.204 Serria bullets to soft for coyote

Catfish · #1 10-18-2005, 03:47 PM

I hit 3 and I think 4 coyotes today with the 32 gn. Serria bullets. I hit one hrad twice, knocked him dowm hard both time and he still got away. I came home and called Serria and they told me that the 39 gn. bullets were probibly to thin skinned also.

With the accuracy I get with them I hate to give them up for coyote, but I`m going to have to find a different bullet. Does anyone have a .204 bullet that is upto the task???? or will I have to get my .17 Rem. out again?

Andy L · #2 10-18-2005, 05:29 PM

Shaun Frame was knockin their socks off, and still will for that matter, with a 32gr Vmax. I dont see why you couldnt....

Andy

Check out the 30gr Bergers..... 25gr Berger Match is the holy grail of coyote bullets for the 17Rem. Dont know why they wouldnt work either.

Catfish · #3 10-18-2005, 07:13 PM

Andy,
I`ve got pleanty of the 32 and 40 gn. V max, their just no way near as accurate as the Serras in my gun. About 1 moa was the best I was able to group with them, but if they will kill a coyote I guess I try to find a better load and if I can`t I`ll shot them anyway. The Bergers were alittle more accurate than the V-max but still not up to the accuracy of the Serras. Thanks for the help. I will save my Serras for groundhogs.

Andy L · #4 10-18-2005, 07:26 PM

Catfish,
I tried to send you some info via PM. But, it says your box is full. If you wanna clean it out or send me your email, I will send it to you. I dont like posting specific stuff on boards. Dont want to hurt anyone by gettin them blowed up.

Andy

yoteman · #5 11-06-2005, 01:33 PM

I have had great luck with the 40 grain Berger..I am loading this ahead of the manual recommended 28 grains of WW 748, a very mild load. No escapes yet had one runner left a red swath about a foot wide easy find. Most are complete pass thru penetrators unless you get a head on or tail shot, or get BOTH shoulders. Can't say enough good things about this bullet in the .204. For more velocity, try the top rate of RL-10, it's good for another 100+ FPS in most guns and is very accurate. I stick with 748 because it meters so well in my Dillon...
Regards,
Yoteman

win71 · #6 11-26-2005, 06:16 PM

At least in a Cooper LVT speed seems to be the key to the best groups. One grain over max with both 748 and H-335 have been the trick so far. I did have some terrible ES with WSR primers, in the neighborhood of 225 to 275 fps for 5 shots. Fed 205m solved that. Both sierra 32's and berger 35's shot about the same.

michaeljcanoe · #7 04-23-2007, 05:25 PM

Shoot the Berger 40 grainers in my 20/250, and the Berger, as usual, gets the job done. I've jumped around but seem to always come back to shooting Bergers (but do know the 39 grain Sierra shoots quite well in it). I'm using 40.5 grains of H4350 for a MV of 4340'/sec. With a 2" midrange (for coyotes). I'm good with a dead on hold out to 345 and then top of the back to 395. One of the last coyotes of the season (Western Montana) was at 367. Just pretty darn simple...top of the back=dead critter. Would have loved to have used Reloder 15 (accurate, and good velocity with appropriate pressure) and somewhere got the impression that it was not particularily sensitive to wide swings in temperature. Ain't true! Had to go to H4350 (EXTREME) this winter due to a couple misses. A friend put a few rounds in the freezer and brought them to the range at 6 degrees out. Put a few on the dash of the vehicle and let the defroster warm them up. Difference at a hundred yards was about an inch. Had to switch back to Varget in my .17 Rem and H4350 in my Middlested. Bottom line..........all the wildcat .204s are "quite the ticket." Montana Mike

Catfish · #8 04-26-2007, 04:45 PM

Mike,
I`ve got some 35 gr. Bergers loaded for the .204, but will spend alot more time carring a .22-6mm. When I`m doing alot of walking the .204 is what I carry, 6 lbs. and is a tack driver, but when I setting I`ll have a .22-6mm. I`ve taken 1 groundhog with it so far, alittle over 430 yrds., lazered, in a bad wind. It did take me 2 shots as I guessed the wind wrong on the first one. I shot a 3 1/4 in. group with it at 500 yrds in a 10 mhp cross wind, steady though, and the group was 3 1/4 in high and abt. 1/2 in wide. I think the vertical stringing was do to fire form brass that the necks were to thick on, I got zero neck expantion when fired.

reb8600 · #9 12-23-2009, 07:56 PM

I have had great results on coyotes with the 35 gr bergers. I have heard good reports on the 39 gr sierras also. Just about everything I hear about the 32 gr sierra or hornady is not good. They tend to splash instead of penetrating to the vitals.

GP · #10 12-27-2009, 09:08 PM

A coyote run out in the crested wheat grass at 274 yds and all I could see was the top of his head. I shot him with a 39 blitz. and it took half his head off. DOA. I have tried a lot of 204 bullets and 39 blitz. and 35 Bergers work the best for me. Idaho coyotes are relatively small though. I use H4895 powder.