.204 Ruger for Coyotes, what is your opinion?

[Roost]

Love my 204 with the 32gr vmax...an old ruger 77 to boot. Works good on the coyotes.

 

[RYEWSKY25284]

Also, what rifle do you have it in and how do you like it?

so, This is the only cheap off the rack rifle I have and it's awesome. T/C Venture .204, camo stock,bbl. I did replace the trigger spring. It now has a 2.5lb trigger. it shots 32gr. Hornady V-max moly coated bullets @ 3770fps. squirrels are nothing but a RED mist and P-dogs same thing. Yotes NEVER take another step...DRT, no pelt damage. I prefer it over my custom .223AI.

 

[Achapa87]

Is that because you believe the bullets were only splashing on the chest shots?

I believe they were running so hot that as soon as they touched the chest they were igniting with 0 penetration. I lost 5 in a row like that. Every shot the same. They hit the ground spin and then take out. I'd track them a good way with no dog at the end. Cats on the other hand bang flop. Most of those shots were broadside.

 

[Canhunter35]

I believe they were running so hot that as soon as they touched the chest they were igniting with 0 penetration. I lost 5 in a row like that. Every shot the same. They hit the ground spin and then take out. I'd track them a good way with no dog at the end. Cats on the other hand bang flop. Most of those shots were broadside.

Some of the varmint bullets are so frangible when they hit the breast bone or point of the shoulder there just isn't enough to drive through. A couple years ago I dropped a coyote with a shot on the point of his shoulder around 350yds, as he got back up i shot him again knocking his guts out. eventually one of my favourite coyote guns became my 257wby with 90gr blitz kings, occasionally they wouldn't even exit which always amazes me and no coyote gets up after you hammer them with that lol

 

[Achapa87]

Some of the varmint bullets are so frangible when they hit the breast bone or point of the shoulder there just isn't enough to drive through. A couple years ago I dropped a coyote with a shot on the point of his shoulder around 350yds, as he got back up i shot him again knocking his guts out. eventually one of my favourite coyote guns became my 257wby with 90gr blitz kings, occasionally they wouldn't even exit which always amazes me and no coyote gets up after you hammer them with that lol

For sure. I hunt in south Texas so ALOT of the shots you get on dogs here is a frontal. So I've settled on shoot a 22 cm and 6 cm. They're both pretty point and shoot to 300 yards. And frontal shots don't move anymore. A 75gr eldm @ 3650 is cut throat. And a 95 gr berger not running nearly as hot does well. Real well. I was a .20 call and it'll prolly be a 20-223. My dream gun is a 20-250 running 55 gr bergers. I wish the .204 would of been good for us. But it just didn't have I needed.

 

[lewwetzel]

What I have been researching most of the coyote hunters recommend 35 & 40 grain Berger and the 39 grain SBK. Seems "some" have had entry blow ups on the 32 Vmax in the shoulder area....I was wondering will the CZ 527 varmint with 1 in 12 twist stabilize the 39-40 grain bullets?? Thanks for every ones input very interesting reading peoples experience's.........

I have three .204Rs: A Remington LVSF, Cooper M21 Varmint, and the CZ Varmint (Kevlar-stock version) of which you speak. None will stabilize 40 grain bullets, but do fine with the 39 gr. Sierra Blitzkings. If one wants to do 40s or heavier, the only factory game in town would be the Thompson Center with its 1:10" twist barrel.
I own a .22-250 that will stabilize the 53 V-Max, plus a .220 Swift but got them more out of curiosity than thinking they'd out-perform the .204s; they'll be gone someday.
For saving pelts: the .204 Ruger. For making coyotes like our big Eastern ones DRT much past 300 yards, jump up to a 6mm.

 

[Ohlongarm]

I have three .204Rs: A Remington LVSF, Cooper M21 Varmint, and the CZ Varmint (Kevlar-stock version) of which you speak. None will stabilize 40 grain bullets, but do fine with the 39 gr. Sierra Blitzkings. If one wants to do 40s or heavier, the only factory game in town would be the Thompson Center with its 1:10" twist barrel.
I own a .22-250 that will stabilize the 53 V-Max, plus a .220 Swift but got them more out of curiosity than thinking they'd out-perform the .204s; they'll be gone someday.
For saving pelts: the .204 Ruger. For making coyotes like our big Eastern ones DRT much past 300 yards, jump up to a 6mm.

That's why i went with TC that twist rate seems to handle everything from 24 grain to 45 grain,tried em all none disappointed

 

[nicholasjohn]

For sure. I hunt in south Texas so ALOT of the shots you get on dogs here is a frontal. So I've settled on shoot a 22 cm and 6 cm. They're both pretty point and shoot to 300 yards. And frontal shots don't move anymore. A 75gr eldm @ 3650 is cut throat. And a 95 gr berger not running nearly as hot does well. Real well. I was a .20 call and it'll prolly be a 20-223. My dream gun is a 20-250 running 55 gr bergers. I wish the .204 would of been good for us. But it just didn't have I needed.

The frontal chest shot can be troublesome because of the animal's anatomy, regardless of the animal being shot - coyotes, deer, elk, etc. The front of the rib cage is shaped a lot like the bow of a ship, and bullets often glance off and slide along the first couple of ribs without penetrating into the boiler room. This has been a problem for me for decades, especially when rattling in deer.

