why does 223 suck so bad?????

Bang flops are not uncommon when shooting yotes but to have them yulp spin a few times and pile up at a slough or fence after running 50 or so yards is common for me. I shoot a 222 Rem with Sierra 50 grain blitz pills.

Also a solid vitals hit is important. Not too many guys skin coyotes anymore as they have been near worthless since Jesus was on a tricycle....but if you ever do see a skinned yote carcass it becomes very clear that the vitals are about the size of a 2 litre pop bottle. Put that out at 200 plus yards on a bit of a trott and you have one small target.
 
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!
 
whats the Twist on your 223 ? if its a Tikka varminter, you may want to try a heavier bullet. they are a 1-8 twist, most 22-250's are a 1-14 so a 50 grainer will stabilize fine in it. a 1-8 223 you may want a 60 grain to be closer to the optimum 77 grainer it would like to shoot.

just my 2 cents. if the bullet isnt stabilizing, and it tumbling or not hitting accurately then it could cause it.
 
Now I wont say that I have never made a bad shot because I have hit a couple coyotes poorly. But 99% of the time its either a broadside vitals shot or a straight on chest shot. The one I shot yesterday was hit in the heart and lungs. I was shooting a rem 700 VS with a 6.5-20x VX3. Most of the coyotes I shoot are right around the 200 yard mark. For those of you that doubt the killing power of a hornet at this range dont knock it till you try it. I think I will stick to my 243 for yotes. I do have some 62 grain berger varmint bullets I would like to try on a yote out of the 223 though anybody ever use these?
 
Interesting discussion.
IMHO, the bullets used for .22 hornet are specifically designed to expand at it's velocities. Personally, I've had the best accuracy/performance etc from Hornady hornet bullets.
However, bullets used for other .22 varmint calibres are used in everything from .222 Rem. to 224 weatherby etc, which is a relatively wide velocity range to reliably expand. Therefore, if you switch to a more frangible bullet design, like perhaps the Noslers balistic tips, I think you will find the .223 does at least what a hornet can do, if not better. If that doesn't stop them from that dad blamed spinning, try loading hornet bullets in the .223. That'll be like the hornet, but on steroids.
Just after the moment of impact, the coyote will thus realize that he's been hit with a genuine hornet bullet and will respond accordingly.
 
migrant hunter said:
What are you using for ammo/bullets? I'm heading out this morning with my
.223 loaded with 60 gr softpoints. It messes them up pretty bad. I only ever hit one yote that I did'nt find, and that was with my .300 win mag. It is'nt the calibre.
Click to expand...

I nailed one with my 300wm and found him.....over here....over there:p
 
I shot mine(.300wm/180 accubond) at about 150yds, bang/thud/cloud of fur/yote drops straight down out of the scope. I watched his buddy run off, hoping he would stop.
Buddy does'nt stop so when I turn my attention back to the first one, I can't find him. He must have been completely vapourised(or they run off with a bad hit, nomatter what you're using)
If I just try something bigger......
 
migrant hunter said:
I shot mine(.300wm/180 accubond) at about 150yds, bang/thud/cloud of fur/yote drops straight down out of the scope. I watched his buddy run off, hoping he would stop.
Buddy does'nt stop so when I turn my attention back to the first one, I can't find him. He must have been completely vapourised(or they run off with a bad hit, nomatter what you're using)
If I just try something bigger......
Click to expand...

A guy in town shot one with a 375 H&H. All he said was, "It was a big mess"!
Apparently, he shot it from behind.
 
Bullet choice and velocity decide your down range ability. The hornet would be slower and expel it`s energy in the animal. The 223 is still humpin along pretty fast @200 and if no bone is hit it blasts thru with the wrong bullet choice. I use a 222 which is in between the 223 and the hornet which does a one shot drop dead kill @ 200.
 
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
 
@Jamie, that's a surprise - thanks for posting the pic - I'll have to try for "right above the front legs, a third of the way up the body".
 
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