Best Coyote Bullet for a .223

[Jeremy]

Hi guys.  I am new to reloading and I am looking for a bullet that will work for yotes but will be easy on the hide.  Fox are pretty rare in my neck of the woods so don't factor them into the equation. What would you suggest for my 1-9 twist .223?

[Datil]

The one that hits Mr Yote in the right place :-D  :-D  :-D  :-D


 Marv. I beat mtchell to this one!

[blaster2560]

I'd say use a FMJ bullet.

John

[mitchell]

I'd say use a FMJ bullet.

John

no no no no
only if you want boftball size holes


try the 40 grain V-max or the 50 i you yotes are big

[blaster2560]

went in and out NO "boftball size holes"

[mitchell]

if your a good enough shot to sneak it through the ribs every time on a moving yote half the time then help your self but if you ever hit a bone or your FMJ bullet tumbles (like its made to) you'll have a softball size hole. trust me.


go V-max and don't look back

[cheatermk3]

I have no experience shooting coyotes, so take this with a grain of salt.

Winchester makes a 64 grain bullet that works well in a 1/9 twist barrel, also they are low-dollar and stoutly constructed for a 22 caliber.  You might want to try this one too.

[mitchell]

i've never shot those cheater so i can't speak for them, but they may work.

if you really want to save the hide then get a bullet that wont exit. exit wounds are typically the big ones , so a fragile bullet is recommended but if you go too fragile then you will get a blow up on the entry side that can be just as bad as a exit.  thats why i say use the 40 or 50 grain V-max.

[aulrich]

I agree with mitchell in years past I shot foxes with 223 hardball to my surprise it really shredded them. I also remember a particularaly long walk after shooting a coyote with them too.  My buddy shoots 223 now (I went 204) he had good resultd with Nosler 50 bt's, not so good with 50 v-max (too soft). The plain 50 sierra's (not the blitz version) should be good as well.

[lovedogs]

Previous posts against the FMJ are correct.  They're really hide wreckers.  I've never tried the rate of twist you're asking about but would guess you could shoot the heavy, long bullets and though you'd be overstabilizing the shorter ones they would probably still shoot okay if they held together.  I've hunted coyotes since '69 and that includes 14 yrs. of predator control on National Wildlife Refuges for the USFWS.  In .222's, .223's, .22-.250's, and .220 Swifts the best bullet I've found for coyote hunting is the Speer 52 gr. HP.  It kills instantly with good hits and does no or very little hide damage, usually not exiting.  If your rifle won't shoot this bullet, which would be rare in my experience, you might try the Hornady 55 gr. SP (not SX).  Good luck.

[sbhooper]

Lovedogs is right on.  I haven't shot many coyotes lately, but years ago I lived in AZ and killed gobs of them.  The standard Hornady spire point in 50 or 55 grain will nearly always perform great, although you may have some hide damage on close shots.  Personally, I would rather have to sew up a hole than lose a coyote.  I went the FMJ route and really regretted it.  I shot a coyote twice with FMJ bullets in a .243 and watched as he ran off never to be seen again and had the same results with a .223.  Most of my shots were real close in brush country and I found that a reduced load in my .243 using a 70 grain Hornady SX at 2300 fps was nearly a perfect killer with very little damage.  There are many good bullets for the .223 that perform well on coyotes.  I would say that with your fast twist the heavier (55+) would shoot great and will dependably smoke coyotes from any angle.

[MSP Ret]

sbhooper is right about the fast twist of 1 in 9" should be able to stabilize the heavier (55 grains and up) .223 bullets. It would be nice if H&R would come out with a little slower twist barrel, say a 1 in 12" for those of us that wanted to shoot a little lighter bullet, perhaps even incorporate an ejector into it instead of the cheap extractor for those of us that are hunters and not just bench rest guys....<><.... :twisted:    :-D !!

[sbhooper]

This is the first year of the .223 in the fast twist.  I just bought mine a few months back and it is a 1/12.  I have no interest in shooting heavy bullets in a .223.  That is why I have a .243!  I probably would not have bought one if it had a 1/9 barrel.

[MSP Ret]

You are so right sbhooper, and I agree with you. I also have the 1 in 12" twist .223 barrel (2 actually, a bull and standard contour). Like you I have no interest at this time in shooting the heavier bullets from my .223's, also I prefer the ejectors anyway. Regarding the post I made here, it was made "tongue in cheek" so to speak, knowing that H&R just made the change from 1 in 12 to 1 in 9 rifling and from ejectors to simple extractors, todays date is after all, April 1st!!!!....<><....

[sbhooper]

The only way that I would shoot heavy bullets in a .223 is if I had a long barrel and could get the velocity up.  If I want heavy, I use my .243.  My gun seems to like the 50s real well, but I wanted to shoot the 40s.  My gun flat does not like them, though.

[lovedogs]

sbhooper...

Don't feel too bad if your gun doesn't like the light 40 gr. bullets.  Speed isn't everything.  The 50 gr. is probably the most useful in our .223's anyway.  And there are lots of the plain old economical 50 gr. bullets out there that work great on all types of varmints.  The only real advantage to some of the "specialized" bullets, plastic tips and premium this and that, is that it lines some bullet makers pockets.  A coyote shot with a cheap, but accurate, conventional bullet is just as dead... and you can afford to shoot a lot more of them.

[MSP Ret]

:agree:....<><.... :grin:

[sbhooper]

My gun does not like the fancy boat tails either.  Just the plain old flat-based bullets are the best.  Fine with me!

[mitchell]

guys the 1-9 twist was put in the 223 caz at its speed it will shoot most all bullets . i have one its shoots 40 grainers ok (just udner an inch) but it shoots the 50's under a half inch. i didn't play that much with the 55 but it shoots them alright too.  but from what i've heard the 1-9 will shoot a 40-69 good.

i had a 1-12 that wouldn't shoot anything but the 55 grain V-max