223 ammo recommendation?

[BillM]

My "truck gun" has evolved over the years--from a mdl 94 30-30 to an
SKS to the current AR. It's a 16" light barrel upper on a
Cavalry Arms lower, with a 1-3 Weaver for my getting older eyes.

It likes Black Hills 50 gr V-Max for little critters, but I think I want a
bit more bullet for coyote and up. The V-Max is a bit too explosive.

Recommendations? Something with good penetration and decent
expansion?

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[kevlar]

Nosler has just introduced a 60 grain ballistic tip! Still explodes but penetrates deeper stops a coyote instantly!(not sure what your rate of twist is may not work so well)
If your trying not to damage a pelt try a 40 grain ballistic tip with my 22 hornet they dont make it all the way through. Havent tested with a .223 yet though

 

[NoOne]

No bullet will do every job. On coyotes, if it expands too much, it ruins the hide. If it doesn't expand, the hide is in good shape, but you might have to chase the coyote around before you get it.

Perhaps a solution would be to load your magazine with ball, expanding bullet, ball, expanding bullet and so on. If it was me, I would just stick with plain old ball ammo and try to get good marksmanship to do the job, rather than hoping for a trick bullet to do the job poor marksmanship botched up.

 

[gr8guns]

Check the barrel twist rate of your AR. If it's 1 in 12 or slower (1 in 9) you can use a heavier bullet. 60 grain bullets is about the heavist you can use in a 1 in 12 twist rate. Hornady makes a 60 grain hollow point that should work well for "dogs". They also make a 60 grain soft point that may do the job for you. Go with a heavier bullet than that, you'll need a slower twist rate.

 

[PhysicsGuy]

+1 on ballistic tips, I've never loaded any .223 with them, but have had great results with .308 ballistic tips

 

[Spray-n-pray]

At this point, I would recommend buying just about anything you can get your hands on.....

 

[Bend]

Black Hills makes rounds with a 60g V-max, I've used it for years on 'yotes. However, BH prices have doubled in the last 2 years. Even with that, you'll not find any in stock. You might find some Federal game (not varmint) ammo on shelves but expect it to be costly.

If you know someone that reloads, you might be able to find the components to make up some. The bullets that fit your stated need are: 60g V-max, 60g Nosler BT, 60g Nosler Partition (it will take deer).