Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints 223 Bullet for coyotes

What your favorite bullet for coyotes ,out of and AR style rifle. Looking to save some of the fur. Bullets in the 50 ---55 grain range---Thank you

50 gr. NBT

^^^^ This ^^^^

50 or 55 Ballistic Tip.

Whichever shoots best.

I just loaded up some 55 NBTs in my .223AI and am gonna give them a go on coyotes this fall...

I’ve had great luck with 53gr VMax bullets. Some say they are more fragile than the BT equivalents but I really like them.

Mine is 50 ballistic tip, but my two brothers shoot 40 v max almost exclusively. And they seem to work just fine b

60 gr. V-Max... I know, I know, not what you asked. But I've had such good results from that bullet I had to throw it in the ring for consideration.

Sierra 55g bthp, very accurate out of ar's with about 24.5-25.5g of Benchmark, mine likes cci 450's. The sierra 55g bthp is a very, very good bullet when it comes to killing coyotes from all angles, especially running away where some poly tip bullets fail miserably.

I would add that the very best 223 load for saving fur that I ever found was 55g Winchester soft point with 26.5g of Win 748, most look like they had been shot with a 17 Remington.

Pretty much anything with a polymer tip or hollow point that does not show any lead in the weight range you picked. I have shot a lot of soft points but they seem to leave a little lead in the action that finds its way into every crack and crevasse and is more work to remove than I like.

My current rifle out to 250 yards or so is loaded with whatever 50 gr hollow point Federal uses in their 200 round bulk pack. When they are gone it will be either 50 or 55 gr Z-Max as I found a good deal on them.

The 52gr Speer Varminter has been my goto bullet for most of my pelt hunting for decades, it has worked well in my 222 Rem, 5.6x50R Mag, and 22-250, it seems to work well over a large range of velocities. I've used the 50gr NBT at lower velocities in a 223 with some success but went back to the Speer because it was easier to find during the component shortage. I do have one little rifle in 22-204 that dotes on 40gr NBT's at around 4000 fps that I do a lot of pelt hunting with also.

Speer 52gr FB HP Varmint (I buy these a "K" at a time)

https://www.speer-ammo.com/bullets/rifle-bullets/varminter-hollow-point-bullets/224/224-52-hp-bullet

That’s what I use.

Sierra 55 grain HPBT #1390 & 55 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips

62 Barnes shoots great in my AR’s

Sierra #1365

50 grain VMax's have been the one I've killed most of my coyotes with, along with a few bobcats, and they have been very fun friendly. The Speer 52 grain HP is another good one.

I've killed most coyotes with a 50 gr Hornady SX. One of the guys I used to work with gave me a couple coffee cans full of them. My 223 has a 9 twist barrel on it and if it gets dirty at all the SX bullets start coming apart. Now I save the SX bullets for a 14 twist 222 and load 50 gr VMaxs in the 223.

The 50gr Vmax at about 3500fps has been completely reliable for me over the years.

If you want to kill coyotes with EXTREME results, the 55g Sierra lead tip Blitz will show some massive holes, they NEVER blow up on the surface also.
I am NOT recommending the Sierra 55g Blitz King with the green tip as they are the most explosive 55g on the market, great for squirels, P. dogs, and chucks!

I shot a loads of

26.5g of Win 748
23g of H322
26g of H335
24.5-27g of Benchmark(use lapua brass with cci 450 primer(very important)= 3470 fps @27g)

If you want to kill deer, antelope, Javelina, or Lions, then three 55g bullets are best choices

55g Hornady sp with the cannalure
55g Sierra bthp
55g Speer bonded "gold dot"

The last antelope that I shot was at 470 yards, shot with a remington 788 223 with a lot of 26.5g of Win 748 and a 55g Winchester SP, he hit the dirt right were he was standing! This load of 748 has a muzzle velocity of 3100 approximately out of a 24" barrel.

Good to know...Im about to try the 39 gr. green tipped blitz on coyotes out of a .204...wonder how it is....
Ive shot deer with the 55 grain Horn..I agree.
Gonna shoot a deer with the 55 Speer Gold dot this year...

For coyotes and not much fur damage, i’m a fan of the Nosler 40 gr BT. It kills like a lightening bolt.

