Best load for .223 for coyotes?

IAyoteHNTR

IAyoteHNTR

New member
I recently purchased a nice used Remington 700 BDL in .223 and am wanting to know from you experienced yote hunters what loads seem to be working best for you. I had 100 rounds of the 40 gr ballistic tips loaded up for it that run aprox 3800 fps but in retrospect I think I probably want a mid-50's gr hollow point round running in the 3200-3400 fps range. What do you guys think?
 
50g B-Tip is all I shoot out of my .223 bolt gun, both of my are 1-14". They will put big holes in dogs, not a good bullet to use if you save pelts.
 
I haven't had the best performance from Hp loads on coyotes, they either act like fmj's or they tend to blow up without enough penetration. I have loaded bulk 55grn. soft points by the thousands and have used them through everything from my Vanguard to my Rem 700's and all my AR's.
I think for myself, 55grn. is the lightest bullet I will use for coyotes but the 53grn. Barns might be a good bet. Shot placement it what gets the job done and weight gives one a little room for error in where the shot gets placed.
 
All I shoot are 55gr soft points out of my Rem 700 SPS with 1 to 12" and out of the AR. Just all around good bullets in my opinion. Drops em like a ton of bricks. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
I am using the Sierra Gameking 55gr HPBT at about 3250fps in a 1/9 twist barrel I have shot numerous pigs and coyotes with good results and of course its plenty accurate. The 52gr Berger is slightly more accurate but I seem to get more runners not really sure why.
 
Stay away from V-Max bullets if your shots are going to be under 150 yards if your planning on taking fur. My last bunch of coyotes using my .223 with a new VMAX loaded just destroyed about half that where shot, even with chest shots the bullets made softball size wounds.
Ive talked with a number of dedicated fur hunters and from previous posts here on PM that Speer 52 gr HP's or Bergers are the way to go.
If your hunting coyotes for predator control or for fun V-Max hit really hard and they don't go far.

Cheers!!
 
I went to a 100 yd indoor range today and shot some of my 40 gr BT's my buddy loaded for me and some Hornady 55 gr VX Moly's and the 40's definitely shot a better grouping for me, just over the size of a quarter with 3 different 5 shot groups shooting off of sandbags on a bench.

Next week when I go to the range again I'll try out another group or two of the Hornady 55 gr Moly's and some Winchester 50 gr Ballistic Silvertips I've got as well as some Winchester 45 gr JHP's that I picked up to try as well. I would have tried them all today but I split the hour range rental with a buddy who's breaking in/sighting in a new Savage 22-250 he just got and we started about 10 minutes late into our hour allotted time anyway so we ran out of time and @ $30/hr rental rate it can get a little pricy to hang around too long in there.

I'm not worried about fur damage a whole lot and I will probably be taking shots of out to 300-350 yards sometimes so I think I'll stick with the 40 gr BT's I had loaded for now because they'll run faster/flatter and my gun with the 1 in 12 twist seems to like them just fine so far. I may change my mind after the next session at the range, I guess time will tell.

Thanks for all the responses/advice guys.

Trevor
 
First, it is not a good idea to swap moly loads with non-moly loads in your barrel without cleaning out the moly. You can get a layered effect of moly/copper/moly/copper etc. Accuracy can be effected as well. in my opinion there is no need for moly bullets. They cost more and are a pain to clean out of barrels.

I would have some reservation using 40's at the distances you are speaking of too. Would think atleast a 50 or 55 would be a better way to go.
 
Seems to be a hate-on for hornady vmax bullets. I have used them inclusively for the last 10years in my 22-250 and yes, if the range was close or the shot placement bad there is extensive fur damage. Last year I bought a .223 and loaded it up with 50gr vmax travelling round the 3100fps mark. One little hole going in, extensive damage inside, no exit. Nothing wrong with that. My furs brought in $1000 for my new rifle purchase.
2005-06yotes2.jpg

I'll continue to shoot vmax bullets till something better comes along. Just my $1 worth.

ruger300
 
I like to shoot the 45 grain Winchester JHP. I haven't had any coyotes run off or any bobcats. Get good groups also. Can cover a 3 shot group with a quarter. I don't know that it makes a difference but I am shooting a CZ 527 Varmint rifle.
I also shot my mule deer with 55 grain vmax at about 200 yards this year, unfortunately I broke his back with the first shot, bad ranging on my part, so I had to have a follow up shot to finish him off.
 
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