Long Range Coyote Bullets
- Thread starter mtwood24
- Start date
skinney
Director
I try to save as much fur as possible, for LR rounds i use the 175gr SMK, out here in SD the wind can get ya sometimes, and this round don't have much wind drift, when compared to 100gr bullets and lower, i've got a neighbor who runs a 7mmRUM, pushin 168VLD's at about 3200, but he aint savin fur.
skinney
Director
i'm shootin the 175's in a 308, and its about a 50/50 chance ur gonna ruin fur, i've had em blow holes the size of softballs, and then on the next dog not even exit, these are very accurate projectiles with a decent BC, if you know ur shooting/reloading capabilities, you'll like em.
kyotekiller25
Well-known member
What are you shooting? That would help a bit.
Matchkings typically dont give much expansion, AMAXs and VLDs are much more explosive IME. I said "typically". SMK's are a good bullet dont get me wrong as I do use the 300g SMK in my EDGE, but there are better target bullets now a days that do a better for killing game, in certain calibers anyways. SMK's behave unpredictably a lot of times, as since they are not really designed to be used on game, therefor sometimes they open up, sometimes they dont. In my findings however, the AMAXs and VLDs tend to be much more consistent in how they behave. They tend to open up everytime, and sometimes to much, but either way, they open up.
I have a few calibers for yotes depending on how I'm feeling, If I'm calling or driving around, etc. Either way, LR yote bullets almost always consist around a plastic tipped bullet of your flavor. There accurate, have relatively high BCs for hunting bullets, and they expand EVERYTIME. I like NBTs and VMaxs for hunting bullets, and AMAXs for a target/hunting bullet.
In a 22-250 or swift, id use a 55g or 60g NBT/VMAX, in the 6mm flavors I'd use a 87g VMAX or 105g AMAX, in 25's I'd use the 115g NBT or 115g VLD. In my 264 I'm running 95g VMAXs at 3475fps which will work pretty good to 700 or so, but after that I need to work with the 123g AMAX for the ones that are waaay out there.
I do use the 300g SMK in a 338 EDGE at 2825fps and have shot at a coyote with it about 100 yards, looked liked a bomb went off in his chest, bout a 6" hole. Buuuuut, thats a hunk of lead moving right along so it tends to put a pretty good size decent hole in anything it hits
I shot another one about 100 yards with 250g SBT at 3050fps in the neck and it was hanging by the tops and bottom pieces of skin.
Just depends on what exactly is LR to you and what cal your shooting?
Matchkings typically dont give much expansion, AMAXs and VLDs are much more explosive IME. I said "typically". SMK's are a good bullet dont get me wrong as I do use the 300g SMK in my EDGE, but there are better target bullets now a days that do a better for killing game, in certain calibers anyways. SMK's behave unpredictably a lot of times, as since they are not really designed to be used on game, therefor sometimes they open up, sometimes they dont. In my findings however, the AMAXs and VLDs tend to be much more consistent in how they behave. They tend to open up everytime, and sometimes to much, but either way, they open up.
I have a few calibers for yotes depending on how I'm feeling, If I'm calling or driving around, etc. Either way, LR yote bullets almost always consist around a plastic tipped bullet of your flavor. There accurate, have relatively high BCs for hunting bullets, and they expand EVERYTIME. I like NBTs and VMaxs for hunting bullets, and AMAXs for a target/hunting bullet.
In a 22-250 or swift, id use a 55g or 60g NBT/VMAX, in the 6mm flavors I'd use a 87g VMAX or 105g AMAX, in 25's I'd use the 115g NBT or 115g VLD. In my 264 I'm running 95g VMAXs at 3475fps which will work pretty good to 700 or so, but after that I need to work with the 123g AMAX for the ones that are waaay out there.
I do use the 300g SMK in a 338 EDGE at 2825fps and have shot at a coyote with it about 100 yards, looked liked a bomb went off in his chest, bout a 6" hole. Buuuuut, thats a hunk of lead moving right along so it tends to put a pretty good size decent hole in anything it hits
Just depends on what exactly is LR to you and what cal your shooting?
skinney
Director
even though SMK's may put a hole and may not, more has to do with the placement of the shot, you hit a bone and your lookin to stitch a hole up regardless, i've hit cats with mine, in one side, out the other, hole the size of a dime, and cats r soft. SMK's are match rounds made for accuracy, if your not gonna keep fur, its not gonna matter if it expands or not, you hit a dog with a 175gr pill going 2600, its gonna be over. Its all about what you want, i prefer to keep and skin all my good dogs, but i do have a Barett 416, pushin 395gr cnc machined brass lugs over 3300, i will get a kill shot over 1000m on HD video, just waitin for the opp.
