V-max exploding on the surface...what caliber?

[PowPow]

I have read of V-maxes expanding early and causing only surface wounds on coyotes.
It sounds like it may be limited to small calibers...but how small?
17? 204? 224? What is your experience?

[bulletstuffer]

I saw it happen on a fox.  Bullet touched its face and blew up on the shoulder with 35 grain vmax 22 hornet 12 grains of h110 going about 3000 fps at 50 yards.  Lucky fox!

Bulletstuffer

[Swift One]

I think when it comes to a Vmax bullet you stand the chance of surface splash with any caliber when its traveling at a high rate of speed. That being said, I have rarely seen much splash with the vmax bullets past the 250yd mark.  My experiences........

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  A quick check of my notes shows between 2001 and 2004 I used 50 grain Vmax on 43 coyotes from 75 yards to about 350 in either a .22-250 Improved or my old .220 swift..there was no mention of any failures..in addition I probably shot another 50 with 75 grain Vmax in my .25-06...Since then I have shot Serria Blitzking becaused I used up theboxes of 50grain Vmax I had loaded...Just opened some more..so from what I have seen there have been NO failures on the ammo I have used..it was all of course handloads...

[mcwoodduck]

I think when it comes to a Vmax bullet you stand the chance of surface splash with any caliber when its traveling at a high rate of speed. That being said, I have rarely seen much splash with the vmax bullets past the 250yd mark.  My experiences........

+1- Speed can kill the bullet too.
Saw a guy shooting a 22-250 at warp speed with a 40 grain bullet and in the spotting scope I could see black puff about 60 to 75 yards down range (when the bullet hit a rain drop) it would explode.

[PowPow]

Saw a guy shooting a 22-250 at warp speed with a 40 grain bullet and in the spotting scope I could see black puff about 60 to 75 yards down range (when the bullet hit a rain drop) it would explode.

Headed to the range after work. Got the 250 and its raining. Gotta try that.

[chutesnreloads]

PowPow back to your origional post....the only bullet I've seen do this was a 55 grain Hornady SXSP.It was on a coyote at around 100 yards from a .223.I don't use the lighter weight bullets so can't speak for them but have never had this happen with a 50-55 grain plastic tipped bullet.

[Sidewinder]

If the bullet hits bone, like a shoulder, the polymer bullets can explode (splash) and not penetrate further. I shot a coyote with a 55 grain VMax in a 223 in the chest at about 75 yards. It spun and took off. I have shot coyotes at aver 200 yards, broadside, and it left a huge exit wound on the far side of the lungs with the same bullet. It did not hit bone on the way in.  Several people I know of have switched to hollow point bullets, such as Sierra Gameking or Berger bullets to avoid bone splash.

[mcwoodduck]

If the bullet hits bone, like a shoulder, the polymer bullets can explode (splash) and not penetrate further. I shot a coyote with a 55 grain VMax in a 223 in the chest at about 75 yards. It spun and took off. I have shot coyotes at aver 200 yards, broadside, and it left a huge exit wound on the far side of the lungs with the same bullet. It did not hit bone on the way in.  Several people I know of have switched to hollow point bullets, such as Sierra Gameking or Berger bullets to avoid bone splash.

Again I wonder if the spped at 75 yards is greater than the bullet can handle and hit a solid object.
At 200 yards the bullet has slowed to make the same shot at 75 yards a deadly one.

[NoBull60]

Hi,
First off Don't believe everything you Hear because someone made it a better story than it was to begin with whether it be positive or negative. The V-max bullets are varmint bullets and they do great for what they are intended for. Someone who re-chambered a barrel with the wrong twist for a light weight bullet may cause problems if the bullet is spinning too fast. Reloading too light of weight bullet for a fast twist may also cause bullet failure. For the most part, varmint ammo will anchor a coyote in it's tracks!! This is where it depends on you to respectful to the animal by not taking a shot you know will wound it. SHOT PLACEMENT! Like head or shoulder shots are forbidden. Varmint bullets were not made to penetrate bone. A frontal neck/chest or behind the shoulder/rib shot have never surprised me yet. Bang Flop is what happens. This works for the 223, 204, and 243 that I shoot and own. Others may have different opinions.   That's NoBull60

[gr8ful]

I have had 40gr v-max and blitzkings blow up on coyotes with 22-250 on close shots requiring a follow up shot, I have not lost one yet though.  Neck shots are best followed by punching them through the ribs.  I hunt coyotes to get rid of them, so hide damage is not an issue, so I just shoot em till they are dead.

[jabey9210]

I shoot a 243 using 55gr nos bt's and have never had a failure when they hit the bone at close range they leave a cannonball sized hole that the dog's don't recover from. I also shoot 32 gr v-max's out of a 204 and have taken coyotes as far as 485 yrds it went down but was very much still alive when I got out there but have never lost one due to bullet failure at close range the closer they get the faster they die so I don't know where the v-max failure rumor comes from.

[petemi]

I too don't care about the hides.  95% of the fox and coyotes I've shot have been with the .308 and 168 gr. Winchester Supremes.  A few were taken with the .45-70.  None of them wiggled.  The shots ranged from 100 yards to 350 yards.  I have Handis in both .22-250 and .223, but I don't use them often on coyotes.  I did nail one coyote at about 260 yards with a 7.62x39 Handi with junk Russian FMJ ammo because that was what was in my hand at the moment.

Pete

[Justin10mm]

I have shot a few coyotes and fox with 55gr. V-Maxs in .223 and .22-250 and have not experienced bullet failure. I even killed a deer at 220 Yards with the .22-250 and recovered the bullet from the inside of the rib cage. However, I like Nosler BTs better and trust them to give better penetration than the V-Max.  I killed a spike deer this past season with the .22-250 loaded with Winchester Ballistic Silver Tips, at about 60 yards the bullet passed completely through the ribs and exited.   

[JeffG]

Every "surface splash" that I personally know about was a .22 centerfire on medium game, and sorry to be graphic...humans.  The bullets alwasy hit something like a deer's shoulder bone.  There was PLENTY of damage, but some were lethal and some were not.  I saw an X-ray of an M-16 "surface splash". They guy's chest was full of jacket material and lead core....he died.

The way I see it, is the bullet is moving FORWARD at 3000-4000 fps.  That all of a sudden everything comes to a complete stop..?..on flesh and bone.  No, not likely.

[jabey9210]

Like i said before i have never had a dog get away due to bullet failure.  Bad shot placement now that's another story.  Just this past weekend my wife shot a coyote at 70 yds hit it in the shoulder and sure enough bang flop.  We got up to it and there was a normal sized hole in the entry side and when I rolled it over you could have easily fit a basketball in the exit wound.   I have also killed one at 375 yrds that hit in the boiler maker and the exit wound was golf ball size. Both were shot with a .243 55 grain nosler ct ballistic tip over 45.5 grains of h4895 moving at 4025 fps.  So as I stated before the closer they are the faster they die.  I have yet even with the v=max in 204 to have it fail to penetrate I hit a fox in the head with the 204 at 250 yrds and it went in made its eyes pop out  and came out the between it's back legs and looking inside it looked like it was gutted by a professional.  I think v-max rumor is just that (a rumor). 

[eye shot]

To check my scope I shot a 1/4" thick steel pistol dong at 50 yds. with .17 Rem. and 25gr. HP at 4000fps. To my surprise it bored a perfect .17 cal. hole in it. Bullet splash I dought.