Which one for a 100-250 yard shot?

SharpShooter14 · Rookie Member Joined: Jun 08, 2009 Posts: 4

Well, first off i am 14 years old and love to hunt and fish. I have benn reloading for about a year and a half, with my dad. I am looking for some tips on little things like this.....

Which bullet should i use for shooting coyotes at 150-200 yards.With a .223.
A 55gr. or a 36gr. bullet. Do i want the velocity of the 36gr or the weight of the 55gr. Both thease bullets are barnes varmint grenades.

Pumpkinslinger

Which cartridge? Which bullets? All bullets are not created equal. But most likely if you are using a .223 to .220 Swift class cartridge it probably won't make a lot of difference at those ranges.

chambered221

SS14, There are some knowledgeable people around here that are more than willing to help you out.
You just got to learn to give a little more info with your questions.
You might want to start with introducing yourself and give a little background about what knowledge/experience or the lack of for that matter you have.
If your new to all this that’s fine too just say so. That way we’ll know where to start with trying to guide you through whatever it is your trying to accomplish.

Most importantly, (almost forgot) Welcome to Hunting Nut !!!

Dawgdad

Welcome -

I need to know which caliber and rifle you are using and what your goal is as far as fur damage.

Just guessing you are talking .223 vs. .204 both will do the job if you are using quality bullets like a Hornady V-max or Nosler ballistic tip and you can make a clean kill shot. Both will leave you with spinners and runners if you do not make the shot. It is almost as much about your shooting as ballistic performance.

SingleShotLover

O.K. Since you are asking about 36 versus 55-grain, I am assuming that you are using either .223 or 22/250 cartridges. At the ranges you specified, either will do the job with the nod going to the 36-grainer if pelt damage is an issue. Of course you could also look at the 50-grain offerings to sort of split the difference, but if your rifle has a fast (1-8" or 9" twist) you will want to avoid bullets like the Hornady SX. Fast twists and velocities over 3,200 fps or so simply cause them to blow up in mid flight!

sniper

Yo, Shooter;

Welcome!
150-200 yds, anything in your two calibers will work. It just depends what your rifle tells a you it likes. My personal preferemce is for the .223, and anything ~ 50-55 gr. They are designed to be disriptive in smaller critters, and the weight gives superior wind bucking and remaining energy.

Reloading manuals have numerous very good loads for your carrtridges, and everyone in the known universe sells pretty good varmint bullets for the .223. The cheapest bullets that work well in your gun are a good place to start.

You will find some unique personalities here, and lots of good information.

Gopher Slayer! Coyote Killer! Stay awhile! Smile

POP!!

Are you handloading?

skb2706 · Member Joined: Apr 10, 2006 Posts: 269

50 gr. Vmax is always a good choice in a 22 cal bullet

SilvertipGrizz

skb2706 wrote:

50 gr. Vmax is always a good choice in a 22 cal bullet

I second the 50gr. Vmax. Lighter bullets drift with the wind a little too much for my liking.

PaulS

The short bullets will work in most barrels but if you have a fast twist you can shoot the heavier bullets and have less effect from side winds. You don't get as much energy but you do get more penetration with the longer bullets.
The best way to find out what your gun likes to shoot well is to try a number of bullets and powders. Work the loads up and see which is the most consistently accurate.

WildHorse · Member Joined: Feb 17, 2005 Posts: 184 Location: Nebraska

Welcome--Folks your age are the future of reloading, guns, etc.
I would like to weigh in on this. My advice to you is, always ask questions, read as much as you can about reloading, most of all do not be afraid to ask a question. It is much better to ask than to damage you or your firearm.

Again, Welcome aboard, you have found the friendliest and most helpful site on the web. Also a lot of very intelligent folks on this site, all willing to share their love of shooting and reloading with you.

bonesjr · Rookie Member Joined: Jan 26, 2010 Posts: 11

if your useing a 223 personally i would use a 40-55gr nosler Balistic tip and hodgdon bl-c2. this is my favorite combination. it is also what i use for most of my hunting in the 223. and they work great. as far as range goes either is good. at that distance there isnt all that much of a wind drift. the heavier bullet is going to give you more knock down power but the light bullet will travel faster and might possibly have the same amount of energy due to the increased velocity. try them all out and test them on milk jugs and watch the results. Very Happy

slimjim

SharpShooter14, how many coyotes have you gotten?

aznative · Member Joined: Oct 03, 2005 Posts: 31

SharpShooter, welcome to the club. I've never reloaded Varmint Grenades, but I have loaded the Barnes TSX. To be honest, I wasn't happy with the accuracy of the TSX in my gun, and I've stayed away from Barnes ever since.

As an effort to answer your question. In 223 Rem using a highly fragible bullet like the Varmint Grenade, I would go with the heaviest one available. I believe that bullet was designed more for praire dogs that canine size dogs. I'm sure it would kill a coyote if you hit'em in the vitals. If you get one spinning, keep on shooting untill he stops spinning. I use 60 gn vmax, 60 gn ballistic tips, and 65 gn sierra game kings. In 223, I feel the bigger bullets make for a cleaner kill. Of course out here in the vast desert waste land that I live, the fur has little value even if trapped.