2 air rifles: best and most value priced for coyotes

[Grunt64]

I don't know anything about air guns but am interested in getting one to hunt coyotes.

Just wondering what people's thoughts are on the best airgun for the money and the most value airgun?

Also, what caliber is best?

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that coyotes rarely cooperate with whatever distance you “planned” for. A lot of guys buy a rifle thinking they’ll only shoot 40–60 yards, but once you’re actually out there, it’s very common for a dog to hang up at 100 yards or more.

If your rifle is only ethical inside 60, now you’re stuck with two bad options: take a marginal shot or watch the coyote walk. That’s why I always plan for the maximum realistic distance my terrain can produce. Anything closer is automatically covered.

That’s also why I don’t recommend .25 for coyotes. It can work, but it has very little margin for error — wind, bone, angle, and energy drop all stack against you fast. A .30 or bigger gives you the penetration and retained energy you need when the shot isn’t perfect or the coyote doesn’t stop where you hoped.


A lot of new shooters plan around “40–60 yards,” but coyotes don’t always cooperate with that. It’s very common for a dog to hang up at 100 yards or more. If your rifle is only ethical inside 60, now you’re stuck with a bad choice: take a marginal shot or watch the coyote walk. That’s why I plan for the maximum realistic distance my terrain can produce. Anything closer is automatically covered.

This is the main reason I think the Texan .308 is one of the better PCP options for coyotes. It has the power, the penetration, and the retained energy to make those 100–120 yard shots realistic when the opportunity comes. Even a stock .308 Texan shooting a 150‑grain slug carries enough accuracy and authority at that distance to get the job done cleanly with good shot placement.

Most other PCPs simply don’t match that combination of range and real‑world performance. Smaller calibers like .25 can work, but they have very little margin for error — wind, bone, and angle all become limiting factors fast. With coyotes, I’d rather have the capability for the longer shot and not need it than need it and not have it.

 

[Grunt64]

Keep in mind that the OP knows zilch about airguns. That makes this an educational thread. I think it important to cover all of the basics.

@Usmarine0352 An important factor to consider in this conversation is distance to target/range. Terrain is also important and speaks to distance. The only respondent to mention distance in this thread is Chief55. A lot of suggestions are opinions that lack context until distance is addressed. Also when asking about "the best" you're asking for varied opinions.

Here's a good thread to read of one member's take on this topic. Why My .308 Texan Is a Better Year‑Round Coyote PCP (Day or Night)
He is known as @Grunt64 on HAM.

What's your maximum desired range to hunt coyote with an airgun?

Thank you Ezana4CE.

 

[PestPlasteringPlinker]

Bro, you absolutely nailed it with that explanation of a yote rifle.

Could my .25 do it? Absolutely! With the exact specific circumstances. Like, if im out pesting, stacking up what im hauling off, turn around, and theres one munching out the pile, sure!

Would the farmer be really happy with me letting one get within 40, 50 yards of the calf pen? Not if I knew it was there, but waited.

Can my sl30 show stop one? Im certain of it. Am I skilled enough to drop shot one at 125, 150 with it? Absolutely not. Ive only ever seen one coyote personally within 25 yards, and it was all scrappy and patchy. I legit wouldn't have shot at it with an airgun, it was half way into transforming into a chupacabra.

2 9mm hollowpoints, one body dropped it, the other in the head at 5 yards to be sure it was taken care of. But thats just me.

 

[Chief55]

Yes Grunt, well said. This is exactly why my friend stopped using a 22LR with some urging from me. We also had a bit more pucker factor doing it out west in that sometimes I would call in a pack of 6-8 dogs and one time 2 packs were coming from different directions at the same time barking their heads off racing each other to get there when it was pitch dark. The pucker factor was very high that night. Also, sometimes a bear or mountain lion would come in. Back in the early 80's there wasn't any airgun to my knowledge that I would have used. I was using a .223 Rugar ranch rifle for longer ranges and a 12ga pump for close in work
in those days. He started using a 30-30 and a 12ga. As Grunt said some 25's could do it and maybe even the strongest .22 at close range but not reliably. Too much can go wrong, hitting a bone or just to far as Grunt said, and we should do our best to match the gun and ammo too the animal we are hunting to make a clean kill. There is no good reason to make anything suffer. It is also true that most big bores will do the job, but I choose the Airforce Texan .308 for being flat shooting and reliable. The .257 is also a good flat shooting round but I personally think the .308 has more overall potential and bang for the buck. I just wanted to mention that those rounds are also good choices for hogs, which by the way can also be called in. Not something many people know about, but it is absolutely true and can be every bit as exciting if not more so. To be continued I'm sure, lol.

