My pet coyote rifle, although I've only owned it about a year, is a 223AI that Bill Leeper built for me on a M700 ADL short action. Pac-Nor stainless super match barrel, #3 contour with 14" twist finished at 24", about 0.635" at the muzzle. Bansner stock painted in a snow camo, steel trigger guard, and a Shilen trigger set at 1-3/4#. Lapped Leupold dual dovetails and a Leupold 4.5-14X40 A/O matte scope with fine duplex on top. The action is chrome plated in a satin finish.



The finished rifle with scope weighs just over 8 pounds and is slightly muzzle heavy, heavy enough to get serious at the bench yet light enough to chase coyotes with.



The 223AI is a neat cartridge. I can buy once-fired WW 223 brass for $45 US per thousand. I'm getting 3650 fps with a 50 grain V-Max over 28.5 grains of H335, with excellent case life. The little rifle averages under .4" at 100 yards for 5 shots with that load. I can get 40 grainers up over 3900 fps, but I stick with the 50 grain bullets for coyotes.

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My favorite coyote rifle is whatever one I'm holding in my hands when a coyote presents himself.

If that happens to be a Sako sporter .22-250 mounted with a Leupold 4-12 scope, then all the better.

Remington 700 BDL 257 Roberts AI. Shooting 75 grain vmax. Lays em low everytime (when I do my part).