Coyote splitting .243 deer round.

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BryanBY

New member
Just starting reloading. I want something that will shoot well to 400 yards, kill deer, and cut dogs in half. I have a 1-10 twist in a Howa with a 22" barrel. The speer 85 grain spitzer BTSP is looking pretty good as it has a BC of .404. I have a reloading mentor/cousin and have......well, a scientific obsession with ballistics. What do you guys think? I'm also considering the Hornady 95 grain SST. Maybe it sounds sick or unethical but I am absolutely, 100%, unconcerned, about preserving hides.
 
I like to shoot 87 grain vmax for yotes and 90 grain Nosler BT for deer over same charge of varget.
I sight in for 87's and shoot all my deer out to 200 with the 90's.
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Of course I spin the dials for anything WAY OUT there.
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From my experience with the 243 if you are going to use it on deer as well you need to stay in the 95 to 105 grain bullets . Years ago I had a surface blow out on a small doe with an 80 grain Rem Corelok . I haven't used anything but 100's since . The yotes don't seem to mind being shot by deer bullets.
 
Your better .243 deer bullets wiil hold together too well to really tear a coyote up. Put them on the shoulder of the coyote and it will drop 'em in their tracks but a bullet that really splits a coyote will either not penetrate well for deer or it will blood shoot the heck out of them. My son, Verminator2, shot his last deer with a 105 A-max. Through the lungs, it killed the deer very dead but ley's say that the bullet was not a perfect mushroom.
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There was a fair amount of bloodshot as well but not in the better cuts. Finding a good deer load that shoots to the same POI as the 87 grain V-max as 3DHUSKER suggested would be a better bet. And, handloading is almost as fun as ballistics.
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I shoot a TC Encore PH with a 15" bbl and muzzle break. My handloads are Win brass, CCI primers, the Speer 85 gr mentioned, and 37.6 gr of IMR 4064 - getting around 2800 FPS. With my Bushy 2-6x scope, a 100-yard, 3-shot group can be covered by a quarter - using sand bags.
I was talking to Hornady tech guys yesterday about their .243 pills as I am doing a 6x45 rifle project. He strongly recommended their 87 gr SP flat base. For my 6x45, their 87 gr BTHP seem more useful as the speeds are lower compared to .243 rifle.
You mentioned 400 yards for which a BT pill is very helpful. So far I have not read or experienced anything that has persuaded or caused me to change my mind about using the Speer 85 gr pill. It will not split the yote, but it will take it down. Its use on deer is a given.

Have fun.
 
If you want to shoot two different bullets that will do a great job, then the 90g Ballistic tip and the 90g accubond will both do the job.

Start off at 43.0g of H4350 with a win primer in a Remington case. Playing with seating depth is critical in the final analysis in getting the very best groups.

The 85g Speer BTSP is a deer bullet, not intended for varmint use, it is very tough.

The bullets that I know of that tear a coyote up are the:

75g V Max
80g Sierra Blitz
70g Nosler ballistic tip
80g Nosler ballistic tip

IMR 4064 with Fed 210 primes will work very well with all of these bullets at a max load for your rifle.
 
The 80 Gr. Nosler Ballistic tip bullet does wonders on coyotes. Hit one in the neck and it almost decapitated the yote. I myself would not use it for deer. I prefer a 100 Gr. bullet for deer, but the 95 Gr. Nosler Partition would be a good bullet for deer.
 
What part of Idaho are in? I would think they would be worth s little money

Back to the point though, I agree it'll be hard to get explosive results from a bullet while still being good for deer. I would shoot them with my deer bullet personally (but then again I would relieve them of their skin too
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85 grain Barnes x bullet behind Vithavouri N550 has seen quite a bit of action on deer these past few seasons. Complete penetration on shots past 300 yards. Before this load we shot Nosler 95 grain ballistic tips. The ballistic tip is definitely more frangible and did not get complete penetration on deer but stopped them none the same. Just my two cents.
 



I load Barnes Banded solids and TSX bullets for my 243win. I worked loads up for both. Banded for Coyotes and TSX for deer.
 
Good deer bullets will most assuredly kill coyotes but explosive coyote bullets will ruin deer!

Go with deer bullets during deer season.

The rest of the time, take off the box mitts with the coyotes!

Enjoy

Three 44s
 
As already stated, almost any 70-80g bullet from a 243 will make a mess on a coyote that you need a rake to clean up. But these bullets run the risk of causing only a splash wound on deer sized game if hit in the shoulder.

I just stick with deer sized bullets such as the 90g NBT, 95g Partition, and 85g SGK. All of these will hammer a coyote but also give more reliable performance on deer sized game. Although, I will confess that in moments of weakness and temptation I have been known to sneak in a few of the 75g Hornady HP with 40g of IMR 4064 when I am overcome by the need for speed.
 
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Speer 85gr. SPBT RE19 great load. Killed deer and coyotes with that load. But not at 400yds., longest shot was 100yd. but they did a good job.
 
87 Berger vld.... my son just took a nice muledeer with it yesterday. Will put a yote down like you wouldnt beleive...
 
Barnes doesn't make a 105. If going 105, I'd go Amax.

I'm running a 85 TSX in my 243AI for deer. Wouldn't mind the Amax either...

Can testify that the TSX will certainly make for a bad day when used on a coyote.
 
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