.223 FMJ for Bobcats ?

Alec

Alec

New member
I just can not carry 2 guns in the field. Have tried, my AR (REM R15 VTR Carbine) and a shotgun, or AR and my 17 HMR. Too difficult, and heavy for me. Ive taken Coyotes and Bobcats with the AR and with my 60 gr Vmax hand loads. Just not fur friendly on the Cats. Been thinking of taking, and making, some 60 gr FMJ .223 and using like one as the first round in the clip so I can hunt both species with the AR, have a close point of impact & trajectory between the 2 kinds of bullets,and not tare up the cats, yet have the vmax available for the yotes. Has any one done this??

alec nemon concord,CA
 
I would get a Speer manual and use a reduced load instead of fmj's.You can load a 40-50 grain slug to 2100fps and not blow them up.
 
I have shot around 10 cats with the 223 using the 50 grain VMax loaded to the max. I have yet to blow a big hole in any of them. I consider this to be a fur friendly load. Of course, someone else's results may be different than mine, I'm just giving my personal experience.
 
50 gr ballistic tip is my favorite and I see them taking bobcats for years on video with no exit also. Just watched several last night. Winchester Silvertip -Remington Accutip both accurate.
 
I once shot a coyote with a 55 gr balistic tip and had real bad fur damage. In this part of California lead is still legal. I thought that professional trappers used to always use FMJ to save fur. I know frontal chest shots will save the fur, but I just don't seem to get those. As far as the 40-50 grain vmax going fast, maybe the extra 10 grains is the difference. I thought a 60 grain was better when I was in load development, but on a 15lb cat that extra weight might be what carrys it through. Roy why is FMJ a bad choice? Don't you think that the leathality of the size, weight, and speed on a target that small will over come the loss of hydrostatic shock? Is everyone in consensus that a 40-50 gr fast Vmax never seems to have an exit? Thanks for the imput!!
alec
 
Can't really go wrong with a 55 gr soft point at the low end of the load data. I shot a coyote last night at 135yds square in the shoulder. No pelt damage, no exit. Devastating results internally an dropped where he stood. And that was with a 22-250 going around 3800
 
I have also used the 55 gr soft point for close kills with .22-250, like 25 ft with pencil through result.
FMJ's are illegal for hunting in most states. Avoiding hazardous ricochet and run offs. They will still cause a great mess when hitting bone.
 
All of the trappers and houndsmen I've known in my life used a 22 rifle or pistol but if you know some that used FMJ's it is because they're shooting at point blank range and not likely to miss a head shot.

FMJ's are meant to wound and they do a pretty hood job of it. When I lived in California they were illegal to hunt game animals with. They are made to poke holes and do not expand. If you're interested in making clean, humane kills don't use them. You're likely to lose a lot of animals with them.
 
I will start off with the fact that I am not an ammo aficionado like some of these very knowledgeable folks on the board, but I hunt cats and yotes so I will tell you what has worked for me.

I use the .223 45 GR JHP from Winchester, I have yet to have an animal run off on me with even decent shot placement. Have killed many cats and tons of yotes. One yote and one cat, both of which were short range shots and both small for their species have I had an exit hole. Other than those 2, one small entrance wound, and when you pick them up it sounds squishy like a milkshake. Tells me its doing a pretty good job.

If I am hunting only cats I take my .17 HMR. But if I am in a catty area hunting yotes during the cat season I carry my .223 with the 45gr jhp.
 
Ok im going to add a question for the people who have got cats, where do you aim for if you have time to choose , near shoulder ,pass thru to far shoulder or broadside double lung shot to save the most fur im shooting 55g soft point for dogs but cat season is coming up and I loaded up some 40g ballistic tips up around 3650 fps and they shoot well so I was going to use those for my cat I'm only able to shoot 1 here in pa and I don't want to blow it up if I shoot it with a rifle. I might try to pick my stands for a shotgun but just in case.thanks
 
I shot one two years ago with a .223 FMJ in close and it put a massive exit hole in the pelt. If they are in close I wouldn't use a FMJ. Just my two cents. Good luck!!
 
223 40gr Vmax about 50 yards. You can see the entry square in the shoulder. No splash, no exit. It did make a mess inside and skinning was a chore due to the floppy front leg. Cat followed a game trail in through some knee high grass and all I could see was from the shoulder up. 15 lbs even, about average around here.

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Originally Posted By: reb8600The FMJ bullet is a poor choice for hunting anything.

I agree 100%. Several years ago I watched with my own two eyes as my shooting partner that day shot a ground squirrel (about the size of a 8 oz juice can) was standing on it hind legs and after getting drilled right through with a 55 grain FMJ from a .223 rifle he just kept standing there. Not for long mind you as in less than 5 seconds he fell over and started doing the death squiggle but still! Something that small shot through and through and not even get blown of its feet? Had I not seen it I doubt I would have believed it. For sure, something with some sort of expansion is the order of the day here.
 
Well it sounds like the 40, or 45 gr bullets work good. I think the extra speed over the 60gr makes them expand so much that there is no exit. I need to consider this. I think that with my 1 in 9 twist rate 55gr are optimum in regards to get the gun to group. Are you guys getting good groups with the 40, and 45 gr bullets in .223? alec
 
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