i was coyote hunting over thanksgiving weekend and came across something i have not seen before and thought maybe you guys could explain to me what happened.i shot a coyote just before dark,he was about 70 to 80 yds away, the bullet went in the chest and never came out, it left a hole where it went in about the size of the bullet, normal results from a varmint bullet i thought. the next morning i shot a coyote around 150 yds and when i walked up to him there was a hole big enough to stick my fist in on the side the bullet went in and no exit. it was a side shot right behind the front shoulder. what happened? is this what you call,blowing up on the surface, did the jacket of the bullet start to come apart before it got there? i was shooting a 22-250 with hornady 55gr vmax atabout 3600fps. i'm fairly new to coyote hunting (i've only shot about 20) and can not figure out why the bullet impact would leave such a big hole, boy was it nasty in there.thanks forthe comments and happy hunting!

This is what some would call a classic case of bullet failure. This is when a bullet expands to fast and fragments before it reaches the vitals of the animal. You proudly hit a rib on the way in and the bullet blew up. Although the bullet did kill the coyote I would say that you are lucky to have recovered him.

A couple of reasons to use fragile bullets are:
1. Reduction of the risk of rickeshay (sp)
When they hit anything they blow up.
2. Small rodents and rabbits.
When hit the explosiveness of the bullets inflicts quick kills.
But if you are after the fur of the animals it is proudly better to have 2 holes than one the size of a softball.

I second 35's comments. You're bullets are just blowing up on impact. No mystery. And the 22/250 is a good rifle to produce this sort of thing with all its velocity.

This makes it a death ray for most varmits but it doesn't leave a pretty corpse.

And as 35 suggests, NOT a good bullet for game animals you plan to eat or do anything with.

And my brother wants to use his 300WSM with the sabboted 52gr V-Max at 4800 fps on them, we'll see.

No luck yesterday, wind picked up to 20 before we ever got here.

Gentlemen,

Those bullets are performing perfectly!

Those are V-MAX bullets. They are designed to blow up and make little tiny pieces out of small animals.

You Alaska guys probably shouldn't use them on your varmints, might piss them off, and besides your varmints tend to hunt back.

DD

I think the yotes up here are about the same size as down that way, unless you mean the big BROWN ones.

35nut i tend to believe your answer but why only 1 out of 20 kills. could there have been a problem with that bullet?(blem from mfg.) just curious. also i'm interested in hunting deer with my 22-250,can i use the 55gr vmax, what would be the results?,if not, what would you guys recommend? thanks again

Kcfx
If I was going to use any 22 cal. for dear I would use no other bullet than the 50 or 53 gr X bullet. Theise bullets may have a chance of penetrating deep enough to do the job. But I personely think that the 22 cal are to small for the task.

kcfx,

I had the same problem on fox and coyotes with my 22-250. I was using hornady bullets at the time. Big hole on the impact side. This does not happen when I use the same bullets in my .222 Rem.
The reason it happened to you on the one shot is that it mostlikely hit a rib like the others have said. If you are shoot'n coyotes under 200 yards, try slowing those bullets down some and give them a try. Just to see what happens.

Daryl

Do not use that V-max bullet on deer. The V-max bullet is designed to blow up. Those great big gaping holes are what you are suppose to get with the V-Max. If you use a V-Max on bigger varmint such as coyotes, make sure you use the heavier one, 55gr and heavier. The V-max will blow up if driven fast enough just by hitting soft tissue also.

Use the X bullet if you have to use a .22 on deer.

DD

[ 12-05-2002, 18:48: Message edited by: Double D ]

35NUT,
Speer makes a 70gr soft point flat base bullet in .22cal that works well on deer size game. It has shot well from every 22-250 I have used it in. 1900 foot pounds of energy at 3400 fps.

that is what happens when you use a bullet designed to explode critters half the size of a coyote. i use speer 52gr HPBT for my .22-250. still leaves a good sized hole but not as bad as the ballistic tips.

Dare I ask why we care what happens to the coyote? 99% are shot and left to the buzzards.
And it's true, most varmit bullets are DESIGNED to blow up or at least little concern is given to bullet damage. So I agree. Your bullet is doing what it is supposed to do.

I agree that the 55gr V-Max did what it was supposed to on the coyote....

