General Purpose Cartridge for Coyotes up to Elk

[charlesh777]

Hi all,

New to the forum, but have lingered here for years. Currently in the process of building a new custom hunting rifle and know every component I am going to be going with except for the cartridge. I am getting back into hunting and all of these new cartridge make it hard to figure out what direction to go.... Thinking about one of the PRC's since I am not invested in any particular caliber. Would like to get into hunting coyotes (a family friend has property in La Pine running rampant with them) and would also like to be able to hunt up to elk with the same cartridge. I'm in Oregon, just east of the cascades. Shots will be 500 yards and in, with maybe a shot a little further than that here or there. Barrel will be 20 inches as I will be running suppressed 100% of the time. Does anyone have recommendations on a good cartridge? Have thought of 6.5 PRC since it is always in stock online and also around where I live. Open to anything within reason really. If I need to move this post to a more appropriate area, please let me know. Many thanks!

Charles

 

[FEENIX]

Hi all,

New to the forum, but have lingered here for years. Currently in the process of building a new custom hunting rifle and know every component I am going to be going with except for the cartridge. I am getting back into hunting and all of these new cartridge make it hard to figure out what direction to go.... Thinking about one of the PRC's since I am not invested in any particular caliber. Would like to get into hunting coyotes (a family friend has property in La Pine running rampant with them) and would also like to be able to hunt up to elk with the same cartridge. I'm in Oregon, just east of the cascades. Shots will be 500 yards and in, with maybe a shot a little further than that here or there. Barrel will be 20 inches as I will be running suppressed 100% of the time. Does anyone have recommendations on a good cartridge? Have thought of 6.5 PRC since it is always in stock online and also around where I live. Open to anything within reason really. If I need to move this post to a more appropriate area, please let me know. Many thanks!

Charles

Welcome to LRH, and enjoy! You will get varying recommendations. Hunting coyotes to elk is a big difference. I do not have a rifle dedicated to coyotes, but I have many antelope, deer, and elk hunts that turned into coyote hunts with .270 AIs, .300 WMs/WSMs, and .338 WMs. If you hand load, it makes things easier. If you like/want the 6.5 PRC, go for it. Good luck!

 

[memtb]

First……Welcome from North Central Wyoming. Hope that you enjoy your time here!

And then……Funny that you should ask! Just a week or so ago I made a post on the Coyote Hunting part of the forum about taking Coyotes with my primary hunting rifle.

The majority of my Coyotes over the last 20 years have been targets of opportunity while hunting Pronghorns, Mule Deer, or Elk. While not likely the firearm of choice by most, I use my only hunting rifle, my .375 AI. It was very effective on the Coyotes as well as any and all other game that I've hunted, including Big Horn Sheep and a moose. Heck, I've even shot a few Jacks and Prairie Dogs with it. We own other firearms but this is my only hunting rifle of choice.

There's nothing wrong with being very familiar with your rifle! memtb

 

[Tiny Tim]

Welcome to the forum! Agree with Feenix, if you like the 6.5 prc, go for it. 7 prc wouldn't be a bad choice either. That's a whole lot of space from coyote to elk. Most members here would have five or more rifles to fill that span.

 

[fruitnut]

You hit the easy button right off, 6.5 PRC. You could shoot the 100 grain Hornady ELD-VT for coyotes and any one of numerous heavier bullets for elk. I'm loading up to shoot the ELD-VT in my 6.5 SAUM for varmints. 3500 fps might be in reach with the PRC.

I'd opt for the PRC over anything like mine. If you need more horsepower maybe the 7 SAUM or 7 PRC, short or long action.

 

[Rick Richard]

Coyote to elk and not concerned with fur for sale, then anything in the 7 to 338 caliber. By the way, welcome from North Carolina

 

[ducky]

Welcome from Colorado.

You're asking too much from one cartridge. A good elk rifle is a horrible coyote rifle, and vise versa. My advice is if you're going to focus on coyotes get something .204 to 6mm and shoot the heck out of it. Then buy a larger cartridge rifle for hunting elk and coyotes of opportunity when elk hunting. You're hunting coyotes to do more shooting, so why beat yourself up shooting an elk rifle.

