 6.5 with 95G just incase i need to jump out past 450.

I don't think that you'll regret it.

 

[emp1953]

I'm in the two shots per cat school of thought. Never shot one that didn't bounce around for a minute or two. The second shot in the brain is recommended for something that can tear you up. I shot a bobcat while deer hunting from a tree stand. It had stopped at a puddle to take a drink. I hit it with a 30-06 and figured I had me a bounty fee coming to me. I glanced back at the puddle and saw the bobcat crawling into the brush. When the guide got there He found a chunk of fresh meat that had blown off, in the puddle and followed the blood to a hole in the ground. This was in Georgia and he wasn't about to reach in the hole since rattlesnakes took up residence in those hole in cooler weather so I didn't get my bounty.

 

[Nathan Flores]

Great stuff fellas, thank yall for the help!

 

[COBrad]

I've killed a lot of coyotes around the 500 yard mark with a 22-250 and 52 grain bullets

 

[M1A1ABRAMS]

So im building a rifle for cats and i was really set on the tikka t3x super varmint topped with a NF, i was gonna handload 50G pills and expect to hammer cats at anything from 100-600 yds, my buddy is telling me the 50G wont be enough past 300yds the bad thing is tikka only offers a 1:14 twist? Anyone have any advice or thoughts? Thanks in advance

I was looking for the same caliber because ammo is cheaper. And I think the Ruger American is where you want to look. It takes AR mags & has a 1:8 twist. I think I'm going that route for now. I'll change stock & etc if need be.

 

[M1A1ABRAMS]

For a proper fur rifle .17 cal centerfires have no peer. No experienced fur hunter will argue that. That being said, others will also work well. Bobcats have a very tender, soft skin like a rabbit. High velocity will often cause blowback tearing a huge entrance hole with many varmint bullets. Hides can be saved with many of the smaller cartridges with a heavy for caliber Nosler partition. They will always exit usually with a quarter sized hole that can be sewn, but will leave a caliber size hole on entrance. A .17 will usually leave a hole you have to skin to find. Use a mkIV or less on bobcats and a .17 rem or bigger on coyotes. Called Bobcats are usually a short range deal. You will never see them until close. As mentioned earlier, a shotgun isn't a bad choice if you don't mind sewing lots of little holes. A .17WSM or even HMR isn't a bad choice for cats and foxes. Many areas on public land require rimfires outside deer season.

Finding ammo for the 17WSM is a little hard right now. Just so they know.

 

[BALLISTICJESUS]

I have found that a .243 Win and a 100 gr Hornady Interlock has worked well for Bobcats. It kills them quick and doesn't leave much of an exit hole. I have passed up my share of Bobcats while big game hunting. Due to the fact the chambering I was carrying would just destroy the cat. It would be a waste of a good pelt.

 

[hesse]

We use 22lr pistol on bob cats . That being said we run them with dogs

 

[myshootinstinks]

Not trying to be a smart aleck but the best coyote gun is the one you happen to have in hand when you see a coyote. I've shot them with 22s, shotguns, and rifles normally used for deer & elk.
As a gun just for the purpose of shooting them, the old standbys 223, 22-250, 243,etc are just fine. Many, many called in coyotes are shot at less than 100 yards. My longest shot ever was only about 350.

 

[Akredneck]

Yessir id like to have the pelt in-tact we get them to come in here in west tx but they usually hang around 200-400 yds out.

22-250 with varmit grenades, usually no exit hole on bobcat, lynx or fox. Turns insides to mush.