Good day all,
Some observations from the Dark Continent (haha).
I have been burning to test the effect of the 90gr Lapua Scenar projectile in my .243 Winchester chambered rifle (barrel length is 22" with 1:10" twist) on vermin species (jackal) and small/medium-sized, soft-skinned game (antelope).
I assisted in some black back jackal cleansing/culling (similar to your coyote) and some blesbuck removal off of a friend's farm this weekend.
The rifle fires these (6mm) 90gr hollow point boat tail match bullets at 0.25 (1/4) MOA at 200m at a muzzle velocity of 3100fps.
The first three kills were black backed jackal at ranges between 150m and 300m. I noted devastating wounds to the shoulder/chest area indicating that the projectiles had expanded and that the shock wave combined with bullet expansion offered 3-4" wound channels.
I also noted that the rifle, when zeroed at 200m did not require more than a fist's height in correction out to 300m.
I was using a silencer and the impact report was solid on all three jackal. Indicating that I drove the bullet into the real thick stuff (shoulder bones).
Take it or leave it, but as a varminting bullet I would never change from the Lapua Scenar again... Offering a beautiful flat trajectory and match precision and accuracy on small targets.
It then came down to the blesbuck test.
The first big ram was at around 300-320m and I corrected my elevation by about a hand's height (5-6") above the heart-line (lower third of the body).
I squeezed the shot off and the impact report was fantastic, the antelope's reaction even more so. The ram ran about 20 yards before expiring. The shot hit him on the shoulder and exited just behind the shoulder on the opposite side. I was impressed with the dramatic effect on target impact.
When gutting the animal upon return to camp, the following was observed:
1. The entrance wound/hole was tiny (6mm) with a Mentos sized exit wound behind the opposite shoulder;
2. The lungs had burst, torn and collapsed from the hydrostatic shock and the heart showed a large wound entrance in the upper ventricles and the exit from the heart looked like mince meat... A CLEAR INDICATOR OF PROJECTILE EXPANSION AND HIGH VELOCITY;
3. Funnily enough, there was no remarkable meat damage nor hydrostatic shock damage to the soft tissue (even on entrance).
The next day, a friend shot a young blesbuck ram i the eye at approximately 230m with my rifle. The bullet did not maintain its course and clearly burst as there were several exit wounds under the muzzle/snout and out of the opposite side's cheek, the hemorrhaging was severe as the head had swollen to twice its normal size between shooting and arriving at the expiration point. The young buck went down like lightning hit him.
Another young ram was shot that same day on the shoulder at around 150m (quite a bit closer than the previous shoulder shot) with my rifle. The effect was less dramatic this time and in the name of ethics and carcass recovery a second shot was put into the animal's upper neck (which was shattered by the small bullet). The first shot had actually again spectacularly exploded the heart and caused violent collapsing and bursting of the lungs, the kill was just not as quick as the big ram I had shot before. The bullet had not exited but rather fragmented into three small pieces which all came to rest under the opposing shoulder's skin. The meat damage here was a bit more intense, which is without a doubt range related (the energy and shock wave of a projectile moving at 3100fps at the muzzle striking its target at 150m is self explanatory).
I hope this is of value. Please see the attached pics described above.
Please do share your experience with the bullet and feel free to comment with similar experiences and observations.
I would be weary of shooting anything bigger than small/medium thin-skinned game with this caliber choice and bullet weight.
I also cannot comment on the reliability in respect of expansion of this projectile. I must however in closing say that I was chuffed with its performance.
Regards
M Rosslee
www.24hourcampfire.com
