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-   -   Best .20 cal fur bullets (http://www.saubier.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25384)

livetoshoot 03-19-2014 05:12 AM

Best .20 cal fur bullets
 
Bought a new rifle in 204 ruger for coyote hunting and misc. wondering what is the best bullet for killing power for DRT kills and for saving fur. i am planning on using 35 gr. varmint bergers or 39 gr. sbk but want some input on how they perform on animals…thanks for your thoughts in advance.

Tim Anderson 03-19-2014 05:53 AM

45 gr. Hornady soft point.

JINGWEED 03-19-2014 06:03 AM

bullet
 
I would have picked the 30 gr. bergers for no exit hole but never tried them on coyotes.

laker 03-19-2014 12:23 PM

Used to use 35 grain bergers in my 204 and they did really well on fur. Usually just a .20 cal entrance and no exit

Furhunter 03-19-2014 01:09 PM

35gr Bergers hands down.

Bayou City Boy 03-19-2014 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Furhunter (Post 196019)
35gr Bergers hands down.

For the past 5 years or so, these seem to be the people's choice in 20 caliber factory bullets...........

-BCB

pmg 03-19-2014 02:32 PM

35 bergers
 
Speaking of 35 bergers I've noticed that the last ones I bought a couple of weeks ago came in an orange box. That box says bc of .176. The older ones I have came in a yellow box and it says bc of .184. I know that's not that big of difference but I was wondering if anything else has changed with them. I haven't shot any of the new ones yet. Thought about calling them just to see.

17varminter 03-19-2014 02:44 PM

Ditto for Coons, foxes and yotes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JINGWEED (Post 196010)
I would have picked the 30 gr. bergers for no exit hole but never tried them on coyotes.


Chad 03-19-2014 03:36 PM

I shot a 20 Practical with a 21" barrel some this year. I used 40 grain Bergers at about 3,650 fps. Can't say they are the BEST, but they did a pretty good job for me. I did get some exits on broadside shot, maybe 25%. The exits were all small though and I didn't have to do any sewing. I hit a couple on the fringes that made larger holes, but thats gonna happen no matter the bullet. I only shot 35 or so coyotes this winter with that gun/load, so my opinion could change.

I've got some 35 grain Bergers and 32 grain Nosler Bt's loaded up to try next.

ramos 03-19-2014 03:57 PM

Lots of people on the same Band Wagon. Berger 35gr MHP for me, as well.

kenbro 03-19-2014 04:41 PM

30gr?
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by JINGWEED (Post 196010)
I would have picked the 30 gr. bergers for no exit hole but never tried them on coyotes.

Do Berger make a 30 gr. bullet in 20 cal?
Ken.

Oleman 03-19-2014 06:24 PM

20 Caliber bullets
 
Get yourself a box of 500 34 Gr. Varmint Extremes. They are cheap, they shoot well, they have a large HP and they don't exit. :eek:

SDguy605 03-19-2014 06:41 PM

? Surface splash concerns
 
"Get yourself a box of 500 34 Gr. Varmint Extremes. They are cheap, they shoot well, they have a large HP and they don't exit. "

With a large HP thin skinned varmint extreme pill. I fear one would be asking for surface splash on less than ideal shot placement circumstances which are sure to crop up in the real world of calling situations. Very much like the fears of the plastic tipped v-maxes. JMHO

Oleman 03-19-2014 06:46 PM

Splash
 
Used them and sorry your worry is for nothing I've had no splashes with them at 4000 fps. :D

I just don't shoot them faster because this seems to be my accuracy node with the bullet.
But just out of curiousity how many coyotes with splashes have you shot with this bullet?

xswanted 03-19-2014 07:13 PM

Agreed 35 Bergers work very well.

Kdog 03-19-2014 10:07 PM

I have had great accuracy and friendly results on fur when using the 39gr Sierra BK. Anyone else having good or bad results with the Sierra? It has a high BC, and is appealing to me over the 35gr Berger for that reason.

Ken

Bill K 03-19-2014 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oleman (Post 196046)
Used them and sorry your worry is for nothing I've had no splashes with them at 4000 fps. :D

I just don't shoot them faster because this seems to be my accuracy node with the bullet.
But just out of curiousity how many coyotes with splashes have you shot with this bullet?