 

[PestPlasteringPlinker]

Yes, well said. This is exactly why my friend stopped using a 22LR with some urging from me. We also had a bit more pucker factor doing it out west in that sometimes I would call in a pack of 6-8 dogs and one time 2 packs were coming from different directions at the same time barking their heads off racing each other to get there at around 1am pitch dark. The pucker factor was very high that night. Also, sometimes a bear or mountain lion would come in. Back in the early 80's there wasn't an airgun I would have used. I used a .223 Rugar ranch rifle for long range and a 12ga pump for close in work. He started using a 30-30 and a 12ga. As Grunt said some 25's could do it and maybe even the strongest .22 but not reliably. Too much can go wrong and we owe it to the animals we hunt to do our best to make a clean kill. They are just trying to survive same as us.

Um, bud, I hope you were wearing brown pants.

The most, and I can most I have seen is 1 pack, 6 deep, and they was making themselves very well known at a goat birth.

It took me and my grandpa both with 12's dropping 4 of them for the last two to scrat off,and one i can promise, was doing so on three legs.

You add night on top of that, bro, the real out factor alone! Shivers!

In the pnw, that is my absolute greatest fear. I just got wind of a large, large predator stalking a coupe right next door to my ma's place. She saw reflections in headlights at 4, described it, and described said neighbors searching for a predator 15 minutes later with flash lights, less than 50 yards from eye reflections. I'd if a puma linked right by me on its way to the coupe. No joke. Wouldn't take that shot.

Ive got the scope and time, sure, but if I bring a wuss puss .30 cal air rifle to a freaking mountain lion, I doubt its going to go well for the chickens.

They're in mountain lion/Bobcat territory, but am certain its a cat. Ill ask them if they want me to pest their coupe tomorrow, but be dang sure to bring the tube with 00buck if its not a Bobcat.

 

[Chief55]

Well in the day, thinking they were strictly nocturnal we didn't start hunting until 9-10 at night and hunted until about 2am, no lights until we heard something, and they were mounted to our guns. Knowing what I have learned over the years I would not hesitate to hunt them anytime. If they are hungry enough, they will come. But I would not hunt them at night alone, and it would be much safer to put out a speaker aways out and use an electronic call to keep the focus off of you. Too much can go wrong. One night I was using a hand call, and we had a Mountain Lion circle us and sit about 15 yards in front of us with a dead pigeon at his feet that I had shot earlier for bait. I will never forget that tail. It was like 3-4 feet long. They were protected at the time, so we just scared him off. Another time I had a big white and black Bob Cat come in about 20 yards away at 10am, I never saw one that color before, 2 days before that season opened so I did not get to take him.

 

[PestPlasteringPlinker]

Well in the day, thinking they were strictly nocturnal we didn't start hunting until 9-10 at night and hunted until about 2am, no lights until we heard something, and they were mounted to our guns. Knowing what I have learned over the years I would not hesitate to hunt them anytime. If they are hungry enough, they will come. But I would not hunt them at night alone, and it would be much safer to put out a speaker aways out and use an electronic call to keep the focus off of you. Too much can go wrong. One night I was using a hand call, and we had a Mountain Lion circle us and sit about 15 yards in front of us with a dead pigeon at his feet that I had shot earlier for bait. I will never forget that tail. It was like 3-4 feet long. They were protected at the time, so we just scared him off. Another time I had a big white and black Bob Cat come in about 20 yards away at 10am, I never saw one that color before, 2 days before that season opened so I did not get to take him.

Dude, the straight out wave a cougar tail gets, terrifying. Could step on a pile of dead twigs, can flick it just right while doing so to remain absolutely silent. Ive seen them personally three times, once jumping a 6' fence, maybe 30 feet from me(zero sound, none, I turned and saw legs and tail coming down into chest high field grass) once lounging in clear cut, and once just relaxing eating (im assuming a dead baby dear) 120 yards off staring at me.

