Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles questions on match bullets for predators

I have several boxes of Vmax for my 223 rifle. I was reading somewhere that these bullets cause splashes as in not tough enough to penetrate deeper in a coyote as an example.

And then this person says the match bullets (I think it was Sierra 53g (or maybe 52g) and maybe Hornady Match penetrates on coyote. But Sierra in their LoadBook states Match bullets not recommend for hunting.

Have any of you tried to hunt predators with a Match bullet?

Thinking of getting some Match bullets and try it out and see how it groups as well as maybe hunting use.

Here is the deal. They work, HOW & how consistently they do any expansion is the catch. Sierra jackets are much thicker than Hornady, so can withstand more, and why there is never a singular answer.

Outside of a complete failure, splashes are typically because of high rotation rates, and a jacket near letting go.

Here is a whitetail deer shot with a 140gr Custom Comp; exit hole.



Here is a coyote shot with that bullet updated to a RDF. You can see it exited in two different locations.

valad

I've used 55gr. Hornady V-max's on 100's of coyotes. Never anything but a dead coyote.

Ulvejaeger

I have been using "Heavy for caliber" match bullets on everything up to Whitetails for 40 years. They work fine.

Valad: Back in the late 1960's I was poor and had just one Varminting Rifle to use for both Colony Varmint Hunting and Predator Hunting (Remington 700 BDL Varmint Special in 22-250 Remington).
I sought a bullet that would do everything I wanted done in the Varmint and Predator Hunting arena - I wanted a bullet that was extremely accurate, one that would kill Coyotes and Bobcats without ruining pelts and one that would "explode' Colony Varmints like Rock Chucks, Prairie Dogs and Ground Squirrels.
I was not successful in that endeavor back then.
I used a lot of Sierras wonderfully accurate Match Bullets (both the 52 and 53 grain 22 caliber match bullets) on predators and such but lethality was lacking and some predators got away from me even when chest shot!
Plus they were horrible in the ricochet department when Colony Varmint Hunting.
VERY accurate but undesirable in my usages.
So I quit using them completely decades ago.
One of my favorite bullets to use now on Coyotes from some of my 223's is the rather accurate 50 grain Sierra Blitz bullets (not the BlitzKings!).
These Blitz bullets are accurate, lethal and don't ruin pelts on most all occasions - plus they are wonderful in Colony Varmint situations.
Good luck to you in your search/decision process.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I shoot about 5 different 223's, and the VMax's are my favorite bullets. I've killed coyotes out past 400 yards with the 50 grain VXax, and also shoot the 53 and 55 grain VMax's as well. They kill coyote sized critters extremely well. As far as bullet splash, it was a concern with the 32 grain VMax in the 204 Ruger, when pushed at max velocity. I can personally attest to that, but have never had a problem in the 22 caliber VMax's. As far as using match bullets for coyotes, the only bullets listed as match that I've used were 65 grain Bergers in the 243. They are deadly on a coyote.

55 V Max in 223 = dead coyotes.

Ramp that up to 22-250 speeds and 220 speeds and thats where the trouble CAN begin when encountering quartering shots at distances of say 100 yards or less.

Run that V Max in your 223 and kill all the coyotes you want.

My experience was similar to VarmintGuy's. I tried coyote shooting with the 53 MatchKing simply because they were so accurate in my bolt-action Ruger .223. They weren't reliable killers and worked about half the time.

I switched to the 50 Blitz. They kill reliably and are just as accurate as the target bullet.

I've had good luck on coyotes with the 55, 53, and 50 gr Vmax bullets out of 223's and a 222. I'd not think twice about using them.

.224" 53 V max........higher BC than the others.....

wonderful boolit........

I have used 45 grain to 60 v-max on coyotes. excellent. several weights of berger match bullets also great.

The issue on bullet construction is how far will it penetrate. Two issues are to be kept in mind, how does it break bones and still penetrate and how many inches of pure flesh and guts will it penetrate.

If you don't leade them enough on the run, you will hit them in the hip, will that be the end of your bullet in just breaking one side? Or what happens if you hit a shoulder blade or rib on a large coyote?

Another huge issue is quartering shots coming and going. You may have to break a shoulder and penetrate to the heart and lungs. Also, when they are running away, you may have to break a hip and have the bullet penetrate to the kidney or beyond.

I have killed a LOT of coyotes, and the use of a lead tip spt or a nosler 55g ballistic tip gives hedges your bet on some difficult shots were penetration is needed.

I do like the 22 caliber 60g V max in a 223 which is a hammer.

The Sierra line:
45g Spt
50g Spt
55g HPBT is a very good tough bullet
55g SPT and BT version are great
55g Hornday with the cannalure is a very accurate bullet
and is very tough
55g Win is a soft bullet and at 3000 fps does not
penetrate a coyote on a broadside shot, but works
in 22/250's also with massive holes

I have bullet failures, and while they don't happen on every shot, it is not wise to have a bullet that will not penetrate bone and keep going to the vitals.

I did not shoot match kings in the 223, but shot a lot of them in the 22/250 with great results.

Any of the Match grade bullets on a J4 Jacket work well in coyotes with 52-55g.

Many never consider the fact that a coyote of 45+ lbs will be taken in their lifetime. I killed one that was crossed with a dog that weighed 63 lbs.

My favorite coyote caliber is the 22/250 AI, 55g sierra #1365, 55g NOsler bT, and 60g Bergers.

In a 223 Rem sps SS, I like the 55g Nosler at 3400+ with benchmark and cci 450 that shoots bug holes.

I have had splashes with V max bullets on shoulder blades and have had them blow up on a hip joint and never penetrate the entire joint. So, and I think that they suck on quartering shots and large bones.

The very thick base and thicker jacket on the Nosler ballistic tips make them a better bullet for penetration and holding the core in the jacket, but everyone has their own ideas on things...this is a hobby...have fun your way.

Tag

52 gr SMK is my yodel dog bullet. It just flat out works. I make good shots on stationary targets and they die quickly.

I shoot 62 Barnes in my Rock River 1/2 groups out of it

I'm told that the VMAX bullet, at longer distances, will perform more like a hunting bullet due to decreased velocity. It makes sense to me and I have taken varmints at distances where the bullet performance changes from explosive to more standard hunting bullet like...

Or just slow them down a bit to begin with.

found this post and completely forgot about it. I will just use the 50gr Vmax I have since I have prolly 8 or 9 boxes. my son is a budding shooter so we will use this. I however have found some match bullets from Sierra and Hornady so will test these out.

From what most are saying the 50 Vmax will do the deed so I have been trying this on coyotes and foxes. I know the place I hunt on has foxes and feel these 50 vmax will blow the hide off foxes which are rather small.

next time I order something I will probably get the Sierra 50g Blitz per varmintguy (forgot his handle now...) as I want to order some of the Nosler 40g NBT so have a variety of bullets to try.

on the average the V-Max is a better Varmint bullet than the Match Bullets, but the main factor on this is the speed you push them when they connect. If using the 17 cal 20gr then most of the time on coyotes the match bullets are a better choice. 22 or larger then use the V-Max

Talking about coyote's and discussing penetration at the same time is funny! A coyote doesn't have the density or the bone strength as larger animals. Bullet get's under the skin and explodes in the chest cavity, pretty much dead coyote. I don't target them much but if I did, I'd use my 243. The only reason I'd do that is because I don't have a 223 any more. My old 223 shot best with 55gr bullet's and having killed a few with it, I saw that not one of them bounced off!