204 Ruger vs 20 Vartag

[Ironworker]

Why do some like the 20 Vartag over the 204 Ruger ?

 

[Hotshot]

Beats me! I'm a high volume prairie dog shooter and nothing can take the place of my 204's. I shoot them to over 600 yards.
That being said, I have a 20Vartarg that I really like for a pickup gun out the window or over the hood for closer work. Good for gophers in my yard too(quiet).

 

[varmintshooter]

Because its better. Really it is just a little slower, a little less powder, a little less recoil and barrel life should be better because of less heat.

 

[LA50SHOOTER]

Why do some like the 20 Vartag over the 204 Ruger ?

My guess would be barrel life would be 1 reason.

 

[Rick in Oregon]

I have both, shoot both a lot. The primary thing about the VT is 90% of 204R performance with 30% less powder. Add in less blast, recoil (see all your hits), and less barrel heat which means longer barrel life. A pound of powder for the VT will last for almost 400 rounds......and when you shoot colony rodents as much as I do, the savings starts to add up.

After over ten years shooting both calibers, nothing evil to say about either, love 'em both! They each have their own niche and excel at each of them. Inside of 350 yards, the VT will do it with authority, grab the 204 for the longer stuff, and life is good...for me, not so much for the grass rats.

I'll add one thing though, virtually everyone who's shot my 20VT or seen it drill rats in the field, has either built one or purchased one and now loves it with a passion. Must mean sumthin'......

 

[Bill K]

Have both, but will say that 80 % of my shooting is now with the 20 VT or 20 SCC, instead of my 204R. Main reason, less powder, recoil and heating of the barrel in number of rounds down the bore in the rat field. The increase in rounds that can be loaded with a lb of powder also helps the budget. And within 400 yard or less, it does the job just fine.
Now when the range begins to go over 400 and fewer shots are taken then the 204R comes out.
Like both and will keep both in the rack.

 

[Colt Kodiak]

I have both, shoot both a lot. The primary thing about the VT is 90% of 204R performance with 30% less powder. Add in less blast, recoil (see all your hits), and less barrel heat which means longer barrel life. A pound of powder for the VT will last for almost 400 rounds......and when you shoot colony rodents as much as I do, the savings starts to add up.

After over ten years shooting both calibers, nothing evil to say about either, love 'em both! They each have their own niche and excel at each of them. Inside of 350 yards, the VT will do it with authority, grab the 204 for the longer stuff, and life is good...for me, not so much for the grass rats.

I'll add one thing though, virtually everyone who's shot my 20VT or seen it drill rats in the field, has either built one or purchased one and now loves it with a passion. Must mean sumthin'......

I just had a .204 and darn it I could not load an accurate round. I took it to the gunsmith and we ordered another barrel. We'll chamber it in 20 Practical. Think about the 20 Vartarg (which I own), 18.5 grains of powder drives the bullet around 3700 FPS. Takes about 7 or 8 more grains to drive the 204 to the same velocity. It is an awesome bullet. I've will have 20 Vartarg, 20 Tactical, 20 Practical and another 20 Practical with the 1-8 twist barrel so I can shoot the 55 grain Burgers.

 

[B23]

Why do some like the 20 Vartag over the 204 Ruger ?

For me, it would depend on what's on the menu for things to shoot at. If it's going to be, mostly, a ground squirrel and PD gun I think the 20 VarTarg is the better choice, but if I was looking for a longer range PD gun and coyotes were on the menu, I'd probably opted for the 204 Ruger and take advantage of its extra horsepower.

 

[th82457]

I have had both for over 10 years now. The .204 is an excellent round and really shines with a 39 BK, but the 20 VT burns about 8.5 grains less powder per round in my rifles and shoots very tiny groups with minimal recoil & barrel heat. I typically load the VT with a 32 gr bullet and save the 39/40's for the .204. I am still surprised the VT has not been made into a commercial round as it seems to be better at what it does than either the .221 Fireball (which I also own) and the .17 Fireball. Just my two cents.
Terry

 

[DogBuster]

I built 2 204R barrels way back when...2006-07....didn't use them very long

one is now a VT & the other is a PT...the Vartarg is sooo impressive in the p/dog patch

19 grs of H322 opposed to the much larger 204R charge...much less recoil/heat & noise

as I've said before my heavy 20-222 is still my fav...which will go on next outing this week

give the VT a well needed break...

 

[Ledd Slinger]

I'm not particular to any of the 20 cals. I've been shooting 20 cals since the debut of the 204 Ruger in 2005. I like all the 20 cals. Ive never even owned a 22 cal varmint rifle. The 204R was my first love in varminting and I've never deviated from the world of 20 cals. I have a couple AR-15s in 556, but that doesnt really count.

