I'm NOT much of a rifle guy...???

[wooly]

First off, let me start by saying I've NEVER killed ANYTHING with a centerfire rifle in my life and have VERY minimal experience and knowledge of rifle calibers, performance, and ballistics.

 

This year I acquired a new Savage Axis for coyotes, and for starters I have a box of Remington Express Core-Lokt 308 WIN 150gr. to put on paper.

I haven't  sighted it in yet, but planning to either later today or tomorrow. I'm curious what to expect out of this or similar combos on a yote or fox size animal.

 

Effective range..?

- Wont really be field hunting at all. Most access I have for this will be mature timber and ridges where shots will be between 50-150yds+/- MAX.

Too close..?

 

Pelt damage...?

- Not a major concern to me , as I'll just be using the furs for personal crafting creations and nothing else. Just curious if I may be able to possibly salvage something that's not shot out for a wall hanger or if this is really overkill for something like that.

Up until this point I've only killed yotes with 12ga. slugs and 50cal. ML so I can't imagine I'm in for any real suprises........ or am I?

 

Better ammo options...?

I'll have to look up any recommendations you guys may have pertaining to this thought, as it'll likely be all Greek to me.

 

Anything else you all might find worth mentioning to this centerfire rifle newbie would also be appreciated. Just try to keep the terminology in Redneck Inglish so's I can comprehend.

TIA

[wolc123]

I would go with Hornady V-max bullets to minimize pelt damage.  These will give you a tiny entrance hole and explode inside with no exit hole.  The 150 gr Core-Lokts will punch a .30" dia entrance hole and at least a 1" diameter exit, every time and from any angle. 

A THS bullet placement would completely eliminate both the entrance and exit hole with the V-max.  Good luck on the yotes.

 

[Jeremy K]

My good friend has a savage axis in 30-06 ,it shoots the Remington  stuff well .

[turkeyfeathers]

9 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

I would go with Hornady V-max bullets to minimize pelt damage.  These will give you a tiny entrance hole and explode inside with no exit hole.  The 150 gr Core-Lokts will punch a .30" dia entrance hole and at least a 1" diameter exit, every time and from any angle. 

A THS bullet placement would completely eliminate both the entrance and exit hole with the V-max.  Good luck on the yotes.

 

are these good for azz shots ?

sorry, had to

[wolc123]

10 minutes ago, turkeyfeathers said:

are these good for azz shots ?

sorry, had to

There, or a head on, open-mouth, down the throat shot would be the two perfect places to put one to eliminate all pelt damage.   I went for that one with a big red fox with this bullet from my 22/250.  I was slightly off target, creasing his jaw a little.  It was nothing that the taxidermist could not cover with a banty rooster in his mouth.     

Edited January 2, 2017 by wolc123

[airedale]

Coyotes are pretty easy to kill with a well placed shot, I have killed them with a 22 LR and 17 HMR, 50 pounds would be a big one. What I am getting to is an expanding type bullet for Deer hunting is not needed and they can demolish and ruin a good hide especially if you want to salvage it and make nice usable items.

I think if I were to use a 308 I would be looking for ammo with very limited expanding properties, a Barnes solid copper should punch right through a Coyote with minimal hide damage and the same ammo will work great for Deer and other big game hunting. Another option is full metal cased bullets, the military uses them, they kill humans easily and shoot accurately, there would be no problem putting down a Coyote with them. The drawback with full metal jackets is they can under certain conditions ricochet more easily than an expanding type and travel far in open country so one has to be a bit more careful with the terrain on the other side of a target for safety.

Al

 

Edited January 2, 2017 by airedale

[Pygmy]

I never used the Hornady V Max in .30 cal, but any .30 cal bullet I ever saw that is designed for varmints would blow the hell out of a fox or a coyote.

For your purposes, Wooly, I think the Corelocts ( or whatever you can get cheapest) will work fine..

From a pelt damage perspective,  military full metal jackets would probably be the best choice, and you can get them cheaper than any hunting load.  For the ranges you intend to shoot, sight dead on at 100 yards..You'll be less than an inch high or low from the muzzle to 150 yards, and maybe a couple inches low at 200, should you get a shot that far.

[grampy]

I too have limited center fire rifle experience, compared to many here. But I do have the Savage Axis in 7mm-08 and use it for deer and coyotes. I find it to be an accurate gun for the money. I've upgraded the trigger spring $20 on amazon ( highly recommended ) and the glass. For coyote hunting, I uese the same ammo used for deer hunting, 140gr Federal Premium Nosler bullistic tip. Anything I've shot with this is dead instantly! But they do leave a hole apon exit in the coyotes. But not as bad as you would think. We have used the hides for trim on ice fishing gloves and hats, and things like you want to do. We just started calling and hunting coyotes last year and are still in the learning curve.  But find it to be great fun, to get out there in the winter months! Best of luck to you out there my friend!

[Lawdwaz]

I don't remember the bullet but IIRC it was a Nosler BT 150gr .308 bullet.  Same as what your gun will be launching wooly except mine was shot a little faster out of my 300WSM. 

IIRC (man its tough getting old) the shot was about 100 yards.  Damage was considerable but my friend did skin the 'yote for selling.

Plenty of crafty material left over I'm sure.........

Edited January 2, 2017 by Lawdwaz

[wooly]

I appreciate the input guys. Living in a shotgun only area for deer I've never really had much need for rifle knowledge until now.

I doubt I'll get too deep into it, but I had a little fun getting it dialed in today from being bore sighted right out the box.

Started out right at 100yds and was happy to see it was at least on paper but about 5" high and 2" to the right.