Use the same bullet and never have had a so called splash. Entrance and no exit, head on in chest or broadside into lung cavity. Bill K

sandforc 03-19-2014 10:40 PM

Another vote for 35 Bergers.

Kenbro, Berger made 20cal 30 grain bullets until November, 2012. There's a few boxes still around but not many. Too bad, my 20VT loves 'em.

livetoshoot 03-19-2014 11:03 PM

thanks for all the replies everyone. i have two loads that shoot great out of my rifle, one is with the 35 gr. berger and the other is with the 39 gr. sbk. think i will use the sbk first because of the high BC and move to the 35 gr. bergers if hide damage is bad with the sbk. now if i could just get my rifle to feed rounds reliably i would be in heaven.

Dan Carey 03-20-2014 02:22 AM

35 Berger's

K22 03-20-2014 11:44 AM

I'll also agree that the 35gr. Bergers are great. But I am very interested in hearing about the 34gr. Midsouth bullets performance on Coyotes. I've often wondered how well it would perform since it is within 1 grain of the Berger and the Bergers are a Varmint bullet not a Match Target type.
I know BillK and Oleman are not BSer's when it comes to describing Predator experiences, so I'm hoping you guys will post some more on the Midsouth 34gr. bullet.

Oleman 03-20-2014 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill K (Post 196065)
Use the same bullet and never have had a so called splash. Entrance and no exit, head on in chest or broadside into lung cavity. Bill K

Same experience here with shots from 75 feet to 250 yards. In fact to make things interesting my 20 has a one in nine twist. I'd think that would really add to splash factor but it hasn't.

Bayou City Boy 03-20-2014 03:29 PM

Probably not a happy post for everyone, but I know of 2 coyotes shot inside of 40 yards that splashed on ribs both times with the 34 grainers. Not a big issue down here other than both required flow-up shots. Bergers may have done the same at a short distance but I've seen them break ribs and stiil get inside in similar circumstances. I shoot my own hand swaged 38 grain hp's, so my experience is what I've seen and not done. Still I think any hp is a better choice than a plastic tipped bullet. BC doesnt mean diddly at normal hunting ranges in 99% of situations you encounters while hunting and calling. Ymmv....

-BCB

AlbertaAl 03-20-2014 06:42 PM

20PPC 1:12 shooting Berger 40's @ 3950 fps
Hit a coyote broad-side @ 330 yards and he was so blown up...I wouldn't have even know where to start sewing the skin excpet that he had mange and wasn't a keep'er anyways.
Bergers 35's were much better !

livetoshoot 03-20-2014 06:56 PM

just out of curiosity i was wondering how the 32 gr v-max and similar bullets performance was like, my cousin has a 204 and shoots 32 gr. bullets and he seems to like them just fine but i believe the 35 gr. berger is going to be a better bullet. how destructive is the 32 and 39 gr. sierra blitzkings?

EdKin 03-20-2014 11:29 PM

Don't know about the SBK's but the V-Max can be very fur unfriendly. I shoot 35 Bergers and use V-Max for groundhogs and such.

livetoshoot 03-21-2014 03:57 AM

i have a cousin who shoots the 32 gr. v-max out of his .204R and has very mixed resulted. i have used a 25 gr. berger out of a 17 rem with great success, other than the fact that most coyotes i shoot run 25 to 50 yards about 50% of the time before dying. most of my shots are good shots right where they're supposed to be. always had good results as far as the fur is concerned, no blowups and no exits with one exception with a small coyote i shot real low right behind the shoulder and nearly gutted the poor thing.

Oleman 03-21-2014 04:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bayou City Boy (Post 196112)
BC doesnt mean diddly at normal hunting ranges in 99% of situations you encounters while hunting and calling. Ymmv....

