It sure surprised me when that tiny bullet passed completely through the coyote. A lot of it could have been shot placement too. I shot it through the ribs essentially and she was mangy so I didn't skin that coyote to see exactly what the damage looked like. For all I know I could have slipped that bullet between ribs on both sides and only hit lungs and soft fleshy things that make a coyote live. I wish I could say exactly what happened but that coyote ended up not getting skinned out.
Velocity definitely does come into play when it comes to the performance of all sorts of bullets. So that part of it I don't doubt. That's why so many people can shoot one bullet and have somewhat different opinions on it. What works great out of a 24" barrel may not do as well in a 16 1/2" or whatever the case may be. This website is definitely useful to help shorten the learning curve. But I think the best way to learn is from firsthand experience. That's why I say take my advice for what it's worth. I'm not going to discourage anyone from learning and unfortunately the best learning experiences in life come through trial and error. In my opinion we all need to walk that path.
The best advice I can give guys is buy ammo and shoot coyotes with it. Learn what works best for you and run with it regardless of what's on the box. Heck, there are hollowpoint bullets that are geared towards shooting targets but can, will and have killed coyotes and do a dang good job of it. Those boat tailed match hollowpoints will kill coyotes dead as a hammer. But nothing on the box they come in says so. Sometimes you just gotta buy things and try it.
