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  #1  
Old 01-21-2011, 07:04 PM
Bighornbob Bighornbob is offline
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Default 17 cal vs 20 cal for coyotes

How many of you hunt coyotes with a 17 or 20cal. I have only shot and connected on one with a 17 Javelina. I was using a 30 gr Varmint and it blew up to easily. I have since loaded Kindler 30gr Golds.
I have also switched to a 204 with 32gr V-Maxes.
What terminal results are you getting with either.
I have always been a 223, 22-250 and 243 for coyotes.
As I have been posting for nearly 4 months I have a 20 BR being built (hopefully). I see that being the medicine for coyotes.

BHB
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Old 01-21-2011, 07:36 PM
Bayou City Boy Bayou City Boy is offline
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In the 20 calibers, you'll likely have much better luck on coyotes if you move away from the light jacketed ballistic tip bullets designed more for PD's and such.

A good factory 20 caliber coyote bullet is the Berger 35 grain HP.

In the 17's (largely in the 17 Remington), I've shot the Hornady 25 grain HP for years, and I have always had good luck with it. It will consistently penetrate far better than the BT Hornady bullets.

JME - BCB
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Old 01-21-2011, 07:55 PM
Nevada Al Nevada Al is offline
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I agree completely with BCB in regards to HPs vs the plastic tips....

I've too have had good results with the 35 berger in .204 but anymore I use a 17rem exclusively shooting a Nagel 25gr T-000... Ive killed piles of coyotes with this combo....excellent knock down if a shot is misplaced and wonderful if you keep fur...I've found they will usually break a shoulder and not splash something I have never found with any plastic tip... but the key to any 17 or 20 is to shoot the animal correctly cause there is nothing 100% and coyotes are tough.... In 204 the 32vmax would be my very LAST choice, actually not even a consideration.. Save em for ground squirrels and the like..
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Old 01-21-2011, 08:17 PM
ramos ramos is offline
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I have used a .204R exclusively for the last 5 years. Have used nothing but 32 V-Max in handloads and never had a runner. I have also, luckily, never hit a shoulder blade. Here this winter, reading all the posts about 32's blowing up and losing wounded coyotes I decided to use the 39SBK's. I shoot around our livestock so I don't want ricochets or intact bullet exits. I chose the 39's over the 40's because they seem to group in most all 12 twist barrels. I stayed away from the 35's for the reasons mentioned above, if I was hunting for fur, I would use the Berger 35's. It all depends on why and where you are hunting. Me, I just want them dead! No experience with .17's/coyotes.
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Old 01-21-2011, 08:22 PM
Silverfox Silverfox is offline
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I will concur with BCB's suggestion about using the 35 gr. FBHP Berger bullet out of your .204 caliber rifles. The BC of this bullets isn't very high, so you will get some wind deflection and more drop than with a higher BC bullet, but when you know those two problems, you can adjust your point of aim to compensate. The 35 gr. Berger has been a very good coyote bullet for me. Easy on the fur and puts them down consistently. It is also one of the most accurate bullets out of my Savage 12VLP in .204 Ruger. I run that bullet with a stiff load of H4895 in Hornady casings, Remington 7½ primers and my muzzle velocity is right around 4,200 fps!!! That really knocks them down!!!

I did use the 32 gr. Horandy V-Max on coyotes in the fall of 2004 before I got my 35 gr. Berger load worked up. I only called and killed 2 coyotes with the 32 gr. V-Max bullet. Both were frontal shots and the bullets hit right in the neck area between the left and right front shoulders. Dead right there. However, I think the 32 gr. is a little bit too frangible, especially if you hit in the shoulder bone area.

I have also used the 39 gr. Sierra BlitzKing on coyotes with great success for a couple years. It has a much higher BC than the 35 gr. Berger and is pretty fur friendly and very deadly on coyotes. I use WW brass, Remington 7½ primers and a HOT LOAD of 28.0 gr. of H4895 so DO NOT START with this load--work your way up slowly!!! The muzzle velocity for this load is averaging 3,860 fps and it is super-accurate.

I have another Savage 12VLP in .204 Ruger that has a 26" super match grade SS Pac-Nor barrel with 3 grooves and 1 in 11 twist that I shoot only 40 gr. V-Max bullets in. I had that out on a coyote hunt in early December and bagged two coyotes with it. The 40 gr. V-Max was very effective--didn't blow up on the surface and didn't blow big holes in the coyotes. I'm using WW brass primed with Remington 7½ primers and using a mild load of 27.2 gr. of H4895 powder. This load gives me an average of 3,841 fps and is super-accurate. This rifle is a heavy beast, much heavier than my old factory barreled Savage 12VLP in .204 Ruger, and I'm not sure I want to lug it around the buttes and hills of Western North Dakota in deep snow any more It will probably be used only for prairie dogs from now on.