This is by far my favorite. Usually just one hole in and within 300 yds coyotes drop in their tracks.

drover

+1

You asked about 50 or 55 gr bullets, and in that range I like the Speer TNT 50 gr. But I load 40 gr V-Max or BT and they work great and do not exit.

I've had about the same results with my 223AI and my 22-250. I think the longest coyote kill was around 450-500 yards and he just dropped in his tracks. However, I've found if they get too close- say under 100 yards- the 40BT"s blow right through and make quite a mess. But then, I'm pushing them pretty fast in both rifles. 4180 in the 22-250 and 3900 in the 223AI. Slowing them down a bit would be helpful, I'm pretty sure....

Bob

For me, I've been using the 40 gr nosler varmageddon. They ar sizzling out at 3900+ fps, (Rem VSSF) enter the dog and explode.

Other than the entry hole the fur is pristine.

Respects,
Richard

The 39 grain Blitzking made me quit the 204 for a spell, lost way too many coyotes. Finally tried the 40 grain Vmax and found it to be about perfect. 35 grain Bergers for bobcats and 40 Vmax's or Noslers for killing coyotes.

REALLY good to know! Thanks! I'll go to the 40 Vmax got lots of them! Only thing Ive shot with 39 Gr Sierras was PDs and it killed them...

I’ve heard great things about the hornady 55gr SPSX

Yes.

speer 50 grain TNT.....great for prairie dogs as well.

I use mostly 50 grain Vmax but I still get quite a few exits. The Vmax lets me extend my range to 300+ yards. That's about as far as I want to shoot a coyote with an 18" barrelled .222.

I think this question gets a wide range of answers because so many variables.. Called in coyotes in Texas compared to guys jumping them with trucks in North Dakota are pretty different performance needs. Size of coyote, average shot distance, speed on impact and shot placement leads to vastly different results. This question is what got me reloading to begin with. People with far more dead coyotes than me steered me towards 60gr vmax , Sierra 55 gr soft point and Speer 1035 52 gr hollow point. None of these bullets have not worked for me on called Midwest/Western coyotes with good killing and generally easy on fur. I also really like that Sierra in.22/250 for when I need more reach. I had from great to horrible results with other weights of vmax , sx and Btips so for my purposes I no longer use really fragile varmit bullets on coyotes. You will find most bullets from 223 will kill coyotes most of the time but everyone’s situations and end results can vary.

My 1-14" twist barrels will not even stabilize the 55 grain Vmax nor the 52 grain Amax. I can't imagine how bad the 60 grain load would be.

I have seen some wonky things with 1 in 14s...

Ive got two that LOVE 52-55 grainers

I have another that HATES them!

And I have no answers!

Mine loves 55 grain SOFTPOINTS. It won't shoot Ballistic tips, Vmaxs etc for crap.

I know it's not in the weight range that you were asking about, but after trying a lot of different bullets in the .223 I've found the Nosler Varmageddon 62 gr. hp to be a great coyote bullet. I'm talking called coyotes from 40 - 200 yds. I've had a number of spinners and runners over the years with different bullet types but so far the Nosler has been a really solid performer. It's also been great on fur, no big holes thus far.

Has anyone tried the 65gr sierra gamekings?

Yes. It is a fairly tough little bullet. It kills coyotes from any angle and doesn't tear up fur too bad. However, I dont think it kills as quickly on the classic broadside chest hit like the 60 gr. VMax.

Ive killed quite a few with 40gr vmax

+1

Not to start a war by any means but I have tried many dif bullets on coyotes and the most failed results were from ballistic tips...v max was the worst...
My go to in 223 and 22-250 is a 55 gr sp...not even sure the make...I bought an ammo can full of them years ago and have shot just about everything with them...
Around here coyotes never give a clean shot...they hide in brush coming to a call or grass and weeds...they never stand still...the sound of the safety will send them into turbo...so it's usually a tactic of getting a bullet in them spot slow them down enough to get a kill shot...
The 55 gr sp will break bone the v max would just make them run faster...if poorly hit....
Sorry I'm not that great of shot at running coyotes
S

A vmax is nowhere near as stout as a nosler BT.
I've had several splashes on coyote shoulders from 50 and 55 vmax bullets but the 50 and 55 NBT has never given me any issues

Hmmm..... I've never had trouble killing them with vmaxes. Even 20 grainers outta the whore-gnat....

