.204 vs .223

Personally i think the .204 is a turd.....

Owned two of `em and neither one did a thing for ME.....

I bought the second one just in case i got a lemon the first time.....


That being said i`m a big fan of the .20 cal.

I DO own and enjoy shooting my .20Vartarg/.20Tactical/.20PPC and my .20 Dasher.....

The Ruger version just never did anything for me.........

Your mileage may vary.....

 

Why do you feel like the 204 is a "turd". Accuracy problems / bullet performance?

 

Keith,

The .204 just never impressed me...After all the hype surrounding this cartridge, it never lived up to it, in my opinion.....

I know there are MANY who will disagree with me, and thats ok, but i just never warmed up to it.....

Maybe if it was the first .20 i owned my opinion would be diffrent???

PS...My 2 rifles were a Cooper(12tw.) and a Dakota(11tw.).....Not full on customs, but nice rifles just the same.

The Cooper liked the 39`s and the Dakota liked the 40`s both shot good, but with a stable of other .20`s around they were just copies of something i already had and felt performed better than the .204...

 

I had a Cooper 21 in .204 that really shot well. Using the Calhoon 32gr bullets that thing shot little bitty groups at a hundred yards. The problem for me was living here in Montana it is hard to find a nice spring day to shoot critters that does have a BIG wind to go with it. When I was shooting past 100 things really got iffy with the accuracy. That .204 is gone! Replaced it with a 22-250 that will shoot heavier bullets at a higher velocity.

 

.224 caliber supplants all .204 calibers in the wind. Who would suspect that .020 inch could create such a marked difference! Maybe that's why .22 caliber centerfires became popular many years ago. Why does a 55 grain bullet succeed where 40 grain fare often fails? Might have to do with windage. A .22 Centerfire does not kick so hard as to turn any youngest off on shooting. Even .17 caliber rifles are jokes unless expelled via AIR-POWER for short-range-target shooting to train would-be hunters of the future. Get real for hunting, and get a .233 Remington. The brass is reasonably priced, the bullets are a bargain, and the powder charge is small. The results are awesome. Cliffy

 

Myself personally, I would be more inclined to trying the .204 Ruger's parent, .222 Rem. Mag, before the .204 itself. Possibly a 6mm-222 Rem Mag A.I. before the .204 also. I've read the .204 shoots like a lazer and that is fine. I know there is a plentiful selection of bullets in the .224 or 6mm to be chosen from and that is where I'm basing my opinion. The .204 may shoot fast but, speed doesn't kill. Accuracy does!

Mike

 

Cliffy: Please guide me to a ballistics chart that proves this theory. Last I checked...the .204 bucks the wind better than the .22-250 which, if I'm not mistaken, outshoots the .223!

CanusLatransSnpr: Are you trying to say that the .204 doesn't have the accuracy? If so, you would be SORELY mistaken!

and for the record...I own all 3 caliber's mentioned in my reply!

 

cliffy,

You need to go back and look at your ballistic tables again. The 204 shooing a 40gr vmax (bc 0.275 at 3800 f/s max veocity) will shoot flatter than 22-250 shooting a 55gr vmax (bc 0.255 at 3600 f/s max velocity). The 20 cal bullets have better bc than 22 cal's and will shoot them faster to boot. The 22-250 has a edge on eng but not by much. Like RugerRalphie said the 22-250 is way ahead of the 223. And as for all .224 caliber supplants all .204 calibers in the wind. The 20PPC, 20BR, 20 Dasher, etc with a 55gr Berger walk on all of them.

I think one of the problems with the factory 204 is the long throat on the factory guns. I have a 204 Savage that will shoots the 39gr Blitzkings very well. I have not kill groundhogs past 200 yds. The kills have been quick and clean, but it is only 200yds. I got this gun for PD, but have not got out west to try them yet.


