Need for Speed? Let's look at the 204 Ruger!

[biednick]

Not to rain on your parade….. but I cooked a barrel on a 204 with about 3000 rounds. Had the gun re-barreled to 20 Tactical and could not be happier!

3000 rounds isn't bad at all. That's on par with 6.5 Creedmoor.

 

[chav0_12]

"Any suggestions on making an accurate AR in a 20 cal? What's realistically acceptable accuracy from an AR can/should you expect accuracy on par with bolt guns? Does that only work with premium barrels, BCGs, uppers, and lowers? If that's the case, what's premium? Forgive me, I'm a bolt gun guy but I really want a semi-auto 20 cal."


Good quality barrel under a floated handguard. Good trigger, the rest of the parts arent as important. Obviously scope and shooter matter, but I spend premium $ on high end uppers or lowers when the cheaper options will work just as well. Obviously you don't want a lot of slop where the barrel mates to the upper.

That's sort of what I thought. Does the lower matter too much? Obviously a good trigger can make a world of difference, and slop between the upper and lower could possibly cause some inconsistencies. My intention was to buy a "premium" barrel for an accuracy rifle. How important is a high-quality BCG? They seem to range from about $70 to almost $400. Currently I have a Faxon barrel and BCG with Aero upper/lower/handguard in an AR pistol and an Odin 6.5 Grendel upper sitting on a billet lower. I haven't actually shot the AR pistol that I recently finished building and I haven't shot the 6.5G since putting it on the billet lower, so making assumptions at how either one is doing is tough right now. I do have a couple of "extra" lowers laying around that I want to build some other stuff on. One will be the 20 cal and the other will be another pistol. I just know that I have bolt guns that I can print 1/2" or less groups with and I'd love to be able to do the same with an AR. I certainly don't want to be trying a bunch of stuff that just doesn't work since funds aren't unlimited but I don't mind spending money on good stuff. Thank you for your advice, I appreciate it.

 

[biednick]

That's sort of what I thought. Does the lower matter too much? Obviously a good trigger can make a world of difference, and slop between the upper and lower could possibly cause some inconsistencies. My intention was to buy a "premium" barrel for an accuracy rifle. How important is a high-quality BCG? They seem to range from about $70 to almost $400. Currently I have a Faxon barrel and BCG with Aero upper/lower/handguard in an AR pistol and an Odin 6.5 Grendel upper sitting on a billet lower. I haven't actually shot the AR pistol that I recently finished building and I haven't shot the 6.5G since putting it on the billet lower, so making assumptions at how either one is doing is tough right now. I do have a couple of "extra" lowers laying around that I want to build some other stuff on. One will be the 20 cal and the other will be another pistol. I just know that I have bolt guns that I can print 1/2" or less groups with and I'd love to be able to do the same with an AR. I certainly don't want to be trying a bunch of stuff that just doesn't work since funds aren't unlimited but I don't mind spending money on good stuff. Thank you for your advice, I appreciate it.

The lower makes no difference as long as it's in spec and slop between the lower and upper isn't too bad. The stock, grip, and trigger don't affect mechanical accuracy but can improve practical accuracy.

The bolt carrier doesn't make much of a difference as long as it's in spec. The bolt does. Ideally you'd buy a matched bolt and barrel.

 

[AdamT204]

That's sort of what I thought. Does the lower matter too much? Obviously a good trigger can make a world of difference, and slop between the upper and lower could possibly cause some inconsistencies. My intention was to buy a "premium" barrel for an accuracy rifle. How important is a high-quality BCG? They seem to range from about $70 to almost $400. Currently I have a Faxon barrel and BCG with Aero upper/lower/handguard in an AR pistol and an Odin 6.5 Grendel upper sitting on a billet lower. I haven't actually shot the AR pistol that I recently finished building and I haven't shot the 6.5G since putting it on the billet lower, so making assumptions at how either one is doing is tough right now. I do have a couple of "extra" lowers laying around that I want to build some other stuff on. One will be the 20 cal and the other will be another pistol. I just know that I have bolt guns that I can print 1/2" or less groups with and I'd love to be able to do the same with an AR. I certainly don't want to be trying a bunch of stuff that just doesn't work since funds aren't unlimited but I don't mind spending money on good stuff. Thank you for your advice, I appreciate it.

