Bullet weight question

[Shooter222]

[Klem]

No,

People shoot larger animals with a .223.

[rabiddawg]

[Shooter222]

Thanks , klem- I used to use a .223 as well.
I switched to 6.5 in hopes of more usable distance .

Rabiddawg- it seems frontal shots have more DRT results for me.

[JASmith]

[grayfox]

The only thing I might add is that, as a hunting bullet, the Nosler BT is more of a class-2 (deer etc) bullet in performance and so might not open up enough on a broadside, thin-coyote body type. It's a good bullet I don't mean to downplay it, only that maybe consider a more varmint-like fragmenter as an alternate.
The speer tnt 90 gr is also a possibility for you. It has an added advantage of coming in a factory round (Federal) that usually shoots pretty well in Grrrs, plus as a loose bullet that you can handload.

[1Shot]

And some times it don't matter what you shoot something with if CNS is not hit they will run off. Back when I was doing crop damage control shooting white tail deer I gave the 7mm Rem mag a testing. No matter what bullet I shot if the deer were inside 200ish yards even with a perfect heart lung shot most ran off a ways before going down. They would slosh on the inside but they still ran off 100 yards or so. Once the bullets on average got out past 200ish yards and had slowed down quite a bit I had more DRT with same shot placement. Figure that one out. I have shot deer with perfect heart lung placement broad side with .308 155gr Berger VLD "hunting" bullets and blown a baseball size exit and liquefied the vitals and still had them run off a ways. On the other hand I once shot at a running buck with a 25-06 shooting a 117 Sierra Pro Hunter and hit it just above the knee on the right back leg and it was a train wreck and deer died like it had been head shot. My buddy once shot a ground hog with a 243 Win. with a 60 gr Sierra HP at around 200 yards and the bullet hit ground right under it's chest as it lay on the ground. There was not a single perforation of the hide but it killed that ground hog stone dead. We cut it open and it's heart was burst we guess from the dirt shock blown against it. So if you shoot enough stuff you will see some weird things. As has been said the 100 gr BT is classified as a thin skin "deer" hunting bullet so it is a bit tougher than most varmint fragmenting bullets. As has been said the Speer 90 gr TNT might be better but I have not shot any of them yet. The 100 gr Sierra HP would be a good one but I had trouble with feeding issues with one of my AR Grendel's using it and never pursued it further because I was just trying to find something that the barrel would shoot but ended up having to send it back to Bear Creek for replacement. I have shot ground hogs with the 100 Sierra HP out of a 6.5x55 with muzzle velocity of 3000 fps and out to about 250 yards which is as far as I have shot one it scatters pieces. It should dump a yote where it stands. Good luck in you hunting.

[Shooter222]

[Happy2Shoot]

I would think the 100gr BT is way too tough for 40 pound coyotes.

You need https://ammoseek.com/reloading/bulle...meter/85grains

85gr Sierra HP; you do reload?

[Shooter222]

[grayfox]

yeah I'd try those federal 90 Tnt's, DNS uses tons of them for his hog hunting...
He does a lot of head shots but others also. Lots of cool videos of hoggies doing dirt naps!!

[White Smoke]

I also am a coyote hunter and have tried a lot of bullets over the years. Most work quite well. Some don't shoot for squat. What works in my AR may not work in yours. That said, I recently settled on the Speer 90 grain TNT. First of all, it's cheap. Second of all, it is accurate. Third of all, it is a KILLER! My AR likes 31.0 grains of WC844 (H335). That gives me a velocity of 2622 f/s and a 0.22" 5-shot group at 100 yards. I still remember the first dog I shot with that load. It was a 300 yard shot. When it hit, there was the loudest "WHOP!" I have ever heard from a hit. The dog went straight down and never twitched. I have never lost an animal using the 90 TNT. A very few took a second shot from a poorly placed first shot, but none have ever gotten away.
90 TNT.jpg

[White Smoke]

BTW, don't be afraid to get into reloading. Many gun stores have reloading classes. There are on-line classes as well. I reload for the .222, .223, 6.5 Grendel, 308, 7mm R.M., 270, 45-70 and several pistol rounds, all on a small RCBS single-stage press I bought used for $25. Look at some of the all-inclusive kits that are offered, sometimes on sale. What's in the kits works just fine. You can always upgrade later. My major upgrades have been an electronic scale and a Frankford Arsenal case prep center, mainly because I load a LOT of ammo. Why reload? Two main reasons in my mind. First, you will cut the cost of ammo in half. Secondly, you will double your accuracy. Most shooters are happy with a 1" group. It is extremely rare that i can't get a bullet to group at or below 1/2" inch. As you can see in the above photo, my 90 TNT's print a 5-shot one-hole group that measures 0.22" at 100 yards. If you can, try reloading. It is FUN...and rewarding!

[JASmith]

+1. !!

[Shooter222]