Best Long Range Coyote .223 Load?

[lgraham]

I want to get more performance out of my .223 and would like to be able to shoot further (out to around 500 yards) on coyotes and was wondering if anyone had a hand load they would recommend for this. I practice a lot with this rifle and will be able to make the shot, but would like a load capable of doing the job at this range. The rifle is a CZ-527 .223 with 21.9 inch barrel and a 1 in 12" twist. I believe this twist is supposed to performs better with lighter bullets so I was thinking of maybe a 50 grn TNT or Ballistic tip with a compressed load for max velocity. Anyhow, if anyone has any suggestions at all I would be greatly appreciative.

Thanks,
Luke

 

[SS427]

For that range I would see if I could get some of the 60 grain Hornady V-max bullets to shoot. If not, I'm sure a 55 grain bullet would shoot, and I would want the extra 5 grains of weight, although it probably would not make any difference over 50 grains. Check out the Sierra loading data and you can see which powder gives the highest velocity for a given bullet weight.

For long distance .223 shooting I use 25.3 grains of Varget with Sierra Blitzking bullets. Not the fastest load, but very accurate, and I know what the trajectory is within a inch or so out to 400 yards.

 

[bsc4444]

YOU WOULD BE BETTER WITH A 1:9 TWIST WITH THE 60 GR. V-MAX'S. I HAVE A 1:12 TWIST IN MY BOLT GUN. IT LOVES 26.5 GR. AA2460 WITH 55GR. V-MAX'S AND
27GR. WITH THE 40 GR. V-MAX'S. THE 40 GR. RUN AT 3640. IT'S A GREAT P-DOG
LOAD ALSO. AS ALWAYS START 2 GR. LIGHT AND WORK YOUR WAY UP .3 TENTHS
AT A TIME.

 

[K22]

At that distance, forget the 223 and go to a 243, 22 250, or 220 swift to avoid wounding the animal or missing all together.

 

[Austin]

Idk about shooting coyotes past 350.i shot one 2 days ago with my 223 at 256 yards and it was folded up in 1 shot and didnt move.I have a remington 788.i think it has a 1-12 but shoots a 55grvmax with 24gr of 4895 in a hornady case at probly close to 3200 or a tad more.i have dropped them to 350 in 1 shot.i will never have another rifle for coyotes only.the 223 is not marginal by any standards.ya every 1 has a bad experience now and then.coyotes arent to tough just long winded with a bullet in them.the right bullet is key.iv shot over 150 dogs to this load and it works great.

 

[Rookie]

+1 for the 55gr V-max in 223.
I use it for called yotes mostly inside 200yds. But I have taken a few closer to 400yds when the wind was down and the yote standing still.
For longer range yote hunting I have a Rem 700 fitted with a 24" sporter wt. Shilen 243Win barrel 1/10 twist that lives on Berger 88gr Varmint match bullets and a 4.5-14 Burris scope (love those scopes).

 

[2dogs]

I prefer the 40 grain Nosler BT in my 223. I get close to 3850 fps and excellent terminal performance. Accuracy has been spectacular with this bullet to 500 yards as well.

Now, I have never shot a coyote past 300 yards with my 223 but I fear the heavier bullets would fail to expand as much as a lighter constructed bullet once you get out past thier design envelope.

 

[HillbillySniper]

Try 23.5 grains of h322 with the 50 ballistic tip noslers I've shot them outta my old 223 out to 500 plus yards before I improved it


Hillbilly

 

[LRPV]

The new 53 grain Vmax has a .290 bc and is still light enough to get decent velocity with. I have some but have not loaded any yet, so I have no experience with them in game. I have hopes that they will be every bit as good as the 50 Vmax and with the added BC, even better. I bought some of the Superformance ammo for the 223 before the bullets were available and they shoot good in my AR. I use the AR for hunting at night and it has been cloudy every time there has been good moonlight so I haven't used it much. I have had good accuracy on paper with the 64 berger on paper but nothing on game with it either. Personally I would feel better using a bigger caliber at that range as some others have pointed out, but you have to use what you have. Jason

 

[coyoteklr]

I guess i better go and tell the two coyotes i got yesterday (both at about 400 yards) and my 223 that "223 is marginal at best" thats like saying the 22-250 and 243 are marginal deer guns....... you don't need a 300 RUM to hunt deer.....
55 v-max and 55 nosler btip are both great ....... at close range 100 to 150 the 40 grain v max just makes one hole going in and don't come out...... and you can makem zip.........
i use TAC ramshot with 24" barrel and every rifle is different if you want a load reference go to Ramshot's site......
stay with 55 or 60 if you want to go to 500 and yes they will kill at 500
AI your barrle and you will get about 100 fps more, but if you want to reach out and touch them with a bigger punch..... rebarrel to a 1 in 8 with a 24" barrel and you have the best of both worlds..... you can shoot the 55"s and the 75 grain bullets ;D

 

[K22]

I guess i better go and tell the two coyotes i got yesterday (both at about 400 yards) and my 223 that "223 is marginal at best"

Wow, I'm impressed, sighted at 200 yards out of a 24" barrel the 55 grain bullet should drop about about 25 inches at 400 yards and 50 inches at 500 yards. If I could hit anything at that distance with my 223's I'd toss my 22 250 and 243 in the trash so I'm going to try it.

 

[soldierofchrist]

Berger makes a 64 grain bullet that has a B.C. of .294 that if you load 25 grains of h4895 behind it shoots really well. Would I take it out to 500 yards for coyote probably not, but it will get you more energy out there.

