204 varmint bullets and nef handi

[kennisondan]

Hi : never been a varminter and never had a handi or 204.. for coyotes and other vermin ( no gounhogs or prairie dogs in Louisiana ) do you guys use hold overs or dial in for varmints, and is a 3x9 sufficient to start with... I may upgrade later once I get going some.
dk

[Hotshot]

3-9 scope will get you started just fine. It takes some experience to use more power in the field. Higher power is sometimes nice when you shoot off a bench at targets and small varmints way out there.

I would suggest not dialing your scope at first for one distinct reason. You will learn a lot about the trajectory of your rifle by learning to hold off for wind and distance. Dialing in a scope is somewhat of an art that can be very usefull after you understand the trajectory very well. Most of the members on this forum who "dial" are very experienced long range shooters who have studied ballistics for some time.

I hope you enjoy your new sport as much as I do.

Hotshot

[Arizona Hunter]

Since you won't be shooting p-dogs or such at 400 yds (or more) you will have plenty of scope with a 3-9 x 40 or similar.

I bought a 204 last year-man is that the most fun!

[Rick65Cat]

I bought a 204 last year-man is that the most fun!

I concur. The most fun you can have with your boots ON!!

[Arizona Hunter]

As for sighting in, I set mine at 1.5" high at 100 yds.
For coyotes and the other critters you have down there, you may want to stay away from the 32 grainers as they often blow up on coyotes and do not penetrate. The 40's do a better job and better still for penetration is the new Hornady 45 gr. spire point. It is sort of like their Interlok bullet but in 20 cal. My buddy has switched to them and says they are super on coyotes and accurate enough for prairie dogs.

[Ryan S Albright]

A 3x9 power scope should be fine. The 204 gets you a lot of yardage with out hold over. When I dial in elevation I am setting at a bench in the alfalfa fields and can see the dust from my bullet impact and most likely have my scope set at 20x and am shooting at squirrels out past 330yrds. I know the yardage of a lot of these fields most are 440yrds square one is 500yrds another 600yrds this is when I start dialing in but I can also see the bullet impact. For coyotes I have only done it a couple of times as they are a lot larger. I have one set up on a small ridge over looking a large dusty field and I have tried some 600yrd shots and missed because of wind but I could see the bullet impact and would have hit them if it had been a calm day. Have fun and shoot lots of ammo you will be impressed. For the record I like the 32gr Vmax the lighter bullets are flatter shooting and will take the coyotes down just aim for the soft spots, neck, heart shots. They will open a large wound if you hit bone close to the surface all though head shots really make there eyes bulge.