Why no love for the 55 gr a soft point?

Barkman

New member
I'm fixing work up a load for both of my ar's with benchmark with this bullet. I don't see many people using that bullet here. Why?
 
I don't know why either,I use the 55 grain sp for almost every thing that needs shooting.Prairie dogs tremble when I pull out my Savages and a Tupperware bowl of 55 grain sp ammo.Seriously,I use the Midway bulk bullets for coyotes,prairie dogs,deer,hogs and everything else.I have tried most of the bullets around and keep going back to them.I have confidence in them for my uses.
 
Originally Posted By: liliysdadThey work OK...but the more BC the better. About the only use they get from me is plinking ammo for the AR.

Lol ok.... please tell me what ballistic coefficient has to do with calling coyotes.
 
Originally Posted By: CZ527Originally Posted By: liliysdadThey work OK...but the more BC the better. About the only use they get from me is plinking ammo for the AR.

Lol ok.... please tell me what ballistic coefficient has to do with calling coyotes.

Nothing, and everything. Does a higher BC bullet shoot worse at closer ranges? Of course not...but it definitely shoots better as the distance, and wind, increases. For the sole purpose of killing coyotes, it doest matter one bit...but when poking steel at 500yd, a slippery bullet sure make life nice over a stubby SP. I dont see a reason to differentiate the two activities..If a bullet, load, and rifle can bang steel at 500 or 750yd, it can definitely kill any coyote encountered in the field.

It simply doesnt make sense to me to buy an inferior bullet that does nothing better than a more advanced bullet, especially when the price difference is so minimal.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: liliysdadOriginally Posted By: CZ527Originally Posted By: liliysdadThey work OK...but the more BC the better. About the only use they get from me is plinking ammo for the AR.

Lol ok.... please tell me what ballistic coefficient has to do with calling coyotes.

Nothing, and everything. Does a higher BC bullet shoot worse at closer ranges? Of course not...but it definitely shoots better as the distance, and wind, increases. For the sole purpose of killing coyotes, it doest matter one bit...but when poking steel at 500yd, a slippery bullet sure make life nice over a stubby SP. I dont see a reason to differentiate the two activities..If a bullet, load, and rifle can bang steel at 500 or 750yd, it can definitely kill any coyote encountered in the field.

It simply doesnt make sense to me to buy an inferior bullet that does nothing better than a more advanced bullet, especially when the price difference is so minimal.

Your logic is flawed. It makes PERFECT sense to buy an activity specific bullet. That is why they make them.

69 gr match kings are GREAT for banging steel at longer distances, but horrible for coyotes.
 
Originally Posted By: Lazerus

Your logic is flawed. It makes PERFECT sense to buy an activity specific bullet. That is why they make them.

69 gr match kings are GREAT for banging steel at longer distances, but horrible for coyotes.






Yet Amax, Vmax and Berger VLD are great for both. I would much rather have a high BC, accurate, consistent bullet that kills than a super effective killer that shoots OK, and falls apart at anything past 300yd. High BC "target" bullets are very efficient killers at any range.

Everyone's priorities are different...I have 6 or 7 thousand 55gr SPs that have been sitting on my shelf for years, while I buy through better bullets.
 
BC is great, in a perfect world I'd have all I could get. But terminal performance is way more important, to me, as a coyote hunter.

Some of the highest BC options, make the poorest choices, for coyote hunting. I personally ignore performance at 500+ yards for a coyote hunting bullet as that is truly meaningless to me for coyote hunting. And in fact, in most instances of the actual chamberings I use to hunt coyotes, the bullet that would be best for banging steel at distance offers distinct disadvantage for my application of killing called coyotes. Flat mid range and extending MPBR are way more useful attributes than cutting the wind at 500+.

I do always take BC into consideration in bullet selection. It does matter. Some bullets, I might even try and avoid simply due to poor BC. But at the end of the day, terminal performance is the most important aspect of a coyote hunting bullet. Even more than accuracy or BC, within reasonable parameters, of course. And for my purposes, I'll always take a flat mid range and longer MPBR over any ballistic advantage that occurs at 500+ yards. That just isn't any part of my program at all, for hunting coyote.

YMMV...

- DAA
 
no one is shooting the Hornady 55gr SP's? I used to load & hunt with them in some other calibers, they were pretty accurate & effective on game but have never tried the .224 version.
 
+1 Dave

Often a VLD design does not lend well to accuracy, take the 55g Sierra spt, the 55g Sierra bthp, and the 55 and 63g sierra semi points. As your leade gets shot out, or you have a rifle with a long leade in it, then the semi point bullets will very often shoot like a Berger match bullet.

I have had some fantastic luck for a hunting bullet in the sierra 55g BTHP, which is a tough bullet and excellent for bone breaking shots and quartering shots in a 223 to 22/250 AI.

Like DAA, I think of a bullets killing and penetrating ability first. When we hunted in Mexico, we killed a tremendous number of coyotes on a single trip. We would experiment with various bullets, shooting at least 20 animals straight with each bullet, amazing how you can get poor bullet performance at times at certain angles and distances. We learned to like a tougher bullet, and the Nosler 55g Ballistic tip fit the tougher bullet description nicely, and all the sierra 55's(blitz king was not out then). If you want to make a real mess out of a coyote, shoot him with a Sierra 55g Sierra lead tip blitz at 3500 fps...holy cow.

Sierra 55g BTSP is a great bullet, but often a barrel will not like a boat tail bullet, thus the 55g Sierra spt will shine.

I do not shoot steel, and 300 yards is half way around the world. In my coyote hunting since 1975, the average shots would be between 85-125 yards. We did have a lot of 200-225 yard shots, this was Dessert hunting. 4 times in my life I have had shots from 400-450 yards. Hunting distances will vary in different parts of the country, and you have to adapt. Adapting to your part of the country is what drives the variations in what calibers a guy will want to shoot.

 
Last edited:
I have not shot a coyote with the1365 at 223 speeds, have shot a lot at 22-250 speeds . In 2015 I did Shoot the sierra 1330 which is the 50 grain version. I thought they were a little too hard at ar 15 speeds. I also don't like that the tips get really dinged up if you load and unload them all the time like is typical with coyote stands and an ar. I have been having better luck with the 50 sierra blitz king at 3300 fps. Less finishing shots. Would go with the nbts but for some reason they have not shot well for me pushed fast from 3 different ar barrels. I don't care about fur all I want is a dead coyote and not to need a finishing shot all the time. so that is my goal when selecting bullets.
 
I used to use the 55 grain Hornady 22 Cal 55gr SP SX (spire point super explosive) in my .220 Swift all the time. I kept the speeds down to around 3500 FPS and they were wonderfully accurate and easy on the gun too.

I bought 1000 rounds of them at a gun show last time I bought any and that was not that many years back. All gone now. Maybe I need to get some more. I had forgotten how well those shot.
 
I have shot a few coyotes at long ranges with a 55 gr. Sierra SP and several up close with the same bullet. Never had a runner.

I have shot some with an A Max bullet and they ran off after impact. No bueno for me!!!!
 
Back
Top