Bullet Questions
 

I am going to get a 223. rifle for fox and coyote hunting and my question is what grain of bullet to get? and if it should be hollow point or what the best type of point for fox and coyote?

RE: Bullet Questions
 

Do u reload or just shoot factory? If you shoot factory i'd try some winchester 50gr ballistic silvertips or some 55gr remington power lokt Hp's. If you reload i'd try 55gr nosler ballistic tips or 55gr Sierre Hollow point boat tails. You should find any of those sufficient and causing a quick hamane death on the animals u intended it for.

RE: Bullet Questions
 

Nearly any bullet made for a .223 will work for coyotes, except I don't recommend FMJ's. My favorite bullets are Hornady V-Max, and I vary the size depending on conditions. The 50 grains are a good all-around bullet, as are the 55 grain. I use the 40 grain a lot where shots will be close or I might be shooting bobcats, so as to try and minimize hide damage.V-Max bullets have a thin jacket and fragment rapidly, often without leaving an exit wound. Plus, Hornady factory ammo shoots often as good or better than handloads. Remington also offers a factory loading using V-Max bullets.

I have handloaded 52 grain BTHP match bullets along with a few others, and they work for target shooting, but I haven't necessarily liked the results of hunting with hollow points or soft points. Not that any bullet I've used has done that great, but I've had problems with bullets disintegrating before they hit the target if there is so much as a piece of broomweed in front of them. The tips are bad about hanging and making the bullet tumble wildly. With the sharper points on ballistic tip type bullets, I've had better luck with the bullet only redirecting slightly, but still maintaining some resemblance of stable flight.

RE: Bullet Questions
 

If you're going to buy a rifle exclusively for coyotes and foxes, a .223 is too big, in my opinion. But if you are hung up on it than i would suggest the v-max. Berger makes a match hp for it too i think but you will have to hand load it.

RE: Bullet Questions
 

give the white box winchester 45 grain hollow points or the black hills 52 grain hollow points a try. you will be very happy with the results. a .223 may be a bit to much for close range fox hunting but the.223 isa perfect gun for coyotes. short or long range out to300 yardsit does a good job. get anything smaller that this and you are going to have to learn the word disappointment.

RE: Bullet Questions
 

Well I'm not hung up on a 223. but I am still deciding on a rifle and I live in Southern Minnesota and shots will be fairly close but I still would like somthing better than a shotgun and we have about the same amounts of coyote and fox believe it or not so now I dont know what one to get because I am only 13 and am looking for used rifle where bullets will not cost an arm and a leg.

RE: Bullet Questions
 

Try a .17 centerfire like a .17 REM or a .17 Athena, IF YOU HANDLOAD. If not, go with a .204 ruger. Some people will say that these are too small but 3900 fps will kill them every time. Plus you get no exit holes in most cases so you get more money for the pelt. I love my .204 and would hate to go back to the days of fist sized holes.

RE: Bullet Questions
 

The 223 is perfect for what you want to use it for. If you don't reload look for Ultramax or Black Hills ammo. Their 52gr HPs do a number on coyotes, and very rarely did I ever get an exit from them before I started to reload. The 50gr VMax is a great load for coyotes as well. For saving fox pelts, goodluck, as I never did find a bullet for the 223 that didn't make a mess of fox. For fox you want to avoid hitting any of the larger bones, such as shoulder blades, etc. Neck shots and lung/heart shots are your best bet.

RE: Bullet Questions
 

Well Iam now lookingat the 204. handi rifle. I know it may not be able to shootto far but I doubt I would ever take a shot past 100 yards and being only 13 money is tight and this looks like a great gun for fox/coyote at the right price. Whatdo you think

RE: Bullet Questions
 

ballistic silver tips are nice i hear. also the v-max bullets. black hills re-manufactured blue boxes are easier on the wallet and you get fifty instead of twenty to a box.