.243 coyote bullets.

P

poe

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I don't really use my .243 for coyotes much anymore but I am going to try and take a couple of the neighbour kids out calling coyotes this year and they both shoot .243's. I was wondering if anyone had any bullets they recommend that will leave a coyote hide salvageable. I used to use 55gr nbt in mine and they were ok. The thing I didn't like was the major change in point of impact vs my deer loads. Does anyone have any real experience with the 70gr vmax
 
I have used the 75gr VMax over 38gr of IMR 4064. Anchors a coyote right there for sure. Dime size entry and 50 cent piece exit. Used the same load in WV,the 243 was my backup rifle and it dropped a doe @130yds.

Your deer load might cause less damage to fur. Have gone to 100gr Hornady BTSP over max load of IMR4831 for everything.
 
For years, I used nothing but a Sierra 85 grain HP for coyotes, and sometimes for deer as well. The last several years, I've used 70 grain Sierra HP's, 65 grain Bergers, and 58 grain VXaxs. all with very good success. I use W760 powder in all these loads.
 
Shot placement is the key. I've had good luck with sierra 70 grain blitzking and going to try nosler vamageddon 70 grain this year
 
None, all 243 bullets with blow up fur. Once in a while you'll get lucky and not hit bone in the way in or out, or get a head on chest shot and miss a rib on exit. Slowing down the velocity with reloading would help but you don't have that option. Try some 100g deer loads like core locts and hope the yote is far enough out that the bullet slows down enough before entering the animal. I switched to a shotgun years ago after my 243 blew up about 90% of my animals.just forget the fur and use some 70g ballistic tips...my favorite for slamming them to the ground.
 
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In the 243 I like to run the 70NBT and in the 6mmwoa I run the 75gr sierra HP's. It will anchor them but there is a 50/50 chance that there is going to be sewing involved if you hit bone.
 
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I usually run a normal deer bullet. 100 gr SP puts them down hard and usually just pokes through both sides without leaving a big hole
 
I shot one for years before falling for the 6 woa. I never had an issue with pelts using the 105 a max. I never lost a coyote with it either!
 
Shot a coyote with a 95 grain SST. Worked fine with no big exit. The coyote did run, but that could have easily been shot placement or any of the other variables that go along with a bang flop kill. I've also shot them with a 62 grain Varmint Grenade. Both that I shot with the VG were closer than 100 yards and they blew big exit wounds.
 
I've pretty good results on about a dozen coyotes with the 58 v-max running about 3,750. Small hole in and have only had one with an exit and that not over about quarter size. I've managed to stay off the bones or I'm sure there would have been big blowups. Of course my sample size isn't as large as some and could change with a lot more kills.
 
I used the 75 gr V-Max exclusively out of my 243 for two years. They shoot flat and are an absolute coyote hammer but they left fist-size exit holes in more than 50% of the coyotes I shot. Two more years of shooting the 87 gr V-Max produced almost identical results.

The Sierra 60 gr HP or Hornady 58 gr V-Max with a starting load of 4064 or Varget has produced a pile of fur with only a 24 caliber entrance and no exit. So far I am very happy with this combination. Distances have been anywhere from 15 to 300 yards.
 
I had really good luck with the 69 gr bergers last year. Shot around 30 coyotes with that bullet, and only had 1 blow up on a shoulder bone. The rest were a tiny hole in and occasionally a tiny hole out.
 
Whatever shoots the best. I had great luck with Berger 87 grain hunting vld bullets in a factory Remington SPS Varmint.
 
I shot hundreds of coyotes with the 60g Sierra with win 760 when we were hunting in Mexico, and it is the best fur friendly commercial bullet we found for a 243, also the bullet is on the tougher side. You can take coyotes with this bullet quartering shots coming and going. This is a VERY accurate bullet in my 6ppc's and 6 BR's also.

In the early 90's, the ballistician for Sierra told me that it was the most accurate bullet that Sierra made. I was showing him the groups that I had shot with a Benchrest rifle shot with 60g Bergers and 60g Sierra's and told him that if they closed the point up more, the bullet would compete with the Berger 60's on the BR market, same for the Berger 75's.

We never got runners and spinners with the 243 with the 60g Sierra. In fact, on one coyote that was out about 400 yards, I underestimated the yardage. He was standing broadside, I held high on the shoulder, but the bullet impact was low and broke both of his front legs in one shot. That coyote would plow the ground with his nose till he got up on his hind legs, then started hopping off till he lost his balance. ON his third hopping session, I hit him dead center, and he was instantly dead.

I found that in the 243, that when the coyote was hit behind the diaphragm, that the coyote was dead right there on the spot. After having a dozen coyotes get up and walk off after being hit behind the diaphragm with a 22/250, I went to the 243 and 6mm Rem with the 60g Sierra. I used 760 in all these guns with a fed 210 primer.

My pard shot a 270 win(90g Sierra HP) and another pard shot a 25/06(100g Speer HP), and they blew tremendous holes in coyotes. Later on, in my 243's and 6 Rem's, I went to the Sierra 80g Single shot pistol bullet to get my "big hole" loads on coyotes.

Later on, I started making benchrest bullets for myself only. I played around with the size of the HP and found a HP size that worked well on coyotes with a 65g bullet that did not penetrate. Berger MEF 65g was close in duplicating my HP size if you can find any.
 
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I have found the Sierra 70 grain Blitzking to be super accurate and super deadly on coyotes in two different 243's I have owned, and in 4 rifles of various brands owned by friends. On nearly every coyote I have shot, up to 400 yards, there is no exit hole, and they are really messed up inside. No run offs experienced with this setup.
 
Possum, that is some really good info! I shot some 70g SIerra match kings on coyotes, never had an issue, but too few dogs shot to make a decision.

The 70g Sierra match Blitz king has a "match" grade jacket in concentricity which ensures one of the very best possibilities in getting the most out of your barrel. Also, does away with the whole issue of some lot# being good and others not so good like I found on some other make of poly tip bullets.
 
I have used 58vmax and switched to 75vmax this year.The 58's worked well no exits. So far this year I have shot two with the 75's and not fur friendly. But man do they hammer coyotes!
 
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