Wildfowlhunting
CGN Regular
- Location
- Niagara Region
Interesting watch regarding .223 bullet grain weights and barrel twist comparison https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_UcC2uPub4
Anyone used a 223 for 500 yard coyote kill?
- Thread starter 42MTD
- Start date
If I had thought of it first, I would have said that.
- Location
- Saskatchewan
A .223 is a poor choice for that distance on coyotes. Standard load table I looked at shows more than 3' of drop at 500 yd with a 200 yard zero, and about 1800 fps for a 55 grain bullet at that distance. So even if you can hit them you would be using the equivalent of a .22 magnum up close, just barely adequate, and also questionable if the bullet would expand at such a slow speed compared to what it was designed for.
Like La Passe I have a 223 1/7 twist at 30" Coyotes at 500 y are in deep trouble with a 223 shooting 90 gr Bergers at 2750 fps at 500 yards bullet speed is 1993 fps and 794 Ft-lb energy at 500 y if I step speed up to 2850 fps energy is 861 FT-lb would be devastating on a 40 lb coyote with well place shot
80.5 gr Bergers at 2950 fps have 1985 fps 704 Ft-lb
80.5 gr Bergers at 2950 fps have 1985 fps 704 Ft-lb
Yes but are you confident you can place that shot well enough on a live target? Coyotes give lots of weird angles for shots at times. There's not a lot of vitals on a yote, creating quite a bit of room for error for anyone, really. You can punch paper all you want at 500, but you really owe it to the animal not to be gambling with a sub par cartridge.
I only use my 223s at sub 100 yds while calling. One of my shooting buddies shot a coyote at 400 with a 52 gr BTHP out of a Rem 700 HB in 222. It can be done but again, not best choice for humane clean kills.
Ive shot my .223 T3 Varmint with 82 gr Bergers out to 900 y hitting a 12" gong. Needed to do some mods to my gun as they have a really long OAL. The .223 can reach out there but Ive never tried it on living critters. Ive reached out to 500 with my .204 w/ 39 gr BK's on a fox so Im sure a .223 is quite capable with a lot of practise and understanding of wind effect.
Cheers!!
Cheers!!
My father, back in the early years shot an elk with a fancy new cartridge the Savage HP. A head shot off a buck board rest and it was dead. Will it work, maybe is it ethical I dont think so. Poachers in the depression used 22lr and Hornets to shoot deer, watch where they bed down and then return hours later to pick them up. Very few of us think of those as "deer cartridges" but they worked. A 500 yd shot with a 223 may very well mean a come back later and see if it has died yet. Not in our hunting group!
Bullets have come a long way since the days of the buckboard....
A Hornet stuffed with a 45gr TSX is a formidable killer of deer sized critters now.
A 223 stuffed with a bullet like the 75 amax or hpbt will kill any coyote walking the earth today, given reasonable shot placement. Same as always, choose a bullet appropriate to the task at hand, push it at an appropriate speed, and good things happen.
Bullets matter more than headstamps.
A Hornet stuffed with a 45gr TSX is a formidable killer of deer sized critters now.
A 223 stuffed with a bullet like the 75 amax or hpbt will kill any coyote walking the earth today, given reasonable shot placement. Same as always, choose a bullet appropriate to the task at hand, push it at an appropriate speed, and good things happen.
Bullets matter more than headstamps.
Thanks for all the feedback. I know some hunters don't feel it's ethical, I am confident with my abilities if the situation is perfect. Now hearing from guys who have had success at that distance im confident the 223 will be just fine.
Got this male this morning. 275 yards, 60 grain Vmax hand loads. He was at my 500 yard mark but was too dark to shoot..could barely see him..he finally got to 275 when I had a clear shot..he was with another so hopefully I get another crack at the 500 yard shot soon.
