204 rUGER

woob614271 · Post by **woob614271** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 10:06 am

A query for all of you 204ruger shooters, which rifle &/or rifle scope combo would you recommend?
from what i've read here and in various magazines, the 204 seems to be one of the best varmint/light game cartridges ever developed, both for accuracy and killing power, ever developed.
so please convince me that I need one, and tell me which one to get.
Like most shooters I don't have a fat wallet.
the WOOB

trevort · Post by **trevort** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 10:14 am

pick one with a 26 inch barrel to get all its velocity capability and thats it, they all shoot!

if i was buying a factory one agin it would be a rem as there are so many things available to upgrade them. It wouldnt be an sps, it would be a VSSF with a high quality HS stock or the VLSS with the Boyds thumbhole laminate.

My ruger VT was excellent and if you can get a deal like the guy who tried to poison my for sale ad stated It would be right up there with the best value.

I have actually accepted $1075 for mine now but seriously, if the sale falls thru you would be getting a bargain if you bought it

woob614271 · Post by **woob614271** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 12:41 pm

Trevort, Ive been so bloody tempted, but as I said earlier, i have a scope to pay fot, and a heavy 30 x30 1/12 Lilja coming; I don't know what that's for yet. That's one of the reasons I've put a 30 day timeframe on the question.
I WILL keep your kind offer in mind
Good luck with the saEl, either way.
the WOOB

flyer · Post by **flyer** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 4:16 pm

WOOB,

My belief for this cartridge is, if used for varminting, buy the best quality, highest magnification scope that you can afford and put it on a REMY (as Trevort said. That way you get the best out of the cartrdge, IMO.

Flyer

woob614271 · Post by **woob614271** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 4:50 pm

As for a scope, I have a nightforce 8-32 X 56 NP1RR just sitting here; will that do? Chuckle, chuckle...
the WOOB

Rinso · Post by **Rinso** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 5:16 pm

Mate,

A nightforce 8-32 is wasted on the 204 IMHO. (Before anyone goes off read on)

The 204 is a good varmit calibre but to shoot to the ditance a NF will give you need a real long ranger something wiht a 1000 yd ability.
Yes a lot of guns will shoot that far but they really wont make too many first shot hits.

A nice Leupold 6.5-20 III (I have 2 and one lives on a 25.06) will give you all the scope you can really use on a 204 and it will not over balance the gun. If you want bigger then 8.5-25 but no bigger and not in a NF unless its an NXS

Just my thoughts

Cheers
Rinso

Drew Jaeger · Post by **Drew Jaeger** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 6:19 pm

I'm very impressed with my new varmint set-up; Remington 700 VSSF II with a VX-III 4.5-14x40mm AO. I planned accordingly to get this particular rifle by saving over 6-8 months and selling my Ruger KM77 223.

The VSSF II has the new X-Mark Pro trigger, which is set at a crisp 1.5lb. The projectile I selected for the 204 is the popular Sierra 39gr BlitzKing with a "healthy" charge of 26.6grs AR2206H (not too heavy, not too light) in new Remington brass.

This is the first group fired from the VSSF II. The first four shots went inside 0.25". Unfortunately, due to my excitement, I blew the group with the fifth shot (the top hole) - 0.44"

The first feral varmint shot was a rabbit out sunning himself on a rocky slope. The rangefinder indicated he was 227m. Upon squeezing the trigger the projectile's effect on the rabbit's head was seen in all its glory!

This was my first experience with the 204. The second was a night out on the foxes where the ranges varied from 120m to 326m; Basil meets the 204.

I love my Remington 204.

Ned Kelly · Post by **Ned Kelly** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 10:57 pm

G'day all,
I have to agree with Rinso on scopes, a 6-20 or 6-24 is damn near perfect for varminting. You do not need to make it top heavy with a scope like the NF (as good as they are). This allows one scope for testing loads and a practical 12x-15x for hunting/spotlighting. A good friend of mine loves a 4-15 scope range for foxing. And he deeply regrets selling his 2-10x50 NF years ago to a pro roo shooter.

