Fur friendly .243 Coyote load

[Doubles Shooter]

Is there such a thing? I'm in the process of working up some loads for a .243 Weatherby Vanguard I recently won at a local political rally. I'm working on loads using 95gr Nosler Partitions for a deer load for my wife to use and I'm also thinking about using the rifle for Coyotes this season too. I'll be using my .223 Bushmaster V-Match for 90% of my critter hunting, but it will be fun drawing blood with the new gun.

I'm thinking maybe the deer load might not expand too much passing through a Coyote. Does anyone have any suggestions? I had a.243 43 years ago and remember almost cutting a Red fox in half with a 75gr Speer hp and think a varment bullet will have the same effect on a coyote too.

[masterBlaster]

I'd shoot that deer load. Shouldn't expand too much unless you hit a bone.
MB

[Weasel]

I've shot the Sierra 85gr. HP for years. A friend has used the same bullet in his .243 Win. since the 70's. Sometimes we get little damage, sometimes we get a lot of damage. I've shot 100gr. Hornady bullets and have gotten a LOT of damage. I doubt if anything shot out of the .243 Win. can be considered fur friendly. As for me, I'm sticking with the 85gr. HP Sierra.

[Jingles]

.Sierra Spitzers and Spitzer boat tails are designed to fragmentate when hitting something rather than just expand which I have found to cause better explosive internal damage instead of blowing a fist sized exit hole. If you reload might have to just load up a variety of different rounds and experiment.

[solocam72]

I have little experience coyote hunting but have 25 years of experience handloading, I am mainly a big game hunter, deer and elk. I was taught by my father to use a bullet that wouldn't blow apart and bloodshot damage the animal as our primary focus is to eat it. I use nosler accubonds and have had super good luck with them holding together, my thought on a coyote load in a .243 would be a bullet that would do the opposite of what I want with my big game loads, I have a feeling you will get mixed results either way you go

[Iowa yote hunter]

Every coyote I call in I shoot with a 243 win. ( well the ones I hit anyway) Ever since I went to the 58 grain hornady vmax moly I have very little if any fur damage. And they shoot extremly well from my gun which is an old 788 remington of my father's. Only downfall may be the lighter weight bullet may not buck the wind like the heavier stuff. hope this helps

[nightstalker119]

I've been shooting hornady 100 grain boat tail soft points for about 4 years now and wont ever change. I use that load for deer, coyotes, and cats.. out of around 20 cats shot prob 3 or 4 have blown a baseball size hole. Other than those few all my coyotes and cats have about a dime size exit hole. That is shooting that load at 2980 fps, so hopefully that helps

[doubledroptine]

I have used 55 grain Blitzkings with good results. Little hole going in with no exit hole. Never shot a yote inside 100 yards that I can remember. Blitzkings atop a healthy charge of H4895 is the load for my .243 handi rifle/truck gun.

[Payt]

I'll second the Sierra 85 bthp. I've been shooting that bullet for give or take fifteen years and have more good (small entrance w/no exit) than bad (small entrance w/huge exit) experiences. One thing I should mention is that those shots were out of a very short barrel (18 1/2"), and my handloads for that particular rifle are on the mild side of heavy. I'm not for certain, but the slower velocity created by the shorter barrel and middle of the road load may have accounted for this. Great bullet none the less IMO.

Call em close

Payt.