Best varmit round for 2-300 yards

[natdscott]

I've got a Remington 783 in .223 and use 55 grain Blitz King for groundhogs and other small varmints and have wanting to get into coyote hunting. Also looking to buy a can this year for it so it won't be so noisy. Most shots would more than likely under 200 yards so I'm thinking the Blitz King would work on the coyotes too.

That 55 BK is one bad sob. Great bullet.

Sierra COULD just make:

52 MatchKing Flat Base
55 BlitzKing Poly Tip
65 GameKing SPBT
69 MatchKing BTHP
77 MatchKing BTHP

...and cover 99.9% of what centerfire .224-bore cartridges can do, excepting armor.

 

[natdscott]

Or maybe just practice reloading the Encore in a hurry? That'd probably be wise anyway?

I guess, but any breakover is going to be pretty hard to load quickly enough for coyote follow shots.

If it were a falling block (Ruger 1 and 3, for example), and you had a matchsaver on the side, that could be pretty fast with a little practice.

I just know that there aren't too many coyote interactions where a dog could hypothetically escape because of the difference between a GOOD bolt gunner, and somebody with an auto.

The ease of accuracy and power supplied by a cheap (relative to a
good AR-10 with kit) bolt action chambered in a medium-capacity smallbore centerfire...well, for me, it's worth the slightly slower reload, on a 1-way range.

 

[bwframe]

I guess, but any breakover is going to be pretty hard to load quickly enough for coyote follow shots.

If it were a falling block (Ruger 1 and 3, for example), and you had a matchsaver on the side, that could be pretty fast with a little practice.

I just know that there aren't too many coyote interactions where a dog could hypothetically escape because of the difference between a GOOD bolt gunner, and somebody with an auto.

The ease of accuracy and power supplied by a cheap (relative to a
good AR-10 with kit) bolt action chambered in a medium-capacity smallbore centerfire...well, for me, it's worth the slightly slower reload, on a 1-way range.

The Encore's a great shooter. I do have round loops on the side, but there is not hardly any getting around coming out of the scope to reload. I am gonna shop for a deal on a .243 bolt gun. I enjoy running a bolt gun quickly.

In hindsight, a doe I took a couple years ago with the Encore .243 left me with an oportunity for another doe that also hesitated to quickly run.

 

[DadSmith]

That 55 BK is one bad sob. Great bullet.

Sierra COULD just make:

52 MatchKing Flat Base
55 BlitzKing Poly Tip
65 GameKing SPBT
69 MatchKing BTHP
77 MatchKing BTHP

...and cover 99.9% of what centerfire .224-bore cartridges can do.

Is there a reason why companies don't make a 70-77gr varmint bullet?
Will they not expand like the lighter weight varmint bullets?

 

[natdscott]

Is there a reason why companies don't make a 70-77gr varmint bullet?
Will they not expand like the lighter weight varmint bullets?

Dunno. But I can tell you that a MatchKing is a GameKing at the right speed and placement.

The 77 SMK will ventilate a fairly good size area in something, for example.

 

[Creedmoor]

That 55 BK is one bad sob. Great bullet.

Sierra COULD just make:

52 MatchKing Flat Base
55 BlitzKing Poly Tip
65 GameKing SPBT
69 MatchKing BTHP
77 MatchKing BTHP

...and cover 99.9% of what centerfire .224-bore cartridges can do, excepting armor.

Great list, but lets not forget the 35 and 40 gr BlitzKings for the Hornet, Bee and the Fireball.

 

[natdscott]

Great list, but lets not forget the 35 and 40 gr BlitzKings for the Hornet, Bee and the Fireball.

I thought of those, and the 80s and 90s I have used so much...

...but to be honest, both of the extremes are in the 0.1% of need and usage, in my opinion.

 

[natdscott]

And aren't about 1/2 the hornets .222? Or is it fewer than I think?

 

[Creedmoor]

I thought of those, and the 80s and 90s I have used so much...

...but to be honest, both of the extremes are in the 0.1% of need and usage, in my opinion.

I'm not sure it's that small of an extreme,
But for those that didn't stock up years ago Hornet and Bee brass can be tough to find and expensive to aquire.

