firstcoueswas80 Report post Posted September 21, 2004 This weekend i was at home and my dad and i went shooting. i was shooting federal vital shock in 165 grain. the bullet is a trophy bonded bear claw. my gun shot it VERY well and seems to like 165 grain bullest the best. federal claims this load to reach speeds of 3,000 fps, what i wanna know is a 165 grain bullet that fast too much bullet for a coues? will the bullet open up at all or is a coues too light for that bullet? casey Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Ernesto C Report post Posted September 21, 2004 Its a very good bullet,remember shot placement is the key,if you want a bullet that expands and penetrate at the same time and since your rifle likes federal and 165 grains,try the same but with the soft point. Ernesto C. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
.270 Report post Posted September 21, 2004 that will bullet will open up the size of a 50 cent piece and will kill the heck outta any coues walking. is it too much bullet? depends on your preference. to me, you can only kill something so dead. anything from a .22/.250 to a .460 weatherby will work fine for a coues deer, as long as you are a marksman. the .460 might be the best if you're a chronic gut shooter. if you can find ribs, anything will work. really. you're talking about an animal that is about the same size as a good sized lab retriever. everyonce in awhile one will get to maybe 150 lbs. live weight. and i mean real seldom. i've never seen any animal get away from a lung shot with a high power rifle. it is just simply impossible for them to live more than a few seconds. maybe a couple minutes tops. they can only travel about as far as they can hold their breath. hit the heart, and it's even less. even if the 165 didn't expand an iota, in a good lung shot it'd still be so devastating to a coues that he wouldn't go more than a few yards. when folks say they hit an animal good and it got away, they're one of 2 things, a liar or a real crappy tracker. maybe both. punch any animal in the lungs with a high power, and it dies. if you're hunting big mean stuff, better have a rifle with enough nuts to get into the lungs. coues ain't a big mean animal. Lark. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TAM Report post Posted September 21, 2004 Lark is right on with what he said. I will add that a lot of serious coues hunters prefer to use more gun than is necessary to kill them. There is an active discussion on this sight right now about people using .300 mag's for coues. Any of the .300 mags is a lot more gun than a person actually needs to kill a coues. The reason most guys do this is so they can shoot a rifle with a flat trajectory and enough energy left in the bullet for the long shots coues deer are known for. Many of the traditional "deer calibers" do not preform as well at ranges of 350 yards and more. Coues deer aren't real picky about what kind of bullets will kill 'em, most any well constructed bullet will do the trick. That bullet will knock 'em dead! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
More D Report post Posted September 21, 2004 Sound like you found your bullet FC80. If it shoots accurate then it's perfect! CRONIC GUT SHOOTER! NOW THATS FUNNY Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trufletch Report post Posted September 21, 2004 I think alot of folks try to pick a caliber that will work on several species. If you have the bucks for only one hunting rifle, why not pick one that you know you can use for everything from javelina to elk. I know you can load up the other calibers and shot placement is important, but some folks like the big magnums. I am from the school that if you are proficient with the weapon, understand the limitations of that weapon and of yourself and don't stretch the limitations of either, then you are doing allright. I just hate getting beat up by some of the magnums. Seems they tear me up and cease to be fun to shoot, course i have never had the pleasure to shoot one with muzzle breaks and other recoil reducers. Trufletch Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Ernesto C Report post Posted September 22, 2004 Well this topic started with a question of a bullet and grains and now we went to calibers. There are several calibers that will take a coues and here I go again with the same comment or personal opinion that I have posted before several times;when hunting there is no such a thing as OVERKILLING,we the hunters are responsible to take any game in the most quickly and humane way possible so selecting the right caliber and the right bullet is also part or our responsability so is shot placement. Talking about responsability I got to go the shoting range and keep practicing I dont want to miss my trophy this coming hunt Take care everybody. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
