So I shot two coyotes over the weekend. The .22mag normally isn't what I use although I've taken a few with it over the years. I've been using CCI 30 grain lead free hollowpoints for a while because I got a great deal on them. The first coyote I shot was a little over 60 yards and moving to my left. He was trotting and wouldn't stop so I shot and dropped him. My first shot hit him behind the shoulder and surprisingly went clear through. He hit the ground but I figured he may not be dead so I kept him in the scope. Sure enough he sits up and I shot him again. My second shot hit him in the shoulder. Again he falls and I keep him in the scope just in case. He moves so I shoot again, my third shot hitting him in front of his right ear.
The second one was quartered to me at a round 100 yards. I shot him in the chest and he took off and made it about 30 yards and fell over dead.
The surprising part is while skinning the first one I found the third bullet just under the skin on the underside of his neck. The nose of the bullet was a little crushed on one side but hadn't really flattened out much at all. I've killed probably 5 or 6 coyotes with this bullet and have recovered them all but I don't know how after seeing that. It's basically like shooting a full metal jacket. The box says TNT on it but it's not quite as explosive on targets as they would have people believe. I'm really lucky I haven't lost any coyotes due to this. Not what I expected from a hollowpoint.
When I had to switch to lead free bullets, I found out that Barnes 62 gr Varmint Grenade 6 mm bullets gave me more exit holes on coyotes than Hornady 75 gr V-Max 6 mm bullets did.
The 22 cal Barnes 50 gr Varmint Grenade bullets didn't pop ground squirrels nearly as good as lead 50 gr and 55 gr varmint bullets did.
I wouldn't use lead free varmint bullets unless you have to. The same weight lead free bullets are much longer than the same weight lead bullets are.
I don't have much experience with lead free bullets other than these ones. I got them at half price so I bought a bunch so I started using them. I would say they're not worth a dang but I actually shot two more coyotes with them this evening. Both were lung shots and they ran a little ways but they died. I think maybe I'm just getting lucky. My guess is they're flipping or twisting when they hit and that's doing the majority of the damage.
I agree about the Winchester 40 grain hollowpoints. I've killed a pile of critters with those in the past. In fact I prefer those over the CCI 40 grain hollowpoints. I have some Hornady 45 grain Critical Defense bullets I'd like to try out after I'm out of my others. I hate to give a bad review on the bullets performance and talk about killin coyotes with them in the same breath but that seems to be what I'm doing.
A lot of it has to do with where I'm shooting coyotes too though. If they're close I'll head or neck shoot them but lung shots are doing the trick. They're just running 30 to 50 yards or at least some are. I ain't bragging on my shooting so I don't want to give the impression that I am. I just think I'm getting them in the right spot otherwise they'd be running a lot further. The fact that they're not expanding and reaching vitals instead probably has more to do with it than anything and of course if they're going in and spinning it's causing damage that I won't be able to see for myself aside from what I see when I skin them out. I might have clipped or outright hit more than lungs on a few coyotes but of course I ain't dissecting them so I can't be sure. All I know is I've gotten two pass throughs on 2 of the 4 coyotes I've shot recently using the 30 grain green bullets. They're working and I have plenty so I won't hesitate to shoot another coyote or two if given the opportunity but I definitely pick and choose where I want to shoot them before I do it. If I lose one I'll probably quit using them but so far they're killing them so......guess they're working but not the way they're designed to.
I don't want to give the impression that these are great bullets or the best ones to use. I just know some guys are restricted to lead free or rimfire only in some areas. I'm not but I figured I'd share my experience with these particular bullets. And with things the way they are right now they may be the only thing a person can find and someone may look back on this and think they're worth trying instead of passing them up and missing out on doing some huntin. They'll definitely kill a coyote if that's all you can get. I wouldn't be scared to take them out and shoot some close range predators. I'll keep y'all posted if I shoot more.
Ive been using 30 grain Hornady V-max bullets in my Savage .22 Magnum Rifle...haven't had the opportunity to use them on a Coyote yet but about 4 large Ground Hogs have dropped in thier tracks.They have done a great job on those Varmints!
Originally Posted By: GTOHunterIve been using 30 grain Hornady V-max bullets in my Savage .22 Magnum Rifle...haven't had the opportunity to use them on a Coyote yet but about 4 large Ground Hogs have dropped in thier tracks.They have done a great job on those Varmints!
I shot those there for a while. Think I only shot one coyote with them and I don't think I recovered it. Exploded some smaller stuff like prairie dogs and starlings with them but only shot that one coyote. Haven't shot any of those in a long time. Might have to try them out again for grins and giggles.
Shot another one yesterday evening. Same rifle,same bullet. It was around 60 yards and I hit it in the neck. Dropped instantly. The bullet went all the way through which is no surprise.
With the .22mag I think neck shots are the best way to go. There are a lot of important things in the neck. Get a bullet there and most likely that coyote isn't going very far or anywhere at all. The worst trouble I've had out of a rimfire is the unreliable ammo. It doesn't happen often but every now and then one will "snap" which has caused me to miss opportunities on various things in the past.
40g Win hp are excellent killers, and these bullets are a true Jacketed HP. NEVER use a copper plated lead bullet in your 22 Mag unless you want a barrel full of lead with horrible accuracy.
Originally Posted By: ackleyman40g Win hp are excellent killers, and these bullets are a true Jacketed HP. NEVER use a copper plated lead bullet in your 22 Mag unless you want a barrel full of lead with horrible accuracy.
I always liked the Winchester Dynapoint 45 grain bullet too. But that was the one where no lead was exposed at the nose of the bullet and the hollowpoint was fairly shallow compared to the 40 grain. I never did recover one from an animal while skinning but they hit hard and killed everything I ever shot with one. Over all I'd say I killed more animals with the Winchester 40 grain JHP than any other with the CCI 40 grain Maxi-Mag HP coming in at a close 2nd.
