? 4 hunters that have taken over 50 coyotes

The 55 gr v-max is my choice in coyote bullets for my 22-250. I have had my fair share of run offs and spinners with 55 gr bullets as most of us here probably have. They are a lot less experienced with the 55 v-max as opposed to when i was shooting 40 and 50 grain v-max. As far as being relaxed, I am always relaxed. Life is good in my world. What i said above just came out wrong. I didnt mean anything by it. My grammar skills are a little less than desirable and i dont always type how i am thinking or express myself the way i want. No harm meant on my part, what so ever. Good luck Lee
 
In my 22-250s I use the 55 V-Max and the 60 V-Max. Both perform well if you don't care about the fur. I have also used a lot of 52 HPBT Sierras. In the .204 I have settled on 35 grain Bergers.
 
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First choice in the plastic tip catagory is the V-Max.
It just puts them down well.

Second choice overall is the PSP bullet.

Both are related to my experience with them out of .223 rifles.



+1 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

'cept... I use a twenty-two two fitty. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
i have killed many coyotes with sierra 80 bt spire points in my 243 been shooting them 18 yrs now.
took a coyote at 350 yrds on Saturday right in the back of the head. [i didn't want to hit him in the butt] she turned around and was going to leave.
i have thought about the newer bullets but then a shot like that one and i think why.
I've fired 5 shots at coyote starting 11/23 the first set this fall, had one walking wounded [ /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gifi know i didn't miss i just didn't find it] and 4 that got a ride in the truck. i had two come in to 450 with no shot opportunity and my son shot one Sunday. that's all I've seen so far. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
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I just use the 50gr vmax these days, no exit when through the shoulder. Knock down is instant. I tried eveything over the last 35 yrs and these are all I now use. I shoot a Savage FP10 in .223, nothing else. My loads are right at 3300 fps.
I do not worry about fur damage as I dont use it for anything besides fence decoration. All hides have small holes in them and most just the entry hole.
My last one was at 285 yards and a running shot.....more luck than anything else, but he dropped in his tracks when it hit.
 
In my 223, my fav "calling" rifle I like 55 VMax, I consider that inside of 250 yards when I am choosing the rifle for a given hunting area. For "general purpose" I like 45 HP in my 22-250, Pdogs!!!! way cool explosions, yotes that I know for sure out to 349 yards, no exit, insides are turned to jelly, I have a 55 grain handload that shoots to same POI.
Windy, long range, a contest I want to win, DRT killer, 243, 80 grain SP, federal. if ya wanna put em down hard and right now.
Carl
 
I have tried several different bullets and found the Hornaday VMAX in my 22/250 caused way to much fur damage. I used 50 and 55 gr VMAX. I have used Nolser BT mostly 50 gr but some 55 gr and though not as bad as the VMAX they also caused alot of fur damage. I used the 52gr BTHP Match from Sierra for well over 50 coyotes. They did a pretty good job unless I hit the shoulder or the backbone. Lately I have been using the old 55 gr Sierra GameKing #1365. I haven't shot 50 coyotes yet with them but the 9 I have killed so far have been ideal. Small entry hole and about a quarter size hole out. After I manage to kill another 41 I will have a final report but at the rate Im going this year that will be next year at the earliest.
 
We hunted Mexico for 12years. A gun permit with two guns were allowed for a cost of about $350. Each gun was allowed no more than 50 rounds of ammo. Always having a shotgun, the one rifle in the truck got used hard. We would try different caliber gun about every other year. I would load 25 of each type of bullet that I wanted to try with a total of two different bullet types. We would always shoot 25 animals straight of the same bullet style due to impact distances and angles.

In the 22/250's, we had great luck with the Sierra 53g Match, 55g SPT, 55g BTHP, and 55g NOsler BT with the speeds of each one in the 3550-3650 fps area. I had a 22/250 AI one year that we shot the 55g Nosler BT and the Sierra 55g BTHP, all with great success. NO doubt that the 22/250AI puts dogs down harder with the 55's at 4000 fps+. The Speer 52's blew up on shoulder blades out of the regular 22/250 and once in a while on a rib, concusion knocked the yotes out, they would get up drunk and staggering. We learned not to aim on a shoulder with the Speer 52g HP.

In the 243's and 6mm Rem's that I took down, we shot the 60g Sierra HP, the Sierra 75g HP, Sierra 80g Single Shot pistol bullet, 85g BTHP, and the 85g SPT. Sometimes Both 85's would shoot holes straight through yotes on a rare occasion. The Speer 75g HP shot at 3500-3600 blew up on shoulder bladess and hip joints.

We hid ammo in the truck for one and two week trips, lucky we never got caught.

Some 3 day trips would yield 50+ animals, week trips may go 100+ depending on how much fishing and bird hunting we did.
Worst 3 day trip we had was 13 animals, worst 1 week trip we had was 37...love bullet testing.

