coyote load in the chrony

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donlynch

New member
well i finally got ahold of a chronograph. i've been wanting to see exactly what my load was doing.i'm shooting 25.5 grs w748 behind a 55 gr nosler bal tip. it shoots really nice groups, less than an inch at 150 yds. well on the chrony the load is 2915 fps out of my Savage Edge in 223. i had hoped it would be faster but i've always felt that i would take accuracy over velosity. what do you guys think, is that fast enough ? a lot of you have shot more coyotes than i have, should i look for a faster load?
don
 
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im guessing this is a 223? my 223 with my 69gr smk with 24.5gr varget is at 2720fps on the average. if you want better velocity you might want to try a different powder.
 
yes you're right it's 223 and no i don't necessarily want more vel. at this speed i'm about 2 1/2" low at 200 yds and my trajectory to that point is really good. i just wanted to know if those with more experience thought i'd need more velocity than 2915 fps for quicker kills.
don
 
I will take slower accuracy over faster open groups anyday, I like hitting what I'm aiming at even if it is not the fastest load around.
 
Originally Posted By: donlynch what do you guys think, is that fast enough ? a lot of you have shot more coyotes than i have, should i look for a faster load?
don

Don, 2900 and change is plenty fast enough to kill coyotes reliably if ya put it where you need to..
 
All excellent advice, so far.

I like my hunting loads to be as accurate as possible, and as fast as possible. If I can't acheive both with powder 'A', I'll try another powder.
 
Originally Posted By: RiflemannI will take slower accuracy over faster open groups anyday, I like hitting what I'm aiming at even if it is not the fastest load around.

Even better is faster and more accurate or just as accurate. There is more then one sweet spot for a bullet. Just because you got decent accuracy at 2900 fps does not mean you won't get better accuracy at 3200 fps.

When I experiment with a load I do not stop at an accurate load but keep going. Groups may open up a bit as the load increases but in 95% of the cases they close up again as you keep increasing the charge.
 
great advice guys. joed you're right it certainly doesn't hurt to keep trying especialy when you've got a great load to fall back on. i guess i'm getting old and a little lazy. it's also hard to buy a whole LB of powder for just a few loads. i did a lot of shooting before i came up with this one. i'll probably experiment a little more, but stick with what i've got till i find something better
don
 
3200 FPS is not going to kill a coyote any better than 2915 FPS. If you are happy with it, leave it alone. If not try to get more but dont expect it to kill any better.
 
reb8600 you're right about that,this has been a very good thread and i've got a lot of good opinions, which is what i was looking for. a great bunch of coyote hunters.
don
 
according to nossler,win748 and 24gr should be pushing your 55grain around 2980fps and is their most accurate load for that powder,so your load is not far off,,and according to my win ballistics program and your load and velocity(2915fps),at 375 yards you still should have around 398 foot pounds,and 1806fps,wich is still ample for taking a coyote down
 
Don't forget that speed also translates into more energy downrange. The 55 Nosler fired at 2915 fps will be carrying 400 ft lbs of energy at 350 yds, while the same bullet fired at 3200 fps will be carrying 500 ft. lbs of energy at 350. That's 20% more energy on the coyote.

If I had to choose speed or accuracy , then I'd take accuracy, but if I can have both, then I'll take both.
 
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i wish that they'd use 22" barrels to test these loads,then they'd be closer and dummies like me wouldn't have to figure it out. boy all this is really good information, keep it comin boys.
don
 
ok i don't want to kick a dead horse, but my nosler book lists 26 grs of w748 as max with a 55gr bullet, but the speer book lists 28grs as max for that weight bullet.does anyone shoot 28grs of 748 w/55gr bullet?
 
ok guys you got me thinking, so after checking the speer book i tried a little more and got 27grs shooting real good and going off at 3187. no signs of pressure. the group is as good as with the 25.5 load. thanks for the gentle push. mabe i should go just a little more and get 3200 hmmmmmm
don
 
don, I usually shoot Varget with 55 v-maxes for 3,225 fps at 27.5g. I have shot some W748 with 55 v-max at 26-26.3g for pretty good accuracy, sub .5", but was only getting about 3,125fps, so I just just went with Varget in this load and didn't try to go any higher with W748.

If you found a good node at 27g, and almost 3,200 there probably isn't any need to go higher, but you could push it up about .2g at the time just to see where pressure begins to show or groups start to open up again. That would show you how wide a node you have.
 
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yeah i may try that, i did 26.5 1st and the group was not good but then 27 was very good. it's cool, i picked up almost 300 fps and i'm getting the same accuracy. it is a bit of a pain that all these mfgr's have different max's
don
 
Yes, it is a pain in some respects, but there are so many variables that I reckon they do pretty good to come as close as they do.

Plus, you'll have the added satisfaction of a really accurate, flat shooting, and hard hitting load that you tailored for yourself.

The first time you put one down range on a coyote, I guarantee you that you'll do it with added confidence and that it will give you great satisfaction.
 
doubleup, you're so right, i just needed a push to go further. i think at 27grs i may be right at the max with 748 i see no sign of pressure but i'm reluctant to go further. this savage edge is some good shooting rifle.
don
 
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