Anybody ever try the 62 grain fusion on yotes?

A[b][/b]
I won't disagree with that but I have never used them on coyotes...
My son uses a 20 tac...tod kindler says the end all coyote bullet is the 40 gr blitz king ....NOT! My son a tremendously good shot hit a called coyote at 40 yds ...he turned and ran he nailed him again...I finished him dead with an old 55 gr sp

This is a topic that I have gone back and forth on over the years, but my thoughts right now are.
I won’t ever use 40 grainers again for coyotes, or mono’s. I had a hunt a couple years ago that didn’t allow lead so I loaded up some TSX’s. They work OKAY on deer but horrible on coyotes.
My 2 favorite Bullets right now are 55 NBT and 65gr Sierra bt

Last year I did most of my coyote hunting with a 22-250 using 40 grain VMax's as fast I could push them. Every coyote was DRT, no exits, no runners. Coyotes aren't to kill, so a wide variety of bullets work.

My only problems came with the 204 and the 32 grain VMax. Had several cases of bullet splash and no penetration. 35 grain Bergers fixed that little problem.

From my AR I like the Hornady 55 gr. SP with cannelure for just about anything I would shoot with a 223/5.56. From a bolt gun I have had excellent results using Speer's 45 gr. SP. I have most likely shot more varmints with the latter bullet than any other. Hornady's 45 gr. SP is another good one though not generaly as accurate as the Speer for me. I have also shot a lot of Hornady 60 gr. HP's with perfect satisfaction.

My CZ 527 loves the 50 gr. Nosler BT. I"ve killed a couple of sheep with it and they've gone straight down. It also likes the 50 gr. Hornady HP Steel Case. Both rounds are tack drivers and I wouldn't have any qualms about shooting a yote with either round even if it was for the hide.

Yup.

25.9gr TAC or 25.5gr CFE223. Out of two AR-15's and a Ruger American Ranch Rifle. My notes show average five-shot groups of 5/8" @ 100yds. They work really well on coyotes (NOT fur friendly if you hit a bone!), feral pigs, and whitetails.

Ed

Just curious. Looking at the locations of the posters, could it be that the size of the coyotes - western vs eastern - might be a factor with how the bullets perform and why people might be having differing results with the same bullets.

I'm in Ontario and use cheap Hornady 55 SP w/cannelure. They work quite well, as do the 50 and 55 gr. Rem bulk bullets. The 40 gr. VMaxes don't like bone IME. I used them in my 222s, but kept the velocity around 3000-3100 fps. Our adult coyotes generally are about 40 lbs. The females a few pounds smaller.

I think you have a valid point there. Ive shot a number of Texas coyotes which seemed to go about 25 pounds apiece and had no issues folding them up with a lightly loaded .222 and 50 gr. soft points.

For our Montana coyotes which average bigger I really like a .223 stoked to the gills, or better yet a .22-250 loaded to its potential...

I noticed that with adult coyotes around here, my results were mixed with the 40 gr. VMaxes. If I nicked bone - that included the ribs - they didn't always drop. That's why I use more stoutly constructed bullets. MNR is reporting that some coyotes are breeding with wolves and the hybrids are larger and more solidly built. Even when not pushed to maximum velocities, I am leery about using them on coyotes.

Not related to the 40 or 50 gr. VMaxes, but I had a 35 gr. VMax vapourize on a fox, shot from a 22 Hornet. The bullet struck the right foreleg and came apart. As silly as it sounds, I dumped the 35 gr. VMaxes and went with some older designs with thicker jackets.

This is from Canada's east coast, but makes for interesting reading.

https://www.thetelegram.com/news/local/province-tests-dna-of-82-pound-coyote-126046/

Edited to add:

Adult eastern coyotes are larger than western coyotes, with female eastern coyotes weighing 21% more than male western coyotes. Physical differences become more apparent by the age of 35 days, with eastern coyote pups having longer legs than their western counterparts. Differences in dental development also occurs, with tooth eruption being later, and in a different order in the eastern coyote.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coyote#cite_note-bekoff1978-79

If memory serves, a lot of eastern Canadian coyotes are coywolves. Yes?

