Re: 6BR - What bullet to save hide?

20 October 2004, 06:42

41rem

Re, I,ve got a Winchester 243 heavy varmint, it shoots the Hornaday 75 & 58 gr. V-max's pretty well(5 shots into 3/4" @ 100 yards)seems to like the 75 gr'er a bit better. I'm loading 1.5-2.0 gr. under max, do you think they will work about the same as the Nosler's??...41

18 October 2004, 05:48

284win_LR

I just built up a 6BR on a Savage action. It shoots like a dream. I really like the caliber.

I got to thinking that it would probably work great for varmints.

But here's what I want to know: I plan on trying it on coyotes, and I need to know what bullet would work best and not ruin the hide.

I can use 105gr Berger VLD's (about like a sierra Matchking) @ 2750fps.

I can use 55gr Nosler BT's (or similar bulletsl ike the V-max) at up to 3800fps.

As well a several other bullets of varying weight in between. This gun seems to shoot anything you throw in it real good so long as you use quality components, so I'm not really partial to any particular bullet.

So, what would be best?

18 October 2004, 06:22

Ksmirk

Well 284 the 6BR is a hell of a round for accuracy but it might be a bit much for fur saving, I started with a 243 and the 70gr Nosler BT's worked ok as long as I didn't push them too fast but I also learned to sew as pelts were actually worth something back then, then I went to the 22-250 and well it wont shoot unless you push it pretty good and it seemed to blow thing up pretty bad, I now shoot a 17 Remington and well it looks like you poked them with a ice pick and as far as dead the 3 I have shot have been bang flops. Sierra used to make a 60gr HP that worked pretty good as long as bone was not in the path. I would not recommend the heavy SMK's or VLD's to expensive and they do really wierd things when they hit game. For what it's worth I had pretty good luck with the HP's with the larger holes in the end pushed to a velocity a bit under max levels by 100-150 fps normally a grain below max. Just one guys opinion

Later,

Kirk

18 October 2004, 09:14

re5513

Quote:

But here's what I want to know: I plan on trying it on coyotes, and I need to know what bullet would work best and not ruin the hide.

I can use 105gr Berger VLD's (about like a sierra Matchking) @ 2750fps.

I can use 55gr Nosler BT's (or similar bulletsl ike the V-max) at up to 3800fps.

As well a several other bullets of varying weight in

Use the Nosler 55gr. ballistic tip. It won't exit on broadside shots. If you get anything, it'll be the boattail base. I shot 3 coyotes with this bullet not long ago in a slow twist 6 Remington at 4050 fps. No worries. One was a broadside hit on a medium sized yote at about 200 yards. It was a broadside shot right behind the left from shoulder. The animal was lifted off its feet and slid on the snow upon impact. I was the first yote I'd ever shot with this combination and was expecting one horrible mess on the offside of the animal. What I found was a very small wound and the base of the NBT. I got $20 for that one so I was quite pleased.

The 6BR with this bullet as you noted will hit 3800 fps. In my opinion, the 6BR works better than a .22-250. It's easily as fast with little effort and accuracy is consistently better.

re5513

18 October 2004, 11:20

284win_LR

Thanks.

I figured that the 55gr BT would probably do the job, but I would rather have some knowledgeable opinions before I blow anything up.

Do I need to worry alot about hitting the shoulder with this bullet?

18 October 2004, 21:37

re5513

Quote:

Do I need to worry alot about hitting the shoulder with this bullet?

That's the next obvious question. The quick answer is, "I don't think so". When you whack a coyote with a fast varmint bullet it's like hitting them with a big-bertha driver. You want to avoid wounding them in the gut tough because they are very tough. I hit one at very long range with a 95 gr. BT and flipped it up in the air. It went down, I shot it again and flipped it again. It then ran off and hid out of sight showing a very blood splattered hide and weak gait.

They are not big boned so the mess that will happen if you hit the shoulder is going to be relagated to just inside the hide. Unlike a deer you don't have to penetrate a few inches of hide and muscle before you're in the boiler room. That's a lot of energy for a coyote to suck up and I've never seen one walk very far from a hit forward of the diaphram. I've hit them low in the heart and they flop around a little. I've seen them bite themselves to keep from going unconscious. If they face you, hit low so that the bullet does not exit the neck and stays in the body. It won't make it to the tail. I actually called one in at about 80 yards while hunting antelope in Wyoming and a friend shot it in the chest (while it was facing us) with a 7 Mag. To this day I can't understand why it didn't explode but it just cartwheeled backward, end over end, and ended up with just a single hole in it's lower chest. Nice yote. They tend not to blow up within reason. If it were me, I wouldn't intentionally shoot for the shoulder but if that was all I could see through the sagebrush I wouldn't hesitate a moment to squeeze out one of those little purple tipped pills.

re5513