# 243 Bullets For Yotes An Wolves



## Patty

Hi Guys, I Have A Few questions I hope to have answered... I just bought two 243 rifles one is A tikka the other is A rem 700 Sps... i'm shooting winchester 55gr ballistic silvertips out of the rem an an wondering how this load works on coyotes an wolves?


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## Patty

forgot to add that most of my shots will be under 400yards... an the fact that I don't handload....


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## youngdon

Welcome to the forum Patty.
I shoot 55gr Noslers and they work great on coyotes, I haven't had the pleasure of shooting a wolf yet but honestly I might think about a heavier bullet for long range energy retention and shock at any range try a 70gr, you;'ll still have 243 type trajectory with a bit more oomph behind it to battle those bigger ones.


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## youngdon

Sorry you posted while I was typing. You may only find the lighter weights in varmint loads from the factories. I'd still look around for an heavier bullet not even necessarily a varmint bullet.


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## Patty

thanks... the other gun I bought for my girlfriend an she is shooting 85gr tsx which left an dinner plate sized hole in the first coyote she shot... I haven't had the pleasure of drawing blood with mine yet....


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## poe

I to have used the 55s on coyotes with great results but mine were also hand loads which prob didnt make a really big difference. For coyotes I think they would prob be fine but make sure you place your shot. If I remember right you can get a 68 and I think a 75 grain Vmax may be something to look at but I really dont know what to tell ya for wolves. How ofter will you be shooting coyotes and how often will you be hunting wolves.


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## Patty

well most of the hunting I do up here is going to be equal opportunity on both... our dogs are big up here coyotes push the sixty pound mark an wolves will push two hundred... I would like to do as little damage as possible but not be under gunned so to speak....


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## Patty

last year I used A 25-06 with core loct 120gr... did enough damage to the four coyotes I shot with it.... tennis ball to softball sized holes... put them down tho...


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## Mattuk

100gn all day long.


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## hassell

I've used the factory load's on a wolf out of my 22-250, knocked her head over heals, But it's like anything we shoot; Shot Placement is the key.


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## Patty

I have heard good an bad about the 55gr bst... I expect it to be A very explosive type of bullet? this is the first dedicated dog gun I have bought... wanted to make sure I had enough gun but not over gunned... I also have some 80gr psp fedral that I haven't tried yet... i'm not to familiar with varmint style bullets.... always used deer loads an made big holes.....


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## Mattuk

Use enough bullet buddy, put them down the first time.


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## youngdon

Patty said:


> I have heard good an bad about the 55gr bst... I expect it to be A very explosive type of bullet? this is the first dedicated dog gun I have bought... wanted to make sure I had enough gun but not over gunned... I also have some 80gr psp fedral that I haven't tried yet... i'm not to familiar with varmint style bullets.... always used deer loads an made big holes.....


It is an explosive type of bullet as are all varmint types. You'll have to place your shot well and stay away from bone with the lightest ones. Heavier varmint type bullets will penetrate it but bone fragments are not fur friendly...Like hassell said shot placement is key.


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## poe

if you use the 55 gr bst and you place your shots you shouldnt have any trouble knocking down wolves. The problem you are going to run into is if you want to save fur you are going to have to use lighter bullets that blow upinside the animal with no exit or use a full metal jacket and with both of these bullets shot placment is key. If you use your 80 0r 100 gr soft points you well get lots of penitration and have big exit holes but it dont matter what you shoot if you dont place your shots. I have seen coyotes gut shot with a 270 run off. If I was you I would look at the threads on here for fur friendly .243 loads for coyotes and use one of those.


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## Patty

so I should expect big holds with my 55gr bst in both wolves an coyotes or are they going to blow up inside an i'll have no exit? sorry guys i'm kinda confused......


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## poe

sorry I didnt explain very good with a good shot the 55gr Bst should blow up inside with no exit wound.I have used these on coyotes out of my .243 with good results. I believe the ballistic silvertips are basicly the same as the normal balistic tips the silver tips just have a coating on them. The reason I say the silver tips is because that is what I have used but other people have had good results with the ballistic tips and the Vmax.


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## Patty

awesome! thats kinda what I wanted to hear.... i'm usually pretty good at shot placement an the gun is shooting those little 55gr very very well.... two more night shifts an i'll have three weeks of theory testing!


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## poe

sounds like fun make sure you let us know how they work.


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## Patty

no worries.... i'll be glad to let ya know how it works out.... thanks again for all the advice....


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## poe

no problem


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## knapper

One of the most important things that is not mentioned is if you are using only one bullet then there is much less to worry about, pick one and just use that one. Then the rest is easy to do and there is no guess work and fumbling around with sight changes or second guessing which one to use.


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## Patty

well one more shift to in an i'll put them to the test! our late moose season is on right now so there should be some kills to check out... hopefully will have some pics to post soon!


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## Patty

supposing that A guy such as myself were to get A crack at A wolf with the 55gr bst... would A head on shot placed in the chest get the job done? I know ideally A perfect broadside shot it the best to take but sometimes A head on shot is all A guy gets presented with.... just kinda curious....


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## knapper

You know what your limitations are, work with that one load and it will become natural, train your mind and your body to get in sink with what you expect and be sure to aim each shot, don't spray and pray, not that you can do so with a bolt gun.


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## poe

I would feel comfortable taking a frontal shot on a wolf with that load.


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## youngdon

Patty said:


> supposing that A guy such as myself were to get A crack at A wolf with the 55gr bst... would A head on shot placed in the chest get the job done? I know ideally A perfect broadside shot it the best to take but sometimes A head on shot is all A guy gets presented with.... just kinda curious....


I agree with poe I'd take the shot with confidence that the bullet would do it's job instantly.


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## hassell

Patty said:


> supposing that A guy such as myself were to get A crack at A wolf with the 55gr bst... would A head on shot placed in the chest get the job done? I know ideally A perfect broadside shot it the best to take but sometimes A head on shot is all A guy gets presented with.... just kinda curious....


 No problem at taking that shot.


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