223 range?

F

falco

New member
What do you guys consider the max range for a 223 on coyotes? I am looking at getting a tc contender or encore, but have not decided on the caliber yet. I like the fact that 223 ammo is pretty cheap. I want to be able to make 300-400 yard shots, does the 223 have enough umph for this?
 
no, not enough push behind the bullet. Oh....if you actually hit the coyote at 400 yards in just the right spot, he would probably die. If you have your .223 sighted in for 100yrds with a 55gr v-max, at 300yrds the bullet would have dropped appr. 11" and at 400yrds appr. 26" with not a whole lot more energy than a .22 magnum.
 
I disagree, I think the outside edge of the .223 is right around 350 to 400 yds. Ive read of people killing whitetail at that range with them. Not with a 55 grn bullet. Out to 300 Im more than comfortable shooting a coyote with Black Hills 50 grn or Ultramax 55 grn balistic tips.
And with any rifle zeroed at 100 theres going to be some drop, shoot enough at distance to know what your hold over is going to be.
 
I limit myself to 300yd shots with my 223. I have never taken one though. The farthest I made was a 270yds one and that yote didn't move. I have seen a friend make a 280yd one and the yote bang flopped too. All were good shot placment shots though. I just think that after 300yds, a person is walking into a hazy area when shooting a yote size animal.
 
I keep my shots under 300 yards also and usualy way under but don't forget about the high BC, low drag bullets, they should retain enough energy to do 400 yards with judicious hand loading if you can do your part.
 
With the current load I am using, My FPE is around 427lbs, which is enough to kill an average sized yote. But in reality, I cannot shoot past 350 that well off of sticks or a bipod. I believe that knowing and respecting your own limitations plays into this also.
 
For anything outside of 250 yards I would use a 22-250 or my 308. I'm not saying that a 223 cannot kill beyond 250 but the probability is reduced.
 
223 is plenty of cartridge to drop a coyote like a bad habit at the range you list....but that's not the whole story.

The rest of the story is you need exceptional accuracy from your load and the personal ability to shoot that well. If those two item are missing, it doesn't matter what caliber you use.

My oldest son has a Ruger 223 that is a real shooter and he has a very good load. Furtherst coyote killed last year was at a varified shot OVER 500 yards (I think in the neighborhood of 540 yards).

The moral of the story, is if you are capable and your load and gun is capable....yes, the 223 WILL do what you asked.
 
I agree with swift one and tcman. Is it enough rifle...yes but are you compenent of making those yardage shots. Not to brag....I myself have have dropped a coyote at that range ( I think it was somewhere around 375). This is not something I attempt regularly either. Please understand, that shot was made under ideal conditions and the rifle was on a table in a rest. Not only do have to consider bullet drop but also any wind drift. The wind WILL blow a 747 of course. I believe a 70gr or heavier pill would have plenty of energy to drop a coyote at that yardage....but you can't hit him in the butt. I don't think out-of-the box ammo will preform like custom hand loads and I don't think 50's, 55's or 60's will carry enough energy that far.

Just my .02, now I'm broke
GARI
 
Quote:
Please understand, that shot was made under ideal conditions and the rifle was on a table in a rest.



This is exactly my point. I am a pretty good shot at 400yds off of a table and rest. But I have never had the opportunity to taske a yote while sitting at a table supported with a shooting rest. My friend however, can make 300yd shots with his 243 in the prone position without aid of a bipod or rest all the time. It's all about the skill the shooter has.
 
You got all your answers over and over, I just chimed in to Recommend an Encore. They are built sturdier than the contender frame to handle higher power rifle rounds. I got lucky from other posts I have read and all I needed to do to my Encore was put a scope on it, no trigger work, and I get 1/2 inch out of the box groups, I'm very impressed with the 1/2 inch group cause I never been a good paper shooter until I got my Encore. I am convinced it can do a better group in the hands of a better shooter.

t/c223encore.
 
I have a friend who is a former Marine instructor. He taught his guys how to make 1000YD kills with an M16. The method used was to "walk" the shots in, not a "first shot" hit, but the (62gr?) ball ammo would do the job.

I have shot prairie dogs past 500YDs with a .223, but wouldn't shoot coyotes at that range using light frangible ammo (V-max, Ballistic Tip) without some info/testing of the terminal ballistics.

I enjoy long range shooting and in 37 yrs have shot many 10s of thousands of rounds past 400YDS, field and competition. My personal "rule of thumb" limitations for long range coyote (with heavy barrel accurized rifle and proper ammo/conditions) would be: .223 to 500YD, .308 to 900YDS, and then my 7mm mag to 12-1500YDS. Someday I'll have a .30-404 built and try to shoot them at a mile +.

The real secret to long range shooting is to push your limits on paper before you go into the field and practice, practice, practice.

Leon
 
First off is to take into consideration your barrel length. A 24" tube will spit the .223 considerably faster than a 16" tube will which translates to more downrange energy.

The next item of concern is the weight of the bullet. A general rule of thumb is that weight will trump velocity. A 55 grain pill will hit with more more force than a 40 grainer moving a bit faster. Using data from Winchester's Web Site the 55 grain has 3240 fps and 1282 ft/lbs at the muzzle compared to a faster moving 40 grainer at 3700 fps showing 1216ft/lbs. Extend out to 400 yards and the 55 grainer is 1923 fps and 451 ft/lbs where the 40 grainer is 1879 fps and 314 ft/lbs.

So, if you want to play redleg against coyotes the best thing to do is go with a heavy bullet as fast as you can reasonably get it going.

Edit to add: You may want to consider an Encore (or Contender if you are insterrested in rimfires) rifle with a 24" tube in a 1:9 or better twist rate. This will let you shot up to the 60-something grain bullets. The 24" barrel isn't that long on an Encore since it lacks the action length that otherwise adds to the overall length. This is one of the routes I'm exploring for my next rifle.
 
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