Heath Wood photo
February 20, 2026
By Heath Wood
CENTERFIRE CONSIDERATIONS Rifle loads for predators should have a fairly flat, consistent trajectory; little recoil; and deadly terminal performance. Most are high-velocity, with rapidly expanding bullets.
Velocity and Trajectory: For shots ranging from 50 to several hundred yards, a fast, flat-shooting round using a low-drag bullet minimizes holdover and allows quick follow-ups. Varmint-style, high-velocity cartridges retaining sufficient energy out to distant yet ethical ranges are popular. Think .204 Ruger, .22-250 Remington, .223 Rem./5.56 NATO, etc., and light, fast .243/6 mm loads.
Bullet Design: You want enough penetration to reach vitals from different angles, but bullets should also expand reliably and rapidly. Lightweight 40- to 70-grain projectiles (in .20 to .24 calibers) often penetrate 2 to 5 inches in soft tissue, then fragment violently. The ideal bullet dumps energy quickly for swift kills and limited penetration.
Smaller .22-caliber cartridges, like .22 Hornet, .22-250 Rem., .220 Swift, .224 Valkyrie, and others, shine. Using the right bullets, they offer the requisite speed, accuracy, and energy to kill quickly and minimize pelt damage.
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Recoil: Use something with minimal recoil that you can shoot accurately. It’s essential to be confident in and competent with your rifle and load. No load overcomes a poor hit. Train often with anatomically accurate targets.
Lethal Load: A favorite load is Hornady ’s Varmint Express .22-250 Rem ., which uses a rapidly fragmenting 50-grain V-Max bullet. It’s accurate, fairly affordable, and has consistently dropped coyotes for me from 50 to 200 yards with little to no pelt damage.
Heath Wood photo SCATTERGUN STIPULATIONS Shotguns are versatile tools for predators, working well at night with a light and for close-range shots. The right load should pattern well and hit hard at expected shot distances.
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Shot Size: If using lead shot, go with No. 4, 1, or 00 buckshot, or T or BB shot. With tungsten, use No. 2, 4, BB, or T shot. Larger pellets retain more energy and penetration, but patterns may be less full with fewer pellets. Smaller pellets lose velocity and energy quicker. But with more pellets in each shell, they offer denser patterns, especially up close. Tighter shots call for smaller pellets; longer shots demand larger ones.
Pellet Material: Lead is great due to its cost, density, and effective patterns. If using steel, go up a size to adjust for its lower density. Tungsten pellets are denser than both, yield tighter patterns, and retain more downrange energy. They offer similar lethality at smaller sizes, allowing more pellets in each load and, thus, denser patterns.
Choke Tube: Choose a choke that patterns well at 20 to 40 yards with your chosen load. With larger shot, like 00 buckshot, consistently getting five or six hits in the kill zone may be sufficient. With smaller shot, you want far more pellets in the lethal zone.
Also, consider expected pellet energy and penetration at given shooting distances. A hit on paper means little if the pellet doesn’t reach the vitals.
Lethal Load: I love Apex’s Predator TSS loads in No. 2 and 4 shot. They deliver tighter patterns and better downrange performance, and have been deadly for me on coyotes out to 60 yards.
This article was featured in the January/February 2026 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe .
