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Posted: 12/9/2008 3:37:45 PM EDT
| First I would like to say hi im a long time reader first time poster, next I want to say sorry if this is posted in the wrong place, but I couldnt find a section for varmint guns. Anyways I have never owned a ar15, shot a few, but I am in the market now. I want a gun strictly for coyotes. So far the guns I have for my options are the RRA Varmint A4, Bushmaster Predator, Remington R 15, and the Armalite 15TN. I think a 20in barrel would be best for me from what I have read. Other than that though I am going to make my decision on what I hear from you guys. Like I said this is a coyote gun so accuracy, and a good trigger are very important to me. So if you would please tell me what you have that works, or what you think would be best. I would like to keep the price under 1400 also, thanks guys |
| Well I have no experience with these guns as far as taking them apart etc. I would feel alot better about just buying one "off the shelf". I am confident that if I had a book and the tools I could do it, but usually when I do stuff like that I buy the wrong parts etc. and end up with 1700 bucks in a gun with a bunch of extra parts lol. Hopefully that makes since, anyways i dont know, how hard is it to mix and match parts? |
| I have a Bushmaster Varminter, great rifle. I mostly shoot bolt guns benchrest style and this one surprised me how well it shoots with the right loads. The trigger is good,very good compared to some other ARs I've tried, but takes some effort to keep it clean and working smooth. |
| If you have any mechanical ability you dont need to worry about building your own. The AR platform is very simple and I personally take pride in building my own. I am planning on building a Varmit Rifle. I am leaning towards a 204 ruger but havent quite decided on what I want. |
| Hey man, I was in the same situation as you not too long ago. If you don't want to build your own then don't. You will be unbelievably happy with one right off the shelf. I wanted a coyote-only rig also. I got the Rock River Arms Predator Pursuit and couldn't be happier. It shoots tiny little groups and it's light enough to walk with fairly easily. The large trigger guard is good for gloves in the winter. Last weekend I shot my first coyote with it. 150 yards on a dead run and I hit him with my 5 shot. I could keep him in the scope the entire time and keep shooting. I wish I would've gotten one sooner. Hope this helps and good luck. |
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Quoted:
Well I have no experience with these guns as far as taking them apart etc. I would feel alot better about just buying one "off the shelf". I am confident that if I had a book and the tools I could do it, but usually when I do stuff like that I buy the wrong parts etc. and end up with 1700 bucks in a gun with a bunch of extra parts lol. Hopefully that makes since, anyways i dont know, how hard is it to mix and match parts? Take a look through the "build it Yourself" section. All the instructions are there. Honestly, it takes much longer to order the parts than to put an upper together. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Well I have no experience with these guns as far as taking them apart etc. I would feel alot better about just buying one "off the shelf". I am confident that if I had a book and the tools I could do it, but usually when I do stuff like that I buy the wrong parts etc. and end up with 1700 bucks in a gun with a bunch of extra parts lol. Hopefully that makes since, anyways i dont know, how hard is it to mix and match parts? Take a look through the "build it Yourself" section. All the instructions are there. Honestly, it takes much longer to order the parts than to put an upper together. Or....you could just buy it, bring it home, shoot it. E-Z enough. |
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You would probably be surprised at the accuracy of an off the shelf, flat top AR with a standard or HB without the extra weight of the bull barrel.
One of the biggest limiters is the trigger, most companies, if you buy the target or varmint variety, put a better trigger in it. DPMS makes a slew of bull barrel AR's in both 5.56 and .223. If you want to hunt coyotes and shoot bug hole groups, get the .223 chamber and limit your shooting to .223 ammo. The Bushmaster varminter, predator or varmint special would also serve you well. For recreational shooting and hunting, Olympic Arms are a pretty good deal, though I don't recommend them for serious business. If you buy a Remington, you're pretty much getting a Bushmaster (same parent company), so I would just save the money and get the Bushmaster. |
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I think you're on the right track. Honestly, building one is pretty simple- you need a couple special tools but no special skills.