 

[Creedmoor]

And aren't about 1/2 the hornets .222? Or is it fewer than I think?

I believe that's the old Hornets and Jets are .222
I don't have any Hornets in .222 but I have a Smith mod 53 in 22 Jet that is.

 

[Hookeye]

I have a Ruger #1B coming in .22 hornet (reamed to K hornet).
Will measure when it gets here.

Found 2 boxes of Sierra 55gr Varminter bullets.
As a kid I preferred Speer or Hornady, as my inital results w Sierra was with a .222 Rem and some groundhogs that made it down the hole.
Don't even remember what bullet used.

Bad memory, no logic if applied to today (maybe I should revisit Sierra products).

FWIW had problems w surface blow up on a couple chucks using the Hornady 55gr SX.
Went to the reg 55gr SP and it worked better.
Even at lowly .222 rem velocity (20" bbl, Rem 660).

BTW a 26" bbld Ruger #1B in .243 w the flying trash can Speer 75 grainers was much more dynamic on woodchucks.

 

[Hookeye]

I switched to Nosler 30 yrs ago, love their 70gr BT in .243 for chucks.
Can't find any.
Will try the flat based Varmageddon.
Grab some 70gr for the .243 and 55 gr for the .22-250.
Swing by Brians Surplus, hes had the Varmageddons before.

Dunno if Im even gonna shoot the Khornet, may get a stainless Penrod bbl in .243 screwed on.

 

[Michigan Slim]

I switched to Nosler 30 yrs ago, love their 70gr BT in .243 for chucks.
Can't find any.
Will try the flat based Varmageddon.
Grab some 70gr for the .243 and 55 gr for the .22-250.
Swing by Brians Surplus, hes had the Varmageddons before.

Dunno if Im even gonna shoot the Khornet, may get a stainless Penrod bbl in .243 screwed on.

You make me look like a piker with just my two no 1s. Lol

 

[Mike Elzinga]

20 Practical or 204 Ruger. Close 2nd is .223.

22-250 and .243 are awesome cartridges but you burn twice the powder and heat/burn barrels way faster. My experience with varmint hunting (gophers and prarie dogs) has been that bullet weight doesn’t matter, only velocity. My .20 caliber 32gr bullets going almost 4000fps do as much damage as any 55gr bullet. Unless you plan to also use it for coyotes, I’d stick to fast bullets in the sub 55gr weight regardless of what cartridge you pick.

 

[bwframe]

 

[Hookeye]

You make me look like a piker with just my two no 1s. Lol

You put meat in the freezer with yours.

I didn't even get a shot at a deer last year LOL

 

[bgcatty]

My vote is for the venerable .243 Winchester. The hand loading options are virtually unlimited. Do some careful selection of bullets and powder to tune a load to your particular rifle and you’ll be set.

 

[bwframe]

My vote is for the venerable .243 Winchester. The hand loading options are virtually unlimited. Do some careful selection of bullets and powder to tune a load to your particular rifle and you’ll be set.

I almost hate to speak of it, risking bringing bad karma for the future.

.243 was the first rifle cartridge I ever loaded. I done a pretty fair amount of research, a lot right here on INGO. (I need to look at least one INGO thread back up.)

I put together a ladder of .243 loads to test and went to the range. Of the two bullets I loaded for, each had a load that shot a half inch group at 100 yards. (First 1/2" groups I have ever shot in my life.)

 

[Amishman44]

My little girl makes 300 yards look stupid easy with 58 grain bullets from her .243. She hunts deer with 100 grainers and hits to 300 with the same point of aim with the 58s.

I've been using .223 for groundhogs, Coyote, etc. at dad's...but have been considering getting a .243!
This makes me consider .243 for deer as I've always been a 20 GA sabot slug kind of guy!

 

[Gingerbeardman]

I assume folks are advocating 55 grain for velocity, but I have a .223 bolt gun that I tested various storebought rounds in and the heavier the round the more accurate they were. However, IIRC this testing was done at 100 yards. A shooter could account for drop and thereby carry more speed to target with the lighter round? How much does bullet weight affect dropping a coyote at distance as opposed to velocity?

Heavy/slower bullet vs lighter/faster, which is more important for varmints between 200 and 300, or am I too far in the weeds here? (That's been known to happen)