Hi there, I'm new to this forum, and have a question. I recently bought a 204 Ruger in a Ruger MK II rifle and have reloaded some 35 gr Berger bullets with 25.5 gr of RE-10x. My gun really likes this load and I hear it is a good choice for coyotes. I'm not a good enough shot to probably hit a coyote much farther than 250 yards, so was wondering if it is good enough to take a coyote at that range or should I keep it to under 150 yards ?

Welcome to HuntingNut tallboy. Grab a beer, pull up a stump and sit awhile.

I am not a coyote hunter...we don't have them here in Australia...but there are plenty of yote hunters here who can answer your question with authority and experience.

Cheers, Vince

Hello Tallboy, I have been using the .204 on coyotes with good success for about two years now. I load a 40gr. hornaday on top of 27.6 grains of Varget. Your question was shooting coyotes at 250 or below. I personnaly have taken coyotes out to 368 yards with my load. But that requires good shot placement. You stated that you aren't a good enough shot to take them beyond 250. Best to stay around that limit, if your not comfortable. I have no doubt that the 35 grain Berger could take coyotes out as far as 400. But it would require a well placed shot in the vitals. The more you shoot the .204, the better and more comfident you will be. Then why not step up the shot distance. The .204 is a great coyote round, no recoil, fast and flat shooting. Personally, I like to keep my shots around 250 or less, but I would try to take a coyote out to 400 if the shot was do-able.

The 204 is more than adequate for 400 yd shots. Placement is the key. Get yourself a good bi-pod or some shooting sticks and practise on some long shots. My favorite practise is summertime prarie poodlin with both of my savage 12's (VLP and a BTVSS). A decent rangefinder is also a must for those extra long shots. I use a Leica 1200 CRF and it measures prairie dog mounds past 500 yds. Once you learn the balistics of your 204 and can hit the small goper size targets, a yote sized critter will seem easy.
Aim small, miss small.

May I ask what size coyotes we're talking about?