I am looking for a sub-.22 caliber coyote class caliber that won't have the over penetration and long distance concerns I have with other calibers. I'm looking for lightweight varmint class bullets that won't fly through trees off my property if I have an errant miss or blow through coyote sized critters and travel on to parts unknown like I have seen with 6.8SPC and 308W used for feral hogs. I have also had some ricochets on my friends property which I'm assuming are off rocks covered with pasture litter so, while essentially captive with the natural slope of his land, it is definitely not desirable. This has me thinking a 30~45gr varmint round traveling at warp speed will still be effective inside 300 yards (most shots are inside 100~200 yards) and will likely fragment or keyhole when they hit something relatively light (ground cover, tree limbs, coyotes, etc).
Thinking about little calibers that can take Coyote sized game humanely at reasonable distances had me thinking about the 17 Remington / Fireball / Hornet. The 17WSM is an option but, I'm not a Savage B.mag fan. Long ago I had considered the 20Tac but back then I needed more penetration and didn't have neighbors or livestock close by to worry about. So coming full circle back to my original quest for a lightweight fast bullet that won't carry significant energy a long ways downrange, I came back to the .17/.20 calibers where the 204 Ruger seems to dominate in the mainstream marketing and press and, apparently mimics the boutique-name trend with a 20Tac class 204 Ruger.
Is the 204 Ruger AR-15 a reasonable option for what I am looking for? Who makes reasonably priced uppers with reasonable accuracy (thinking Coyotes at 300 yards)? Are there concerns with magazines or anything else with this round in an AR-15? I am also assuming pressures and such on non-SBR barrel lengths are not a problem for 5.56 suppressors.
TIA,
Sid
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