The wildlife service says that there has been been some interbreeding. We'll end up seeing bigger coyotes with attitudes.

Life on this rock continues to evolve.

I hear and see alot about these coy wolves...but I dont think the craze has hit out here yet. Our wolves simply run down the coyotes and eat them.

unless they're just horny....

Back in the 80s I bought a like new Toyota Land Cruiser with only 17,000 miles on it and paid cash with money I made on coyote and cat hides that I shot in only 4-1/2 months. Hides were high and I was very concerned with hide damage from the rifles I used.

So the 2 I found to be the very best were a 222 Remington loaded with a 50 grain Winchester Power Point and (believe it or not) a 375H&H loaded with 300 grain round nose solids. Both exited and neither would make a large hole when it came out the other side. The 222 Winchester bullets would ball up and leave me an exit about the size of a nickel. The 375 looked about penny size. It seems odd to use the 375 to most folks, but I was hunting elk and a coyote showed itself at the trail head so I thought "why not" and I shot it. The coyote flopped on the spot, but the hole was quite small even from that soft point bullet, so I thought I'd try the 300 grain solid on the next one. It was even smaller. So for dedicated hunting in a few places the following year I used the 375 quite a bit and at $90 average for the hides in those days, I saw no reason to feel embarrassed about "shooting them with a cannon".

The 222 was the gun I did most of the shooting with. About 2/3 of the coyotes I killed were on or near ranches, and the land owner wanted them thinned out. So many of them invited me to shoot the coyotes. If I did well on one man's land he often told his neighbors and they would invite me to do the same on their land. I got those 50 grain bullets from Black Hills Shooters Supply and if memory serves, I think I paid about 22.95 per thousand. I used a load of H322 and the muzzle Velocity is about 3125 FPS. I tried other bullets from a 22-250 and some from the 222, to try to find one that never exited, but when I hit on the WW bullet I stopped there. Instead of trying to stop them from exiting I saw that the small but consistent exits were a good way to go, because I could do just a very few stitches on those exits and you could not even see them when I was done. The fur buyers liked my hides a lot and I go top dollar for them.

I have some loaded in 223 ammo now, but I am almost out of them. I shoot them in a 16" barreled AR-15 and when I chronograph my short AR carbine and my 22" SAKO rifle, the velocity is nearly identical, so the results have been identical in every case. The AR15 is not as beautiful (that's for sure) as the SAKO, but for making money it is a lot better tool because of it's ability to make fast shots on running coyotes and also to get several from a pack of them. I never got more then 2 from a pack with my bolt actions, but I have killed 3 with the AR on 3 separate occasions, and one time I got 4. (Well sort of. I got 3 that time and wounded the 4th but was able to follow it up and kill it with another shot.)

Shooting a 22-250 was deadly on coyotes but I lost money on the sales because of hide damage. I quit the 22-250 when the hides started to sell for larger amounts, and used a 22 WMR, but for shots over 200 yards it was not the best. It was excellent for hides, but not for long shots.

When I got the SAKO 222 I had the best 22 center fire I ever owned for hide-hunting up to that point. For a hide hunting rifle I found too much velocity is NOT my friend.

Years later when I moved here to Wyoming I made myself an AR15 and used a free-float tube, a 16" premium barrel and a match trigger, and found the AR would shoot as well as my SAKO, and so I retired the SAKO form use as a "money gun". Today I use the AR15 almost exclusively for fur bearers with the exception of red fox. For red fox I still use a 22 Long Rifle with 40 grain bullets. Where I kill foxes I have never had a need to shoot past about 125 yards and the old 22 puts them down very well and still is easy on their thin hides.

It's been fairly well established that coyotes don't like to hang around wolf territory due to the fact they keep being eaten. Their ranges may have some overlap but normally, if you are in wolf country, the coyotes tend to stay away. I say this based on studies back in the 70's & 80's and it certainly may have changed over the years so I reserve the opportunity to change my opinion if the facts change.

