Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints Best .223 Bullet for Coyote Fur Preservation

Looking to take down a few Eastern Coyote this winter in Maine. I have a suppressed AR with a Sightmark Wraith.
Is there a consensus on the best bullet for minimal fur damage? I'd like to have a rug and a full body mount done.

I have: 69SMK, 50 grain VMAX, 50 grain Varmint Grenade, 55 grain Hornady SP, 55 grain Hornady HP. If none of these are ideal, I can buy and load up something else.

How much are pelts going for? Of those choices I would use the 55 grain Hornady SP, not usually big exit holes.

V-Max, SP then the 60 grain HP.

The V-Max most likely won't exit.

Is the fur in your area worth peeling one out?

40 gr Nosler ballistic tip - they turn the inside into jelly and usually don't exit.

drover

Agree.

Yep. Or just use a .17 Remington. It looks like the animals just died. Until you open them up.

Where it lands makes as much difference as the bullet IME. If you choose a soft bullet stay off the bones or you’re likely to get a huge entrance.

A large percentage of my called coyotes are shot in the front as they come in. The 55 Hornady SP works nicely for that with pencil sized entries and smaller exits if they make it out. Shoot a little off center on a frontal shot with a 53gr Vmax or similar soft bullet and you’ll have a 4” hole where it hit the shoulder. 55 Ballistic tips generally penetrate better without the splash effect but I’ve had them give big exits too.

I’ve shot them with the 75 Hornady HP, 55gr Hornady HP, and 69gf RMR Matchking clone and had runners with all of them if I stayed off the shoulders. They’ve all been erratic performers with rib shots though none has ever given me a big entry or exit. Hit heavier bones and they’ll upset and kill like lightning bolts.

That was my experience with my .17 Ackley Bee (25 gr. Hornady HP) many years ago as well. No drama, no excessive wounding, just “lights out” dead. A friend that hunted with me commented that it was like the .17 bullet just “flipped a switch”

I normally use a 22-250 when after yoties but I use either 50 or 55BT’s, whichever the rifle prefers. Usually very small entry and almost always blows up inside and only a very small exit where the solid base comes out. I’ve shot a few called dogs with AR’s and used 55BT’s in it. I’ve had a couple bullets exit but the exit holes weren’t terrible. I’d agree with others and try the 40BT’s.

Good luck on your hunt.

I've shot more coyotes with a 223 and the 50 grain VMax than with anything else, and it's extremely fur friendly, even on bobcats. I also have used a 22-250 and both 40 grain VMax and Nosler BT's, and they also work very well.

I really like the 40gr NBT moving fast 4000fps out of my 22-204 and has been my go-to bullet for 16 yrs for pelt hunting.

That said for my 222 Rem, 223, 5.6x50R and 22-250 it is the 52gr Speer flatbase hollow point, it just plain works. It is an old time bullet, inexpensive and accurate.

That big hollow point is a phenomenal bullet, VERY accurate and yes, 'fur friendly'...

My standard .223 coyote load for years was with a 50 NBT and H335, but of the bullets you listed I'd use the 50 V-max.

I use 77smk an good results

Agree as well however stay center mass and nearly anything will work and can be fixed by your taxi.

Osky

I've killed a few boxcar loads of coyotes. On called coyotes, it's impossible to beat a 55 grain SP in the .223 or 22-250. Anything more explosive can work incredibly well most of the time, but you'll get the odd coyote that looks like you ran it over with an 18 wheeler. I can only think of one that I've shot with 55 grain SP that was a mess. 22-250, running, at maybe 50 yards. Went in his guts and tore him wide open. I can think of dozens that I've shot or seen shoot with polymer tip or hollow point bullets that weren't worth picking up.

It’s as much vol as bullet. Those 55 gr hirnady so would be my choice
Have shot many coyotes with a similar bullet out of 223 and you barely see an exit hole although they almost always pass through they ancor them dead
One really nice big coyote I had tamed and the hole was about the size of a dime and you see nothing o. Fir side