SmallCaliberCentral

I did get out today, but didn't do much besides road hunt. It was raining cats and dogs (not yodal dogs) and just ended up going for a ride. The snow is coming off the fields with all the rain and getting to some of my sets is darn near impossible.

The ice is going out on the Clearwater from our month long cold spell and lots of Stealhead fisherman out. I don't see many catching and all the rain is starting to cloud up the water.

It was a nice ride though. The bald eagles are catching more fish than the stealheaders are.

Don't give up. It'll happen. Might have to get out of the truck though. They start runnin when they hear, let alone see a truck around here. Happy shootin.

Bob, hang in there and it will work out for you. OR you can send it to me and I will get it seeing red for you. I got one last weekend, first time for my 25-06. That 85 grain Nosler ballistic tip works great. I cannot see the hit but they don't run off either.

Hay sidewinder that's some dandy country right up behind you in the Blue's. My wifes dad logged up there for 20 years before he retired and I saw lots of yotes hauling logs out of there.

I've been shooting a 243 for the last five years after I changed over from a 25 year affair with the 22-250. I liked what the 80 and 85 grain 6mm bullets do in the wind and also how flat the new lightweight bullets such as the 55 grain Noslers do at just over 3900 fps. The kills are something to be seen. No biting at the bullet hit, just dead right there.

I've shot at four running coyotes we've stumbled on getting to a set with the 204, but I'm a durn poor running game shot and every one of them yotes seemed to know it. I'll bet there setting on the canyon rim right now chuckling over my shooting. I think I may knock one in fifty down of those I shoot at on the run.

That 25-06 should be a dandy long range coyote gun and those 85's in should smoke for velocity. I've not been harvesting and always felt that every coyote I dumped was another deer fawn that will make it to the next season.

I have a couple of friends I shoot with over here that introduced me to the 204 and was so impressed with the accuracy and the luck they were having on yotes out to 400 yards I bought one. Besides ground squirrel time is fast approaching and for that use the 204 just excells.

Here's where I shot at one on the run with my 243 with 55 grain Noslers at 3950 fps. It was sitting at the bottom of the red line and when I got out of the rig it started up the hill at a run. At the first shot (bottom X) it jumped sidewise and shifted into high gear and the next X was my last shot that kicked up dust about two feet behind it.

At the last shot a nice black bear took off across the blue line. I didn't shoot at it because it was in a place that was just to hard to get it out if I had killed it and the light varmit bullets weren't the right things to do that with anyway. My wife was with me and I thought I was going to have to get the jack out of the car to get her mouth closed.



One of the nice things about living in Idaho is Fish and game comes and paints them dandy lines on the ground so the animals know where to go when their shot at.

faucettb, the 243 should be a great coyote round. I have been considering the 6mmAI for a coyote rifle. The 25-06 will out perform it but can you ever have enough toys?? I would not consider going after sage rats without my 204 now. I have not shot a coyote with my 204 yet, I have played with the 35 grain Berger bullets for that purpose. Wow what color does the Idaho Fish & Game color the staked out deer for you?

Sidewinderwa wrote:faucettb, the 243 should be a great coyote round. I have been considering the 6mmAI for a coyote rifle. The 25-06 will out perform it but can you ever have enough toys?? I would not consider going after sage rats without my 204 now. I have not shot a coyote with my 204 yet, I have played with the 35 grain Berger bullets for that purpose. Wow what color does the Idaho Fish & Game color the staked out deer for you?

Considering they've used up the red X's for my coyote misses I'm gonna see if they will use Yellow.

I've never in the last 45 years of shooting had a wildcat. I've built a few for folks and did have a dandy 308 Norma mag, but Norma made ammo and brass for that so it wasn't really a wildcat.

That 6mm AI would be a dandy. I'm getting just under 4000 fps in my 243's with 26 inch tubes and from the way their shooting could easily go over 4000. The 6mm AI should exceed that a bunch and safely. I'm a little worried about throat erosion even at the velocities I'm shooting, but a new barrel is really not a lot of money in the scheme of things and aside from some 4 by 4 building I don't have any other hobbies to spend on.

The Last time I was down at Lewiston the Blues still had a bunch of snow on them.