With my .17 Remingtons I have been using the 30 gr. FBHP Starke bullets for coyotes and fox since August of 2001. These bullets have a fairly large hollowpoint opening, but don't give me splash wounds and don't do a lot of damage to the coyote or fox hides. I run a pretty healthy charge of N-540 behind the bullet and use a Remington 7½ primer and get 3,900 fps for muzzle velocity. It puts the coyotes down pretty good.

I recently built a .17 Tactical and have only used it one time on a coyote hunt. I have the 30 gr. BTHP Kindler Gold bullets loaded up for coyotes for this rifle using casings I formed out of the .20 TAC Dakota Lapua brass, Remington 7½ primers and 24.6 gr. of Varget. My average muzzle velocity with this load is 3,792 fps. I would like to push these bullets up around 3,900 fps, but accuracy is rotten much above 3,800 fps. Only one coyote has been knocked down with that bullet so far. The coyote was pretty much looking straight at me when I dropped the hammer and the bullet hit a tiny bit right of my point of aim and hit the coyote's left shoulder bone. It was not a killing shot and had to be anchored with another shot. That's not much of a test of the bullet, so I'll give it a few more chances. Many folks swear it the THE bullet for coyotes.

Another bullet many folks swear by is the 25 gr. HP Berger Target bullet. I think C.E. Nagel's 25 gr. HP T-000 bullets will work as good as the Berger bullets. C.E. Nagel also makes the 30 gr. HP in the T-000 style as well as in an hollowpoint with the bigger opening as well.
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Last edited by Silverfox; 01-22-2011 at 01:30 AM. Reason: mistakes
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  #6  
Old 01-21-2011, 08:52 PM
Bighornbob Bighornbob is offline
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Default Good to Know

My current .204 load is 28gr H4895 with 32gr V-Max and the 35gr Berger. Berger shooting 1" and the V-Max under 1/2" 100yd groups. No pressure signs. I may switch to the Bergers if V-Max causes me problems in the morning. -4 degrees tonight should have coyotes looking for food.
Trying to think positively!!
I did load up 25gr Nagels in my 17 Javelina. It is a smooth belly rifle w/o sling swivels, more of a truck rifle, if you know what I mean. I need a sling for rifle while walking with decoy and caller and shooting sticks.

BHB
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Old 01-21-2011, 09:39 PM
jim barker jim barker is offline
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picture of coyote taken with my 20 Duster loaded with a 32gr VMax at 3950fps. Not to pretty.

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  #8  
Old 01-21-2011, 10:01 PM
Bighornbob Bighornbob is offline
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Default Not Pretty?

That's beautiful to me. Dog down is all good!!

BHB
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  #9  
Old 01-21-2011, 10:07 PM
crowmag crowmag is offline
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I have been happy with my 20 PPC on coyotes I am using a 40g Vmax bullet at 4144 FPS of the last 5 coyotes I shot this year I used the 20 PPC I have had 1 exit but it was not to bad 1" hole the other 4 did not exit all coyotes went down with in 20 yards of where they were shot
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Old 01-21-2011, 10:13 PM
UTcaller UTcaller is offline
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I used the 204 Ruger a ton from when it was first introduced until about 3 years ago and killed a hell of alot of Coyotes with it.I used the 35 grain Bergers almost exclusively and they did a great job killing them.The only thing I didn't care for was the pitiful B.C they had.Both my brothers still use both the .204 and the 35 grain bergers and they are quite happy.

I went a different route. Built a .17 Tactical Specifically around the high B.C Kindler Gold bullets. Shilen 1/9 twist 25 inch stainless barrel. Shoots both the 30 and 27 grain bullets very well. I am a little partial to the 27's as of late they don't seem to do quite the damage the 30's do. The B.C is a little lower but with the extra velocity I get with the 27's it's about sixes. I haven't shot as many coyotes with my .17 Tactical as I did with my .204 Ruger,but so far I don't see alot of difference in killing power,seem to be about the same.Just less fur damage with my .17 Tac. I've thought about even trying some Genco 26 grain BTHP I have lying around,once I shoot up my 27 and 30 golds.


Good Hunting Chad
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