The difference between polymer tipped bullets and HPBT bullets for coyotes/ varmints is the polymer tipped bullets expand more reliably in yotes/ varmints at extended distances. But both are good when working within their operating parameters.
Best 5.56 bullet for Coyotes
- Thread starter MAHLMAN
- Start date
^^^
Have had some fantastic success stories with BTHP on coyotes and slightly larger critters. A couple of my largest exit wounds were created by them. I've also had enough failures that I have given up on them in favor of other designs. It isn't constant failures with the BTHP at all...but enough that I don't want to risk something running off and dying where I can't see them.
At the risk of "thinking" my belief is that BTHP open up slower, which makes them a better choice for big game. Unless the opening is around 0.033" with a thin jacket. Then they open up violently, hard to find a middle ground for them. In the end I think we just got to use whatever we feel confident with. I had a great kill on a rock chuck at 480 yards with a Berger 55gr Target Match flat base. But in the same 22-250 using 53gr Berger varmint bullets they wounded more on the surface of a yote. I first hit him in the boiler room at 94 yards. He didn't finally drop until I hit him three more times with the final shot at over 400 yards.
Could very much be. The biggest problem (my opinion) is that the terminal performance is less repeatable than other designs...mostly because that wasn't part of the design.
What I've found is that narrow bodies (similar to your "open up slower" belief) where bone is not connected do not offer the resistance to get the bullet to yaw, tumble and come apart.
WHAT?!?! I was assured by several forum folks that this is a silly supposition. That bullets don't yaw or tumble, and coming apart is an absolute failure.
Here ya go
Coyotes may be hard to hunt, but they are not hard to kill. What ever works well in your rifle will kill them grave yard dead.
I find this statement amazing. Pound for pound a coyote is about the toughest survivor on the planet.
I shot critters in size from a few oz to 5 tons and never found anything as tough for its size.
Ah did we forget about the mountain lions and bear.
Maybe a backup hand cannon should be handy in that neighborhood.
I have ended up within 10 -25 yards of 3 mountain lions separately.
Twice with rimfire and once with birdshot.
Taking a piss off of the rim rock twice, Az and TX and once sounding like a turkey it came to me unseen in Texas.
All three of those ran like hell away from me and felt lucky not having to test inadequate equipment.
So that being said in your ao I could see it happening while calling coyote.
Either you are doing it very wrong or I am a coyote killing god (assuming the former, but the latter is fun too.) I have found them to be quite fragile to a decent hit with a decent bullet. I favor small bullet moving very fast that exploded on impact. My least success has been with a large bonded bullet that punches through, but those too are eventually found. African plains game is crazy stubborn and tough, nothing here has come close to as hearty in my experience. Hell, bobcats have more fight in them than yotes. Or maybe it’s just me.
Not questioning you at all.
Fully agree on fast explosive bullets. My favorite Coyote round is 32 grain .204 at 4000 fps. Stunner.
Otherwise we are shooting different animals. Bobcats are soft in my experience. Coyotes are amazing.
Example. I shot one in a trap one morning on way to work. 22 LR behind shoulder. 9 hours later I returned to retrieve and re set trap. The coyote was sitting there waiting on me none the worse for wear. No kidding. Bullet went in one side, out the other.
I’ve seen gut shot coyotes go hundreds of yards losing everything behind the diaphragm before dying.
African plains game seemed much like our deer and elk to me.
Again, not disputing your experience at all. I’d like to have had more like yours when hides sold for real money.
My last .223 bonded bullet kill (about a month ago. It is a now discontinued 64gr Speer Gold Dot.
Shot was about 90-100 yards. Did the usual 360, ran 17 yards and piled up. This is extremely typical for me. Don't know if I've ever dropped one on the spot, but they never go far. Very repeatable.
Bonus that it is extremely effective on pigs and deer too. We can't have any one trick ponies here.
Shot was about 90-100 yards. Did the usual 360, ran 17 yards and piled up. This is extremely typical for me. Don't know if I've ever dropped one on the spot, but they never go far. Very repeatable.
Bonus that it is extremely effective on pigs and deer too. We can't have any one trick ponies here.
Sometimes you get runners. It is what it is. I've had them drop like a rock. I've had them run some before they fall. I have even lost some. Put a high speed chunk of metal in the boiler room and they're grave yard dead, even if they don't drop on a dime.
Of course what you say is correct as far as it goes. Yet a coyote will run more often and further than a deer, a bobcat a coon, a beaver etc.
And that does not even include those that are not hit perfectly. I’ve seen gut shot coyotes quickly and fully recover.