When we were in Yellowstone a few years back, one of the guides we talked to said the reintroduced wolves reduced the coyote population very quickly, getting rid of the competition. I guess she was telling us the truth.

(not that I'm a fan of wolf reintroduction you understand)


As I understand the party line in eastern Canada is that wolf populations got very small, coyotes moved in, and some lonely female wolves in heat got impregnated. In other words, Huntsman22 is correct as usual. Sounds good anyway.

Did your guide also tell you the wolves reduced the Elk population even more than the coyotes......bet she left that one out !!

Nope, of course not. Wolves were wonderful, wolves were beautiful, wolves belonged there. Elk didn't matter.

This! My experience with coyotes is that trying for no exit is going to work maybe 60% of the time. The other 40% leave you sitting in the fur shed sewing up massive holes that didn't need to be there. I have killed several hundred with 55 gr. soft points out of a .223 or a 22-250. In either rifle you get a penny to nickle size exit on a broadside or quartering shot. Plastic tipped bullets aren't what you want if you're going to keep the hides.

WOW, I dis agree ‼️‼️Glad you are in Oklahoma instead of out West

223 with a 40gr vmax is hell on Montana coyotes. So is a 40gr vmax out of a 204. Neither are hide friendly..

There may be some sarcasm in Gael’s post.

Really great info Szihn and Ranger1. How are you finding the knockdown power of the soft points vs the vmax or hollow-points? Are most of them dropped on the spot or are they running a bit?

Ive had the same results/success with a .222 and 50 grain Hornady soft points, and I actually load them down a tad cause most of my shooting is at night at around 100 yards. Ive found the 50 soft point doesn't damage the hide and pretty much puts them right down. Works on cats and fox as well..

Yes, loading down is good.

Unfortunately, many reloaders will stuff as much powder, as is safe, into their cases. It can be difficult to convince them to throttle back.

SPs with book minimum loads, or close, often shoot as accurately, but are several 100 fps slower.

Polymer tips are designed to expand violently, so they aren't a good choice for pelt hunters.

Ive had some good luck with the polymer tips...my best is a reduced load with a 60 gr. NBT...its been very fur friendly, but does leave a small exit.

Driven fast and hard, yes, they expand violently, usually. Had a couple hit shoulder bone and you could walk through the hole they made....others pass through and leave a dime sized exit...you never know what you're gonna get...

Ive also used some downloaded bonded bullets like Speer Gold dots, and those worked well...

I use the 40 gr NBT for coyotes, and it’s laser beam deadly. In most cases, the bullet didn’t exit, but it isn’t a large sample size.

Until his untimely passing, I used to give one of good friends, a trapper, most of my fox pelts. Since it's not legal to use fmjs in Ontario for hunting, I had to find a compromise. That was lead tipped bullets slowed down. I use Hornady VMaxes to get rid of smaller pests, but for coyotes, I stuck with 50 and 55 gr. SPs.

If the biologists are right, I might have to consider something like a 45-70 for the hybrid coyotes. Some MNR guy said as the hybrids spread, expect a 25% size increase. I don't know if that is true, but if an average coyote ends up weighing 50lbs or more, I will up my game and use a 6x45mm.

Very much so. That seemed to be the attitude of the park employees we met on that trip, actually one guy chortled about the reduction in elk numbers. As I said in an earlier post I'm no fan of wolf reintroduction, there was a reason our ancestors got rid of them.


ETA: I grew up on a farm, we lost calves to coyotes at times, I'm no fan of them either.

Now that my state has gone lead free, does anybody have experience with the 50g Barnes Varmint Grenade inside 200yds on coyotes? Sorry for the hijack.

Nope. Sorry.Ive shot a couple with a TSX and it was underwhelming, but never with the more frangible bullet.

Look over on predatormasters.com

I bet there are quite a few coyote hunters over there that can steer you to a lead free coyote bullet.

I wonder how the Hornady NTX bullet in a 204 Ruger would perform? I presume there is also a .224 diameter NTX and could be run in a 223 Rem...

Nosler builds some lead free Ballistic Tip bullets. May be another option.

Thanks everyone. After a little research, I think I'll be using the 50g Barnes TTSX.

Good choice.