Hands down, the last 'pest' i iver want to encounter in my life.

My neighbor took him a day later after a night in the woods with 2 goats teathered to a tree. Came back dragging that incredibly long cat by the tail with an arrow in the lungs, one in the neck, and one(im assuming) in the jaw area.

100% nope.

 

[PestPlasteringPlinker]

Well in the day, thinking they were strictly nocturnal we didn't start hunting until 9-10 at night and hunted until about 2am, no lights until we heard something, and they were mounted to our guns. Knowing what I have learned over the years I would not hesitate to hunt them anytime. If they are hungry enough, they will come. But I would not hunt them at night alone, and it would be much safer to put out a speaker aways out and use an electronic call to keep the focus off of you. Too much can go wrong. One night I was using a hand call, and we had a Mountain Lion circle us and sit about 15 yards in front of us with a dead pigeon at his feet that I had shot earlier for bait. I will never forget that tail. It was like 3-4 feet long. They were protected at the time, so we just scared him off. Another time I had a big white and black Bob Cat come in about 20 yards away at 10am, I never saw one that color before, 2 days before that season opened so I did not get to take him.

Yotes are 24/7 365. I grew up watching em run across our field, and thinking id drop em with my trusty red Ryder.

Folks didn't believe me until they tore a horse a couple houses up 15 feet apart from both halves, and I was plinking at em long enough to tell my grandpa(my next door neighbor) I needed help saving the long horse.

He came out to see what i was talking about, and had himself a discussion with my dad, and I got my first shotgun at 7 years old for the "big groups of dogs" only. Other than that, all red Ryder, Starling, and sparrow action bro!

Loved it! Best childhood a boy could ask for!

 

[Grunt64]

I know the thread started out about two air rifles for coyotes — best and best value… but the conversation drifted into hunting coyotes at night. That’s something I do regularly, but never without precautions.

When you’re calling predators in the dark with prey sounds, you never really know what else might be hungry. I always carry a can of quality bear spray that reaches out to about 30 feet. My caller is never closer than 50 yards, and I do everything I can to stay scent‑free going into the area. If I’m using bait, I wear neoprene gloves, wash my hands with scent‑free soap, and seal everything in zip‑lock bags. Bait is always placed no closer than that same 50‑yard line.

Last year I stopped hunting for about three weeks after a 200‑pound pig was killed by a black bear roughly 300 yards from my setup. That bear was bulking up before hibernation, and I had no interest in becoming the next protein source. I only hunt on my own land, and I hunt coyotes for the challenge and the enjoyment — not to end up as a bear’s midnight snack.

To give you an idea of how wild it gets up there: my dad is an old Marine, and even he says, “I’m not going up there at night alone.” That should tell you something. Hunting alone at night, deep in no‑man’s‑land, can get pretty spooky, but that’s part of the rush that keeps me going back.

Night hunting coyotes is a blast, but it’s also something you need to respect. The woods don’t always send in what you expect.

 

[Dogowski]

I put a couple of people onto the MA2 a couple of years ago, coyote as the intended prey in middle US. They were very satisfied with the results, as another budget option. Also 30 cal like the Gauntlet recommendation.

MA2 30 caliber is a better rifle with the nice smooth side lever but only gets 17 shots and that's on the Sniper long version. My 30 caliber G2 customized gets 35 shots with the 580cc tank. They both have their pros and cons in my opinion. Both great options!

 

[Zelos1]

The RAW HM1000X in .30 is a great rifle, super accurate and perfect for varmints, but it’s still underpowered for hogs. Even hot‑tuned they’re usually around 100–120 FPE. My .357 Big Bore is roughly double that with only 147gr, and that’s the kind of power you really need for large hogs. The RAW is a precision varmint gun, not a big‑game platform

I appreciate your input and will definitely look into an “upsize”.

 

[Zelos1]

I know the thread started out about two air rifles for coyotes — best and best value… but the conversation drifted into hunting coyotes at night. That’s something I do regularly, but never without precautions.