A lot of to doo has been made over bullet types. I really believe that you should concentrate on what kind of bullet your rifle will shoot the most accurate to give you the most confidence, and no matter what the caliber, place your shot.

Several years ago, I did some bullet testing for PMC ammo company on ground squirrels and jack rabbits. The ballistic's lab loaded us 250 of the NOsler BT, 250 of the Sierra Blitz king, and 250 of the HOrnady V Max...bless their Hearts! We shot 250 straight of each kind, and video'd much of each. NOsler was the toughest, Hornady second, and the hands down winner was the Blitz king...no contest....hence that is what they loaded in their 22/250 and 223 Ammo. Blitz king was so explosive, I have often wondered how the 55 would be on yotes. I have a great supply of the Nosler 55's, I doubt if I will ever try the Sierra 55 Blitz kings on yotes.

Coyotes are much different than ground squirrels and jacks. Often a coyote will have to be shot as he runs away, meaning that the bullet will have to break hips, spine, and travel a ways through the guts to get to the heart/lungs. A little tougher bullet in this shot works better. While these shots only occur perhaps 15% of the time, they are usually on a second or third coyote that comes in and buggs out. On broadside shots, about any bullet will work as long as the 22/250 are NOT behind the diaphram. When the 22/250 shots are behind the diaphram at distances of 150 yds or more, the yote may run off or get knocked down and get back up when your attention is on trying to get another yote on that particular stand. No doubt that the 55g Nosler BT is the tougher of the poly tip bullets with it's extra thick base, and the jacket at the base is also thicker.

A hunting partner's team got 17 on one stand in Mexico, and our all time best stand was 13. I can distinctly remember one stand where we had 7 on the ground at one time, with two coyotes that had re-gained their feet attempting to hobble off, and a third attempting to get up. Those yotes had been shot with the Speer 52's with a muzzle velocity of 3550. We shot 11 rounds on that stand alone...I was upset that I had only brought down a box of 50. We had to ration our shots the rest of the trip, and crossed the border back into the USA with 3 bullets left.

I can see clearly in my "mind's eye", several coyotes hit broadside at 65-75 yards with a 243 using the Hornady 75g HP at 3600 fps. They spun around and ran off with blood spots on their off side the size of a saucer, we never found them and on a competitive hunt, that was a real bummer. The Sierra 85g Spt and the 85g BTHP are...tough. We would loose 2-3 out of a 100 with them failing to open up at distances 150 yds+ with good center body hits. There is simply no explaining why a bullet fails to open up...could be the guilding metal used on that lot# of bullets, could be the lead/antimony mix in the lead core...who knows. I know that there is a difference in lot to lot variations on some bullets as bullet makers use what the foundry gives them on jacket material and lead/antimony core mix.

In grading the 55's out of a 22/250 at 3550-3650, I would put the Sierra 55g spt and BTHP at the top, with the 55g Nosler BT close behind. I have never shot the Hornady's on yotes, so I can't give you an opinion on them. The Sierra 50g Spt also gave us great results out of a 22/250 shot at 3800+...big holes...big holes...mangled up yotes.

The biggest mess that we ever saw made of yotes with a 22 Caliber was with the Sierra 55g Blitz lead tip at 3550, looks like you planted a bomb up the butt of a yote. This bullet absolutely grenades a yote, but I would not attempt to shoot this bullet in anything other than a 1-14 twist 223 or 22/250 and limit velocity at a max of 3550 in anything other than the best of the custom barrels.

One thing that we learned over and over, 22 and 6mm bullets do not shoot well through bushes and tall grass, with the lead tip bullets and HP doing MUCH better in circumstances of tall grass. Poly tip bullets never make it through tall grass...just pass on the shot.

What ever you do, have confidence in your gun or practice till you do. If you see that you are getting spinners, try another bullet after you have checked for poor bullet placement. Bullet style will not make up for a poor shot too far back behind the diaphram on 22's while 243's and 6mm Rem's are another story.

Good luck with your bullet choices!
 
Lots of good infofor you here but it would seem its kind of a personal experience type of thing. Try some different bullets out and draw your own conclusion. Share with us what you come up with. Lee
 
I bow to some of the other guys but I have had great luck with the 55 vmax in .22-250 toning the velocity down a little. I shoot them at around 3300 fps from my ruger and they are very accurate, take coyotes and cats down hard and I can't ever remember an exit. It is a great fur bullet for me.
 
From my 22-250, I have killed coyotes with the 50 gr, 55 gr BT and 60 gr PT.
Typical exit wound is about the size if a nickel through the ribs.
338
 
In the 22-250 I've used all of the plastic tipped bullets. My favorites were the 40 grn v-max and Blitzkings. I use those when wind is calm and / or I'm in Bobcat country. If shots are going to be longer or it's windy I shoot HPBT match bullets. Speer, sierra, hornady all shoot equally well for me in the 22-250.

In the .223 I've settled on 60 grn sierra HP varminters.
 
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