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.223 caliber, Hornady, and what bullets to shoot

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 6:58 pm
by oldrookie
So I was leaning towards the .22-250, but I found a good deal on a .223, which pretty much everyone says is still a decent coyote gun. Hornady has these bullets called Hornady SUPERFORMANCE Varmint Ammunition 223 Remington 53 Grain V-Max with a muzzle velocity of like 3450 fps (I think). I saw some Remington 40 grain V-max on Hornady's ballistic chart said 3800 fps. I was looking up some Federal ammo that said 3600 fps. I don't remember the weight.

Anyway, I'd be shooting with a 22 inch barrel. I doubt I would even take any shots past 300 yards. I currently don't reload, although I may consider it later on. So if you haven't guessed, I'm wondering what the most effective ammo is for the .223 to kill coyotes. Is the grain size more important than the muzzle velocity? My reloading friends used to talk about this all the time, trying to squeeze as much speed as they could out of a bullet. Wish I had paid a little more attention to those old duffers!

Appreciate you all taking the time to read this. I got hooked on coyote hunting a little late in life, and all the feedback I get on this forum is much appreciated.

Re: .223 caliber, Hornady, and what bullets to shoot

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 7:26 pm
by coyotebuster
The only bullets I've shot out of my .223 are Ultramax 40 and 55gr nosler ballistic tip, they shoot great out of my savage and drop coyotes like a bad habit. Plus they are fairly cheep to shoot, I think about $30 for 50 last time I bought some.

Re: .223 caliber, Hornady, and what bullets to shoot

Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 5:30 am
by lyonch
it doesn't matter what gun or bullet you shoot; shot placement has more to do with it than anything else (so accuraccy is #1)!! Now that i have said that, i would personally stay away from any bullet that has a really thin jacket. Those bullets are built for exploding prairie dogs not anchoring coyotes. I know a lot of people that shoot Vmax bullets, but i can't stand them until you get into the heavier ones. Rather than looking at the speed of a bullet, see which ones produce the most energy with less wind deflection out to 300 yards if that is your max distance. If you can find a bullet that is a spitzer of some sort, i would personally shoot those, if they shoot good out of that gun. Have you shot the gun yet? If not, make sure you a do a little research and pick a routine that you would like to do, to properly break in your barrell. Factory barrels from what i have read and been told take a little longer to break in than custom barrells. Good luck and let us know which bullets you choose :D

Re: .223 caliber, Hornady, and what bullets to shoot

Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 5:48 am
by lyonch
Here is a link where they talk about barrel break in procedures.

http://www.coyotehunter.net/forums/view ... f=2&t=1771

Re: .223 caliber, Hornady, and what bullets to shoot

Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 12:03 pm
by oldrookie
Thanks for the replies.@lyonch I agree with accuracy being the most important. This could be a whole discussion. Suffice to say, no matter how accurate I shoot, I want what I shoot to die and not suffer. I haven't purchased the .223 yet. I still feel like I'm settling for something instead of getting the .22-250 that I originally wanted. I may just wait a bit until I can get what I actually want. Talking it out on here helps. I'll let you know what I end up doing. Thanks again.

Re: .223 caliber, Hornady, and what bullets to shoot

Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 1:25 pm
by lyonch
If you settle for a gun rather than get what you want, you will always be questioning yourself. I would personally wait and get what you want. If you were looking to get a gun that would also suffice for antelope, deer, and other game of similar size; i wouldn't overlook the .243. Either gun you choose, just make sure you aren't settling for what you think is second best. I would rather wait the 6 months and save up the extra pennies to get the one that i specifically want :D

Re: .223 caliber, Hornady, and what bullets to shoot

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 7:54 am
by Tbush
Oh the delema, I've been in your shoes before and started with a 223 then as time went on I wanted more performance, and distance and went to a 22-250 and wish thats were I would have started ( with a 22-250) sometimes I think of a 243, My son has both and shoots the 223 for all predators, If you dream of a 22-250 ..GO FOR IT :D :D

Re: .223 caliber, Hornady, and what bullets to shoot

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 7:56 am
by Tbush
Sorry ...about bullets I'm with Lyonch on what type :)

Re: .223 caliber, Hornady, and what bullets to shoot

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 6:04 pm
by oldrookie
I'm gonna go look at the .223 this weekend. The barrel break in procedures link from Lilja is about the way I've been taught. Thanks for that. I've gotten to thinking instead of waiting on a .22-250, I'll probably go with the .223 which is as much gun as I'll need on my side of the mountains. I may have to "upgrade" to a .243 or .22-250 if I find myself going east of the mountains more often. It would be awful to have to buy another gun, right?