Regardless of Cost what is the best .223 Rem Coyote Bullet ?

I to like to hit em hard and I like using my AR-10 243 I don’t save pelts. In regards to the guy above me I have shot a 32# bobcat with a 80 gr bullet and it left less then a 1/2” exit, I did have time to place the shot and he is getting life size mounted.
Next year Troy we need to try an target more cats and foxes and I’ll step down to the 223.
 
Originally Posted By: Rock KnockerI would like to see some ballistic comparisons for 45gr, 53gr and 62gr. From a 100 yard zero my 16" is only dropping 8.5" with 53gr TSX at 300 yards, I've got them shooting with a stiff load of H322 and that gets them moving out of the BHW barrel.
One thing is for certain. TSX/TTSX require a minumum impact velocity of 1800-2200 fps for proper expansion of the HP. It depends on the bullet, you have to look it up.

A heavier bullet that starts off slower will reach it's critical minimum impact velocity at a closer distance than a lighter faster bullet.

Assuming excellent penetration and 99% weight retention in TSX/TTSX bullets, a heavier bullet will reduce your effective range due to the lower velocity. How much of a reduction? Somebody can probably do the math. Probably not a big difference between 45gr vs 53gr, but I'd expect a bigger difference between 45gr vs 62gr or 70gr.

For some reason, a lot of hunters gravitate towards the heavier copper bullets, I think because they don't understand the advantages of a light-for-caliber solid copper bullet (TSX/TTSX). The "tactical" crowd loves the idea of heavy bullets for "long range".
 
The general recommendation when using solid copper expanding bullets for hunting is to step DOWN in weight, not up. For example, Barnes recommends the 45gr TSX in 223 Remington for hunting coyotes and antelope. 62gr or 70gr for a tiny coyote seems counterproductive due to the reduced velocity.
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Nosler 55gr. E-Tip,Hornady 52gr. BTHP and Sierra Varminter 60gr. HP. Fur friendly and things don't go anywhere when they get hit with those.

Unless you gut shoot them but that pretty much goes without saying. You could blow the guts clear out of a coyote and it would run off.
 
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There are many good coyote bullets for 223’s. Barnes, Berger, Hornady, Nosler, Speer and Sierra all make great bullets that are effective for coyotes. I’ve settled on 40gr Nosler Varmagedons and Nosler Ballistc tips. They have preformed well for me on over 100 coyotes from as close to 20 yards to as far as 350 yards. I generally keep most my shots less than 200 yards and believe the light 223 bullets are a bad choice for longer shots because they loose their energy quickly and get pushed significantly by the wind. I often leave the 223 in the truck when it is windy or I’ll be setting up on a stand that may require a longer shot.
If my 223’s were my only rifles I would probably switch to a heavier bullet to extend the 223’s effective range.
 
Originally Posted By: BrianID
I generally keep most my shots less than 200 yards and believe the light 223 bullets are a bad choice for longer shots because they loose their energy quickly and get pushed significantly by the wind. I often leave the 223 in the truck when it is windy or I’ll be setting up on a stand that may require a longer shot.
If my 223’s were my only rifles I would probably switch to a heavier bullet to extend the 223’s effective range.
Depends on what you mean by "longer shot". Most here would agree the 223 Rem's "effective" range fades quickly past 300 yards and that's a pretty long shot for coyote calling. A different cartridge would be better past that for sure. But for most of us coyote callers, the vast majority of shots will be way under 300 yards. I'd guess that less than 2% of called coyotes are shot past 300 yards. There's a few guys who seek those opportunities, and many of us have done it a few times, but that's not typical.

The light 40gr bullets are often accused of getting pushed around by the wind. That's true but really ONLY once you get past 300 to 400+ yards. Under 300 yards you won't notice a lick of difference in wind drift in the field between a 40gr vs 55gr for example. In fact, some of the popular 55gr SP/HP bullets toted by members here are not very impressive compared to lighter 40gr bullets "that blow around in the wind".

A while back in a similar topic thread I made this chart to compare a few examples:
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That chart is a good illustration. Why is the 55 winchester 400fps slower than the other 55 grainers, I wonder? The other 55's show how BC factors in pretty well given equal velocity.
 
Originally Posted By: obaroWhy is the 55 winchester 400fps slower than the other 55 grainers, I wonder?That was a favorite hand load touted by a member as a coyote killer. If I recall, that member also said 40gr bullets drift a lot so they use 55gr instead.
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The rifle i am currently waiting on a barrel for. 6mm CM on a Stiller TAC30 action sitting in a grayboe Outlander stock with PTG BDL bottom metal. Barrel is a bartlein 24" fluted #3 with a 1:8.5 Twist. Meant to be a fun, medium weight walking varmint and predator rifle that could pull double duty on a whitetail if needed.

EDIT: Apparently I cant read. In .223, id shoot what i shoot now. Custom mini mauser in .223 spun up with a 26" Douglas. 55 gr Noslers all day long. Loves em
 
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60 grain vmax with either 25.5 grains of h4895 or 25 grains of benchmark has been my goto load. DRTs every time for me. I never can see the entrance hole and if I get an exit it’s bullet diameter sized coming out of my 1/9 LTR twist at 2975 FPS and up to a quarter sized hole in my 1/8 POF twist at 2850 FPS.

I have my gun set up for 40 grain noslers with 27 grains of benchmark pushing 3800 FPS out of my LTR but haven’t tried it on yotes yet.
 
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