Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints What's a good bullet for coyote hunting with a 223 Rem.?

I have a Remington model 700 BDL 223 Rem. It has a 24 inch barrel with the 1 in 12 twist. I use factory ammo. I've been using Remington's 50 gr. AccuTip bullet pretty much for crows and target shooting. I haven't hunted coyote before, this will be my first year! I was wondering if these bullets will work on coyotes out to 200 yards or so.

I was also thinking of trying some 55 gr. bullets like Remington's AccuTip V, Winchester's Supreme Ballistic Silvertip or Federal's PREMIUM V-SHOK Nosler Ballistic Tip. How heavy of a bullet will the 1 in 12 twist stabilize? Can I go heavier then 55 gr.?

I'm open to all suggestions. Thanks NYH! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Stick with the 50s. I use the 50gr Ballistic tips and love em. I used to use the 40s but alittle of the light side. If you are going to use the .223 the 50s are perfect. To me the 55s are to big. Also I use my .223 for deer in Nebraska and keep the shots under 200 and use the 53gr TSX. These also will do a number on yotes. A little to expensive for my liking but when deer hunting this is the bullet I have in the gun. Anyway long story short stay with the 50s. HAPPY HUNTING

50 gr. V-Max....for me....without a doubt.

Vmax.....Anyone you can get and they shoot well....

New York-if you can find this load buy a box and or two and give them a rip. I've found this load to be very accurate.

Winchester USA, white box, 40 rounds to the box I believe and it is a 45 grain hp.

You will not be dissapointed.

Mark D

I will also second what Mark says the winchester 45gr HP is an excellent round. Seem to be very accurate and at a good price. A++

I am with Mark and ruger243223, the winchester white box 45gr hp generally shoot very, very well... My CZ loves 'em. They only .223 that I have ever seen that doesn't like them is my friend's AR, but it is a 1 in 8 twist, if I remember correctly and loves 75gr A-maxs

Thanks guys. I've never shot any 45 gr. bullets. I'm willing to try anything though! I was kinda worried the 50 gr. bullet would be on the light side for coyotes to tell you the truth.

I should have mentioned this in the first place. I'm looking for the quickest, cleanest kills possible. Pelt damage is not a concern. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I think you will really like the 45gr HP these seem to be a little harder bullet than the polymer tipped bullets. This is only my opinion but when I have shot pds with this bullet I have less damage than with the poly bullets. For the quickest kills I would highly recommend going for a heart lung shot. My experience with the .223 has been if you hit shoulder they seem to run off. Granted not all the time but it has happend to me. For the $ the winchester is a really good bang for your buck. Let us know how it turnes out. HAPPY HUNTING

The 50gr V-Max remains my utility projectile.

I love it.....................

try Winchester Supreme 55 gr Ballistic Silvertips. Ive shot 2 coyotes and a wolf with this bullet, and it thumps them good!

I Have shot many 223's various barrel lenth,rate of twist, and maufacturers and have found the 45jhp"winchester USA" to be one of the better factory rounds for all of them. My rem VS i coyote hunt with now shoots an easy 5/8" group at 100 yards. 1" groups are easy with any rifle i've tried

Sierra #1330.......These are pure death......at least out of my 223AI.......

Your eastern coyotes might tend to be a bit larger than our western version and I think it might be wise to lean towards a 55 grain projectile. I have tried them all over the years out of my 22/250 and the one that keeps coming out on top is the Sierra 55 grain #1365 GameKing. The lighter plastic tipped bullets have always let me down somewhere along the line on a coyote, but the GameKing gets the job done no matter the angle or shot presentation. I believe Federal uses the 55 grain GameKing in the HP version in a factory loading. A friend of mine has shot a couple hundred coyotes with his .223 and the 55 grain HP version of the GameKing is his choice. Stay away from any Sierra bullets with "Blitz" in the name for coyotes. If looking for another bullet, the 55 grain Ballistic Tip would be my next choice for coyotes

I haven't hunted coyotes yet. This will be my first year doing it! My friend that's going to take me and get me started shot one last year that weighed 39 pounds. I kind of thought it was small. I also don't know to much about coyotes and I have a 100 pound chocolate lab that I look at every day so a 40 pound dog of any kind looks small to me. My friend said that was about the average size coyote that he takes around here. I have no idea. What's an average coyote weigh?

I have weighed some of my western coyotes and anything around 30 lbs or more is a good sized dog. They can and do get bigger out here, but its not common. There is noticable size difference between one that weighs 25 and one that weighs 35. The average for an adult coyote here is going to run around 25 lbs. A pup born in the spring might barely make 20 lbs by winter. Adult males run a little heavier than females. Certain parts of the country produce bigger coyotes. Your part of the country is known to turn out some of the heavier coyotes and your friends 39 pounder would be a big dog here.

Thanks Lonny!

I hear they're a little bigger up here in the northeast especially in the Adirondacks. Like I said I don't know though! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Over the years I have used 40gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips, 52gr. Speer Flat Base Hollow Points and 55gr. Winchester Pointed Soft Points. Currently I am shooting 50gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips and just love em. I think the 50gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips offer a good balance of weight vs caliber (sectional density) for use at .223 velocities.

Larry

I bought a box of Winchester USA, white box, 45 gr. HP's and shot them last weekend. I have no idea how they'll do on coyotes................but man they do shoot REALLY GOOD!

Confidence in preformance is the key if they shoot well chances are they will preform well. They are a great bullet for a factory loading. HAPPY HUNTING.