For you guys hand loading your Varmint ammo for .223/5.56 what speeds do y'all prefer to get to ?

A 55 grain at around 3200 shoots accurate enough in my AR or a 50 grain at 4350 out of my 223 WSSM does a good job as well at stopping them from killing chickens

What do you think about 2830 with a 69gr BTHP ?

It will sure kill them. At the end of the day, if you know your bullet drop and the distance you are shooting at, you are good to go. The main reason that I use the faster round when I am specifically after song dogs and co is that I do not have to think much about bullet drop inside 350 yards or a bit more than that and that makes it faster for me to acquire my target and shoot as I have limited room to play with for a clear shot along the power line clear cut. You never know where they con=me across that line. But if you have the time to range and dial the drop in or have a reticule that has the info in it for the right hold over, you are good to go

I load my 22-250 with 55 grainers to a little over 3500. I could push them a bit faster but I see no need to. Shoots flat and coyote holding still at 400 with little wind blowing will get it in the boiler room.

I forgot to ad, that I don't give a rip what the pelt damage is like. heck I have shot them with a 30-06 if the opportunity presented itself. I just want them dead and nothing else.

I like a 55gr HP at 3250, very fur friendly.

I use 45gr HP at 4000 in my .22-250. Not as hard on them as you'd think.

I don't why you'd need or want a heavier bullet for them but if they shoot more accurately for you go for it.

I run 50 gr Vmax bullets at 3800 fps out of my 22/250 ..
Very accurate

I have gone to a .223 and I’m very happy around 32-3300. For eons I’ve used a heavier caliber at around 3800, factory loads.
The .223 speed noted above works just fine, I do however struggle to get the lead correct on moving targets now.
I’m hitting a bit farther back than I’d like, It will come with time.


Osky

Had a question and I will just piggyback off this one. It’s inline with the topic. Do you guys find that pushing a lighter bullet faster, you get better performance on coyotes? My main use is night hunting and we are regulated to .22 cal for that. Right now I am running a bolt gun in 22-250, it’s doing a wonderful job. But really miss the quick follow up shots. One of the guys I hunt with is running a .244 Valkyrie, it seems to do ok. He’s running a 60 v max at 3300. I found some Hornady superformance shooting a 53 gr Vmax at 3465 in .223. So what’s your guys thoughts on it. Sounds like the .22 ARC will be good, but not a lot out there for it now.

Here ya go.

Same as ~ADC~
223 for after hours hunting > shorter field of view at night, so don't need the extra range of the 22-250.

Wind bucking, more energy, other critters, do t want any excuses if they want to stop within 500yd why I can't drop them DOA, don't like seeing anything flipping and flopping round also have heard stuff about varmit bullets splashing or blowing out if they hit bone ..... don't think there will have quite that problem

Typically no.

Lighter “varmint” bullets are designed to break apart almost completely, especially at high velocities.

These type bullets pushed extremely fast is where you start seeing bullets “splash”. You’ll have a massive surface wound, little to no penetration, and lots of runners or flat out lost coyotes.

Here is my experience ... Hunted for years with factory 17 Remington 25g hp ammo running @4000 ft/sec. Put it in the boiler room of a coyote out to 350 (plus a little bit) yards and you could see the chest expand to 2x (in the daylight lol) and it was down (the Weatherby theory of hydro-shock kills). And no, I would not use it to shoot at coyotes at 400+ yards. How a bullet preforms is more about how it is constructed and some are just built better than others for their intended purpose. Don't forget physics, E=1/2 m(v×v). Today, I shoot .223 and 22-250 because superior .17 cal bullets are few and far between.

Heavy for bore bullets have advantages and disadvantages, as do light for bore bullets. Fast velocities allow for flatter trajectories which allows for greater errors in distance estimates. Light bullets don't buck the wind as well but at higher velocities have less time in flight. Light bullets do tend to splatter more when contacting bone as on a shoulder; but that is a function of specific construction. So choose the bullet for your style and range of hunting carefully.

Just my experience and thoughts, your's may be different.