Mark Schronce

 

I merely intended to add excitement to this thread. Still, I'd welcome any accuracy competition, at 300 yards, with you as my guest at my range in Southwestern Michigan. I will use a Ruger Model 77 Sporter with a 6-24x44mm Burris Signature Select with Berger 55 grain Target/Match bullets with my own formula behind it. Only modification to my rifle is a Rifle Basix trigger set at two pounds of release pressure. I expect you to have a sporter rifle, and not a dedicated Benchrest rifle at two ounces of trigger jerk. Cliffy, for the fun of shooting

 

Dang! I lied again, since my rifle has a Tubb 2000 firing pin and silicon/chrome spring to cut lock time. I'm old, so I often forget small details. Cliffy

 

Cliffy,

If I were closer to you I think I would take you up on that competition!

In the spirit of shooting, of course! ;D ;D ;D

 

Ruger Ralphie, its obvious you have a fragile ego! I never once said the .204 Ruger wasn't accurate. Now if I would have left the .204 Ruger out of it and said "Speed doesn't kill, accuracy does!" Would you still have been offended? I imagine not! Some day I may own a .204 Ruger, I know where theres a Ruger Varmint model chambered in .204 Ruger that has been in the rack of a local gun store for about 3 years now and it hasn't sold yet! If my memory is correct it is an M77 with the gray coating on the action and barrel with a laminate thumbhole stock! It truly is a handsome gun!

Mike

 

Mike

Ruger Ralphie was responding to Cliffys post. If I lived near Cliffy I'd be inclined to show him what a well tuned 20 caliber is capable of too. Just for fun of course


Savage VLP 204R. 5 shots at 200yds, 40gn Bergers. 12X42 NF bolted on top.
No it won't do this all day every day.
If anyone is still liveing with the delusion 20 cals have poor accuracy potential they may want to reevaluate thier bias.
No idea why there's two pics showing up??? Puters ain't my thing ;D Can't get rid of it either.

 

Nice shootin Joe!

Mike

 

Mike,

It's obvious that you didn't read and understand all of my post! This symbol "?" means that someone is posing a question...part of my reply is as follows...

"Are you trying to say that the .204 doesn't have the accuracy?"

If I may explain a bit further to HELP you understand...I was ASKING if you are implying in your previous post that the .204 lacks the "proper" accuracy in your eyes. I then followed that with a "statement", which was...

"If so, you would be SORELY mistaken!"

This statement means that if you were indeed implying the .204 lacks accuracy than you are mistaken and need to do some research to make sure what you are bringing to the table is correct.

Hopefully that explains what I was trying to say. I hope in the future that you put YOUR fragile ego aside and actually READ the replies before getting your undies in a bunch.

Boy, I was actually enjoying this thread! Informative as well as competitive in a friendly type manner! You should take a lesson or 2 from Cliffy there Mike!

 

I stand corrected! I apologize for any harsh statements made on your behalf Ralph! I was not implying the .204 Ruger wasn't accurate! I have always been one to admit when wrong and eat crow, all though it doesn't taste the best but, better when warm! LOL No hard feelings Ralph. Take care!

Mike

 

NP! I apologize if I brought the sarcasm on extra heavy!

Now let's get back to our love for the "lil' guys" !!! LOL

 

Right on!

Mike

 

Cliffy,

If I were closer to Southwestern Michigan, I would take you up on the match. But my gun is a M12 Savage low profile varmint rig. SSS replacement trigger and bedded, with 24V Weaver. I have put the 223 barrel on it for load development. This gun is very accuracy. It tie for first place in factory class at my Egg Shoot in Roanoke VA. We shot sucker at 200yds in 2009' I cleaned it and losted in the shootoff to my hunting bubby's 204. Come on down to VA. We will shoot 60mm clays at 330 yds in factory class.

Mark Schronce

 

Hi Mark, I'd love to shoot competition for fun, but I don't have a target rifle like yours, only a sporter-barreled popper. Still at 300 yards I try to keep groups down to an inch with a decent benchrest position. I'm not always successful, but often . . . Cliffy