I made an adjustment to bring it down for my next shot and got it pretty close. A little left for the next put me just about an inch low, so I brought it up a bit and was happy with the last two where they are a smidge high.

 

I'm just shooting off my azz using my knee as a rest like I'll be doing while hunting with this thing so I'm not too worried about clovers and rainbows and all those other happy things you rifle rifle guys boast about,lol.

 

Hopefully I'll get a crack at some yotes soon to see what they think of the new get up!

For the record...... this was MUCH easier than sighting in my X-bow!

 

 

 

Edited January 2, 2017 by wooly

[DirtTime]

The Axis is a great rifle for the money! The only fly on it is if you buy the package deal, get new glass on it ASAP. That Bushnell that comes with it is not up to standards.

Kudos on going bolt action wooly! That's hunting!

Seeing you are not overly concerned about selling the pelt, the .308 will be a "bang-dead-on-the-spot"  for a coyote. Most factory ammo will get the job you want done effectively. So shoot what you want and shoots well for you.

Congrats on adding a new rifle to your safe!

[Buckmaster7600]

That's a perfect bullet for yotes, cheap and plenty accurate. A core-loct will not expand too violently on a yote.


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[wooly]

12 hours ago, ....rob said:

The Axis is a great rifle for the money! The only fly on it is if you buy the package deal, get new glass on it ASAP. That Bushnell that comes with it is not up to standards.

I hear guys say that all the time, but the truth is that Bushnell is perfectly fine for what I'll be doing with this thing in the 100yd range so I'm not sure who's setting the standards.

It's actually quite an improvement over what's on my ML right now and what's been on my slug guns for years.

I don't see it becoming a major issue at the distances I'll be shooting, with the amount of light available, and the limited use it will receive. If I put 10 rounds through this gun every year at the range and in the field, that will be A LOT! It'll never be a deer hunting rig for me in this WMU so I'm content with the bargain glass for a few target shots at paper and predator opportunities that may arise post deer season. The odds of me shooting competitively, or long range on game, or trying to pick off leading AlQueida officials in Afghanistan are slim to none!

Expensive glass on this rig for me would be like putting nitrous in my grocery getter.... just no need for it for what I'll be using it for.

One other thing that has kept me away from rifles until now has been the high cost associated with their frequent use and customization. The last thing I want is for it to become a money pit for me now.

 

[grampy]

From the target pic's, I'd say you are fine, just fine, with your new rifle! Have fun and good luck with the song dogs!

[DirtTime]

12 hours ago, wooly said:

I hear guys say that all the time, but the truth is that Bushnell is perfectly fine for what I'll be doing with this thing in the 100yd range so I'm not sure who's setting the standards.

It's actually quite an improvement over what's on my ML right now and what's been on my slug guns for years.

I don't see it becoming a major issue at the distances I'll be shooting, with the amount of light available, and the limited use it will receive. If I put 10 rounds through this gun every year at the range and in the field, that will be A LOT! It'll never be a deer hunting rig for me in this WMU so I'm content with the bargain glass for a few target shots at paper and predator opportunities that may arise post deer season. The odds of me shooting competitively, or long range on game, or trying to pick off leading AlQueida officials in Afghanistan are slim to none!

Expensive glass on this rig for me would be like putting nitrous in my grocery getter.... just no need for it for what I'll be using it for.

One other thing that has kept me away from rifles until now has been the high cost associated with their frequent use and customization. The last thing I want is for it to become a money pit for me now.

 

If the scope works for you are ahead of the game. I have no issues with Bushnell scopes, the scope I bought for my Howa  7mm-08 is a Bushnell Throphy XLT and it's great. Just a tip though, take a look and make sure the bolt isn't hitting the scope on your Axis. I have to at minimum switch out the rings on my Axis XP Stainless because the bolt hits the scope.

It will surely be a yote killer, and never say never about using it as a deer rifle. You may decide to venture out of your WMU and drop a deer with it.

[shawnhu]

Nice shooting wooly


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[dbHunterNY]

what you got is just fine.  head shots would be nice otherwise try not to drive one right through the shoulder bones.  it'll push them all out through the other side like shrapnel.  no reason to accessorize.  it'll serve you well.

[shawnhu]

I never used the Hornady V Max in .30 cal, but any .30 cal bullet I ever saw that is designed for varmints would blow the hell out of a fox or a coyote.
For your purposes, Wooly, I think the Corelocts ( or whatever you can get cheapest) will work fine..
From a pelt damage perspective,  military full metal jackets would probably be the best choice, and you can get them cheaper than any hunting load.  For the ranges you intend to shoot, sight dead on at 100 yards..You'll be less than an inch high or low from the muzzle to 150 yards, and maybe a couple inches low at 200, should you get a shot that far.

Dan knows what he's talking about. I wouldn't use a VMax bullet in 30 cal for yotes and smaller. Use something with full metal or a soft point, slow expansion.

If you were to use a .22 or smaller round, I would say consider the VMax or other ballistic style bullet for fast expansion.


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[goosifer]

Folks, mind if I thread hijack segue a bit? I would like some advice for ammo for hunting coyotes with a .204 Ruger rifle. I got the Hornady Varmint Express Ammo, .204 Ruger, 40 Gr., V-Max [Superperformance] at Gander Mountain. (Wasn't much choice in .204 at the store.) Anyone have an opinion on this ammo? Recommend something better? I am going down to Florida and will look to stock up on ammo while there. Lastly, for what varmints is this ammo good for other than coyotes? Fox? Rabbit? Squirrel? Thanks. (and if you really want me to start a new thread, just say so.) Thanks.