I have shot a couple of bucks right in the front of the chest, and had them turn to run. Luckily, another one in the back end of the rib cage ranged forward into the chest cavity, and I got the animals. After doing a post-mortem, I found that the bullets from the first shot had followed the rib cage rearward, slipping between the shoulders and ribs, doing no damage whatsoever to any internal organs or plumbing. If I hadn't shot again, I would definitely have lost those animals. They were not going to die from the first shot. ANY animals coming to a call are going to present this same shot much of the time, and I would expect the same results.

What to do about it ? I have had somewhat better results on rattled-in bucks, both blacktails & whitetails, by using hard and heavy-for-caliber bullets. I probably haven't done enough of this to call it conclusive, but when I shot 150- to 200-pound deer with the 30-06 and 180-grain monolithic bullets, they got inside the rib cage and killed the animals right now. They also penetrated the entire animal and exited. Obviously, this would be un-sat with coyotes, because they are going to completely trash the pelt. In the effort to avoid having an exit wound, most guys stay away from long & heavy bullets.

That leaves another option, which is waiting for the animal to turn more nearly broadside. Doing this will often lead to not getting any shot at all on a sneaky predator. They don't hang around very long in my experience. I think that the better choice would be to use a slightly heavier bullet in a 20 or 22 centerfire cartridge ( or one that is somewhat more stoutly constructed ) and see if maybe it won't penetrate full-length and exit a coyote. There are probably guys on this forum who can recommend a bullet weight or design, but the question will still be what happens when the animal is broadside and an exit wound is a lot more likely. Quite possibly one of the monolithic bullets that is designed to have the front end fragment and the shank remain intact would do the trick. The Hammer looks to be that kind of design, and they are available in these small diameters. With them, the exit may be no larger than the entry. Are two small holes in the pelt much worse than one ?

 

[Canhunter35]

The frontal chest shot can be troublesome because of the animal's anatomy, regardless of the animal being shot - coyotes, deer, elk, etc. The front of the rib cage is shaped a lot like the bow of a ship, and bullets often glance off and slide along the first couple of ribs without penetrating into the boiler room. This has been a problem for me for decades, especially when rattling in deer.

I have shot a couple of bucks right in the front of the chest, and had them turn to run. Luckily, another one in the back end of the rib cage ranged forward into the chest cavity, and I got the animals. After doing a post-mortem, I found that the bullets from the first shot had followed the rib cage rearward, slipping between the shoulders and ribs, doing no damage whatsoever to any internal organs or plumbing. If I hadn't shot again, I would definitely have lost those animals. They were not going to die from the first shot. ANY animals coming to a call are going to present this same shot much of the time, and I would expect the same results.

What to do about it ? I have had somewhat better results on rattled-in bucks, both blacktails & whitetails, by using hard and heavy-for-caliber bullets. I probably haven't done enough of this to call it conclusive, but when I shot 150- to 200-pound deer with the 30-06 and 180-grain monolithic bullets, they got inside the rib cage and killed the animals right now. They also penetrated the entire animal and exited. Obviously, this would be un-sat with coyotes, because they are going to completely trash the pelt. In the effort to avoid having an exit wound, most guys stay away from long & heavy bullets.

That leaves another option, which is waiting for the animal to turn more nearly broadside. Doing this will often lead to not getting any shot at all on a sneaky predator. They don't hang around very long in my experience. I think that the better choice would be to use a slightly heavier bullet in a 20 or 22 centerfire cartridge ( or one that is somewhat more stoutly constructed ) and see if maybe it won't penetrate full-length and exit a coyote. There are probably guys on this forum who can recommend a bullet weight or design, but the question will still be what happens when the animal is broadside and an exit wound is a lot more likely. Quite possibly one of the monolithic bullets that is designed to have the front end fragment and the shank remain intact would do the trick. The Hammer looks to be that kind of design, and they are available in these small diameters. With them, the exit may be no larger than the entry. Are two small holes in the pelt much worse than one ?

Years ago I shot a mule deer at 75 yds with a 180gr round nose core lok, dropped him hard but it would behave very similar, it's a tough bullet with enough weight retention

 

[nicholasjohn]

Years ago I shot a mule deer at 75 yds with a 180gr round nose core lok, dropped him hard but it would behave very similar, it's a tough bullet with enough weight retention

I think that the angle of entry may be more important than the bullet, and when hit at exactly the wrong angle ANY bullet may deflect and follow the outside of rib cage back, only to exit without inflicting any internal damage. It seems to me, though, that heavier & stouter bullets may be more likely to enter the chest cavity and get the job done. This might a good subject for whole new thread, since you and I aren't the only guys who have had this shot presentation give us the problem.

 

[B23]

I've shot numerous coyotes front on in the chest with 53gr Vmax and it's always kinda entertaining to watch because every time, they tip straight up and over DRT and don't even quiver.

 

[mbaysinger89]

204 is an awesome round for coyotes out to 500 yards. I mainly take my 250 now, but thats because of the rifle, not the caliber. 35 gr Berger at 3900 is the bees knees.

 

[Ohlongarm]

204 is an awesome round for coyotes out to 500 yards. I mainly take my 250 now, but thats because of the rifle, not the caliber. 35 gr Berger at 3900 is the bees knees.

204 35 grain berger mvfb @3829 will do the same ,and it's lights out any yote hit with it.

 

[DSheetz]

I have shot a lot of coyote in the chest from the front using a 223 with 55gr sierra bthp's and 26.0 gr h335 . I have not had any problems with it penetrating . They usually go stiff legged and tip over .