 

[LRPV]

Lawrence, I am in NW Missouri and my hunting partners and I hunt about the same way. We use Randy Anderson's Barka lounger seats which give you some back support if set up out in the open. We sometimes use electronic calls and decoys like the mojo critter. The longest coyote I have ever shot was just under 350yds with 22-250 and a 40 vmax. Of course there wasn't any wind. The longest this year was 250 and the shortest was 80yds. I use a 22-250 with 50 vmax and an AR with a 2.5-10 accupoint for night hunting when and if the moon shines since we are not allowed to use lights. We have river bottoms that you can see for a long way and even some places in the hills. I need to practice my calling evidently because I have a good population of coyotes right behind my house that will not come to my calling.
Jason

 

[coyoteklr]

I guess i better go and tell the two coyotes i got yesterday (both at about 400 yards) and my 223 that "223 is marginal at best"

Wow, I'm impressed, sighted at 200 yards out of a 24" barrel the 55 grain bullet should drop about about 25 inches at 400 yards and 50 inches at 500 yards. If I could hit anything at that distance with my 223's I'd toss my 22 250 and 243 in the trash so I'm going to try it.

The first thing to do is get your gun shooting dime size groups at 200 yards then practice at 300 then four hundred and 500.... accuracy and wind dppe and practice are the key .... nobody is going to go out right off the box and shoot 500 yard dogs....
longest...243 ackley improved 70 grain nosler bt...682 yards leica range finder... i don't think anybody makes consistent 500 yard shots... even the best will miss even the 100 yard shot now and then... i don't remember when the wind wasn't blowing in Montana..... ;D

 

[K22]

I'm a serious eastern ground hog hunter and to date have taken over 1,000 hogs all under 300 yards over a nine year period. I wasn't being sarcastic but I'm truly amazed that anyone could hit a varmint at 500 yards with a 223.

A friend of mine makes those kinds of shots with a 22 250 shooting off a portable table and sand bags with a 20x Leupold V3 scope in low wind conditions which is typical in the "dog days" of summer in eastern PA.

I hunt with shooting sticks so those kinds of distances are beyond my capablity. However where I hunt, targets at those distances are rare.

 

[coyoteklr]

I don't just shoot 55gr. bt...... I also shoot 69 grain seirra hp match out of my gun and it will probably kill at 600.....i shoot off sticks or fence post or something solid.
maybe the impression was that all i do is kill dogs at 500 yards....only four so far..and i've missed several..... 15mph wind here is just a breeze......
alot of them are killed at 250 or less..... most at 150 or less.....but some hang up out there and not come in or doubles and tripples take off running and won't even slow down until 400 +
i have a friend that shoots p-dogs at a 1000 yards with a couple of buddies with 25-06's and they don't specificly go just to shoot at 1000 yards but they do try for that when they go hunting..... his count is up to 14 as of last fall.......this is over a period of years.....different strokes for different folks

 

[coyoteklr]

actually Randys bark a lounger is more than a back rest...... it keeps your backside dry in the mud and snow and when you lean back it supports your legs and makes a shot off the knee easy.... i just picked up a primos trigger stik bipod and man is it slick..... you can raise and lower easy, but you can go side to side without moving the sticks..... when you pull the trigge one leg will shorten and the other will go longer..... when your sitten in deep snow it is great.......

 

[zcrackshot]

A lot of people bashing the 223 for any kind of long range hunting...... Where I come from coyotes are right in the same category as p-dogs when it comes to ethics. If you wound them and they still run off then all is well as they are considered vermin around here and nobody cares as long as they die eventually. I've never heard of anybody who quit hunting p-dogs because they wounded one and it crawled back in it's hole. Farmers around my neck of the woods wing lead at them every chance they get with a variety of guns ranging from 44 mag or 30-30 lever guns to open sight 30-06's, whichever they carry as a truck gun. My 223 loads for dogs are 25.5 grains of Varget under a 75 gr A-max and 25 grains of the same under a 70 grain Berger VLD, both in Lapua brass. The long range terminal effects are typically DEAD and DEAD for both loads. I've killed many coyotes with a 22 mag out to 100 yards and if I'm not mistaken a 223 sending a 70-75 grain bullet produces the same energy at 800 yards as a 22 mag does at the muzzle? I guess to each his/her own but I'll keep hunting coyotes with a 223. Not saying I don't hunt them with other calibers too just for fun but a 223 is very capable IMO.

Zac M.

 

[coyoteklr]

lrpv.... I'd go out amongst them and do a challenge howl of a young dog

lawrencehanson.... i have sent you a pm

 

[sscoyote]

This rig is a 223 AI and i'm currently using a 65 JLK Low Drag at 3050 mv. I'm going to the 53 V-Max soon for better terminal effect. If i were doing it over agin i'd get an 8-twist barrel screwed on and shoot the 75 A-Max out of a VLD magazine. Bet that''d net u 500+ yds. as well as anything.

The 2 best bullets that i've used for ~500ish were the 65 gr. SGK and 69 Nosler Comp. They both killed well to that range and a bit further--

557/65 SGK--

470/65 SGK--

385/65 JLK Low Drag--

Lawrence--forget the RA Barker--get a soft-sided stadium seat, reattach the female end of the side strap snap as close to the seat as possible for the steadiest of back support, slide it into a burlap bag, cut holes for attachments, sew back up and most importantly attach another snap to the ends of the side straps to carry hands-free around your waist for long walking hunts (as can-barely-be seen in the photo above of buddy Mitch)--