How close for a Coyote kill. ?
I have a Tony built .25 cal condor.
How close do you think I would have to be for a clean Coyote head shot. ??
Are there any Coyote hunters here,,, In WA. ?
I also have a AA S410.
Thanks
All Replies
Viewing 11 replies - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
My best group was with my .22 Condor – 0.54″ CTC at 50yds but it was a bit windy too that day. I usually manage 0.6″ at 50yds, so I figure at 100yds I should be able to get around 1.25″. I ‘ll be very happy with that, but I have yet to go to the range and try it out. My .22 Condor shoots 1 hole mostly at 30yds where the scope is zeroed in at. My .25 Condors are slightly less accurate. I think it’s the heavy hammer and stiffer spring that messes up accuracy a little. Both my .25’s have very noticeable recoil especially the 87fpe Talon Tunes .25 (w/42gr pellets).
Yup, agree with that 100%
My set up uses a 90 gram hammer and stiffer spring. I have to apply some downward force barrel end when I shoot or I loose a little accuracy due to what I can only guess is the recoil.
I’m a springer shooter of old, and have always been used to giving the rifle ‘its head’ when it recoils.
With my Talon, I have to fight that a little….
Head shot ❗ ❗ ❗ ❗ ❗ ❗ ❗ ❗ ❗ ❗
your best bet
SAW
SAW
It’s interesting that Stalker’s gun is sighted in at 35yds and gets 1″ groups at worst at 100yds.
My best group was with my .22 Condor – 0.54″ CTC at 50yds but it was a bit windy too that day. I usually manage 0.6″ at 50yds, so I figure at 100yds I should be able to get around 1.25″. I ‘ll be very happy with that, but I have yet to go to the range and try it out. My .22 Condor shoots 1 hole mostly at 30yds where the scope is zeroed in at. My .25 Condors are slightly less accurate. I think it’s the heavy hammer and stiffer spring that messes up accuracy a little. Both my .25’s have very noticeable recoil especially the 87fpe Talon Tunes .25 (w/42gr pellets).
stalker,
Can you give us some details on your gun and how you have it set up? If the biggest group you shoot at 100 yards is about an inch, you’ve got a spectacular set-up! I know that when I get the chance to shoot at 100 yards, a group under an inch is a great group. I’ve shot a good number of groups under 1/2″ at 100 yards but that was with very carefully sorted ammo and with a gun that costs many times what a Condor costs and that also makes about 3-5 times the power. Even with a high dollar gun and meticulously sorted ammo, I can only wish that my biggest groups were an inch!
If you practice at long ranges with your 25 you should have no problem reaching 75yds. I shoot mine out to 100 all the time and have an 18″ barrel. thing is i am sighted in where i am shooting basically a one hole group at 35yds so at 100 the biggest group i generally shoot is about 1 inch. but i shoot about 2 tins of pellets over the weekend and i always check my scope before i attempt to shoot anything so it doesnt run off and die somewhere else. when i squeeze off i want it to drop right then and there.
CrowP: thanks for agreeing 😀
The thing is it’s not about the “power” of a .25 Condor. A .25 Condor or .22 Condor certainly has enough power to penetrate and go through the heart (at the right distance), BUT.. you must hit the heart, and that’s where you can run into problems. Going for a heart shot means there is no room for mistakes and there will be no 2nd chances if you miss it by a milimeter.
Even if you know exactly where the heart is, and you are very confident about your marksmaship and your Condor, it is very possible to hit a rib and have the pellet get deflected slightly (or a lot). Remember, the heart and lungs are inside the rib cage. It’s a different story with a squirrel that has very thin rib bones that you can crush with 2-3 fingers. The pellet will not deviate much at all going through a squirrel’s fragile rib cage. We are talking about an average size 40-50lb dog here, 30-40X larger/heavier than a squirrel or cottontail, so you can assume their ribs are 30-40X stronger and denser. Ribs are not flat and square like a target. The pellet can deviate from its course easily and you have to question how much energy is the pellet left with after going through a dog’s rib bone at 50yds..
Speaking of lungs, you may get through the tough rib cage and hit a lung of a Coyote, but that doesn’t mean it is going down. The lung may take a while to collapse, and the other one may be intact, so the Coyote will certainly get away and may even reach its den. A .22 or .25cal will not open a massive hole in the yote’s lung. Hek, my wife’s sister got shot 8 times by her crazy husband in the abdomen and chest and survived. One of the 9mm slugs went through one of her lungs and there is still another inside her rib cage. This is why we always go for a head shot, even if it’s a raccoon, woodchuck or possum. Only with a brain shot can you considerably increase your chances of bringing down a medium and large size small-game animal (unless you ‘re using big bore or powder burner). BTW, her husband shot himself in the head and died thinking he had killed her.. but that’s a story for another time.
I would also NEVER go for a body shot on a coyote unless I have a big bore airgun. Leave that for the .223, .243 or maybe a WMR.
ur right on the body shot i would only take one on a yote if it was quartering away and under 40-45 but they are tough and my opinion may change if i had a .25 and tried it out to see the power so id say dont take body shots then
nice call harry
I would say the distance should be the one you feel confident shooting accurately, and can place the pellet within 3/4″. Having said that I would not attempt it at >50yds only because I have not practiced at longer ranges. The closer the better chances you have.
I would also NEVER go for a body shot on a coyote unless I have a big bore airgun. Leave that for the .223, .243 or maybe a WMR.
id say under 75 yds if a head shot under 45 if a body
my opinion i dont have a 25 but i have a crankin .22 that i shot a coon and a fox with both head shots both 50 yds
Viewing 11 replies - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
A Tony-tuned .25 will be good for a prudent head shot. Key word being “prudent”.
Definitely avoid body shots with the .25 The .457 roundball I used to kill my coyote deflected badly of a rib, and frankly I feel I was lucky to get the bloodtrail I got. To help avoid deflection on a headshot using your .25, I would use a boolit with the highest sectional density you can, with a flat frontal surface (that means the super-heavy SureFire slugs).
Study-up on the anatomy of a coyote’s skull really well before attempting a brainshot if you haven’t already. Headshots wound: brainshots kill.
Stay away from hitting the skull at an angle, and the closer the better for sure, so you can minimize the chance of them moving in-between the time it takes you to pull the trigger, and the pellet hitting it’s mark. They are twitchy critters, and don’t seem to stay still for more than a few seconds if that.
Practice your field-shooting positions, and keep in mind that it is really difficult to move your rest around when a coyote is coming in. If you move while he is looking in your direction, assume that he WILL see you move (they see everything). He will probably make you shoot from the most awkward position you can come up with.
Don’t take the shot when you can hit him; take the shot when you can’t miss! One shot is all you are going to get.
Perhaps Llama has some images of coyote skulls posted on here somewhere to study. I’ll be getting the skull of the one I killed back from the taxidermist in a week or two, and will definitely post a picture of it here when I get it.
Here is a really good thread on coyote anatomy.
http://www.predatormastersforums.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=53011853&an=0&page=0#53011853
Having said all that, I don’t plan on attempting any headshots on coyotes, even with my .45