-BCB

This is good information from BCB!

bburrell 03-22-2014 01:20 AM

My gun really likes the 39 gr.SBK, so that is what I shoot. I much prefer it on longer shots as it carries so much more energy and is flatter shooting than the lighter bullets at distance - 250+ yards. I have a box of 35 gr. bergers I hope to load up this spring some time. That said, most of my coyotes go down pretty hard with the SBK. I had one splash at close range last fall (35 yrds) and the darn thing got away because I didn't want to put another hole in him. I thought he would just walk off a few yards and drop over dead. WRong!!!! that cost me a $50 bounty (Utah). Now I shoot till they drop. I hit another yote at close range high in the back as he was running through the sagebrush and it took a big chunk of spine and hide and scattered it over the surrounding flora. Other than those two experiences, I have had very good success with the 39 gr. SBK ---- very dead with no hide damage.

The 35 gr berger is such that you will be really sacrificing a lot of terminal energy at shots over 250 yards. If you think that most of your shots will be under 250 then it would probably be a very good choice. If you expect to shoot beyond that mark, then you may want to consider the 39 gr. SBK or 40 Gr. Vmax. My disclaimer here is that my opinion of the 35 gr Berger comes from study and experience with other light (32 gr. bullets) but none with the Berger 35.

georgeld 03-22-2014 07:56 PM

Very good reports from all of you.
So far I haven't shot my 20 VT other than a few for
load development to sort out powder charge.
Soon as I'm able I want to get back at it though.
In that thought, it's very good to read these current reports from all over the country.

Shucks, I had a rib splash with a 180gr C/L on a cow elk at 200yds
with my .300Win/m one time. At that range it should have gone thru.
How many million deer n elk have been killed with that same bullet?
Yet I had that one fluke. Heck of it is, my same loads in buddies guns
have done a fine job from 30 feet to over 500 yds w/o another blow up on at least 60 head of elk.

You need to test and compare these things on hundreds, not just a few dozen.
At least that's what I've decided. It does sound like there's been a bunch of coyotes killed with the op's desired bullets.
All comments are appreciated.
Good shootin to all of you.

Tim Anderson 03-22-2014 08:45 PM

Your right Georgeld just shooting a few animals isn't a very accurate way of testing a bullet and its performance on Pred... It seems with the plastic tip bullets you need to match the vel. along with the distance you shoot the most to find what works the best.. I'm one of the fast and flat type of guys and in most cases the plastic tip bullets just don't get the job done the way it should be. A surface splash is a surface splash and if it does it once on a coyote its going to happen again. To me just one splash is too much and won't bother using that bullet again and still don't if I can find another bullet type and weight that does a better job. H,P. and soft points seems to work the best on an over all scale at varies speeds and distances and I talk from experience and not something I heard or read on the net.
Had a funny thing happen this year as far as bullet performance goes, a member in my hunting group shot a coyote at 200-400 yds, not sure of exact distance, he hit the coyote good but it didn't go down for long and was back up and running. Another member of group then shot the coyote with his rifle and finished it off. When the skinner was skinning out the coyote he found a bullet intact and just under the hide with no tissue damage what's so ever. Bullet turned out to be a 22 cal. plastic tip fired from a 223 of which the first shooter was using.. Not good in my book.LOL

Here is a coyote shot by a 204 that would of fetched around 50.00 if the bullet would of done its job the first time around.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...oyotes/003.jpg

You use a crappy bullet you will have crappy results.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...0fox/029-1.jpg

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...x/IMG_0421.jpg

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...x/IMG_0423.jpg

The larger cal. plastic tip bullets are built a little tougher so you can get by with using them on coyotes but anything in 22 cal or smaller is best left for shooting prairie dogs.

Bayou City Boy 03-22-2014 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Anderson (Post 196264)
........... It seems with the plastic tip bullets you need to match the vel. along with the distance you shoot the most to find what works the best.. I'm one of the fast and flat type of guys and in most cases the plastic tip bullets just don't get the job done the way it should be. A surface splash is a surface splash and if it does it once on a coyote its going to happen again................. ..........You use a crappy bullet you will have crappy results.

Very good observations and comments...........

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Anderson (Post 196264)
The larger cal. plastic tip bullets are built a little tougher so you can get by with using them on coyotes but anything in 22 cal or smaller is best left for shooting prairie dogs.

Prairie dogs.......... That is exactly what they are designed for.....

-BCB

albertacoyotecaller 03-23-2014 04:18 PM

I have always had the best luck with large hollow points. Other success have come from Sierra match bullets.


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