Varmint Grenades

[Zagman]

Anyone shooting the Barnes, compressed copper bullet for coyotes?

I guess Black Hills is the only one actually loading it as a round for sale?

A guy I know shot a red fox at 5 yards, broadside, with a .223 and there was NO exit hole. Nothing. That is amazing to me.

Zagman

[FWS]

Anyone shooting the Barnes, compressed copper bullet for coyotes?

I have, and the Varmint Grenade has not exited on coyotes or cats. The coyotes are taken in the summer when I'm down in Cen-Cal so I'm not interested in the pelts other than as a test medium.

The lead free bullet I like better, also a compressed powdered copper core, is the Speer 43 gr. TNT Green. No exits and very accurate.

Nosler now has lead free Ballistic Tips in 35 gr. and 40 gr., both are very accurate in my rifles and blow up ground squirrels just fine. Haven't shot a coyote or cat with them yet.

All in .22 CF, but there are similar compressed copper core bullets available in .204 and 6mm.

I guess Black Hills is the only one actually loading it as a round for sale?

No, Cor-Bon also loads them.

Both Remington and Winchester have their own factory loaded lead free varmint loads, they don't offer the bullets as components yet so I've not tried them. A rancher buddy has and he likes them on coyotes.

Hornady has the NTX lead free varmint load.

Nosler has factory loads for their lead free Ballistic tips.

And Federal loads the Speer TNT Green varmint bullets.

So lots of options currently available with more being released this year and undoubtedly more in the future.

[trappincoyotes39]

what happens when you hit a shoulder bone or a solid rib with those varmint grenades??

[FWS]

Seems like they just blow right through. I've hit ribs and there's an entrance hole, haven't had a direct shoulder hit yet.

I'm not sure the bones on those animals is heavy enough to withstand a direct hit of even a fragmenting bullet, the energy is still going to carry the fragments forward into the body cavity.

The bullet that'll penetrate, expand and exit from probably any angle is the Barnes TSX.

[trappincoyotes39]

FWS, no high fragment bullets on a shoulder hit make a big exterior mess and you have runner coyotes. The reason I don't use any type highly fragmentable bullets on coyotes. They are made for varmints not the body mass and size of coyote critters unless perfectly placed. I have found a thin skinned deer type bullet to be best on coyotes. I can live with an exit on side shots and I get very few with them facing head on. Very liveable damage on side impact but very dead coyotes. Varmint bullets where never made for coyotes made for varmints.

I shoot hornady and nosler in my 6mm guns for coyotes, problem being anything smaller than 6mm you have very limited offerings for a really good coyote bullet. IMO covering longer ranges and less than perfect bullet placement.

[FWS]

I have found a thin skinned deer type bullet to be best on coyotes.

If you're not killing them for pelts...........................

It's like the debate on coyotes and the .17 centerfires, the main reason for using one is to minimize pelt damage. Particularly with cats, use your .243 with those bullets on cats and your gonna ruin them.

If I want to just kill the coyote and leave it lay I use my .270, if noise isn't a concern.

[trappincoyotes39]

the thing with coyotes is though, I don't get much pelt damage at all with my .243, that was a good surprise with those bullets made for a critter like a coyote. Cats I agree totally different paper thin coyotes are not!

My .243 loads are less than 3,100 fps and while damage isn't a big concern if I where to shoot for fur I would use the same gun/load and have better results overall than these varmint type bullets.

[FWS]

My .243 loads are less than 3,100 fps

I think the hyper velocities have something to do with a surface blowup as well, my .17 Rem. loads were a Berger 25gr. match HP at 3500 fps. That was the best load it seemed to me.

The Speer 43gr. TNT Green out of my favorite .222 Rem. is 3200fps.

Slowing them down like that might alleviate a surface blowup.

if I where to shoot for fur

Unless you were taking cats or fox, then a .17 is in order or a .22 CF with the lead free bullets that give about the same performance.

Noise is also a factor in some of the places I shoot coyotes (and cats) which are ranches adjacent to subdivisions. A .17 or a .222 is a fairly mild pop compared to anything bigger. The lack of ricochet is a selling point too for the liability minded ranchers.

Much of it is also in the condor zone so lead free only.

[trappincoyotes39]

suppressed is a thing of beauty for sure!