Got this male this morning. 275 yards, 60 grain Vmax hand loads. He was at my 500 yard mark but was too dark to shoot..could barely see him..he finally got to 275 when I had a clear shot..he was with another so hopefully I get another crack at the 500 yard shot soon.
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Donny Fenn1
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- East Kootenays
60g VMAX out of my Swiss Arms with the 24" "sniper barrel" installed, this is the rifle I use when I think/know I'm going to call in more one coyote
usually you can get them in close but after the first shot they scatter so you try to get them to stop as they take off (by barking/whistling/changing calls whatever) they always stop
it's not a lot maybe 3 or 4 but out to 580 yards is the farthest with that rifle
I've shot them farther out with rifles better suited to the distance involved but 500 is fine with the 223
note I'm using a Leupold with the varmint reticle and have spent a bunch of time on the bench out to 700 yards figuring out where things are going when i pull the trigger
usually you can get them in close but after the first shot they scatter so you try to get them to stop as they take off (by barking/whistling/changing calls whatever) they always stop
it's not a lot maybe 3 or 4 but out to 580 yards is the farthest with that rifle
I've shot them farther out with rifles better suited to the distance involved but 500 is fine with the 223
note I'm using a Leupold with the varmint reticle and have spent a bunch of time on the bench out to 700 yards figuring out where things are going when i pull the trigger
Apparently you missed the "use an appropriate bullet" part, that those of us that shoot longer ranges have mentioned...
At 500 yards, starting your 60gr vmax at a charitable 3000 at the muzzle, you will be around 1450+- fps impact velocity (depending on your altitude and rifle barrel). That very well could be below the expansion velocity window that will give you enough expansion to reliably disrupt vitals, and to say nothing of the wind drift you will have with that particular bullet that will make actually placing a shot difficult. There are a lot of bullets out there that are far more suitable for that. Big difference between making a lucky hit, and intentionally killing something.
Long distance isn't just about hitting something, its about choosing the right bullet to get the results you want to achieve.
Case in point. The other day I was shooting in some wind, kestrel said it was gusting to about 35km, with lulls down to 15km. At 400 yards I was having a tough time holding 10 rounds of 75 gr Amax's on a steel plate in under 8-10 inches. The 50gr vmax form load was off the plate, and likely closer to 12-15" spread.
Could I hit a coyote at that distance with a 50gr vmax in those conditions? Certainly. Could I be confident of where it was going to land on him? Nope.
Not all bullets are created equal.
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No, I didn't miss "use the appropriate bullet"
I certainly appreciate the feedback. I think the 60 Vmax would be suitable for 500 yards in the right condition. With the my 1/9 twist I am limited to what I can stabilize. I wish I could shoot the heavier bullets. 500 yards is a comfortable range for me, that being said I would only attempt it if the conditions were near perfect as I agree with you guessing the drift at 500 yards in a fluctuating wind isn't something I want to do.
I would suggest the 60 Vmax would be more effective than a 68 Bthp at that range..thoughts??
I certainly appreciate the feedback. I think the 60 Vmax would be suitable for 500 yards in the right condition. With the my 1/9 twist I am limited to what I can stabilize. I wish I could shoot the heavier bullets. 500 yards is a comfortable range for me, that being said I would only attempt it if the conditions were near perfect as I agree with you guessing the drift at 500 yards in a fluctuating wind isn't something I want to do.
I would suggest the 60 Vmax would be more effective than a 68 Bthp at that range..thoughts??
OK, I'm not a long range shooter...not my cup of tea. But my father and uncles always shot coyotes with 22 lr and 12 Gauge (BB). And they did it for winter wages; mind you at 22 / 12 gauge distance the follow up was easy( if req'd ). Dad used a Marlin 57 levermatic with FMJ bullets ( Model 57 is only 22 mag, but it handily digests 22 WRF as well)
I might question hit probability at distance, but 22 magnum energy will put them down quite handily at the 100 yard mark. They are 'yotes, not Were-yotes, eh...
