Favorite Bullet for Coues?

[Red Rabbit]

What is your favorite bullet to use for Coues deer?   Partition, Accubond, LRAB, TTSX, LRX, VLD, ELD-M, ELD-X, Scirocco, e-tip, BT, SP, BTHP, SST, core lokt?

Did you arrive at your decision based on cartridge velocity, distance of shots, past performance good or bad (detailed elaboration is good to hear), accuracy, recommended by a stranger?

[firstcoueswas80]

I've been very pleased with the Hybrid. Accurate, great BC, and very lethal on contact. 

[muledeerarea33?]

Lapua scenars. Shoot great out of my 6.5-06AI and have killed two Coues this year without question. 

[firstcoueswas80]

I too have seen the Scenars in action. They're good bullets as well.

[Hoss50]

I have not used either on a coues, but both have worked well on big game for me and would be what I would shoot at a coues when I hunt them next.

.257 cal 115gr Berger HVLD (.257 Weatherby - 1 Cow Elk @ 270 yards)

6.5 cal 135gr Berger Classic Hunter (6.5x55 - 2 mule deer. 1 @ 40 yards, 1 @ 250 yards)

[AZAV8ER]

Factory Hornady 270 WIN 140 SST Superformance because it is sub MOA in my custom light weight MOD 700, Factory Hornady 270 WIN 145 Precision Hunter because its sub MOA in my MOD 70 Winny, Factory FED 270 WIN 150 Fusion because its sub MOA in my MOD 70 featherweight, Factory 6.5C Hornady 143 Precision Hunter because its sub MOA in my Seekins Havak, Factory FED 243 WIN 95 Fusion because  its sub MOA in my MOD 70 featherweight. Sierra GK in any caliber for any of my rifles because they load up at MOA or less. Guys its Coues deer, mostly you need any half decent bullet to hit where you want it to (very critical) within the range that you deliver enough energy to do the job (also important). SST's have been deadly on Coues 250 to 300 multiple times. Precision hunter did solid job at 350 and Sierra GK on Elk, Coues and mule deer multiple times and varied ranges. Fed Fusion never on game but being accurate I feel very comfortable they will perform on delivery. My short and sweet thoughts.

[singleshot]

120 grain Sierra Pro Hunter and whatever the same bullet was called 40 years ago out of a 6.5x55 on Coues, mule deer and antelope. Accounted for at least a combined 50 kills. Sometimes perfect mushrooms, sometimes fragmented, from 50 to 400 yards. But always seemed to kill very well.

115 grain NBT out of a .257 Roberts out to 390 yards has been a great killer on Coues for my wife. They swell up like a ballon on impact and go nowhere. The recovered bullets have actually mushroomed nicely. I would have to say the recovery distance on average has been much less than similar hits with NBT's, SST's and Bergers out of my 7mm Rem. Mag. 

162 grain SST on Elk out of a 7mm Remington magnum. Two one shot kills at over 430 yards. Less than stellar hits on both but the bullets penetrated and performed flawlessly.

[dse]

130 Scirrocco from a 270 Wsm. 12 Coues, 2 Mule deer, 1 cow elk, and a lion all dead on contact. Performed great at 188 yds and just as good at 700 yds.

[rkv09]

130 SST in .277 diameter, decent BC, great price, enters the vitals and turns everything to soup. excellent deer round from my experience 

[PRDATR]

Barnes 120gr X Bullet in my 7 Mag somewhere in the neighbor hood of 3400fps. Caribou, black bear, elk, mule deer and coues all one shot kills. Loaded a few hundred up in the early 90's and only have one or two left so now I am using factory HSM with 168 Bergers.

[Red Rabbit]

I have used older 130 .277 ballistic tips in a 270Win.  Once had a 3" entrance hole on the shoulder, which I thought may have been due to "splashback"  This may have been before the jackets were beefed up a little by Nosler. 

Other bullets that have been launched at Coues include 140 Partitions and 150 Ballistic Tips in a 7 Rem Mag.  140 Sierra BTSP in a 280Rem.  Aside from the 130 BT from the 270, I have not had any excessive or too little damage and all Coues died in short order.  Only lost deer was with a 6.5mm 130 Scirocco which I admittedly hit the deer too far back (operator mental error).

Seems I have no favorite bullet as each deer season with a tag seems to have a different bullet loaded or a different cartridge.  Bullets have been chosen based on a mix of construction, BC and accuracy in the rifle.

[no worries]

143 ELDX worked well on a coues at 560 yards. Fairly mild recipe 260 Remington pushing a tad over 2700 fps. 

Deer only took 2 or 3 steps and had an exit wound big enough to put 2 fingers in.

[452b264]

One of my favorite bullets in my 280 rem. was 160 gr. Sierra BTSP at 2920 fps, DRT. Others used and liked 160 gr. partition, Barnes TTSX from 7 mm wby.

[Ed67]

For years it was a Sierra .243 85g  bthp or 100G Nosler Partition when I had a mule deer tag. I later switched to at 270 WSM and shot .277 140G Accubonds. 

I bought myself a retirement gift and this year I shot a buck at 248 with a 6.5, 129G SST. 

For coues/mule deer I would just shoot whatever load I could work up that shot the best. 

[GreyGhost85]

I like a bullet that expands pretty rapidly for coues. Been shooting 130gn ELD-M’s out of my .264wm @ 3300 fps for a few years now. They seem to be a happy medium between not enough expansion and too much expansion. Before that i shot 130gn sciroccos. These were probably my favorite bullet i’ve ever shot but they are hard to find and expensive anymore. Can’t figure out why Swift doesn’t try to push more of them out the door. Good BC and a tough bullet