skinney
Director
Originally Posted By: mtwood24I am shooting a .280 in Ruger MKII... I was hoping around a 145 rain bullet of some sort... opinions on this choice? sorry, i don't work with this round, wouldn't be right for me to try and tell ya what to work up, good luck finding your LR coyote killer!!!
kyotekiller25
Well-known member
Id stick a 120g vmax/nbt or 140g nbt in it and youd have em out to as far as you could hit em. In the ruger you'll be limited to these bullets instead of the target bullets because of mag length. Otherwise, I'd say give the 162g amax a try, its one heckuva bullet...You could always single shot it however.
kyotekiller25
Well-known member
Good luck on the 1000 yard dog on video, that would be awesome to do and get on video at the same time none the less. I was thinking along the lines of trying the same thing with my 338 EDGE/300g SMK, but I need a better video camera I think. I dont think it has the zoom to see a coyote at 1K very well. I"ll have to take it out and just see a few times this year, all I can do. I've shot right over the back of 1 at 900 and another at 950 yards with the 300g SMK, were talking inches over...Close enough that they were absolutely not dumb enough to stick around for a quick 2nd follow up shot to put em down...My furthest is still 775 yards with a 300 RUM/200g SMK/3200fps which was about 7 years ago. Shot a lot in the 400-600 range mainly with 243/2506/7 RM.
kyotekiller25
Well-known member
Yah thats pretty much the way its gonna be because thats a pretty good size chunk of lead that is very frangible on the animal the size of a coyote. The hole will get smaller at longer ranges because the bullet is slowing down and not expanding as much/fast to create such a hole. I'd just plan on having no exits smaller then about 2" no matter range or placement.
If your looking to save pelts, you need to go the other end of spectrum and use a heavier weight and constructed bullet at a slower speed. However, you'll likely give up quite a bit of range this way because these bullets dont usually have high BCs, and there not typically known for great accuracy, I"m talking your regular cup and core SP's or BTSP's. Yes they work, but the plastic tipped bullets out do them considerably at LR. You could use a heavier target bullet and get more range, but most of these will behave like the lighter varmint bullets on the coyotes, meaning they will leave big holes, but your range is maximized.
If your looking to save pelts, you need to go the other end of spectrum and use a heavier weight and constructed bullet at a slower speed. However, you'll likely give up quite a bit of range this way because these bullets dont usually have high BCs, and there not typically known for great accuracy, I"m talking your regular cup and core SP's or BTSP's. Yes they work, but the plastic tipped bullets out do them considerably at LR. You could use a heavier target bullet and get more range, but most of these will behave like the lighter varmint bullets on the coyotes, meaning they will leave big holes, but your range is maximized.
skinney
Director
Originally Posted By: kyotekiller25Good luck on the 1000 yard dog on video, that would be awesome to do and get on video at the same time none the less. I was thinking along the lines of trying the same thing with my 338 EDGE/300g SMK, but I need a better video camera I think. I dont think it has the zoom to see a coyote at 1K very well. I"ll have to take it out and just see a few times this year, all I can do. I've shot right over the back of 1 at 900 and another at 950 yards with the 300g SMK, were talking inches over...Close enough that they were absolutely not dumb enough to stick around for a quick 2nd follow up shot to put em down...My furthest is still 775 yards with a 300 RUM/200g SMK/3200fps which was about 7 years ago. Shot a lot in the 400-600 range mainly with 243/2506/7 RM.
camera is key, so you can say hey, i killed a dog @ 800 or 900 or 1K and people will call BS, thats when you post the vid, my camera will do it, clearly, i have HD footage last yr of a dog commin in, a couple deer upped in front of it and spooked it, it held up and layed down out in one of our pivots, guessing the distance to be roughly 1K (same distance as my range) i dialed 39 min and you can see the vapor trail and the round impact in the snow about 1ft shy, if i would of known the range i "may" have been able to pull it off... and its gonna happen with the old 308 round befor my 6.5X284 and 7mm RUM are done.
camera is key, so you can say hey, i killed a dog @ 800 or 900 or 1K and people will call BS, thats when you post the vid, my camera will do it, clearly, i have HD footage last yr of a dog commin in, a couple deer upped in front of it and spooked it, it held up and layed down out in one of our pivots, guessing the distance to be roughly 1K (same distance as my range) i dialed 39 min and you can see the vapor trail and the round impact in the snow about 1ft shy, if i would of known the range i "may" have been able to pull it off... and its gonna happen with the old 308 round befor my 6.5X284 and 7mm RUM are done.
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kyotekiller25
Well-known member
The few I shot with the 162g amax at 2950fps from a 7 RM were tore up pretty good, more so then the 140g NBTs, but they werent very far. However, the AMAX jacket is like butter so there pretty explosive.