.204

[tuck2]

The reason I think the 204 Ruger is a fine cartridge for shooting prairie dogs is the following. I m an old timer who started shooting prairie dogs in 1949 with a 22 RF rifle. I started looking for a better cartridge for p dog shooting and over the years ended up at one time or another shooting them with the 17 HM2, 17 HMR, 17 Fireball, 17 Rem, 204 Ruger, 22 RF, 22WMR, 22 Hornet, 221 Fireball, 222 Rem, 223 Rem, 22-250 Rem, 220 Swift, 243 Win, and some big game cartridges. Got a CZ Varmint 17 Hornet this winter which I ll try this spring. Shooting prairie dogs takes a lot of ammo so I use the 17 HM2, and 17 HMR rifles a lot in the spring for p dog pup shooting. When the shots start to become longer I ll use some flatter shooting cartridge but not the 17 Rem, 22-250, 220, or 243. The barrels get to hot to fast and the muzzle blast will get p dogs going into their holes. I also like low recoil rifles and see the hits so that's where the 204 shins out to around 400 yards. I started reloading ammo in 1953 and have reloaded ammo for all of my CF rifles since then. It was eazy to find accurate 32 and 39 grain bullet reloads for the 204 rifle . That is 1/2 inch five shot 100 yard groups . For p dog shooting, whats not to like about an accurate 204 Ruger varmint rifle?

 

[Outlaw6.0]

..... For p dog shooting, whats not to like about an accurate 204 Ruger varmint rifle?

Well, I don't like it when I run out of ammo! The .204 is one of the very best sod-poodle busters.


t

 

[17Hunter]

Tuck,

That a pretty extensive list of cartridges. The one I dont see is the 222 Rem Mag, have you ever used that? We dont have PD in MI, but have woodchucks and the 222 Mag is perfect for those. Plus, not everyone has a 222 Mag and it makes for good conversation.

 

[BrentM]

Is that not what a 204 is, just necked down to a .20 cal? I had friend about 20 years ago who had a triple deuce on roids. Sweet rifle.

 

[17Hunter]

Indeed it is. Remington introduced the 222 Mag in 1958, I believe, in the Model 722. The .204 splits time with my 700 .17 Rem. both are awesome little rounds and death on coyotes.

 

[IdahoJoe]

How does the 204 compare to the 223 for wind drift?

 

[Wizard]

The 204 has less wind drift than a 223. It has a better BC and cuts through the wind more efficiently. I was trying to over compensate for wind drift and missing on the up wind side when I started shooting the 204 at little critters.

 

[Jud96]

.204s have a higher BC? A 40gr V-MAX .204s BC is .275, while a .224 53gr V-MAX has a .290 BC. Don't see the .204 winning.

 

[tuck2]

I have never seen a used or new 222 Rem Mag bolt action rifle in a sporting goods store. The 222 Mag cartridge power capacity falls between the 223 Rem and 22-250 Rem. Back when it first come out I don't know why I dident get a 222 Mag.

 

[BrentM]

[ame=http://youtu.be/hHaCfiAeyVE]Balloons with 204 B - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Outlaw6.0]

.204s have a higher BC? A 40gr V-MAX .204s BC is .275, while a .224 53gr V-MAX has a .290 BC. Don't see the .204 winning.

Sierra quotes the 39grn Blitzking @ .287 which still can't beat the 53grn V-Max. However, I can see how some folks get mixed up on BC. The substantially reduced TOF is more than likely the reason the wind drift is reduced, the .204 is far quicker to the target.


t

 

[lewwetzel]

Saw a nice used Cooper in .222 Mag. a while back. Of course, by the time I convinced myself I "needed" it, it was gone.

 

[BrentM]

.204s have a higher BC? A 40gr V-MAX .204s BC is .275, while a .224 53gr V-MAX has a .290 BC. Don't see the .204 winning.

I don't see how they came up with that. The 55 and 60 gr have a lower BC then a 53. The BC of the 53 IF correct is better, if all things are equal velocity wise. However, I have looked and don't see any brand having that high of a BC in comparable weights. Impressive if it is that high.

If you really want get technical look at a 55 gr Berger in a 204. It requires a barrel twist change just like they all do for the heavier pills but the BC is .381.

 

[Jud96]

If you really wanted to get technical look at the BCs of the .224 75-80gr Berger VLDs or 75-80gr Hornady A-MAX. The barrel also needs a quicker twist than standard varmint rifles but that's the trade off for these high BC bullets. The 75s Berger BC is .423 and the 80gr Berger is .445 while the A-MAX 75s have a BC of .435 and the 80 grainers have a .453 BC! There's a reason why the guys shooting service rifle match with ARs are winning at 1000yds with .223s!