Has anyone had any experience with 85gr bullets in there 6.5x55 milsurps? I would like to try them for coyotes. Does anyone have a recipe that works?

I have a Model '96 Swedish Mauser with the 29.5" barrel, and a Remington 700 Classic, both in 6.5x55. I have loaded hundreds of rounds with Sierra's 85 gr hollow point. In the Model '94, they are kind of a joke since point of impact is about 2-1/2 feet above the point of aim at 100 yards, but recoil in that heavy gun is about like a 22LR. In the 700 Classic they are a dream. They shoot consistently under 3/4 MOA and often much less. They are loaded to a velocity of just under 3000 fps and recoil is negligible. I could probably push them faster, but that is the velocity that give me the best accuracy. Where I am in Central Texas, I am constantly plagued by coyotes in pursuit of my dogs, cats, and cattle (they often take calves around here and they can take a full grown cow in a big pack). My coyote hunting is usually done from my back porch. Those 85 grain Sierras drop a coyote like a bolt of lightning. I also use a .222 with 55 grain Sierras which works great, and that is the gun that sits by the back door. The 6.5x55 is almost overkill on coyotes, but I would never hesitate to use it.

ElCaballero,

By the way, I use Winchester cases, Winchester WLR Primers, Sierra 85 grain Hollow Point, and 39.5 grains of Hodgdon H4895, with an overall length of 2.8 inches.

ElCaballero,

I went back and checked my records, something I should have done before I started typing the first time. 39.5 gr. of H4895 was my starting load. The load I settled on was 41.5 gr. While perusing my records I noted that I had loaded 400 rounds with 28.5 gr. of H4895 for a reduced load for plinking. That was a great load for practice shooting ... the velocity was only 2230 fps.

Thank you both for your replies. I agree that a 6.5 may be a little overkill but with cattle prices the way they are the 223 has got to go. That leaves the 6.5 as the designated coyote and wild dog killer.

Good luck. For me, Coyote hunting is not a sport, but a necessity. Sounds like that's true for you too. Go get 'em.