If you buy something like a Ruger Gen II standard in .223, 6 ARC, or 6 Creedmoor and then for your elk rifle get one in 6.5 or 7 PRC. They're all 20" barrels, will all feel very similar in hand, and you can even buy the same optics to put on top. Shoot the cheap ammunition rifle for the majority of the time, and keep practiced with the larger rifle.

 

[Justice1327]

6.5 PRC

 

[charlesh777]

Thank you all for the welcome! I look forward to learning as much as I possibly can here. I have have been a member of another long range forum for many years and decided to make the switch over here due to a bigger focus (and probably sole focus) on hunting. Yes, I understand that it is a lot to ask for one cartridge. I am also contemplating two barrels for one rifle. Would prefer to keep a short action, so 7 PRC is out. I also should have stated that I will be running factory ammo. I would like to get into reloading at some point, but I don't currently have the space for it. Otherwise, I might be looking at different cartridges. There are a lot of cool wildcats that have caught my eye. Think 6.5 PRC might be the ticket for now. Or start with a short action in a smaller caliber like 6mm or 22 creedmoor for coyotes and then buy another barrel (or rifle for that matter) for elk in the future.

 

[Rotten]

As Rick stated if you're not looking to sale or keep song dog pelts then just get the cartridge you want for elk. As Memteb said their is nothing wrong with using you're hunting rifle for everything and the better you're going to be with it.
I like to hunt Jackass rabbits
With my hunting rifles and pistols it's very good practice for fast moving standing shots.
Welcome from the Beehive state and just remember the old saying opinions are like butt 's everybody has one.

 

[xsn10s]

Hi all,

New to the forum, but have lingered here for years. Currently in the process of building a new custom hunting rifle and know every component I am going to be going with except for the cartridge. I am getting back into hunting and all of these new cartridge make it hard to figure out what direction to go.... Thinking about one of the PRC's since I am not invested in any particular caliber. Would like to get into hunting coyotes (a family friend has property in La Pine running rampant with them) and would also like to be able to hunt up to elk with the same cartridge. I'm in Oregon, just east of the cascades. Shots will be 500 yards and in, with maybe a shot a little further than that here or there. Barrel will be 20 inches as I will be running suppressed 100% of the time. Does anyone have recommendations on a good cartridge? Have thought of 6.5 PRC since it is always in stock online and also around where I live. Open to anything within reason really. If I need to move this post to a more appropriate area, please let me know. Many thanks!

Charles

I'm out here in Eastern Oregon and hunted a bit in Central Oregon. Much of it over out in Chain Hat. My pick for LR bull was narrowed down to 7mm RM because brass was more available than 7 PRC. I think now it's probably even so you could go that route. But recently I picked up a 7-08 for a lightweight elk/ deer rifle out to 500 yards. Coyotes I use whatever I have but mainly focus on getting them out to 500 yards with my 5.56/ .223's. For long ranges I use my 260 AI and will use my 7mm RM too. But in areas where it can be crowded with people I focus on using my AR's or bolt .223. So out in LA Pine or much or Central Oregon I'd probably focus on using heavy .223 or 5.56 rifles. 75gr ELDM's or 80 gr ELDMs. At least a 1-8" twist barrel.

 

[fruitnut]

In a short action shooting factory ammo, no question 6.5 PRC. Many ammo choices and you can easily find something that shoots well. And if worse comes to worse or you want more, it will sell well.

 

[FEENIX]

Coyote to elk and not concerned with fur for sale, then anything in the 7 to 338 caliber. By the way, welcome from North Carolina

Yep! This is one of those antelope hunts that turned into a coyote hunt. They were hunting the same herd I was watching. This one was sitting down watching me from their den 525Y away. He fell from a 175 Matrix VLD out of my 270 AI.

 

[Rick Richard]

Yep! This is one of those antelope hunts that turned into a coyote hunt. They were hunting the same herd I was watching. This one was sitting down watching me from their den 525Y away. He fell from a 175 Matrix VLD out of my 270 AI.

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Nice