nice fox diehardhunter.As for the bullet damageyou can sew it up probably and it wont show through the thick fur.I use the 223 also,never shot a fox but all the coyotes and the two bobcats I've shot since I started using black hills 55grn softpoints have a lot less fur damage than with the hornady V-max and they shoot as good as the V-max in my Ruger,you might want to give them a try they are about $30 for 50 my gun loves them, once again nice fox!!!