Considering a 20 caliber...

[long40shot]

From your guy's experience, which 20 caliber round is tops? BR, Practical, etc?

 

[GrocMax]

Define the shooting task you wish to do. Is brass low cost/high availability a big plus? Smooth repeater or single shot? Light varmint bullets or long VLD's? Do you prefer the uniqueness of an obscure wildcat? Want to use standard commonly available dies and reamers?

 

[long40shot]

Define the shooting task you wish to do. Is brass low cost/high availability a big plus? Smooth repeater or single shot? Light varmint bullets or long VLD's? Do you prefer the uniqueness of an obscure wildcat? Want to use standard commonly available dies and reamers?

My primary use would be plinking/p-dogs. I would be loading 500-800 rounds at a batch. Mid weight varmint bullets. I wouldn't care for a real oddball caliber, the easier the brass prep the better. Commercially available dies and reamer.

 

[TAJ45]

My primary use would be plinking/p-dogs. I would be loading 500-800 rounds at a batch. Mid weight varmint bullets. I wouldn't care for a real oddball caliber, the easier the brass prep the better. Commercially available dies and reamer.

Sounds like a 20 Practical from my keyboard. No extra case prep needed, LC, Fed, Win brass or Lapua - for both of these. For a bit more velocity, less case growth, then Tactical but needing prep.
By all means an 11tw as slowest.

 

[mikeinct]

No brainer, Tac 20 use the 39 gr sierra bk or the berger 40 grain.. Mine has a 1 in 11 twist from Pac-nor fitted to an old SS Sako heavy varmint..I love that Rifle..to 500M even my wife hits 4" sq steel nearly every shot..& it is deadly on big Groundhogs to that distance..Mike in Ct

 

[Tommie]

+1 on the 20 Practical.

 

[Sniper338]

Practical, mach 5, 204, and 20 vartarg seem to be most popular.

After that, tactical, br, ppc

 

[Wirelessguy2005]

20SCC gets my vote, simply neck down Nosler 221 fireball brass to 20 cal and you are ready to load and shoot. It's as simple as the 20 practical and more efficient. 21.5 grains of powder will send a 32 grain bullet down range at 4,000 fps. It's really an excellent pdog cartridge due to low barrel heat and excellent accuracy potential.

 

[DogBuster]

Currently have three 20's...all 17-18# p/dog portable table guns...

10 yrs with the 20 Vartarg...(sweet) 11 yrs with the 20 Practical......

4 yrs with the 20-222.........has to be my favorite......

all use the 40 V max......pic 20-222

 

[OKyote73]

I sure like my 20-222..........

 

[MrMajestic]

Load the .20 Practical, easy peasy lemon squeezy, and shoot them in your 5X45AI chamber while PD'ing. Mine was running the BK's at 3900+ while fire forming. After you form a "trips worth" you can step them up to 4100+. JMHO and experience.

 

[GrocMax]

Get a 3 groove 11 twist, go 20Prac., especially if you already have 223 bushing dies. A 17-20 cal decap stem and a couple bushings yer done. Leave it zero or very short (.025") freebore unless you want to shoot 55's. If you already have a bunch of 223 brass and a jug of Benchmark you're there.

For cheap plinkers that blow up GS/PD's just as well as anything else at short range try the 34g VNE/Dogtown/Nosler SHOTS. Shoot much better than they cost, good value.

 

[jds holler]

I guess I also came down on the side of the 20-222 "Plain Jane". Here's mine in the middle of being built. It's really gonna be a no frills Plain Jane. PacNor Remage barrel, eleven twist, 40X rimfire stock, -- I'll finish sand the stock tomorrow, and start wiping some BLO on it. I should be shooting it sometime next week. I AM chompin at the bit. jd

 

[nmkid]

I guess I also came down on the side of the 20-222 "Plain Jane". Here's mine in the middle of being built. It's really gonna be a no frills Plain Jane. PacNor Remage barrel, eleven twist, 40X rimfire stock, -- I'll finish sand the stock tomorrow, and start wiping some BLO on it. I should be shooting it sometime next week. I AM chompin at the bit. jd

I remember when I had to get-up and go to do stuff like that. I used to hand rubbed my stocks with Linspeed oil. The most often question I used to get...What did you use on this? Nothing like an oil rubbed wood stock.

 

[ASbobcat]

From your guy's experience, which 20 caliber round is tops? BR, Practical, etc?

20Vartarg or 20-221. The turbo and practical will give you a bit more speed, but the extra powder isn't worth it IMHO.
The Vartarg is not only efficient but also very accurate. Mine shoots .2's consistently in a chopped off Savage factory .204 12 twist barrel with H4198 and Sierra 39gr. The 39gr is short for its BC and is the best long range bullet that will stabilize in 12 twist.
The 32gr is also very accurate at 100-200yds, but the 39gr leaves it in the dust beyond 300 for PD's. 3500+fps in a 26in bbl with only 19gr of powder.

 

[jcm24m]

From your guy's experience, which 20 caliber round is tops? BR, Practical, etc?

20 PPC is my favorite with 8.5-tw PAC-NOR. Great for 39gr - 40gr - but 50gr BERGERS are my go to bullet for long range P-DOGS

 

[long40shot]

The 20 practical is a 223 boltface. What boltface is a 20 vartag?

 

[L.Sherm]

223

 

[lpreddick]

20 TAC here...a 20/222? Any advantage over the 20 TAC which has a slightly longer neck than the 20 Practical. The 222 Rem brass made by Lapua is fantastic. This case's primer pocket can take a pounding and stay tight.

 

[GT Accuracy]

For what you are talking about doing and cost of components, I would rule out the 20 BR. I love mine but shooting 800 rounds in a batch would prove to be a barrel eater...esp at P-Dogs. If you were only shooting eastern groundhogs this might be a different suggestion. I would go with the 20P for all the reasons mentioned above. It's just so damn cheap to load for and very accurate



Greg