Coyote bullet dilemma

[Speedy7722]

If you were considering the 80 eldvt, I have a little experience this past season with it in a 6 CM. Confirmed coyote kills from 80 yards out to 790 yards. Got some pictures, videos, and impact velocity data.

I’m going to stick with the 80 eldvt for the time being. It’s going 3445fps out of a 24inch Seekins PH2. My 108 eldms beat it in the wind but not by much.

How's fur damage with the 80s?

 

[Duh]

How's fur damage with the 80s?

Depends on where you hit them. I’ve got some shoulder shots and spine shots that left a big hole. I have some frontal shots and vital shots from sub 100 yards out to 790 that you couldn’t tell if they were hit at all, until you skinned them.

These three pics are about the worst fur damage that I’ve had with that bullet so far. In my experience with the 6 creed pushing the 80 eldvt at 3450fps, it’s great in the wind and anchors coyotes.

 

[ChasingSqwach]

I used to shoot 55g vmaxes out of my 1-10 twist tikka. I know, completely different animal, but that bullet was very impressive.

I’d try vmaxs first for coyotes. Hollow points will pass through and not dump as much energy

 

[Catter]

87 grain Vmax all day in your gun. I built a 1-8 twist for LR over 500 yards, to shoot where my 62 grain Berger MEF varmint bullets quit expanding in my 6BR at 3500 fps from the muzzle. I chambered the 1-8 in 6mm Rem. AI, and was going to use the 105 Bergers,,,,,, BIG mistake!

The first thing I found was why they don't use anything that shoots faster than 3100 fps for 600 and 1000 yard Bench rest,,, their groups open up beyond that. They won't take the rpm's over 3200 fps, and if you don't use a 1-8, they won't shoot at all because they want stabilize.

Now I had them up to over 3400 fps, but the faster I pushed them beyond 3050 fps, the larger the groups got. Then at 3050 even 3100 they were accurate enough, but now the did the same thing at 500 yards the 62 grainers did in the BR. They turned into drill bits and just poked a .243" hole in and out. So is you don't hit the brain spine or heart, you don't get to kick em!

I went back to a real varmint barrel, a 1-10, and then a 257 for the Ackley Improved Roberts. and running the 88 grain Bibs HPBT @ 3760 fps, and blowing them apart at 600, even big time damage at 800 yards. I also had a 6mm Rem AI with a 1-12 twist that was poison out 600 yards, (as far as I killed anything with it) using 80 grain Ballistic tips@ 3600 fps. But from what I've seen from the 87 grain Vmax, I am sure either bullet is a better Varmint bullet than any 100 to 108 grain target bullet for 6mm users wanting best result at over 500 jobs killing anything! The heavies are best left for killing paper and steel,,, maybe why that was what they were designed for?????

I also will never build another varmint rifle with a twist faster than 1-10, maybe that's why faster barrels were developed for target rifles,,,, big difference between best for targets, and best for hunting!! Trying to make either one the best for both is a compromise,,,, for both, the best for either has nothing to do with the other!

 

[260284]

If you were considering the 80 eldvt, I have a little experience this past season with it in a 6 CM. Confirmed coyote kills from 80 yards out to 790 yards. Got some pictures, videos, and impact velocity data.

I’m going to stick with the 80 eldvt for the time being. It’s going 3445fps out of a 24inch Seekins PH2. My 108 eldms beat it in the wind but not by much.

I went from the 87 V-Max to the 80 ELD-VT and they worked great out of my 18" 6 Creed at 3380 fps with max load of H4350.

 

[Duh]

I went from the 87 V-Max to the 80 ELD-VT and they worked great out of my 18" 6 Creed at 3380 fps with max load of H4350.

Did you find them to be a little finicky with seating depth and needing to be shot on a cleanish barrel?

I usually don’t subscribe to either of the above but these bullets wanted to be loaded long and don’t shoot the best past a couple hundred rounds of a fouled up barrel.

 

[260284]

Did you find them to be a little finicky with seating depth and needing to be shot on a cleanish barrel?

I usually don’t subscribe to either of the above but these bullets wanted to be loaded long and don’t shoot the best past a couple hundred rounds of a fouled up barrel.

I was using RL16 with the 87s and couldn't get the 80s to shoot with it. I cleaned with Thorroclean and worked up to the max book load of H4350 and they shot great. I probably shot 150 rounds of them so far and haven't had any drop in accuracy. My 18' barrel is a 1-8" and my new barrel is a 20" 1-7.5". Hopefully they shoot in the faster twist barrel.

 

[260284]

Did you find them to be a little finicky with seating depth and needing to be shot on a cleanish barrel?

I usually don’t subscribe to either of the above but these bullets wanted to be loaded long and don’t shoot the best past a couple hundred rounds of a fouled up barrel.

I think I just seated them so the base of the bullet was at the neck/shoulder junction.

 

[Dwhunt]

Recommendations from first-hand experience only please. Thanks.

.243 Winchester – 1:8 twist – 22” bbl.

Strictly VARMINT bullets for LR COYOTE only – NO Deer

I’ve studied the Reloading Manuals and JBM Ballistics until my eyes bled on the pros and cons on each of these bullets. Lighter bullets = faster FPS / truly tempting trajectories. Slightly heavier bullets = less wind drift for LR / trajectories catch up and excel beyond 500 yards. I’m trying to figure out which is the overall best combination of bullet advantages. All 3 bullets are shooting tight, sub-moa groups at 100 / 200 / 300+.

I am aware of the 105 gr+ bullet advantages but have no experience with them - their terminal effectiveness, etc.

1 to 1.5 gr under book max loads using 4350, IMR & H.


75 gr V Max

87 gr V Max

85 gr Sierra BTHP


Your suggestions will be given serious consideration.

Thank you. Much appreciated.

I'd lean towards the 87gr V-Max for long-range coyote hunting - seems like a good balance of speed and wind resistance.

 

[justin davis]

I'd lean towards the 87gr V-Max for long-range coyote hunting - seems like a good balance of speed and wind resistance.

What is long range coyote distances? If a guy is going “long range” I would think better off with a bullet like a 108 Berger or 108 ELDm. Better BC for long shots and better in the wind

 

[Bulletbox95]

i use the 87 vmax. 243, 1;10 twist. 3250 fps. i planted 5 past winter over 500y, 2 over 600. close range damage is wild. they shoot excellent with varget in my rifle. upcoming year i hope to shoot plenty more long range and push it further.