Here is why I opt for a tougher bullet in 22 caliber. I have called in a Tule Bull elk, black bears, several lions, too many deer to count. These animals come in wanting to stomp you or eat you. I had the where with all to not kill any of them, not in season or no tags.
I have shot and lost a lot of coyotes, seen more lost by hunting partners. I will opt for a "practical" decision of having a good tough enough bullet, and I think that the 60g V max would be a very practical bullet in a 22/250 AI or Creed around 3700 fps. However, the first one that I saw blow up on a hide, I would put the whole lot# up for sale, try a different lot #. One thing for sure, a 60g Hornady SP will NOT blow up...no down side, neither will a Sierra 40g spt, 40g HP, or a 45g spt. Marketing has created a craze to shoot a poly tip bullet for better bc.
RPM and how smooth the bore is MAY factor in how effective a bullet can be. Some of the cheap AR uppers and factory barrels in a bore scope look like they were cut with a dull drill bit with chatter and gouges not only in the throat but also in the lands and grooves. A rough finish will tear up a bullet jacket and make that bullet more apt to blow up on contact, as I found in my Colt AR's.
Another factor when talking about a favorite bullet is distances that you take shots. By far, if you walk out and make stands, the average distance is more like 80 yards to 125 yards. Lighter bullet weights work well for these distances, but as distance increases, speed bleeds off, the more the wind effects the bullet, and the smaller the temporary wound channel gets.
A guy hunting in Washington state has a very different need than a guy that hunts the brush in Arizona, you can take that to the bank. Now throw in the open plains of Montana with heavy winds blowing most of the time where a 22/250 AI or Creed with 75g A max would be right at home.
I will opt for horse power and a good bullet. Right now, I shoot a 700 sps stainless with a 55g Nosler at 3475 fps, I worked up a load with the 40g Nosler at 3800 fps, only killed crows with this load.
Like DAA, I claim ignorance with the 60g V max, but killed many with a 60g Berger at 3700 fps with a 12T 22/250 AI...NOT a fur friendly load and they never blew up on the surface, never.
Over the years, I learned to fear certain things on bullet impacts:
A. a frontal shot where the bullet hits the solid bone, square resulting in little penetration on certain bullets
B. running away shots where the bullet hits the thick hip joint resulting on NO penetration
C. solid broadside shoulder shots, many bullets will not penetrate, they may lay down and get up
D. high rib shots, some bullets blow up and no penetration, below the spine, and above the vitals
E. hitting a coyote slightly behind the diaphragm to a solid gut shot, with a resulting run off. This happens with minimal calibers and bullets with small temporary wound cavities and is more relevant with 17 and 22 calibers of light bullet weights and lower velocities. Most would call it a bad hit, I call it not enough gun.
A guy that hunts in an area with a very high population density and shrug off 10 losses without even thinking about it. A guy that only gets a chance to shoot 10 per year will never forget a single run off.
When I was hunting in the late 70's saving pelts in the S.W. desserts, I shot a 223 with a load of 26.5g of Win 748 with a 55g Winchester SP(3000 fps and rarely if ever penetrated a coyote), 17 Mach 4's loaded with 25g Bergers, along with custom and factory 17 Remingtons with 25g Remington match and 25g Bergers. When we saw coyotes working at ranges of 250 yards, the joy was in coxing them in closer and using attractants to get them in closer. At that time, a dessert coyote was worth anywhere from $35-$50, N. Nevada cats were worth $450, and red fox up to $125.
This is a hobby, and you can take it to any level you want, and I would hope that you would be honest with yourself in bullet performance as how it relates to you your own personal circumstances/needs. We did many improv autopsies, sharp buck knives would slit them open in seconds, carried rubber gloves. It would be prudent to kill 25-50 straight with a bullet before you make up your mind. If I see a bullet of any kind blow up on the surface, better choices abound! I want to have complete confidence in my bullet from shoulders to solid stomach shots as coyotes do not always stop and you have to shoot them on the move resulting in hits to the rear of the body from stopping gun during follow through or not leading them enough.
Since this thread was about a 60g V max, I would think that a great bolt gun would be a 60g V max at 3300-3500 fps( 22/250 with a 12 or faster twist), 22/250 AI or 22 Creed. I like to have complete confidence in a gut shot anchoring a coyote since walking, trotting, and running coyotes are a very real part of coyote hunting.
As you can tell, a guy that saves hides lives in a different world than I live. I really like DAA's input on the 6/284 with the 55g Nosler at 4200. I had a shooting partner that shot a 6 Rem AI with 60g Bergers going 4400 fps, but the barrel was 28" long which put a 4" hole through a coyote or larger. I HATE coyotes to run off, shot several hundred with a 270 Winchester, Remington 700 factory with 90g Hp loaded to 3500 fps with IMR 3031 that has the distinction of tearing up coyotes worse than anything I ever shot coyotes with, 3500 is the magic number.
If I were saving hides today, I would opt for a 204, 20 tactical, or 20 PPC loaded with 40g BIB bullets, or a 17 Rem or Predator shooting 30g bullets.
Some bullets are worth building a rifle around, the 20 caliber 40g BIB is one of those bullets, so is the 30g 17 caliber bullet(running fast).
. - DAA 
and not enough time tellin' us about it. Sure do miss his posts.
