OK...I know this is the hog forum, but the coyotes are around for the gut piles anyway. Plus, it's the only forum I post in anymore. I am late to post as this was from Wednesday morning.

For the past few years, I have been migrating to lower-weight bullets to minimize recoil, but lately, there’s been a particular 150 grainer in .30 caliber that piqued my interest. Made specifically for the .300 Blackout, the 150 grain Speer Gold Dot is claimed to be able to expand down to 1400 fps. It definitely intrigued me for use in my 24” DVH 30-30 barrel.

To make a long story short, Bev bought me a couple boxes for my birthday. I did add a bit of weight to my stock to minimize the chance of flaring my RA or neuropathy, but I was able to work up to a nice load that generates 2469 fps with Hodgdon’s CFE223. And so far, the recoil did not cause any problems…

In test medium, 200 yard expansion was dramatic, but the bonded bullet, which impacted the medium at just over 2000 fps, held its weight amazingly well and penetrated more than adequately. Recovered bullets weighed 127.5 on the low end to right at 130 grains. Frontal diameters impressed me as well and ran .54 to .6”.

Accuracy, too, was first-rate at upper charge levels of CFE223, which seems to prefer a high load density. Groups were good from the outset but tightened notably as I increased the charges. I am using the Speer book load for CFE223 and the 150 grain bullet, and pressures appear quite mild.

I got a chance to try it out this morning just after daybreak when I noticed the deer acting skittish and standing on high alert. So I grabbed the 30-30 and stepped outside. In the gray morning light and misty conditions, I saw a coyote appear just outside of a strand of huisache. He was facing me and kept putting his head down, as if he was eating something or checking scent. The range was right at 240 yards, making for a tough shot in these conditions. But I knew that if I waited, my chances of taking out this fawn-killer would be diminished greatly.

The coyote had its head down again, so as soon as the dot of the Docter Basic 2.5-10x50 aligned a couple of inches above where the neck and shoulders join, I tripped the trigger and sent that 150 grain Speer downrange.

The audible “thump” was reassuring, and the coyote was down on the spot. The bullet severed the spine just in front of where the appendage of the shoulders and neck join, continued through the body where it did significant damage and then exited near the anus. One kill means nothing, but so far, I can say I am pleased with what I have seen.

Also, if anyone buys this projectile to try, keep in mind that Speer offers TWO 150 grain GD bullets and does a poor job of designating the difference on the box. You have to look at the product code and make sure it has “BLK” in it. Otherwise, you’ll wind up with bullets intended for the .308 WCF, etc.
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Two-hundred yard performance in test medium was impressive.

Well done again. Never dropped a coyote. Maybe next time I hunt hogs in Texas, hopefully this winter.

Very good results with that bullet.
Did it's job well. Good shooting too.

George

Very nice Bobby! I've been wondering about those Gold Dot rifle bullets for a while now

Well, that Gold Dot got a chance at something larger tonight. New post coming soon...

From what I can tell the Gold Dot bullets are the same as the Federal Fusion ammo line. I've killed and seen killed quite a few deer with the 150 & 165 308 Win and the 62gr 223. It also happens to be consistently accurate. I was pondering loading the gold dots, but Speer pulled them off the market for a few years. looks like I need to revisit that idea.

Get them while you can because I have a feeling they'll be gone again before long. And you are right: these are basically the same line as what Federal loaded. The Blackout bullet that I am using in this 30-30 barrel is just much softer than the standard 150 grain Gold Dot.