204 Ruger ammo Vs. coyotes

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bosco

New member
I purchased a 204 ruger last winter and I managed to kill two coyotes with it. I was shooting the Hornady V-Max ammo.The damage was a little more extensive than i would have hoped for. this year I have shot two coyotes that i am pretty sure that I hit with the Winchester 34 gr. HP.Both ran off.So I switched to the remington Accupoint.Shot a coyote today.He did the spin.Went down. Then back up and away he went.My question to you guys that have experiance with the 204 is,should I switch back to the Hornady V-Max?Is there any other ammo choices?Does any one have any kills with any of the above ammo? If so share the details of how the different bullets performed for you.
 
Shoot a heavier bullet, and be prepared to switch to a bigger caliber if you want more reliable kills. I have killed lots of coyotes with 40 grain .224 bullets, but have over twice as many runners with 40s than with 50 grainers.

I think the sweet spot in bullet weight versus overkill is 50-55 grain ballistic tip type bullets.

That makes .204 NOT an option for me for coyotes.
 
Mongo Mike,

Sorry to hear that,cause the .204 Ruger really whacks the coyotes.i have been using the 35 grain bergers this fall and haven't had a runner yet.And very fur friendly to boot. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
I would think that the .204 is like the .17 Remington in that you have to reload to get good performance. Personally, I don't see a need for a .204 when I can shoot 30gr bullets in my .17's. They shoot really good and kill like Mongo says with is .204. Sounds like you need a better bullet than what the factory offers.

I don't have much faith in the 40gr bullets on yotes as well. Much prefer the 55's but 50's will get the job done. Have heard many stories of runners when hit with the 40's. in .223's.
 
40gr. Accutips have dropped all three coyotes I've tagged this year /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif, I know it's not a lot to go from, but so far so good! Hopefully I can start reloading soon for reasons Utahcaller just stated. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
Coalpinr,Maybe I need to give the accu tips another chance.What kind of damage are you doing with them?It sounds like the bergers and reloading are the way to go.I wont be able to do that this season.Maybe next year.Has any one had any luck with the Winchester 34 gr.JHP?
 
2 of the three were good but I don't think your going to be fur friendly at a high percentage consistently. Thus I really want to try the bergers.
 
As Utahcaller said the Bergers have the best "internet" reputation for coyotes. I wish I would have tried some before selling my 204 but I just found it very inconsistant with the bullets I tried so I went back to my .223, if I want to shoot a small bullet I'll go back to the 17 rem. for some reason I had no trouble with it. I thought the 204 would be the best of the 2 put together, high speed, reliable kills and little pelt damage, neither was what I found.
 
I definitely think it is a bullet issue.Since I started using the 35 bergers,that's all i've shot.I love them.I have them running about 3900fps and they shoot very good (under 1/2 inch)groups.And for the 3 reasons TOM64 mentions "high speed,reliable kills,and little pelt damage" that's what i get with the bergers.

As for the accutips they are pretty much the vmax with a green tip.

Noslers got a new one out in .20 caliber.40 grain ballistic tip.might be alittle bit better bullet for coyotes.The only downside is the B.C is supposed to only be .239.

As for now I will just stick with the 35 grain Bergers.Good Hunting Chad
 
I have shot 2 with a 204 using the vmax, One ran off the other took a follow up shot. I sold the gun because here in MI I don't get a lot of chances so when I get a shot I want it dead, so now I shoot a 243.
 
I only have kill with the 35 bergers, face on square on the shoulder bone. With a hit like that I would have expected extensive pelt damage. The was none (other than a caliber size hole and it did not move from the spot. On skinning I saw that the shoulder was well and truly destroyed.
 
Good clean shots with the 32 vmaxers are awesome on big Eastern yotes. Jusy ordered 200 bullets from my dealer and I will reload them now.
 
it boils down to SHOT PLACEMENT. 17cal 25gr on up will kill a coyote every time if you put the bullet in the right place. it's not the caliber...it's the trigger puller.
 
dukxdog, you are correct but the bullet still has to make it inside the animal to the target, bullet failure should still be atributed to the shooter for picking the wrong bullet and not the caliber. I was impressed with the accuracy of the 204 but I couldn't gain the confidence in it which is probably more important than anything else, at least to me.
 
berger 35gr are the way to go in a 204R i say also. poly tip bullets may look cool but are made for rapid expansion and not hold together in either 32 to 39-40gr. like using a nosler ballistic tip on big game...they don't hold up for vital entry. they are built for tissue destruction. you have to have some knowledge and understanding of what you are trying to accomplish when choosing your reloading components. that's all part of it too.
 
i shot a few (7 or 8) yotes w/ my new .204 this year and the 32 gr. factory hornady's. everyone went straight down, only one got back up, and he only went about 10 steps. i haven't had any pelt damage on the one's i've shot. but i stayed away from the shoulder. i have now started reloading for it, i found a load for the 35 gr. bergers. haven't shot a yote w/ it yet, but they shoot good on paper.

by the way the remmington accu-tips, are the same bullet as the v-max im pretty sure, only w/ a gold tip (remmy changed the green tip to a gold one) instead of red (im pretty sure they are made by hornady)
 


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