Same experience here...went back the 55 gr sp in 223..personally I would not attemp shooting a coyote with those..I have had a few failures with vmaxes and those are probably more explosive yet...

That 39 grain Blitzking is what myself and several buds use on coyotes. We have never wanted for more.

I am a big fan of the TTSX by Barnes.
However, if you do not want to load them yourself
I would suggest you give the Remington Premier Accutip in .55 grain a try. I have 3 different rifles that all shoot 1 ragged hole groups with them. I also use the 50 grain in my .22-250.
It is amazing the knock down power they have.
I buy the .223 Remington Premier Accutip at Target Sports USA for $12 per box of 20. I buy them by the case.

Anybody ever tried the 63 gr Sierra SMP on fur? I got a load with them slowed down to 2600 and Im gonna give them a spin...so to speak.

I would be real interested in how they perform for you, Ingwe.

Im pretty damn sure they'll be fine, slowed down...Ive shot a lot of fur with a 60 NBT going about 2650 and its been great...and its a more frangible bullet than the 63 SMP so I expect the best ...

We shot a lot of coyotes and bobcat in the 80's for fur money. We settled on the Speer 52gr HP that had the bigger opening in the .223 out of mini-14's, sorry I don't remember the #. They would drop them and not exit. Out of a 14" Contender it was the Hornady 50gr. SPSX. I tried several out of a .22-250 and never found a bullet that that wouldn't exit at all. I used Nosler 50gr BT's mostly, but when they failed to stay in the damage was ridiculous. I had every bit as much success with Hornady 75gr HP pushed to max (or a little over) out of my .257 Roberts as I did with the .22-250. We also tried .243's as well with the Barnes 60gr Varmint Grenade, Nosler Ballistic tips, and a couple others. These last three were best when you could shoot them a little farther out than the in-your-lap called in ones. Was totally unimpressed with Varmint Grenade in every caliber and weight we tried. Years later I am using AR's and still find the Speer 52gr works very well. The faster twist barrels of the mini or AR will cause the SPSX, Blitz, etc to come apart in flight. I think the "best" will be defendant on method of take. Called in up close I'd hands down recommend the Speer 52gr, if you're trying spot & stalk, or watching a bait pile you may find a wider window works as well.

I posted earlier in this but after reading through it I thought I'd add a little

Cast bullets
Big bores with cast bullets are a great option for pelt hunting. Back the dakotas when fox were worth a $100/each I killed quite a few of them with a Savage 99 in 300 Sav. with 170gr flatnose cast bullets, dead fox nice hide with two small holes. I paid for my 22 Hornet with that rifle.

Lead frees

Quite a few years ago WA was making noises about going lead free so I started experimenting with them. If the change came I wanted to be out hunting not sitting at home knashing my teeth over the stupid decision. I started with the Barnes 62gr VG, while accurate out of my 243 and 6mm-204 they left huge exits softball+ sized. The 55gr NBT LF worked the best for me out of the 6mm-204 and it and the 58gr V-max leaded (the only V-max I use on coyotes) are the best of the lot for KILLING coyotes and saving pelts. I have shot the 50gr Barnes VG out of my 22-204 and they work well but the sampling is small.

50gr VG killed coyote



They seem to work.

This winter I hope to try some of the 35gr NBT LF's out of my 222 Rem here on our smaller southern coyotes.

I used 52 grain SMKs for years, back when I did a lot of coyote hunting (and had something called free time).






Superbly accurate and fur friendly.

I posted this data in another section of the forum, a little late to this thread, but thought since the question of lead-free came up I'd post it here too. Cool thing about this load is it works in both my AR and my Rem 700. I haven't Chron'd it, but suspect it's 3700 fps+. It's .5 gr below book max.

40 gr Nosler BT Lead-Free
27.5 gr Benchmark
Winchester Case
WSR Primer
COAL= 2.313
CBTO= 1.918

1 ragged hole in my AR-15 @ 100 yards
.52 inch with my Rem 700 @ 100 yards

I noticed it may not fit in some AR mags, too long. I've shot coyotes with this load. All deader than last year's romance.

I believe more states will be forced to go non-lead in the future. I'm starting to see and hear rumblings of this in NY State, (where I deer hunt most years). Some are convinced that lead must come out of the environment.