When you’re calling predators in the dark with prey sounds, you never really know what else might be hungry. I always carry a can of quality bear spray that reaches out to about 30 feet. My caller is never closer than 50 yards, and I do everything I can to stay scent‑free going into the area. If I’m using bait, I wear neoprene gloves, wash my hands with scent‑free soap, and seal everything in zip‑lock bags. Bait is always placed no closer than that same 50‑yard line.

Last year I stopped hunting for about three weeks after a 200‑pound pig was killed by a black bear roughly 300 yards from my setup. That bear was bulking up before hibernation, and I had no interest in becoming the next protein source. I only hunt on my own land, and I hunt coyotes for the challenge and the enjoyment — not to end up as a bear’s midnight snack.

To give you an idea of how wild it gets up there: my dad is an old Marine, and even he says, “I’m not going up there at night alone.” That should tell you something. Hunting alone at night, deep in no‑man’s‑land, can get pretty spooky, but that’s part of the rush that keeps me going back.

Night hunting coyotes is a blast, but it’s also something you need to respect. The woods don’t always send in what you expect.

I miss the deer & elk season nighttime walkouts without a flashlight. It created a weird sharpness in my senses that seemed to act a bit like night vision/esp… but the ramblings of a nutty old man shouldn’t be taken too seriously!

 

[Dogowski]

I miss the deer & elk season nighttime walkouts without a flashlight. It created a weird sharpness in my senses that seemed to act a bit like night vision/esp… but the ramblings of a nutty old man shouldn’t be taken too seriously!

I know exactly what you mean. Us old guys have to stick together!

 

[PestPlasteringPlinker]

I know exactly what you mean. Us old guys have to stick together!

Its not old. Its called learned. And half the fun is watching younger folks making the mistakes we told em about.

"What did ya learn" beats "I told ya so" all day long.

 

[CoyoteHammer]

I’d definitely take a look at AGT Uragan 2/3 or Vulcan 3 in .30 if you’re looking to shoot slugs. It comes from the factory set up as a slug gun with a 1:17.7 twist rate for the U2 and V3, 1:15.7 twist rate for the U3. Accuracy was on par with my M3 but without the bs problems that the impacts bring with them (slow first shots, wandering barrel poi). Btw my AGT U2 and V3 are pushing 110 fpe and 125 fpe respectively.

I’d post a coyote hunting video of the U2 in action but I don’t see a way of doing it, I’m a noob here!

 

[hameditor]

I’d definitely take a look at AGT Uragan 2/3 or Vulcan 3 in .30 if you’re looking to shoot slugs. It comes from the factory set up as a slug gun with a 1:17.7 twist rate for the U2 and V3, 1:15.7 twist rate for the U3. Accuracy was on par with my M3 but without the bs problems that the impacts bring with them (slow first shots, wandering barrel poi). Btw my AGT U2 and V3 are pushing 110 fpe and 125 fpe respectively.

I’d post a coyote hunting video of the U2 in action but I don’t see a way of doing it, I’m a noob here!

Hello @CoyoteHammer welcome to the HAM Community! You can link to videos that are hosted by YouTube, but there's no direct video hosting in this Community.

 

[CoyoteHammer]

U2 700mm .30 shooting 62.5gr AVS .3063 at ~890 for 110fpe

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[Grunt64]

U2 700mm .30 shooting 62.5gr AVS .3063 at ~890 for 110fpe

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I watched that U2 coyote clip — it was about 33 yards and still took two shots, one to anchor and another to finish. That’s exactly why a lot of us prefer the .308 and .357 big bores for coyotes. They carry more energy, hit harder, and give cleaner results when the shot isn’t perfect or the distance stretches past 75–100 yards. AGT makes nice rifles, but for coyotes the bigger calibers just do the job better.”

 

[Solo1]

Anyone have 1 of these for coyotes? Looks like it would work well.

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[CoyoteHammer]

I agree with the “bigger is better” when it comes to hunting larger prey/predators. I usually go for head/neck shots on coyotes so .30 works for me.

My biggest gripe with big bores is the lack of a magazine and each round has to be single loaded. I’m certainly not a fan of china guns and their lack of quality control even though they offer multi-shot platforms. One day…one day…I’d love to see Airforce release a multi shot Tex Rex!