222/223 Fur friendly bullet 40-45 Gr.

crazyyote

Active member
Anyone have a great lightweight bullet recommendation that will work in both a 222 or a 223 and still be fur friendly? I'm curious if any of you have tried Sierra's 40 or 45 grain Hornet bullet for instance. Just thinking if I buy one it might as well work in both calibers since the velocity is fairly close. Thanks.
 
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If you want to stay that light I'd look at the 40gr NBT if coyotes are on the menu. I've had really good luck with the Speer 52gr FB HP in the 222 Rem.
 
I use the Speer 52gr FB HP in a few .223's, works great on yotes. Can be bought in a box of 1000 fairly cheap if you catch them on sale.

That is the lightest bullet I have shot extensively.
 
It's only been about a few months since the last big discussion on 40-ish gr 223 bullets. If I recall, it turns out one of the moderators here shoots a few hundred coyotes a year with a 223 40gr Vmax. Bunch of folks still insist 40gr Vmax sucks and is prone to splashes. A lot of real haters and boy do they hate light bullets. Other guys do great with them. You can look up that thread.

45gr TSX will work great and are very accurate if you care to spend that much on bullets. They are copper solids but expand great and kill with authority with full penetration and small/tiny exits. Or 50gr TTSX which are easier to find in stock. I'd use one of those if they were the same price as regular bullets.
 
Yes I remember the Vmax posts. Infidel if I remember right smokes tons with the 40 grain Vmax. I've shot several with that bullet and recovered them all. Around 6-10 but less than 12. Was curious what those of you with bigger numbers than me use and that type of bullet specifically.
 
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Search back thru the archives here....ackleyman raved about the sierra 40 gr hp as a bullet that didnt splash, did penetrate AND expand and did its job on coyotes....bc is kinda low being a short, light bullet, but is one i'm looking at with not-so-long ranges and fox mixed into the pot here in the northeast us. IIRC the speer 40 gr was similar, and much cheaper fwiw.
 
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Thanks ya'll. I'm going to buy some and try them. At least I can use them for practice if nothing else. It also seems to me that a 1/9 twist AR barrel loves a 40 grain bullet. My 1975 vintage model 700 in .222 likes 40 and 50 grain bullets. Only shot Hornady factory stuff through it but man it likes it. Speer has a rebate going on now too.
 
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I've always been a VMAX fan. However, recently, I decided to try some Sierra 50gr Blitzkings. I run those with 26.4 gr of Benchmark for a velocity of 3,345 fps out of 22" barrels (Tikka and Savage) in a .223. I've shot several groundhogs with them and none have exited. The hides look excellent. You might consider those as well.
 
Originally Posted By: Brad PhillipsI use the Speer 52gr FB HP............
I have never used this bullet for coyotes, but did extensively for groundhogs years ago out of a 22-250. Rarely did I ever get an exit, but that was with a higher velocity than a .223 will give. Might be worth a try. I like the larger hollow cavity of the 52 Speer.

 
For an old school bullet it is pretty impressive as a coyote bullet. I shoot it in my 222 Rem 5.6x50R Magnum and 22-250 and it just works. I'm going to give it a try in my 218 Bee just because the HP is so large it shouldn't be a problem in a tube mag.
 
The hornet bullets you mentioned are to soft at 222 or 223 velocity to be relied upon for a less than perfect shot. I like the 45gr Sierra spitz Varminter for my 223. You can go to Sierra website & read there recommendations.
 
Speer 52gr FB HP this has been my go to bullet for 3 years now for 223 & 22-250. Use it on coyotes and rarely have an exit. Do get a few fragment holes now and then. When it hits you can really hear the thump with a suppressed rifle. Hits like a hammer. I run mine around 3050 fps. When they go on sale I can pick them up for around 10 cents a round.

Rudy
 
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