I am looking for a sub-.22 caliber coyote class caliber that won’t have the over penetration and long distance concerns I have with other calibers. I’m looking for lightweight varmint class bullets that won’t fly through trees off my property if I have an errant miss or blow through coyote sized critters and travel on to parts unknown like I have seen with 6.8SPC and 308W used for feral hogs. I have also had some ricochets on my friends property which I’m assuming are off rocks covered with pasture litter so, while essentially captive with the natural slope of his land, it is definitely not desirable. This has me thinking a 30~45gr varmint round traveling at warp speed will still be effective inside 300 yards (most shots are inside 100~200 yards) and will likely fragment or keyhole when they hit something relatively light (ground cover, tree limbs, coyotes, etc).
Thinking about little calibers that can take Coyote sized game humanely at reasonable distances had me thinking about the 17 Remington / Fireball / Hornet. The 17WSM is an option but, I’m not a Savage B.mag fan. Long ago I had considered the 20Tac but back then I needed more penetration and didn’t have neighbors or livestock close by to worry about. So coming full circle back to my original quest for a lightweight fast bullet that won’t carry significant energy a long ways downrange, I came back to the .17/.20 calibers where the 204 Ruger seems to dominate in the mainstream marketing and press and, apparently mimics the boutique-name trend with a 20Tac class 204 Ruger.
Is the 204 Ruger AR-15 a reasonable option for what I am looking for? Who makes reasonably priced uppers with reasonable accuracy (thinking Coyotes at 300 yards)? Are there concerns with magazines or anything else with this round in an AR-15? I am also assuming pressures and such on non-SBR barrel lengths are not a problem for 5.56 suppressors.
I think you can get what your after with 223 50gr vmax, maybe even lighter, push it to high speeds if you reload. That said, a buddy of mine uses a bolt action 204 and swears by it for coyotes. It does exactly what you want, large shallow wounds.
As far as ricochete, I don’t think there will be much difference between 223 and 204, but thin jacketed stuff will frag easier.
I did a google search and read some reviews on various websites. The accuracy was off so the owners of multiple rifles (different websites) had the barrels checked and the bores varied significantly enough in dimensions to result in poor accuracy.
Hopefully, this was a bad initial batch and is a thing of the past. If you get 3" or 4" groups at 100 yards, you likely ended up with another example of a bad barrel. I was very tempted at $400 but, bad barrel reports and brass concerns caused me to hold off.
I look forward to your report. Hopefully they fixed whatever issue they had and are delivering solid uppers today.
Note the following MOA with a Noveske Varmageddon rifle
Following are my range test results for two loads, consisting of three, 3-shot groups at 100 yards. Velocity in feet per second was measured with a barrel mounted MagnetoSpeed Chronograph. Conditions: sunny, no wind, 15 degrees F.
Nosler Match Grade 77-Grain
• Average muzzle velocity: 2,831 fps
• Average of three, three-shot groups at 100 yards: .68-in.
• Best group: .55-in.
Nosler Trophy Grade Varmint 55-grain Ballistic Tip
• Average muzzle velocity: 3257 fps
• Average of three, three-shot groups at 100 yards: .51-in.
• Best group: .35-in.
I am not quite in the same boat as you, my max range that I need to shoot is almost always under 150, usually under 100, but it is in an area where ricochets or stray rounds are unacceptable. So, although it doesn’t have the range you’re looking for, I use the .17hmr. It’s flat to 130 yards and only 2" low at 150 (16" Ruger 77/17 with can), so it’s a good dead-hold on targets as small as squirrels. In the case of a miss, I’ve found that the little 17gr bullet disintegrates quickly. I’ve had very, very few audible ricochets and if it hits branches, dirt, or even snow it doesn’t go far at all.
I have dropped coyotes out to 140, but I do see performance dropping off after 100 or so. Doesn’t exit marmots at any range.
If your concern for over penetration or ricochets is that great, I can say that the .17 is safer in my experience than the .50 grain .223 amax, which has exited coyotes, and if I miss, gone zinging off into the distance for me. I’ve considered the .204 but it’s not cost effective for me to see if it works, only to find it’s too dangerous to use. Like you, I’ve also been considering the 17WSM but don’t like the Savage. So the cheap and fun to shoot .17hmr is my choice for now…