A hunting buddy is going to Canada to hunt wolves and coyotes. He does not have much to choose from. 17Mach 4 and a a 257 Weatherby. I suggested the 257 Weatherby with a good controlled expansion bullet. He plans on killing some coyotes and wants to keep the hides. Any suggestions would be helpful. had good luck with a 100gr B-tip on deer from a 25-06. I think he will red rag a song dog. His gun does not care for 115s and 120s.

Is investing in a new rifle not an option? Your friend is a little extreme on both sides. He needs a good .223,.22-250, or .243 rifle to hunt wolves and coyotes with.

Does your friend handload? If he does he could try some Barnes 90 grain Banded Solids. These should pencil right through without damaging the hide. Barnes

take the 257 wby, load it up with some speer sptizers(hot-core)bc is.369 sd is 216 this bullet with imr4831 should easily kill what hes after,starting at64.0 grains and maxing out at 68.0 grains, weatherby case weatherby mark v rifle 24 inch barrel cci-250 primer 1-10 twist this load info from speers #13 reloading manual.barnes also excellent! regards jjmp

I'm not so sure fur friendly and .257 Wby go in the same sentance!

I'l probably go with 100gr TSX in the Wby and hope for the best. Nate

Unfortunately I have no experience hunting wolves. That might change this year as I will have a wolf tag in my hip pocket while in BC for elk (I'll let ya know what a .338 WM does to a wolf

Anyway, I have killed a lot of yotes. Even a .22-250 is pretty tough on fur. I still carry one, but it stays in the truck most of the time. Good for longer shots when I'm sure I can hit them square with the world. I load it with a 52gr Speer MHPBT and push it 3800 fps. MUCH less than what you would be doing with a .257 Wthrby Mag. I can see where you might get away with a really tough bullet, maybe a match, and hope for a bore sized entrance and exit. But I wouldn't count on it. Coyotes don't stand still for long. The "perfect" shot rarely presents itself. You take a raking shot with that thing and you're going to split em in half.

The Mach IV MIGHT do in a pinch for the yotes, but it wouldn't be my first or second choice. Add in the wolves and I'd say it is completely out.

Is there anyway he can borrow a .223 Rem? Heck, ya can get a good used one for a a couple hundred dollars. Might be worth it. Everybody should have a .223 anway

The last two years has found me carrying a .204 Ruger loaded with a 35gr Berger for yotes. I have been very pleased with the results. Similar range to the .22-250 and has been easier on the fur. I'm not sure if it would be enough for the wolves though. Be interesting to hear what guys who have hunted them have to say. I know a lot are taken with the .223.

I'd find a way to borrow/buy a .223....

quote:

Originally posted by taylorce1:
Is investing in a new rifle not an option? Does your friend handload?

If your friend loads, download the Wby to Roberts velocities with the Hornady 75 gr. It usually comes apart with a chest hit and doesn't exit. It may be a tad light for a wolf but it should work fine. I have yet to get to shoot one either. My next choice would be a Sierra HPBT of just a bit more weght but it would mess up a 'yote.

Sounds like he should carry a new gun to me! Nate

quote:

The Mach IV MIGHT do in a pinch for the yotes

It does a lot better than that. A 25 gr. Berger HP at 3600fps kills coyotes damn well out to 225 yds or so. And very pelt friendly.

The callers I know in AK like the .223 with 50 gr. bullets.

Never shot anything like a wolf with .223.
Doubt that's going to cause much fur problems no matter what bullet is used.

I shot an antelope in the ribs at 100yds one time with 55gr @3100fps and it exited with about 13" inside travel. Was just a small exit though.

Same loads will blow big holes' thru coyotes. Where a 40gr will not exit, just a small entrance hole.

IT takes experience to learn these things. IF you can contact fur killers in either the FUR, or AK sections on here I'll bet you can learn a bunch about it with the guns you'll take long before you go up there and blow one up you'd like to have tanned.

Good luck,
George

Skinner, tell me more about your experiences with the mach 4 and yotes. The only thing I've experimented with that is close is the .17 rem. I know that there are those that think it is the cat's meow on hides. I just didn't find it to be the case.

Maybe I need to reexamine the mach IV.

Is it really enough medicine on a large male coyote?

Are you also a fan of the .17 rem?

Has anyone tried the Barnes Varmint Grenade? I loaded some for the 22-250 today to try for accuracy and load development. I have not shot them yet.

The 257 would be good on the wolf (ves). I have shot them with up to a 300 Win Mag and not had major damage. The coyote situation is different. The 17 would be fine for that up to 250 yards or so. Good Luck

I have never shot a wolf with my 25 cals, but have killed a fair share of coyotes, a 100 gr Hornady interlock works very well if you stay away from the shoulder or hips- exit hole is usually about .25 piece size on a lung shot. The Mach IV will work great if he can get them inside 300 and doesn't mind tracking some after they run off when you miss the heart. The Nosler BT turns a coyote inside out most of the time unless they are beyond 350 yards.