Lower doesn't matter much as long as it has a relatively good fit to your upper. The barrel is where the accuracy comes from. A nice trigger helps me utilize the barrel's capabilities better than a heavy sloppy one. I wouldn't worry much about the bolt carrier, but a bolt head-spaced to your barrel is a good idea. Your barrel extension having a good tight fight inside the receiver extension on the upper goes a long way and like I said earlier a free float tube helps as well. 1/2" accuracy with a well set up AR is easily doable. From my experience, I prefer longer (22") heavy profile barrels. You keep most of the cartridge speed and it just balances better with me being taller. They are heavier though, but not unlike most varmint/bench guns. Practice and familiarity with the platform goes a long way.

I only use White Oak Armament barrels in my ARs now, and have them in various 223, 22 Nosler, 6.8SPC versions. They all shoot extremely well, and their customer service is top tier. They also have 204 in stock ready to ship. I have one of these on my wishlist once I finish up some other projects.

204 Ruger Barrels

204 Ruger Barrels

www.whiteoakarmament.com

Here was 3 shots with my 22 Nosler on a 1" square sticker.

204 is a fun little round, had one before in an AR, and currently have one in a Kimber 84. Destroys ground hogs and is very efficient on coyotes.

 

[chav0_12]

Lower doesn't matter much as long as it has a relatively good fit to your upper. The barrel is where the accuracy comes from. A nice trigger helps me utilize the barrel's capabilities better than a heavy sloppy one. I wouldn't worry much about the bolt carrier, but a bolt head-spaced to your barrel is a good idea. Your barrel extension having a good tight fight inside the receiver extension on the upper goes a long way and like a unsaid earlier a free float tube helps as well. 1/2" accuracy with a well set up AR is easily so able. From my experience, I prefer longer (22") heavy profile barrels. You keep most of the cartridge speed and it just balances better with me being taller. They are heavier though, but not unlike most varmint/bench guns. Practice and familiarity with the platform goes a long way.

I only use White Oak Armament barrels in my ARs now, and have them in various 223, 22 Nosler, 6.8SPC versions. They all shoot extremely well, and their customer service is top tier. They also have 204 in stock ready to ship. I have one of these on my wishlist once I finish up some other projects.

204 Ruger Barrels

204 Ruger Barrels

www.whiteoakarmament.com

Here was 3 shots with my 22 Nosler on a 1" square sticker.View attachment 371943View attachment 371942

204 is a fun little round, had one before in an AR, and currently have one in a Kimber 84. Destroys ground hogs and is very efficient on coyotes.

Thank you for the recommendations. I had one in a TC Encore a while back and was considering getting one in a bolt gun but I think having an AR would be way more fun.

I too have too many projects going at once, always. Still need to get my 22 Creed bolt gun parts ordered. Then I'll work on the 204. I have a lower put together with a Magpul PRS and CMC trigger, it's ready for the upper so long as it fits snug. Otherwise, I'll take that all out and get a different one. The lower I put on my 6.5G is really tight and I wouldn't mind getting another one. I was planning on a 20" barrel for this gun.

 

[chav0_12]

The lower makes no difference as long as it's in spec and slop between the lower and upper isn't too bad. The stock, grip, and trigger don't affect mechanical accuracy but can improve practical accuracy.

The bolt carrier doesn't make much of a difference as long as it's in spec. The bolt does. Ideally you'd buy a matched bolt and barrel.

While I didn't specify for my bolt in the AR pistol to be matched to the barrel, I did want to make sure I was at least buying them from the same place at that time. With a more precision barrel I would be sure to buy the bolt matched to the barrel or at least the one that they say is recommended. Thank you for the tips.