For the ultimate in low recoil, my 20 Ackley Hornet is about as good as it gets. Not quite as accurate as other 20 cals tho. Especially when you start getting past 200 yards. But its an awesome little round.

I've had the 20 VarTarg. Didn't overly impress me. Plenty of noise, more recoil than expected and not quite as accurate as my 204R. But still a great little round.

The 204R uses more powder than most other common 20 cals for sure. Yes it recoils a little more, but that can be tamed with some weight on the rifle and a good muzzle brake. Best part is it can be CRAZY accurate when you throw 39 gr Sierra BKs in the mix. Don't know what it is about those bullets, but they just flat out shoot in the 204R.

I really like the 20 Tactical for the ease of using 223 brass. You can literally pick it up off the ground at a range, clean it, run it through the sizer die one time, load and shoot. Wouldnt have to ever buy another piece of brass if you follow the GI Joes around while they're shooting their ARs
20 Practical is just as good as the Tactical for speed and accuracy. The 20 TAC and 20 Prac give speeds pretty close to the 204R, but do it with a little less powder.

Of course I really love my various 6mm's for varminting too, but that story is off topic.

 

[varget204]

A lot of people like the 32 grain bullets in the VT and they shoot good; BUT one thing i have learned,What ever a 32 Grain bullet will do.A 40 grain will Do Better,Less Wind Drift More Energy,More Velocity past 250-275 yards.If your rifle doen't like 40's go w/32 if it Does i Would Pick the 40 grain bullets 100% of the time in 204 ruger.

 

[Knifeman]

The Vartarg is a overachiever!! Been using one for a couple years now as my coyote call rifle. I use 40gr Berger’s at 3600 FPS and have killed dogs at 300 plus stone dead!!! It’s one of the most balanced cases there is. 204’s are overbored. Haven’t seen a yote know the difference in calibers.

 

[Dan Hall]

I own them both and I think they complement each other nicely. I use the 20VT most of the time and then go to the .204 when things get windy or the PDs get skittish.

 

[TheOtherZilla]

I'm on the second barrel on my 204. Almost converted it to 20 Practical. But then I found a factory new, take off barrel for cheap. so here I am.

 

[1raggedhole]

I’ve been extremely happy with my 204s, just about the perfect prairie dog cartridge, IMHO. The only complaint is heat when on a target rich environment. Just bought a 20vt and can’t wait to get on pdogs w it, simply for the lower heat due to much lower powder charge. External ballistics are so close that the pdogs won’t be able to tell the difference.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

I’ve been extremely happy with my 204s, just about the perfect prairie dog cartridge, IMHO. The only complaint is heat when on a target rich environment. Just bought a 20vt and can’t wait to get on pdogs w it, simply for the lower heat due to much lower powder charge. External ballistics are so close that the pdogs won’t be able to tell the difference.

There IS a difference in pop and splat when my 204 ruger hits a P-dog with a 39gr SBK that leaves the barrel at 4050 fps. A 20 VT will never get close to that speed with the same bullet. If just shooting to kill, then the PDs wont know much of a difference. If you want that "holy crap did you see that!?" factor, then yes there is a difference between the 204R and 20VT.

A 20VT will still heat up pretty good.
You want less heat to shoot longer strings? Go to a 20 Ackley Hornet or some of the smaller 17 cal rounds. I personally do not have issues with heat. The key is to have about 4 rifles on hand. As they heat up from shooting and being in the sun, just swap them out and keep shooting. I recently purchased battery powered chamber coolers so I'm gonna give those a go to help speed up the cooling process.

 

[CooperNV]

My biggest decision to go 20VT over the 204 was the report. My CZ 527 varmint was LOUD. Much louder than my 223's. I sold it and kept the VT.
Reloading cost as stated above is a bonus. Shooting gophers in hay fields it all adds up.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

I dont see the point in worrying about a muzzle report unless a person is foolish enough not to wear hearing protection.

You only save a small amount of money on powder with the 20 VT, but then you spend more money on brass as the 20 VT cases are more expensive than pretty much any other 20 cal out there. Bullets and primers all cost the same so that's a wash. You can form 20 VT from cheap 223 brass but it's a pain in the ass and the consistency is junk when forming that far down onto a case body.

If a person really wants to save money on loading ammo, then the 20 Practical or 20 Tactical is the way to go. They are both easily formed from 223 cases with one pass in a FL sizing die. You can buy once fired 223 cases all over the place for next to nothing. I have a 20 Tactical and I think I got my last 500 once fired Lake City 223 cases on gunbroker for $25. Performance and powder charges are between the 20 VT and 204R, but probably closer to the 204R.

 

[B23]

Or split the difference and build a 20-222.