why does 223 suck so bad?????

I shot four coyotes and a wolf with 223. All with 55gr NBT @ 3200 fps. 3 coyotes and the wolf were spinners, one coyote was a runner. They all went down fairly quickly though.

Shot two with the 221 Fireball, one spinner with a 40gr NBT and one was pancaked with a 45gr TSX.

243 flat out pounds them
 
Jamie Black R/T said:
ive shot a lot of yotes with the .223 rem...most using cheap factory loads

never felt under gunned....ive seen them spin after a 180 gr tsx rips through their vitals leaving a 3" tunnel behind it

they are tough animals....most complaints stem from poor shot placement

seen a picture before i will try to find of the anatomy of a yotes vitals....its not what you would expect

FOUND IT

anatomy_coyote_side_2.jpg


Most hunters are shooting them too high and too far back and then wondering how they made it 100 yards before expiring

Not saying the OP cant shoot...just pointing out a rather common oversight with coyote hunting
Click to expand...

Excellent pic. I will have to remember to shoot a little more forward (if I ever get out).
 
I've had no trouble at all shooting coyotes out here in Alberta with the .223. I have used the 50gr Vmax, 52gr Hornady match Hp and Nosler 60gr BT. All were producing instant kills, rarely a spinner. I shot about a dozen coyotes in the first few months of owning the gun and have never regretted the decision to buy it instead of the 22-250. So far the 60gr BT shoots best for me and the terminal performance is excellent. It's really all simple physics if you stop to think about it. Still,some people think the 22-250 is great at 350+yards on coyotes while the .223 is lacking at 200. If you look at the velocities, it's simply impossible. Neither bullet nor coyote cares from which case the bullet was launched, if the bullet is the same than all that matters is the speed and shot placement.
 
I hit one with a 204 last year. When you swung it buy its legs it sounded like a bucket of water swishing around. Pure liquid inside. It spun for 15 or 20 seconds before it dropped. but when it dropped it was like a flicked light switch.
 
migrant hunter said:
OK, just got home. Wind/sunburn and mosquito bites notwithstanding, I had a great afternoon with my lowly .223.
One badger at 113 yds, hit high in the chest and he fell back on his ass and died. Barely a kick out of him(although the 60 gr interlock did'nt exit)
Then about half a dozen gophers to finish off that batch of rounds, as I'm changing to 60 gr hp's(cause that's what I could find)
One gopher I could'nt find, just his guts! He vanished on impact, probably landed somewhere I could'nt see him.
I have a .22 k hornet too, and the .223 just fits perfectly between it and my
.243.
Like any gun/calibre/animal, you just need to hit something they really need!
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I wish people would stop shooting badgers unless they personally own a chicken coop. Pisses me off, there's no reason to shoot them, their population's so spread out as it is and they aren't overpopulated, in fact, they're doing rather poorly numbers wise despite what many who like to shoot them will tell you. They're not just another target. Sure hope you skinned it and kept the pelt at least. We've got an old badger on our acreage and I'd almost be inclined to shoot at anyone who shot at him, so to speak.

Now as for the .223, one of the issues I find is it doesn't get loaded with real bullets for animals bigger than small varmints. .22-250's powerful enough it can get away with super frangible varmint pills on a coyote, but the .223 should have a hunting bullet, not a varmint bullet, for hunting coyotes in my current state of thinking (used to use Ballistic Tips and Vmax's). The best is the TSX in my humble opinion, but a lot of people scoff at using real hunting bullets for coyotes.
 
I've shot tons of coyotes with the 223. Excellent caliber.fur friendly and DRT most of the time.

"Sierra 52 grain HPBT. Makes Jello inside. "

That's the ticket. I also use that bullet in my 220 Swift. Excellent results.
 
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