Any rem action allows a great deal of customisation by the backyard tinkerer with drop in stocks, triggers etc. And nearly all precision gunsmiths have crafted a tack driver on a rem. They are indeed the benchmark that all BR actions are derived from.

As for the 204, I am DEFINATELY not against them, in fact I'm very impressed and hoping they go from stength to strength. So all you 204 owners, PLEASE dont take any contracts out on me! But as a prospective owner, I feel you need to consider a couple of things. As they say in the classics I gots to know......

1. The selection of quality bullets. If your 204 wont shoot whats available then what? Importing .20 cal pills from the US is not an option I'ld like to take. At least you stand a good chance of getting a 224 bullet that works.

2. like when the .17 cal rifles first appeared, sourcing cleaning rods and jags, were a problem, especially brushes.

3. Hopefully they are not a passing fad, where in the future supplies of reloading components such as cases, bullets etc become hard to source. Possibly even barrels!

4. Are they easy to clean? The 17's had a bad reputation for fouling, are they worse than a .222/223? Barrel life, is it good, bad or indifferent?

5 For longer shots how far do they drift wind compared to other popular varminting rounds? I'd expect them to be at least compatible to a .222

These factors would need to be put to rest to allow any thinking shooter change from his .222/223. At the end of the day performance is usually the deciding factor. But continued operation/servicing of the rifle and ammo is also very important for the life of the rifle

I hope I'm wrong because the attributes of the 204 are very appealing such as the low recoil, accuracy of those in the forum and the flat shooting. I want all of the 204 shooters out there to prove I have nothing to worry about!

Cheerio Ned

trevort · Post by **trevort** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 11:22 pm

Ned i've had two beers and a bottle of red, soory too pissed to answer sensibly so i hope you'll take it the right way and accept "your wrong" for now.

Now when i get my own place to live and my own computer I might talk about the Nosler BTs and Shots and BKs and Vmaxs and hornafy soft points and bergers in many different weights and the fact that more 204 rifles have been sold in the states in 3 years than 17 rems since they were invented.

IT IS NOT A PASSING FAD AND IF YOU HAVENT SHOT ONE YOU JUST HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF WHY NOT.

The ballistic experts will tell you they have lest winddrift than 224 pills simply because they get to the target quicker.

have a nice day

Ned Kelly · Post by **Ned Kelly** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 11:42 pm

Jeez Trev,
how much red have you had, LOL!

It ok mate, I knew I'd open a HUGE can of worms and thought I'd play devil's advocate! I knew people would bite, but I'm still curious as people are always asking about good varmint calibres and I've got to admit the 204 looks realllllly good.

If anyone is out there and reckons i'm a Dill that's ok but, i had to ask!

as I said, i reckon the performance you guy's a getting is surberb, but there is a limited number of 204's that get a mention in the forum.

Personally my budget is worked out on relative costs, ie if i buy that toy, how many BR bullets is that equal to or BR barrels, or primers, or is that the costs of the next match in fees, fuel and food! I quickly find a reason NOT to buy any more toys as the BR ones win out every time LOL.

Cheerio Ned

ps get the berocca out now!

trevort · Post by **trevort** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 12:54 am

Ned, I know your not a dill. you really need to check out the 204um for depth of opinion on the calibre. Now some people that know me think I'm arrogant, well i am. When I know something I will help genuine requests for assistance but I suffer fools badly. NOW I hope i dont come across as arrogant on this place because I KNOW there are a lot of helpful members that know a hell of a lot more than I do,

Check out the 20 cal page on 6br. If I thought i could form the brass a 20 br with 50 gn berger make the 6 br seem redundant.

Look for the '204itus" post on 204ruger.com to see what the fans think this thing can do.

look maybe I have more money than sense, and yes i admit that if i dont compete against other shooters i can speak with no authority, but the 204 has been the 1000% sole cause of me catching the accuracy bug and spending $$$$ on improving my handloading capabilities and having 2 rifles built by Shane.

Get 20 cal

With your experience you could go a PPC or BR and then teach me how to make the brass before my Krieger barrel gets here!

trevort · Post by **trevort** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 12:58 am

oh and yes, 20 cal cleaning rods (mines a Dewey) and brushes etc are here

ogre6br · Post by **ogre6br** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 1:24 am

Ned a switch barrel on your Hall or Bat would be a great way to start.

