Nosler 52gr hpbt??

I cannot tell you about coyotes but they really do a poor job on prairie dogs. I bought 1000 of those a few years back for a really great price. They really shot good in my .220 Swift which was the primary reason that I bought them. They were constant 1/2" group shooters and I really was looking forward to trying them out on some Wyoming prairie dogs. They did not work very well on our local ground squirrels but I thought that prairie dogs with their larger mass would be better. I thought wrong.

While many of my hits resulted in instant death I had way too many that were able to make it to their hole after being shot though and through. Even less than 200 yards out. In contrast the 50 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips just exploded them.

In fairness the HPBT was not sold as anything other than a paper puncher and it does a fine job of that. I shot up what I had but I never bought any of them again. Critters deserve a quick and painless death whenever possible.
 
+1 on what Russ said

Put Sierra 52g bthp and 53g in the same train of thought. They work great on coyotes, no so much on p. dogs at all...really no expansion at all. I had to go for shoulder and head shots on 2000 rounds loaded in a 22 ppc at 3550 fps. I saw a lot of crawlers, which I hate with a passion.
 
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ackley...could you further expound on the Sierra 52 gr bthp working great on coyotes. specifically, the terminal damage, exit holes, DRT factor, etc. I'm working up loads for a .22-250 in a 12 twist, and the 52 gr bullet seems to be the ticket. However, in the 52 gr arena, seems all hollow points. So, hoping to hear about some good terminal results from these. Thanks.
 
52 gr. Speer FBHP is a killer on coyotes! One hole and DRT. Sometimes you will get some shrap metal to make a very small hole. I have been using them for 2 years now in my 223 at 3250 fps. You always hear the thump when they hit. I loaded some in the 22-250 at 3500 fps but have not shot a coyote with the 22-250 yet. Rudy
 
Thanks Rudy!! Getting away from the plastic tips for the most part. I've thumped a few with some soft points and had good luck...but in the 52 gr arena, looks to be hollow point. Got some Sierra 52 match kings coming.
 
Speer is different than Sierra 52 gr. match. What I have heard is the match kings don't open as quickly as Speer. Just keep this in mind and see what happens. Speer has quite a big opening on their 52 gr. FBHP. Rudy
 
Yep, understand Rudy. The Sierra will just be a test bed. I have run some Bergers with pretty good results accuracy wise, however, I just can not swallow the $30 price tag on the Bergers!!! I may try Speer as well before I finalize my coyote medicine for this rifle. Thanks for the input.
 
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