223 fur friendly round...even more confused

FMJ's for fur saving is a good idea in theory but in practice its a disaster. Sure you may get some coyotes that a DRT and zero fur damage while the rest of your coyotes will run off and crawl in a hole somewhere before they die. If they run off and you dont find them, fur damage is a non issue.

That said, blowing huge holes in them is not my cup of tea either but alot of bigger holes can be sewed up and when done right it will be very hard to find the damage. I would suggest trying a 52-53gr SMK or hornady match bullet. Ive never used them personally but lots of folks say good things. The next bullet I would suggest would be 55gr sierra BT spitzer or HPBT, they also get pretty good reviews but I have only used the HPBT from a 22-250 and it worked well at those speeds. You could also try a 50 or 55gr vmax or blitzkings. And then after that you could try.....you see where Im going here? Everybody has an opinion on whats the best bullet ever and there simply is not one bullet that is best in every situation, from every gun, and with every shot. If there was such a magic bullet, everything else would be discontinued and we would only have one bullet to pick from.

Pick a few, try them for accuracy and then go shoot a dozen coyotes and see if they are to your liking.
 
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i used to be confused
tongue.gif
. ai'nt anymore.
after shooting coyotes with many different .22 cal. bullets, i've settled on Sierra 55 btsp's. any angle they work great.

i've seen WAY to many coyoes hit and lost with light vmax bullets to EVER reccomend them.
some just don't get that a coyote ai'nt a varmint. they can take a lot of abuse and keep going.
 
Originally Posted By: borkoni used to be confused
tongue.gif
. ai'nt anymore.
after shooting coyotes with many different .22 cal. bullets, i've settled on Sierra 55 btsp's. any angle they work great.

I agree 100%... 14 coyotes from 35 to 250 yds and no blow ups out of a 22-250...
 
I'm using a Federal/AE 50gr HP factory load, and have been having good luck. Very rarely exit even on some close shots.

The other I continue to be impressed with is the Fed/AE 50gr tactical tipped. At ~$10/box, they shoot tiny groups out of about 75% of the guns I've shot it in, and it performs well with the ballistic tip type bullet.
 
do you remember elmer keith if not google him he was a big bore man. after the war 30-06 fmj's were cheap & available he shot several coyotes that got away, only to be shot & killed at a later date. upon examining these animals he found scar tissue through both lungs completely healed. I use 53gr. smk. only had to shoot 1- 2 times. sometimes they exit sometimes not. second shot needed because of gut shot. I have used them since 1976. if that coyote is spinning he needs another bullet. used it .220 swift 26 in. barrel 3900fps. .222 26 in. barrel 3400 fps ar 20 in barrel .223 supposedly 3300 fps not chronographed yet. acts 2:38
 
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I really stopped being confused 30 years ago when fur took a dive in price.
Now I am a bigger is better man and can't seem to get big enough holes.

Seems like bullets of all kinds can be both friendly and unfriendly depending on the many variables that coyote hunting seems to throw at us. It's pretty much a crap shoot for me as I shoot them from 10 yards out and well past 750 and at all angles.
 
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