Better grain round?

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I regularly shoot hornady 55gr vmax threw my 223, but have bad splash on yotes. Was wondering on thoughts of switching to the 40gr instead. Would that help my problem much or not worth it. I use same for fox and cats so looking for best all around rounds. I am not a reloader. All input is welcomed
 
If the 55 is giving you trouble I don't see how going lighter and faster with the same kind of bullet bullet is going to get any better.
Try a different bullet or try the heavier 60gr vmax.
What ammo is available for you to buy around there?
 
55gr Nosler Ballistic Tips are tougher & penetrate better. They do cost a bit more but not by enough to matter. Plus you can buy them in boxes of 250 which brings the per bullet cost down vs to 100 count boxes.
 
Honestly availability around here SUCKS. I have a friend order for me. Nothing but fmj in stock and we can't order in this state. Makes hunting a chore these days. I have a buddy that has offered some sierras for me to try
 
I always aim behind shoulder if broadside or of facing me ill take a mid chest shot but that has never been an issue. You I know wants me to try sierra game king 55gr (#1365) that he will load for me. Thoughts?
 
Study the anatomy of the Coyote. Look at where his shoulder and vitals really are. Its a little different than on a deer or other big game animals.


 
I would take the offer from your friend to try the 55 sierra gamekings. I would stay away from vmax bullets for predators. In my experience they tend to splash on anything less than perfect shot placement.
 
This has been covered quite a bit lately. I get sick of the whole bullet placement comments. in a perfect world you hit them exactly where you are supposed to. however I shoot quite a few moving coyotes or make my fair share of non optimal shots. I often don't get coyotes sitting pretty at broadside.

a lighter bullet is going to be WORSE. its will be moving faster and have less, lead core to kill the coyote with. vmax's are the lightest, thinnest, of the plastic tipped bullets in construction. a nosler btip is quite a bit heavier constructed bullet. I would use that or the plain ole soft points, The game kings are a heavier bullet capable of killing deer. They are going to punch through bone and penetrate. I have not shot them at 223 speeds however they are the ultimate coyote killer at 22-250 speeds.
 
Originally Posted By: steve garrettThis has been covered quite a bit lately. I get sick of the whole bullet placement comments. in a perfect world you hit them exactly where you are supposed to. however I shoot quite a few moving coyotes or make my fair share of non optimal shots. I often don't get coyotes sitting pretty at broadside.


a lighter bullet is going to be WORSE.  Why are they always moving? Are you shooting them from the road out your window as they run away?

If you're calling them in, why can't you stop them for the shot? Everybody else seems to be able to do it most of the time. A whistle or bark or just waiting for the right moment allows me to take most of my shots when they're stationary. I've hunted in UT, NV, CA, the coyotes all behave the same way.

Not true about lighter bullets. I use a 223 40gr Vmax and it hits like thunder and kills like lightning. If you can't handle appropriate shot placement, then move up to a 50 BMG so all you have to do is hit them "somewhere", but stop blaming the Vmax bullets that have tremendous killing effectivenes when used correctly.

My most recent: 223 40gr Vmax on a moving coyote = instant death, no splash, no follow up shot required, no exit. The secret? I put the bullet in the vitals. It worked just like it always does.
 
I wasn't hinting that your not a decent shot just that a coyotes anatomy is different than any game animal. That the shoulder is not built like game animal or situated in the same manner as say a deer or a pig.
 
I'm not trying to start a battle. I'm trying to save pelts or atleast not cut them up so bad on some shots. I'm not a reloader and new to the anotomy of BULLETS. I have always used factory rounds that I believed to be the best. I'm trying to learn more about this whole thing and how the whole grain thing works. A lighter bullet in my thoughts were if its not as dense of a bullet it would expand or "explode" on contact and penetrate less. I thank everyone for the possitive feed back and the lessons I'm learning
 
Shot placement is very important, over rated but important.
DEAD coyotes it what is Paramount. You gota get a bullet IN them before ANY bullet makes a difference... JUST SAYING,
Shooting coyotes is a tough sport, nothing works as planed so waiting for the perfect shot is very self defeating in my mind. Get a pill in them then worry bout the shot.
As far as the bullet I find on our Hairy northern coyote a FAST V-max of any size is not what I want to shoot. A Game king or a Berger is MY first choice.
 
I have contemplated purchasing a new gun also. We call not for specific predators so at any given time a red,grey, yote or bobcat could come to the call and I'm looking for the best all round gun/ammo. I hate to harvest I nice cat or grey and not be able to mount it or salvage it. For most part the shots are 200or less with most around 75-125. I now own a 22wmr but afraid of runners too
 
Originally Posted By: You got em!I regularly shoot hornady 55gr vmax threw my 223, but have bad splash on yotes. Was wondering on thoughts of switching to the 40gr instead. Would that help my problem much or not worth it. I use same for fox and cats so looking for best all around rounds. I am not a reloader. All input is welcomed Can you describe the "bad splash" in more detail? Where on the coyote are the splashes occurring? Do you have pics? I find your experience curious because I only shoot Vmax in my 223 and I have only seen ONE "splash" on a coyote and that was a shot quartering towards me directly into the front shoulder joint. It still killed the coyote instantly but there was a hole in the fur the size of my fist. Probably would have made a mess with any fast 223 bullet.
 
I don't have any pics since last year we only got 1 and it was a frontal shot with no exit. I have always shot behind front shoulder (habit) and the exit wounds have been the size of a baseball or larger at times. I harvested a few with fmj but wast fair to the animal as the ran off and took bit to expire. Worked great on cats [beeep]. Around here we aren't loaded with a goin so trying to capitalize on what we encounter. Don't get me wrong there has been a couple that haven't been torn up, but the bigger percentive have had some marginal damage for what I'm expecting a predator round to perform. Wish we had more action around here so I could spend the time to dial my setup in
 
Sounds like you don't have "splash" at all. You now describe it as an "exit wound" which is totally different.

A splash refers to a bullet that fragments too quickly on the surface leaving a shallow wound and fails to penetrate very deep.

An exit wound is typically caused by too much bullet, too fast, perhaps pushing out bone fragments and tissue with it.

I've had excellent results (zero exits, only 1 "splash" that was still instantly lethal) using a 223 40gr Vmax on coyotes. It may be too much for foxes depending on the velocity, 3300 fps (16" barrel) seems to be working on foxes for me.
 
Misunderstood. Thank you. Yes I mean exit wounds then I was unfamiliar with that rearm I guess. So the large exit wounds could be eliminated by using a 40gr instead of the 55s I currently use?
 
I would be surprised to hear that exit wounds on coyotes are common with a 223 and 40/50/53/55/60 gr Vmax. They are popular because they generally do not exit.

If you're getting nasty exits with 55gr Vmax (which I think is odd) maybe you need a bullet that is MORE frangible and less penetrating. We have smaller coyotes out west than some do back east, and 40gr Vmax works awesome for me. Can't hurt to try it.
 
I'm definitely going to be trying the 40gr. Our dogs are usually in the 25-40lb range with some pushing 50. Like I said I hate to tear a fox or cat in half when most likely I would want a nice grey or cat to to hang around for a while. Lol. I thank you for all the input I have gained from everyone and this site. Good help from great people all with the same expensive passions
 
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