Coyotehunter.net

I have finally decided to have a custom rifle built for coyote hunting. Now it's up to caliber choice and I would like some input. So far thinking of 20 tactical (not sure what grain bullet) or .22-250 improved (52gr bthp) or 6x47 lapua (using 87gr bergers). Keeping performance and pelt damage in mind I would like to here some opinions. Thanks.

of the three you mentioned i'd go with the 6x47. Good brass, decent barrel life, long range potential. Decent bullet sellection. Better wind cutting. I've shot a 6x47L and I fell in love with it. That thing kicked like a 22-250 but screamed out to 600yds like it was a fat kid at Dairy Queen. It made some unreal groups. I'd definitely consider putting one together if i didn't have another round in mind.

xdeano

xdeano, thanks for your advise. what do you think pelt damage would be likewith the 87 gr bergers?

I've heard good things about all of the cartridges but would lean toward the 6x47 or 250 AI. I don't think that pelt damage is going to be as good as the 20tactical but all of the other catageries those two will out perform

6x47 L or the 22-250 ackley would be a good choice and if you wanted to go with a 20 cal. I would look more to the 20-250 or 20X47 Lapua.

Tim, has anyone come out with a GOOD 20 cal bullet yet. i was also thinking a 20-250 but i talked with Dave Affleck on the phone and he said he thought it was going to be the ultimate but good bullets were just not avalable in a 20

xdeano wrote: That thing kicked like a 22-250 but screamed out to 600yds like it was a fat kid at Dairy Queen. xdeano

I love the analogy there xdeano

Every caliber no matter what you look at will have its + and - . From all of the caliber discussions that this site has had, i think it is no different than picking a chick out at a bar. Some guys like the blondes and some like the brunettes, and you get the wild guys that like the red heads They all come down to personal preference. If you are looking for a fur only gun i would stay with a proven common caliber. If you are doing this for work, tournaments, or don't care about fur, then i would get the caliber that will really be able to reach out there and put the hurt on them.

couldn't agree more Lyonch.

I'd say the 87g berger would be a decent choice, so would the hornady 87g match. I've always wanted to try the 90g Lapua's in a 6, they work well in my 308 and they are less touchy to load for than the bergers. They are pretty easy on free bore and don't have to be jammed into the lands. This will allow you to use your magazine instead of going single.

If you want a bit more velocity with basically the same case design just blown out, look at the 6mm Super LR. easy case conversion from 243 brass and a heck of a lot better ballistics. That being said, there is nothing wrong with the 6x47L.

xdeano

Bucks I have only tried a few bullets so far in my 20x47, the 40 gr. V-max which has done well so far if you keep the bullet in the ribbs or forward of there. I also tried both the 50 gr. and 55 gr. Berger LTB H.P.'s and the 50 gr. looks promissing.. One problem I'm haveing with the Bergers is I get alot of poofs, in other words the bullets are comeing apart.. Either the 20x47 L case is pushing them too fast or perhaps the twist in the barrel is too fast..
I reduced the load for the 50 gr. from 4000 fps down to 3800 fps and seem to shoot ok but I will have to do a little more testing at the range to see if I fixed the problem.. I believe Berger also makes a 40 gr. H.P. and may be a better choice over the 40 gr. V-max so I will look into them later this summer. My main concern with the 40 gr. Berger is I hope its built a little stronger than the 50 and 55 gr... I may also get another barrel made up for the rifle but will go with a 1-10" twist and see if the Bergers will stay together then if not I can still shoot the lighter bullets in it but a little faster than what I'm doing now..

For those that are not familuar with the 47 Lapua the case is almost identical to the 22-250 but holds 1 gr. less water.. No matter what cal. you size the neck to its still very accurate just like the ppc cases.. It will also push a bullet of the same weight about 100 fps. faster or more and use less powder to do it..
Its a nice little catridge and I may build something else off of it in the future, maybe a 22 cal. or 25 cal....

Thanks for the input so far guys. Choosing a caliber that has good performance and won't destroy the pelts is about enough to drive a guy nuts. Of the three I mentioned, I was first thinking that the tactical 20 with 40gr bergers would be the best just because of minimal pelt damage since I don't hunt in tournaments.