 

[SShooterZ]

I've considered a WOA .20P as my next upper purchase as I have so much .223 brass sitting around I'd love to put to use. Having a couple of .204R and a .20VT, I think the 20's are just a boatload of fun and rain hell on PD towns. I did blow up a factory Savage barrel a few years back on a hot town. I would take a shot and notice about 3-4 impacts on the side of the hill we were shooting. Learned quickly what it was like when a bullet grenaded leaving the barrel. I've since rebarreled with a PacNor 11T and have it shooting 39 SBK extremely well. Unfortunately, can't find them anywhere so might try my 40g VMax or 40g Nosler next. The .20VT built by Bob Green might just be my favorite rifle overall. So much fun to shoot. Whatever you choose, good luck and have fun.

 

[Pauleye]

I like the 204. In a long barreled bolt gun, its impressive. Built one in an AR and its less impressive when compared to a 223 variant. If I did it over in an AR, I would do 20 practical.

20 Practical with 32 grain Nosler varmint 4000fps Have one in bolt and the other in AR great round for prairie dogs.

 

[vedauvoo]

Any suggestions on making an accurate AR in a 20 cal? What's realistically acceptable accuracy from an AR can/should you expect accuracy on par with bolt guns? Does that only work with premium barrels, BCGs, uppers, and lowers? If that's the case, what's premium? Forgive me, I'm a bolt gun guy but I really want a semi-auto 20 cal.

I recently built a very accurate 204 Ruger AR using forged aluminum upper and lower receivers (Aero M4E1-very affordable), a 24" Proof Research CF barrel, and a Trigger Tech Diamond 2 stage trigger. I picked an F1 Firearms DuraBolt TiCN bolt carrier group mainly for ease in cleaning. Since I shoot suppressed, I installed an adjustable gas block to prevent overgassing.

I was a bit neurotic on securing the barrel to the receiver. I used a lapping tool to square the face of the receiver where the barrel extension butts up against the receiver face. Then I used Loctite 620 (green stuff) retaining compound between the barrel extension and the receiver surface. There are good YouTube videos on how to do this.

I am just starting to reload for this rifle. But with Hornady 32 gr Superformance factory ammo, I am getting 4060 ft/sec and promising less-than-MOA groups. I think the gun is more accurate than the ammo (or me), so I can start cooking up some tailor-made ammo and work on my shooting technique.

I wanted an accurate AR in this caliber for quick follow-up shots on coyotes. I think I've got a winner with this setup. And I love shooting this caliber! What a joy to shoot!


I used a lapping tool to square the face of the upper receiver is a good accuracy enhancement (https://rifleshooter.com/2012/11/lapping-an-ar15-upper-receiver/). Also, using Loctite 620 at the barrel-receiver interface is a good idea.

 

[Pauleye]

I've considered a WOA .20P as my next upper purchase as I have so much .223 brass sitting around I'd love to put to use. Having a couple of .204R and a .20VT, I think the 20's are just a boatload of fun and rain hell on PD towns. I did blow up a factory Savage barrel a few years back on a hot town. I would take a shot and notice about 3-4 impacts on the side of the hill we were shooting. Learned quickly what it was like when a bullet grenaded leaving the barrel. I've since rebarreled with a PacNor 11T and have it shooting 39 SBK extremely well. Unfortunately, can't find them anywhere so might try my 40g VMax or 40g Nosler next. The .20VT built by Bob Green might just be my favorite rifle overall. So much fun to shoot. Whatever you choose, good luck and have fun

Any suggestions on making an accurate AR in a 20 cal? What's realistically acceptable accuracy from an AR can/should you expect accuracy on par with bolt guns? Does that only work with premium barrels, BCGs, uppers, and lowers? If that's the case, what's premium? Forgive me, I'm a bolt gun guy but I really want a semi-auto 20 cal.

I use a WOA upper for my AR. There is a good article on 6 mmbr that has load and numbers on converting RCBS dies to 20 practical

 

[SShooterZ]

I use a WOA upper for my AR. There is a good article on 6 mmbr that has load and numbers on converting RCBS dies to 20 practical

Thank you for the heads up!

I'm assuming this is the article you're referring to: https://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek061.html

 

[Pauleye]

Thank you for the heads up!

I'm assuming this is the article you're referring to: https://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek061.html

Yup