Help RE: .223 Remington lead free bullet choice for coyotes

M

Mulie

New member
I want to load some lead free bullets for coyote hunting later this year in the lead free zone of California. I would like to use the ammo in both my bolt action rifle and my AR platform rifle.

I am hoping someone can share their experience with the lead free .224 cal bullets and make some recommendations. There are a lot of choices for the .224 lead free bullets and they are pretty expensive to start from scratch to develop a load that works for coyotes.
 
There is an article in this months Predator Extreme that you might be interested in. It's titled "Fur friendly bullets". The author talks about the use of DRT projectiles in .224 and was a very interesting read.

Chupa
 
Originally Posted By: Chupathingy There is an article in this months Predator Extreme that you might be interested in. It's titled "Fur friendly bullets". The author talks about the use of DRT projectiles in .224 and was a very interesting read.

Chupa


DRT [Dynamic Research Technologies]. The article also says that the core of the bullets is either "compressed powdered tungsten, or copper with a thin tin cup covering"

Isn't the powdered tungsten core the same thing Hevi-Shot came out with, with very low fan fair? .224 diam. 70gr, and the same length as a 55gr plastic tip. I think Hevi-shot has discontinued the bullet, and it was said that it was unpredictable in performance.
 
I killed a few Tx yotes and cats with 62 gr TSX out of my .223AI.On broadside never had one that was bad, being over 1/2" exit. On the full frontal it's ,normally the bullet did not exit.
62tsxyote.jpg

4yotesTx.jpg

IMG_0465.jpg
 
I have taken a few with Varment grenades. Bullet placement is necessary. I hit one from above on a rib. Bullet exploded, dog went down. After a few minutes it got up and trotted off. There was lots of blood, but it must have exploded on the surface and paralized the dog for a few minutes. The others hit in the side went down and didn't move.
 
Originally Posted By: SmokelessTim, how much twist do you need to stabilize that 62gr TSX?
Running 8 twist on mine , with a FPS ave of 3284 .
 
Mulie, what is the twist rate on your bolt action and your AR?

I have to shoot lead free bullets at coyotes also. When we first had to switch over to lead free bullets I sold my 22-250 because all it would shoot was the 36 gr Varmint Grenades and I didn't want to use that light of a bullet on coyotes.

I now have a RRA PP AR-15 that is 1-8" twist, a Tikka T-3 223 AI that is 1-8" twist and a 22-250 with a 1-8" twist Hart barrel on it. I have had very good results shooting the Barnes 55 gr MPG bullet at coyotes with these three rifles.

The 55 gr MPG bullet is just a heavier Varmint Grenade bullet.

If your bolt action is a 1-12" twist or a 1-14" twist you could try the Nosler 40 gr BT Lead Free bullets. But if your AR-15 has a faster twist I would try the Barnes 55 gr MPG
bullet. The MPG bullets cost about half as much as the TSX or the TTSX bullets do.

The Hornady 35 gr NTX lead free and the Nosler 40 gr lead free BT bullets work very good on squirrels but I just don't want to shoot coyotes with that light of bullets.
 
derbyacresbob,

The AR upper is a RRA PP 20" 1 in 8 twist and the Bolt rifles are a Remington 700 Classic .223 with a 1 in 12 and a Browning Micro Medallion .223 with a 1 in 14 twist. I suspect that for coyote hunting I may be limited to the AR with it's 1-8 barrel.
 
Tim,
Looks like you have had some really good success with the 62 gr TSX. I just placed an order for a box of them to give a try in my AR. This is exactly the info that I was looking for.

Thanks everyone for the help.
 
Originally Posted By: Muliederbyacresbob,

The AR upper is a RRA PP 20" 1 in 8 twist and the Bolt rifles are a Remington 700 Classic .223 with a 1 in 12 and a Browning Micro Medallion .223 with a 1 in 14 twist. I suspect that for coyote hunting I may be limited to the AR with it's 1-8 barrel.

For coyotes using lead free bullets it looks like your AR is the best way to go. The Barnes 50 gr Varmint Grenade and the Barnes 55 gr MPG bullets should both shoot good out of your AR.
 
I've been using the 45gr Barnes XLC's for quite a few years, out of my Hornet@2,900fps. They perform very well on coyotes.

When I run out of them, I will switch to the 45gr TSX.

I also use them in my 222Mag @ 3,650fps, when I hunt in the mountains, just in case a lion shows up.
 
Originally Posted By: Tim NeitzkeMulie,
Glad to help. They also have 53 and 55 gr which have worked well for others,I've read.

Good luck.

Yep, Me's killed a few goodly sized hogs with the 55 grainers in the past, even on low shoulder shots when me had to.


Chupa
 
Those DRT bullets are no joke. I hunted with the owner of the company and they were real killers. He claimed that on a broadside shot there would be a cookie cutter exit.

Yeah I'm nodding but not taking it for gospel. The third critter down was 200yds broadside and if I didn't see it I wouldn't have believed it. Perfect cookie cutter exit 'bout 2-2.5in around and a perfect red cylinder that went down through three feet of snow. Crazy, never seen anything like it.

Also shot very well out of 300WSM, 300Win mag and 30 F.B.I.

I've shot a few coyotes with the 62gr TSX in a .223Rem and had half inch broadside exits.
 
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