Nosler now makes a .224 caliber 60gr Partition expressly designed for deer hunting....

I don't recommend shooting deer with a .224 caliber rifle but if you do look closely at the Partition.

$bob$

Wait til you see what that bullet does to soft skinned wild kittie kitties! Whew..

I have noted a huge diff in the way the V Max work depending on how hot the loads are. I have two pet ones,in .223: 23.5gns BM2-this makes a neat hole in rabbits, yet when I turn up my rounds to 25.3gns BM2, i get complete vaporisation-pink mist explodes off the bunny on impact and bits fly everywhere.

Your bullet was designed for rockchuks, prarie dogs etc. It didn't fali, it acted just like it is supposed to....

I would not use an X bullet or a Nosler in 22 on deer as they perform like a big game bullets. In small calibers that doesn't work all to well..I used them a bit but went back to the 60 gr. Hornady and it is the perfect 22 cal. deer bullet.

I have used the X bullet in my 6x45 (6mm-223) and it works real well, but will not normally leave a blood trail, so I only use the 22's and 6's in open country...I have culled a lot of Springbok and Blesbok with both of them. shot a few deer and pronghorn with both calibers.

Here's my 2 cents worth:

Please, do us a favor and don't use a .22 caliber to shoot deer size game. While they may pack a punch at CLOSE range, you realistically don't get many close shots on deer. As for coyotes, if you have some around, why not load a FMJ solid bullet in that .22-250, and sell the carcass to a fur trader. You should get some money for them. Here in South Dakota, coyotes are bringing good money this year.

I have shot a lot of coyotes with V-Max and BT bullets. On most shots with a 22-250, a 40gr. or 50 gr. V-Max or BT will have a bullet sized entry and no exit. The coyote will drop in its tracks. That is, if you make a perfect broadside shot.......
If you hit the shoulder they will blow-up on impact. I would recommend using a 55gr. soft point for predators. If you must hunt deer with the 22-250, use a 55gr. soft point or a 60gr. Partition if your rifle has a twist that will shoot it.

Good Hunting,

Bob

Had the same results with the Sx bullets!Most of the time they killed instantly with no exit but once in a while ya get one that blows through a coyote(real common with fox).A shot that hits bone can surface blow them in 1/2 or just roll them with a nasty flesh wound(not very often)Have had to skin most to see where they were hit.Have not used Vmaxes on coyotes yet(just prairie dogs)but they apear to be more explosive than SX,leaveing very little of a pd intact @ less than 200yards=CJ

I've used an ordinary 55 Sierra in 22-250 and 220 Swift for years. They've worked great on coyotes and about 25 big Missouri deer. Abunch of these experts will tell you they won't work, just ignore them and put a 55 grain bullet in the ribcage and see what happens. I've just used them to shoot meat does, but my brother's boy has a 156 B&C buck taken with 22-250.

Being a bullet maker, you learn a lot about bullets, what they do and why the do it. On the 14 calibers, you notice that the fast (7!) twist is what is really doing the work. Small critters shot with it are thrown to the right several feet with the torque. Imagine a 15 grain bullet traveling at 4300fps with that kind of twist. I heard of a deer shot at 65 yards with one recently, it was shot in the neck and died on the spot. That bullet did not exit, and probably still had the energy of a 38, all of which was expended in the neck area. Have heard the same results with coyotes at ranges up to 150 yards.

I agree that the v-max was doing it's job. That's what you should expect from that kind of bullet traveling at high velocity. I think the different results were due to what the bullet hit when it entered the animal. Stay away from shoulder shots or where there is bone next to the surface if you are going to continue with the v-max bullets, or look for another bullet IMHO.

The .22 cal rifle would have to be my only rifle and I would have to be very hungry before I would deer hunt with it.

My take is a little different, not much but a bit.

I use a 22-250 for deer here in TX, most shots are from 75 to 150 yards and I have found the best bullet, bar none, is the Speer 70 grain spire point.

I also shoot a lot of coyotes and I have found that the 60 grain vmax works best for me. Course I am not a fan of light bullets. I shoot the heaviest bullet that is practical and still maintain accuracy. Another bullet I have found to work well on coyotes and bobcats is the 75 grain Amax, however, you need a barrel with at least a 1-9 twist to get good accuracy.

Jest my two cents.

Pecos