Will be using a 223 for coyotes next fall and wondering what bullet to look at for minimal fur damage?
Either shoot a Remington 700 with 1/12 twist or a Tikka with 1/8 twist, what weight bullets will work for both twist rates?

Thanks!

Hollow point, or nosler 50-55 gr, fmj sometimes smokes through, no kill

I use Sierra 52 gr. match no.1410 in a 1-8 twist, works good for me. Another one I've used is a 52gr speer no.1035.

I've had hollow points splash on front on shots on several occasions - creating massive fur damage on the entry side. I prefer a soft lead point. I almost always get pass throughs on shots from the side and a quarter size exit hole.

So, with the soft points I know what I'm going to get. With hollow points I could get no exit and no sewing required. Or I cold get a wounded coyote or a massive sewing job. For me, the certainty of a sure kill and small sewing job is better than the uncertainty of what a light hollow point will do.

I usually shoot 50 grain bullets in my 1:12 twist .223 rifle and 55 or 69 grainers in my 1:8 twist .223. But 55's shoot well in both rifles. (although I have not shot the 55 grain bullets in the 1:8 twist rifle any farther than 100 yards.)

just miss them no damage

For me, it’s a 40 grain superformance, nothing else compares in my experiences. Just my personal opinion and experience though

i can not speak to coyote fur damage but my 1:8 223 wyled will hold near 1moa at 400 yards with the 55gr hornady soft points

and I think they will fly from a 1:12 just fine also

midway regularly puts them on sale for about 85 dollars the thousand and they load well and fly well

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/116532...-with-cannelure

Nothing better for fur hunting than James Calhoon bullets.

ML

Not to hijack the thread, but what about with a 1:7 twist barrel? I'm in the process of building my first AR and almost all of the more affordable barrels are 1:7. I imagine the lighter bullets won't do so hot, so something in the 62-75 grain range?

X2 on the 52 gr. hornady match hpbt. Dropped one out a ways small hole not much damage

I have run 55s in some 1:7 twist barrels , I won't say that they are as accurate loaded to full velocity but under 2 inches at 100 yards but if your only shooting 100-150 yards you shouldn't have any problems especially if it is just a 16 inch barrel.

the 55s tend to run 2900-3000 fps out of a 16 inch barrel so it doesn't over spin them to much where from a 20 inch barrel it will get them 32-3300fps

I mostly shoot 62 grainers out of my 18 inch 1-7 twist barrel loaded north of 3000 ft/sec with good accuracy.

Thanks guys, I hadn't considered that a shorter barrel would impart less spin than a longer barrel. Good to know the lighter bullets will be accurate enough for plinking with the wife.

How do you know what twist a barrel has. Is it marked someplace?

yes on most especially AR's stamped right on the barrel

also the manufactures web site will typically say

if you need to figure it out on a gun not marked you use a tight oil patch on a rod you mark 12o clock on the rod and your starting point and a pencil mark on the barrel then push in when you get back around to 12 oclock mark the rod again pull the rod out measure the distance between the marks.

Thanks. That sounds simple enough.

Thanks!

I would and i do shoot hornady vmax I shot a wild c@t with a 204 with a 25gr vmax it went in and exploded and didn't exit which means and 20cal hole in fur and nothing else and that 204 is moving a5 almost 3000 fps. Thats what hornady designed it to do for all the predator hunters that still want the fur.