Hi, I recently bought a model 700 varmint rifle in 6mm remington caliber. I am looking for a few suggestions regarding what bullet to use for shooting fox and coyote.
I am particularly interested in being able to kill the animal cleanly and still be able to sell the fur.
I am new to varmint hunting, and don't know much at all about it. Thanks in advance.
Mike

6mm Rem's aren't the best for pelt hunting!!! I have a .243Win.Ruger m77 And use the now discontinued 70gr spsx by Hornady, But only if I plan on turning them insideout Even 55gr.nos.bt's make a mess.

How much is fur worth? Just stoke it with 87 grain VMaxs and have fun! 87 grain VMax over 50 grains of Reloder 19 does a number on a varmint!! 44.5 grains under the 105 AMaxs will do the deal a long ways off!!!(and probably be a bit more "fur friendly"!! Is the fur worth the time you'd miss reloading to go shoot some more? GHD

Pelt prices may be good this year and the weather is getting cool enough to see some coyotes that may have exceptional pelts later on. My best results with a 243 for anchoring coyotes with one shot and minimizing pelt damage has come with the 55gr Sierra loaded to 3,700fps. At least beyond 30 yards.

This past five days, three of us called in 34 coyotes of which I shot 14 with the 243. In three cases the exit wounds were damaging but in the balance of the kills there was only an entry hole and no exit. This is a remarkably humane load that matches my 220 Swift for effectiveness.

I'm a bit surprised that any 6mm bullet will stay inside a coyote (at least some of the time), but AZCoues has apparently found one in the Sierra. DON'T assume that the 55 Nosler BT will do the same -- it has a solid base design and even if the jacket and core "disintegrate" the solid copper alloy base will usually penetrate a considerable distance.

You might try a Speer 90 grain FMJ, which would theoretically leave only a one-caliber exit hole, but in practice it may tumble and make a somewhat more severe exit tear.

If you just want 'em dead, I get wonderful results from a Nosler 70 grain Ballistic Tip in terms of accuracy and energy transfer. But realistically, whatever shoots well in you gun will be fine.

For my 243, I thought the answer was the Hornady 58 grain Vmax at 3800 fps until I hit a yote on the point of the shoulder with one at 40 yards. It never exited but the entry hole was approximately 4 inches in diameter. I don't think that there is a perfect bullet for the 6mm's but from 100 yards to 400 yards I like the vmax. I started shooting the 90 grain fmj's in Idaho but a couple of day long tracking jobs cured me of those.

With a custom 6mm Rem the 55 Nosler and H380 reached 4050 fps in a 27" tube, 1/13 twist. Body shots generally did not exit (amazingly) though occasionally the base would punch through. My pelt guy still gives me good $$ even with the small second perforation. I've not been inclined to switch bullets.

re5513

In the 70's when I was a pelt hunter and my only rifle that came close to fitting the bill was a 6MM Rem. the bullet I settled on was the same load I used for deer, the 100 grain Remington PSPCL, though it always exited generally the holes were the size of a quarter or a bit less. The new light bullets were not available then but if I wanted sheer destruction the 75 grain Hollow points by Speer or Sierra worked just fine. Most of my shooting was less than 200 yards so I loaded the PSPCL's down to 2800 fps using IMR 3031.

I would be inclined to use the Nosler 70gr. Bal. Tip simply because my 6mm Rem. rifle shoots them so well although they may be a bit rough on the fur. I don't think it's as much what you use as where you hit them regarding damage to the pelt. Just one mans opinion. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal