Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles lead free bullets for 223rem for coyotes

Hello everyone,

Looking for recommendations for best lead-free bullets to reload in 223rem for coyotes. Seems like Barnes and Nosler are the two major players. What did you guys like that performed well? I see Barnes Varmint grenades, Barnes MPG, and Nosler lead-free ballistic tips. What grain weight bullets work best? Which would you pick? Or find to work well? Thank you for the feedback!

I have a couple buddies who use the Barnes bullets- can't remember which ones- for coyotes and are real happy with them for performance. Go with a relatively light bullet unless you have a fairly fast twist as copper are long for weight and need a fast twist to stabilize.

Hi Sheister,

I have 1:8 twist barrel. just not sure if I should go slightly heavier lead free bullet for coyotes.

In that case, I would go with whichever bullet shoots best in your rifle- or the ones you can find these days....

I have not used them on a coyote yet but I picked up some of the Speer TNT Green 43 grain bullets. It's very accurate in my rifle and the TNT Green appears to be a little tougher bullet than my normal coyote getter. I believe it'll work well on coyotes around here. Wish I'd bought an extra thousand when they were in stock and on sale.
https://www.speer.com/bullets/rifle_bullets/tnt_green_bullet/19-1022.html

I've used 40 grain Nosler lead free for both my AR and Rem 700. Bug hole groups with Benchmark in both rifles. I've also used 50 grain Nolser lead free. I got 1/2 inch groups in my son's AR with Tac. My Rem 700 didn't group the 50s very well. The bullets didn't keyhole, but the groups were 1.5, 2+ inch. I believe the 50s need a 1:10 or maybe 1:9 twist to stabilize. My Rem 700 is 1:12 and my AR 1:9.

I"ve shot coyotes and ground squirrels with the 40 and they work quite well. Before the lead ban I was a 50 grain Nosler shooter and would have never considered a 40 grain bullet for coyotes, but these 40 lead free work just fine.

I have zero experience with lead-free varmint bullets. Just in passing, and not to be abrasive, but why would you want to?
Is there a law where you are that says you have to be lead-free?

The only reason I use them because it is required to hunt with anything but lead free bullets in California.

Wow........... I didn't know that included varmints. I'd heard about that craziness for deer elk and bears, but I didn't know it was for varmints too.

Don't bother with Barnes Grenade for coyotes. Fine for Prairie Dogs etc, but don't penetrate for crap.

I used 40gr Noslers lead free as fast as they'd go but wasn't saving fur either. Barnes worked well also but were more money.

The Barnes tsx 50 grain bullets shoot pretty well for me. This was a nice double I killed with them.

Curious... what powder did you use with the 50 TSX, and is it a TSX or TTSX?

The craziness doesn't end there... we also have to use non-lead shot for upland game birds now. I hate to say it, but more states are gonna go this way. I spend time in NYS as well, (where I grew up), I've seen articles in newspapers already claiming that lead needs to be taken out of the environment, usually accompanied by stories of dead birds and animals dead due to lead poisoning.

The 62 Barnes would work very well, have killed many hogs with them.

Thank you to everyone who has responded.

Like Yaddio, I believe future gun legislation will eventually ban all lead bullets. So trying to anticipate ahead

I have 1:8 twist 223rem. For deer hunting, I was thinking something like 55gr ttsx or 62 gr ttsx. Not sure if I should go with heavier bullet since mono metal bullets seem to prefer speed.

If I go with barnes 55gr ttsx as my big game bullet, then try to match up predator lead free bullet such as nosler 50 gr ballistic tip lead free to hopefully have similar poa/ poi.

Just my thought process out loud

Don't forget about the 55 grain Hornady GMX.

I my area,9 out of 10 coyotes prefer flat based lead bullets for their diet. I have never even thought of using a lead free bullet. Hope it never comes to that. We used to buy bulk rifle bullets for $5.00 and $6.00 a hundred and thought that was high. Todays pricing of bullets and powder are SCARY. Good shooting

I load the 62gr in my 223ai for deer and coyotes. It works good on coyotes and is easy on the fur if your keeping them. I will continue to use the 62gr ttsx as my rifle likes then and they work good for killing critters.

Thanks everyone!

I think I'll try the 62gr barnes ttsx since I have a 1:8 twist barrel that will stabilize them and I should be able to get close to 3,000 fps out them in my 22" barrel.

For coyotes, I might try nosler's 50gr b-tip lead free bullets.

Nice double, crittrgittr!