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Post by ilive2h on Apr 5, 2012 21:22:31 GMT -8
Looking for a good bullet that will kill coyotes without damaging hides. I am mainly concerned with .204 but have used, various weights of v-max bullets, shot several non-expanding bullets(which worked well but you always have an entrance and an exit hole and run the risk of loosing them all together if there is no snow to track with) and done a little with sierra HPBT and a few others. All these were in .224. I am hoping to help reduce the damage by going to a .204 and was hoping to shoot around a 40Gr bullet to still be able to kill at longer ranges. The big thing is to not blow up hides when i hit them high in the back or front shoulders etc. etc. and not have coyotes running off to die where i can't find them. I know this is a little like have my cake and eat it too but anyways, what do you all think?
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Post by nonnieselman on Apr 9, 2012 6:27:17 GMT -8
Have you tried the barnes varmigrenades? (not sure if thats how you spell it)
I load some for my buddys Ruger 204 and with the few Yotes he shot they had a tiny entrance wound, massive soft tissue damage, and no exit wound.
I think we were using the 40gr?
Also the Sierra Blitzking did good also.
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Post by ilive2h on Apr 10, 2012 8:31:14 GMT -8
have not tried anything in the 20 yet(don't have it built yet) but I have shot the blitz king in my 22-250, worked ok but in the 50gr or 52-53 what ever it comes in, it maid a mess out of a coyote that i shot in the shoulder, both on the entrance and exit. I hit it real close to the chest though.
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Post by nonnieselman on Apr 13, 2012 13:37:38 GMT -8
We have never kept the Pelts, so its game on. anything from .22 to the ole 300WM.
ever seen what a 210gr Berger will do to a coyote? ;D
ive shot a few with the .223 75Gr PPU Match bullets and if you dont hit a bone, its a pin hole in and out.
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Post by WPD4323 on Apr 14, 2012 19:25:03 GMT -8
J've had my best luck with vmax and 52gr match hollow points from the 223 and love 70gr ballistic tips from my 243 acklley rare to see an exit with it but if not shot well into mass about everything will leave you with unwanted stitching to do.. I am hoping to have some time with a new shooter and 58gr zmax in the 6mm area, hopefully before crops get too high to enjoy a few days on range and calling
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Post by grgrmp on Apr 18, 2012 19:33:26 GMT -8
I have had great luck with the .17 Rem, but reloading is tedious at best and you need to keep the shots in the boiler room to assure clean kills. No running shots with the little rifle.
Lately I have been playing with pulled 40gn Vmax (from Elite ammo - pulled fom factory 5.7x28). The deformation from pulling the bullets seems to work harden the jacket - same theory as a cannelure on a FMJ round - making them even more frangible. I am pushing them around 3600 fps in .223 and they never exit, but they do sometimes "crater" the entry wound.
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Post by brentparker on May 2, 2012 4:22:05 GMT -8
About the best bullet in a .204 for fur will be the 35 gr. Berger. Darn good bullet on fur. Almost as good as my .17 rem. with 25 gr. Bergers. The 204 just thumps harder from what I've seen.
In 22 cal. have had good luck with sierras #1365 55 spt 2 holes but very manageable.
In a .243 I recently started using the Barnes 80 TTSX so far has been real good. Roughly quarter size exits. Only 8 so far shot with it. I did try 58 vmaxes in a 6x45 and only shot a few but it showed alot of promise. It was a buddys gun and didn't use for very long. Next bullet to try is some 55 gr Nosler BT lead free. in a 6mm.
I do put up fur so damage is a concern.
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Post by clyancey on Aug 3, 2012 13:27:25 GMT -8
Anyone ever use frangible bullets.....I think the business wrote about in the preditor magazine was called DRT or something, but the guy said they were originally military bullets (308 & 223) designed to never exit a human..... & that work well for saving pelts. These may be a good solution for 223 bullets.
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Post by GLSHOOTER on Aug 3, 2012 14:38:54 GMT -8
Anyone ever use frangible bullets.....I think the business wrote about in the preditor magazine was called DRT or something, but the guy said they were originally military bullets (308 & 223) designed to never exit a human..... & that work well for saving pelts. These may be a good solution for 223 bullets. I've shot some very frangible stuff in SORT training but it would not be what I would shoot a critter with. These disintegrated way to fast to make it usable on an coyote. For people hat are kind of thin and easy to stop maybe but a 'yote would leave on you in a heart beat. The DRT got some rave reviews for about three months and then dropped off the radar screen. Way to many claims of efficacy for me to buy into. (My way of saying BS meter was pegged) Greg |
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blm148
Junior Member
Posts: 34
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Post by blm148 on Aug 26, 2012 21:09:52 GMT -8
Last year was the first year i hunted dogs with my 204. the reason i went with it was to get a caliber that would have minimal drop for the dogs that just won't come in closer than 2 or 300 yards and in these circumstances you usually dont have time to range and fumble with elevation nobs.
I started last year by ruining 4 or 5 hides with the 32gr vmax. All of the destruction with these was due to "splashing" when i would hit shoulder or spine on the way in if it was at any sort of angle it would leave you with a stitch job from hell. When you hit them square in the body though they did pretty well at leaving a 204 diameter entrance hole and no exit.
It got better from there though as i then tried a few 35gr bergers i borrowed from a buddy. These were much better. More forgiving with shots that weren't perfectly squared up. I think this might be due to them being sturdier and moving slower as they were a little bit heavier and shot better at a little slower velocity.
I then ran across a screaming deal on 40gr nosler ballistic tips and bought 500. These performed much the same as the bergers. They didn't shoot quite as well as the other 2 but were still under an inch for 5 shots in my rifle which is definitely minute of coyote.
The 45gr hdy soft points shot to the exact same poi as the noslers but i just played around with them at the range and never put a dog down with one. I have a feeling that they would do well also but you might see exits. not sure on that one.
I would recommend the bergers or the 40gr noslers (or even 40gr vmax maybe) as a starting point. I had a couple run offs with the 32gr vmaxs and none with the bergers or noslers too. This definitely could have just been shooter error too ( they are coyotes and they typically do what you don't expect leaving you playing catch up and shooting from less that ideal positions and in a hurry). Maybe it's just me and my horrible shooting and calling skills ;D
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Post by n8will on Dec 16, 2012 14:07:26 GMT -8
I hunted with a friend last weehend and he was shooting the 204 on an AR and was shooting the 35gr berger. He killed two both were over 200 yards, one whole and they droped. I was impressed with the bullet preformance. No fur damage at all.
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Post by yotehunter2 on Dec 18, 2012 12:08:23 GMT -8
35gr Berger for the 204 end of story. Load em up and watch the magic.
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