Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints Fur friendly bullet

What bullet to use in 22-250 ,220 swift if you want the fur ?

40 grain nosler ballistic tip. Just stay I've the fringes

I agree with laker. Keep a 40 NBT in the ribs and you will be fine

Thanks fellows i thought that might be the answer I was looking for, thanks again ! Ozzie

52 gr SMK is working very well for me. I quit shooting the plastic tips because of mixed results on fur. Never tried the 40 NBT though.

I used plastic tips when they first came out also, until I splashed on a few when it hit bone and the animal got away. I would definitely not use them in a small 40 gr. Not my choice either because of mixed results but to each his own.

I've had trouble with hornady vmaxs splashing on shoulder bones but never a nosler BT, they are much stouter

I've pushed the nosler 40 grain ballistic tip from 223 ackley all the way up to a 220 swift ackley and never had a problem except if when I piled one into a joint at 40 yards out of the 220 swift ackley. Now the 40 hornady vmax is a different story

Same result here with the swift...lost a coyote and a bobcat the same night both bullets splashed and found a few specks of blood that it...triple shocks for me.....

My hornet with 40 gr V-Max have never lost a coyote and never needed a second shot.

50gr ballistic tip out of my 22-250 had worked well for me.

I read somewhere that the polymer tipped bullets are only "fur friendly" with plastic fur.

I'm glad they are working out for some of you guys. My experience is I called in a coyote one night several years ago and it was no more than a 100 yard shot. I shot it behind the shoulder with a .243 loaded with 55 gr. Nosler ballistic tip at about 4000 fps. He spun about 3 times and took off. I found a little hair and a little blood and that was it. I then started carrying a .223 loaded with 55 gr. Hornady V-Max and I shot them for a whole season. It seemed like I was loosing 3 out of every ten that I shot whether it was coyote or fox. Sure I killed some with them dead as a hammer but some of them ran off also. The ones I did kill, some of the fur damage was very minimal and some of the coyotes I shot the exit hole was big enough to throw a house cat through. I then started using Hornady 60 gr SP's loaded with 25 gr. of varget at 2900 fps. and I haven't looked back. I haven't lost not one animal whether it be coyote, fox or bobcat and fur damage is minimal due to slow fps. What I've wrote here in this short paragraph is over 25 years worth of experience on my part and hunting hard from October to the end of February, 4-5 nights a week. Like I said earlier I'm glad them plastic tip bullets are working out for you but they didn't for me. As far as I'm concerned they are good for prairie dogs and ground hogs and that's about it.

Happy Hunting and stack the fur up like firewood!

I have found the 60 NPT moving slow ( 2600-2650) is excellent, probably the best, Ive used on fur. I have shot nothing but fox and raccoon with it thus far, don't know how well it'll put down a coyote, but I don't have much to worry about there...Ive killed them with a deuce and a 55 grainer going that speed....

Sample pics.....( these are not all the same critters...different in each pic)

I've had great luck with the old Speer 52 grain HP in my Swift, though it's not the greatest long range bullet. Rarely if ever exits. Another one that's worked well is the Sierra 55 grain Gameking. Usually only a 1 inch exit wound. I'll echo the remarks on 40 grain Ballistic tip, though I've had a couple blow up on shoulders and spines leaving a fun sewing job. Great bullet for a heart/lung shot or straight on.

Mart,,My son has been shooting Sierra 55 gr. Gameking for the last 2 years and I like the way they do on fur also. After I use what I've got left of the Hornady 60 gr. SP's I might steal a few off of him lol....

I made the good part of my living on fur for about ten years.It wasn't much of a living but I enjoyed working with it lol. This is my son standing in the doorway of my fur shed a couple years ago. That's about 20 coyotes and 50 reds and greys altogether in Dec.. There is probably a couple bobcats in the pile also lol... I know its not a lot to what you guys can get out west...

That's some good looking rugs you got there! I like them grays. There my favorite...

Dude, thats really gettin' it done in Va.!

Thanks a lot but it started feeling to much like a job lol. I just pleasure hunt now...