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Old 01-05-2017, 01:30 PM
West O'5 West O'5 is offline
 
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Default Varmageddon for coyotes??

Anybody here using Varmageddon ammo for coyotes care to share your results?
I'm thinking it might be a nice/fur friendly load with no exit or minimal small fragment exit holes,am I way off base here?
So a buncha questions,please chime in with personal experience.
-1st of all I'll disclose that I am brand new to .243Win but not new to coyote hunting,and shopping for a coyote/possibly wolf pills for it yesterday,took a hard look at the 55gr Varmageddon but held off on buying,soooooo...

-any issues with complete lack of penetration,ie;maybe a shoulder hit/unrecovered/lost yotes?

-on that^^ note,re; penetration,would it be suitable for wolf or am I completely out to lunch?Im kinda thinking if there's no way in hell you'd use it for deer,then I probly have no business considering it as suitable for wolf?

-how's the accuracy in a .243 w/ 1:9 twist?
-any thoughts on premature bore erosion as a result of shooting such a hot .243 load(3800fps MV) in a 1:9?
-accuracy potential from 1:9/22" barrel?Ive "read" that "some" 1:10 and faster .243s will shoot 55-75gr pills just fine,others not so much?
Appreciate any and all input,that said,I've already read and searched and researched enough internet babble and theories and opinions,so I'm far more interested in hands on/REAL world/range and field experience with this particular round on yotes and especially wolves if applicable?
Aaannnnnd go........
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Old 01-05-2017, 02:31 PM
J0HN_R1 J0HN_R1 is offline
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A couple things come to mind...

- the lower the twist rate, the better they shoot heavier bullets. 1:9" will stabilize the lightest (55 & 58gr) .243 pills just fine, as most factory twist rates are between 1:9" & 1:10... Custom/aftermarket barrels typically go lower/faster (1:7" - 1:8"), as the heavier bullets (with higher BC's, that distance shooters want) require a tighter twist to stabilize them & perform well.

- 3800fps for a bullet less than 60 grains is nothing for a .243... Most factory ammo is rated anywhere from 3800 to 3950 fps (Hornady SuperFormance 58gr). It's the pressure that matters, but once you get into reloading a bit more it will become more clear.

- I personally use Hornady 58gr Vmax pills for song-dogs, and depending on the ambient temp my load runs between 3850 (summer) & 3900 fps (winter). At under 300m, it leaves (sometimes big & messy) exit wounds. My barrel twist is 1:9.25", and this load is sub-MOA (~0.75" @ 100m).


What brand of rifle do you own ? I can give you my personal load data, and can show you lots of other data to give you reference (aside from the manufacturers websites).

Good luck, and always start low !

http://reloadersnest.com/frontpage.asp?CaliberID=5

My personal coyote load;

Hornady .243 58gr Vmax
Hornady brass prepped & trimmed @ 2.035"
Winchester WLR or CCI #200 LR primers
IMR 4064 powder @ 43.8 grains
COAL @ 2.620" (measured to bullet tip not ogive, 0.030" off the lands)
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Old 01-05-2017, 03:46 PM
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BigRedJeep BigRedJeep is offline
 
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I've ran 243 nosler 55gr varmint ballistic tips with good results past 100-150yards. They go in and don't come out!

Behind a CCI 200 and 44gr of varget.


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Old 01-05-2017, 06:21 PM
RancheroMan RancheroMan is offline
 
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Been using the 55gn flat-base, tipped, Varmageddon's in my .243 for two season now at a max load level.

Small entry and no exit when I hit "soft" spots on the coyotes. Things get real ugly if you hit bone, they kinda explode and tear hide up bad on the entry side, still no exit.
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Old 01-06-2017, 08:17 PM
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Northern Farm Kid Northern Farm Kid is offline
 
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I have only used the 55gr FB tipped Nosler Varmageddon out of a 223. I bought a few boxes just for the brass but I was dumbfounded by how well they grouped. I actually had a hard time finding a handload that would compare. Nosler claims it to be an excellent varmint bullet due to rapid expansion because of the ultra thin jacket. I used it on one coyote and never again. The bullet is meant for prairie dogs, paper and nothing more. There are many far better options out there in my opinion.
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Old 01-07-2017, 07:04 AM
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heretohunt heretohunt is offline
 
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I've used the purple tipped 55 grain noslers in .243 on a few coyotes and I can say that I'm impressed with how fur friendly they are most of the time. The best was one coyote that didn't even leave a single drop of blood in the snow except one that came out of his nose. However I did hit one low too and that needed some sewing. So far it seems that if you make a good shot they are fur friendly.
It may interest you to know that I did shoot a good sized female wolf with one and she went about two steps. I may be breaking new ground here on AO but I made a bad shot, hitting her way back. She piled up with out evidence of a hole or blood.
I have decided to load them again in my new .243 and will use them for wolf this winter.
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Old 01-07-2017, 11:27 PM
midgetwaiter midgetwaiter is offline
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The 62gr FBHP Varmageddons have been my go to bullet for gophers in .223 for a few years now. I was able to get sub MOA groups relatively easily at ~2900 FPS after trying a couple different powders and they have been consistent lot to lot. A couple of my regular shooting partners are both loading 40gr FBT with similar results in rifles with slower twist barrels.

The thing I like about these is the immediate, devastating expansion. I get front aspect chest shots on standing gophers between 100 and 200 yards that don't exit. They are open from neck to crotch but the back is intact, so I'm not so sure about using them on yotes. A clean lung shot would drop them immediately abut if you hit a rib or shoulder blade I bet it will make a hell of a mess.
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Old 01-09-2017, 09:33 PM
West O'5 West O'5 is offline
 
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Hey thanks for replies guys.
I guess my main concern was that it might be too explosive for reliable penetration on yotes and wolf in particular.
I ended up buying some 58gr V-max Superformance to try out(which fwiw is even faster MV,lol).....we'll see how it looks on paper first then yotes if the gun likes it and maybe with a whole lotta luck,get a crack at a wolf?
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Old 01-11-2017, 05:16 PM
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super7mag super7mag is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by West O'5 View Post
Hey thanks for replies guys.
I guess my main concern was that it might be too explosive for reliable penetration on yotes and wolf in particular.
I ended up buying some 58gr V-max Superformance to try out(which fwiw is even faster MV,lol).....we'll see how it looks on paper first then yotes if the gun likes it and maybe with a whole lotta luck,get a crack at a wolf?


I've used the 58 gr V-Max some, I personally was not inthralled with them
And actually preferred the 75 gr V-Max for more reliable and predictable performance. Your mileage may vary.
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