That said, most major manufacturers make GTG out of the box guns. Whichever you want. You'll probably want a 20", maybe bull barrel (some like 24's but I don;t know if you gain anything unless handloading). An HBAR is okay too, though. Good trigger, good glass, good ammo. You're set. FWIW, I got my first 'yote last Thurs. No deer from the blind, so I shot her when she loped across. I have a DTI build 16" (hunt deer with my 243, but had both in the blind) and hit her with my second and third shots as she crossed at about 80 yards, iron sights. My next build will be a 6.5G or 6.8SPC, so I can use it for everything. A 6.5 would also make a pretty good coyote gun from what I understand. Good luck and enjoy! |
| I took a dpms assembled lower with an A2 stock and installed a JP enterprise 3lb single stage trigger. I then bought an assembled DPMS 20in bull upper. they fit together perfectly. Topped it with a 4-14X44mm scope that makes this a perfect varmint rig. The harris bipod is always a plus. I am planning on using this next summer on a prairie dog hunt. This one is in 223. The gun is a little on the heavy side and i think the DPMS model with the 16 barrel would make a big difference if you will be covering alot of ground. My gun shoot .5-.75 for 5 shots at 100yds off of a bipod. has a 1-9inch twist that loves 55gr Nosler ballistic tips backed by varget. |
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well if your walking 2-3 miles doing your stands and are going to be lumping along an electronic caller and a few other things like lights if you can hunt at night ect. you might want to handle a 24" Bull Barrel rifle first. There for sure not the best walking varminter rig.
I use one 24" AR for a few fields Chuck hunting shooting off the roof of the truck while standing in the bed and it works well. I'd say some sort of 20" HBAR or Medium barrel profile barrel might be a better choice with a good 1-4 or 2-7 scope for coyotes. |
| i think a standard 20 in. ar-15 suits your needs just fine then you can either do a camo job yourself send it away,use camo tape,ghillie it up using cut up green shirts.The only difference between a reg. ar and a varmint model is camo and a free float tube which doesnt really increase accuracy anyways. |
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You'll probably have to go to gun show or local dealer stocking the rifle you choose.
Your first AR15 with coyote/predator hunting in mind should be along the lines of the Bushmaster Predator/Varmiter, Rock River Varmit Models, Remington R15's (basically a camoed up Bushmaster) There are others, but these may more readily available and still in stock at Sporting Goods Retailers and Gunshows. Prices as you know have soared quite abit, but the varmit style AR's have less of the "panic buying" price increases. It's still going to be quite a hunt...so good luck there. At this point, you'll probably be better served with factory built rifle. By the time you put a scope on it and hunt with it , you'll better get a feel for how you want to configure it. That's what's great about AR's you can customize it to suit you. Just got to have a base to start with. |
| I have owned both a bushmaster and a RRA. i sold the bushmaster and bought another RRA. the trigger alone is worlth it! the BM was the varminter 24" and the RRA was also the 24" varminter. using the same ammo in both, the BM shot around 1.25" and the RRA is .75" with quite a few inside that. this is just my story, the choice is yours. |
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Well I thought I was going to go with the rra pursuit but my quote was 15 weeks, and I would really like to get my ar in about a months time. Are all of the gun companies on backorder with the sales increase? Just go ahead and get on the list. RRA PP's are good shooters. No need to carry more weight for the same accuracy. 
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If you get serious about calling coyotes you will quickly find that bull barrels are a pain in the ass in the field. Frankly the lighter the better. Of course there is a difference between randomly driving around and shooting at coyotes versus making sets and calling them in. If your method of hunting involves driving around and taking longer range precision shots, then a bull barrel may not be a bad choice.
Calling coyotes into a set usually ends up in fast close range action. Adding to what another poster stated when you are calling dogs you are doing a lot of walking with calls, shooting sticks, rifle, seat, decoy etc,etc. Most coyote hunters new to ARs quickly find lighter rifles are much more manageable. Determine your needs based upon your style, then acquire the appropriate equipment. Hopefully this will help you and save you some $$$$. Years ago I picked up a 20" bull barreled upper and a high magnification scope and quickly found I was not doing as well as when I carried my Colt 16" flattop with a 1.5x5. In summary, 20" bulls are better in the long range prairie dog arena, for calling, short and light is the way to go from my experience. Happy hunting |
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