Trevorts right in that a .20 PPC would be easy for you to make up.

If you are loading with bushing dies for your PPC comp guns all you need is a new smaller bushing and you are sorted for dies.

The other bits, cleaning etc is all avail.

There is a cartridge guide on 6 BR

http://www.6mmbr.com/20Caliber.html

and it explains a lot on there.

The brass is even easier to form than PPC from 220R.

I would recomend you get something with a faster than the 1:12 standard twist so you can play with all the projectile weight avail and see which works for you. I chose a 1:10.

The 20 PPC performance is close or better than the 204R with similar powder being burnt.

later
P

glenn asher · Post by **glenn asher** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 6:49 am

Trust us, Ned, the .204 will be around for quite awhile

Just check out the nice website, like trevort told you to.
http://www.204ruger.com
I can make 75-80 rounds between cleanings, if I so choose, when prairie dogging, and that's just to keep it grouping very well. I usually just clean every other range trip, though, because I'm lazy. There are more bullet offerings every time I turn around, too. Nosler has offered THREE bullets in two years, and they are notorious for waiting until something is really popular before offering but ONE choice, so they are fully behind it. Berger has four offerings, Sierra has two, Hornady has three, that's twelve bullets to fool with, and chances are, the rifles will shoot well with 10 of 12, anyway

C'mon, Ned, come over to the dark side

it'll fit your namesake.

Drew Jaeger · Post by **Drew Jaeger** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 8:48 am

Ned Kelly wrote:As for the 204, I am DEFINATELY not against them, in fact I'm very impressed and hoping they go from stength to strength. So all you 204 owners, PLEASE dont take any contracts out on me! But as a prospective owner, I feel you need to consider a couple of things. As they say in the classics I gots to know......

1. The selection of quality bullets. If your 204 wont shoot whats available then what? Importing .20 cal pills from the US is not an option I'ld like to take. At least you stand a good chance of getting a 224 bullet that works.

Projectiles currently available for the 204 in Australia are;

Sierra - 32gr BK, 39gr BK*

Nosler - 32gr BT, 35gr HP & 40gr BT

Berger - 30gr HP, 35gr HP, 40gr HPBT, 50gr HPBT (1 in 9")

Hornady - 32gr VM, 40gr VM, 45gr SMP

*my choice.

Ned Kelly wrote:2. like when the .17 cal rifles first appeared, sourcing cleaning rods and jags, were a problem, especially brushes.

Dewey and Tetra have .20 cal rods, jags and brushes available. I have Dewey gear.

Ned Kelly wrote:3. Hopefully they are not a passing fad, where in the future supplies of reloading components such as cases, bullets etc become hard to source. Possibly even barrels!

Not likely, you should visit http://www.204ruger.com for a read. I gained a mass of information on the 204 from this website.
A couple of mates are planning to "upgrade" their 223s to 204s like I did.

Ned Kelly wrote:4. Are they easy to clean? The 17's had a bad reputation for fouling, are they worse than a .222/223? Barrel life, is it good, bad or indifferent?

All my centrefires are field cleaned after 20-25 rounds (including my old 223). From all report, 204s don't foul as bad as the 17 Rem or hot 22 centrefires.

Ned Kelly wrote:5 For longer shots how far do they drift wind compared to other popular varminting rounds? I'd expect them to be at least compatible to a .222

Would you believe the 204 has less wind drift than the popular 22 centrefires???? Here is a wind drift comparison between the 204 and 22-250. For the purpose of the exercise the cross wind is 10MPH and the distances are 300yds and 500yds.

204 Ruger – Sierra 39gr BK @ 3700ft/s
300yds = 7.09"
500yds = 21.70"

22-250 - Nosler 50gr BT @3800ft/s
300yds = 8.53"
500yds = 26.64"

Also, the 204 and 22-250 have similar trajectories, with the 204 having a slight edge.

AusVarmint

204 rUGER

204 rUGER