Aw hell, I fell for the 20s.

[slancey]

After years of reading about the 20s, hearing about the 20s, watching the 20s do their thing, and resisting the 20 calibers, I finally jumped in. I bought this .20 Tactical and liked it so much I bought a couple of .204 Rugers, all Dakota Varminters.
Yup, you guys were right. They're easy to load and tune, and they shoot like crazy. The lack of recoil is the real bonus. So if you are like I was for all this time, and still on the fence, be careful. Once you buy one, you may never shoot anything else. I've owned, loaded, and shot rifles in 35 different cartridges over the last 35 years, and this is turning out to be the most fun I've had with a rifle.
I'll be taking this one to my family farm in Wisconsin soon, which just happens to have a woodchuck and ground squirrel problem. More pictures to follow...

 

[slancey]

By the way, I’m a 51 year-old father of three, and I don’t normally use modern slang. But when I walked up to the target after seeing the chronograph print-out, the only words that came out of my mouth were, “That’s sick!”

 

[nmkid]

I really like the wood. The 20 Practical is my little poison. Yes, they are accurate and a BLAST to shoot.

 

[TAJ45]

Ima 20 fan myself. Good to have another convert.
I don't understand the top left data column. Would someone please explain?

 

[Yamess191]

I also love the 20’s. Bought a 204 cz when they first came out about 15 years ago. It shoots factory Hornady 32 grain v max about 1/2 moa at 100 yards. Recently built up a 20 practical for p dogs, and plan on a 20 vartarg next. Be careful, they multiply!

 

[slancey]

Ima 20 fan myself. Good to have another convert.
I don't understand the top left data column. Would someone please explain?

TAJ,
I'm shooting over an Oehler 35P Chronograph, which has three screens over which to measure velocity. The first column is data taken from the "proof" screen, which is the one in the middle, the last column is the reading from the last screen. As long as the data are close, the reading is printed. If there is a disparity, the data is flagged with an asterisk for omission. It's overkill for varminting purposes, but I've had it for over 20 years and it works very well. The first (proof) column data is always a little lower, presumably because the screens are not perfectly placed on the frame.

 

[slancey]

The load is 25.8 grains of AA2460 with a Berger 35 grain hollow point. The brass is Remington (reformed .223 Rem.) and the primer is CCI 400. With the Leupold 4.5-14x 50mm scope in Talley mounts, the rifle weighs 9 pounds on the nose. The velocity average of 3650fps is 11fps higher than the load in the Berger manual, where the data came from. The 2460 I have is the older powder that was made in Belgium.

 

[slancey]

I really like the wood. The 20 Practical is my little poison. Yes, they are accurate and a BLAST to shoot.

I think the wood is Bastogne walnut. The finish is hand-rubbed oil.

 

[Yamess191]

I really like the wood. The 20 Practical is my little poison. Yes, they are accurate and a BLAST to shoot.

I agree that rifle is a beauty! If only it where left handed....

 

[JSH]

I have not jumped the fence to go to the smaller cases, I have stuck with the vanilla 204 Ruger and call it good. I have just acquired to much Ruger stuff to make any sense of starting over.
I initially played with a CZ527 204R, just to taste test the cartridge. I have since moved on to full size heavy rifles for my task at hand. If I am lucky I will get through the rest of this year with my heavy barrel.
I have a LRPV in 223 that was dealing me a fit. So off it came and a new unfired factory take of in 204 was spun on. It did not disappoint me. First 50-75 rounds fouled but now it cleans surprisingly easy. Not like a lapped custom,but darn close.

It have gotten bit by the 17’s as well. Just got home from doing the first of some load testing with my 17Remington Savage, Shilen barrel. My load ramp work was about worthless on paper, put 13 rounds into 3/8”@125. It is not picky at least, lol. I am going to run the next batch over the chrono and judge those results as a final measure.

 

[slancey]

It have gotten bit by the 17’s as well. Just got home from doing the first of some load testing with my 17Remington Savage, Shilen barrel. My load ramp work was about worthless on paper, put 13 rounds into 3/8”@125. It is not picky at least, lol. I am going to run the next batch over the chrono and judge those results as a final measure.

The target in the photo above was the fifth group fired by that rifle. After my experience with the .20 Tactical, I was thinking about having my daughter's .223 re-barreled to .17 Rem. like yours. It's all at once wonderful, and dreadful, to find such a good load so soon. You found it, so now what do you do the next time you go to the range? I guess buy another rifle.

 

[jpx2rk]

Try a different powder, pretty cheap experiment and you have a proven load, so.....

Nice looking rifle too. Enjoy.

 

[Alguapo]

The 20's are an addiction you can't get enough of. 2- 20 Practicals and 2 .204's.

 

[Knifeman]

Slancey. You need a 20 Vartarg!!!! You’ll love it.

 

[Tommy Leroy Johnson]

I have built many 20 Var Targs over the years for clients who loved them but resisted one for myself as I was heavily invested in 22 BR's for squirrel guns, when one of my BR's finally quit shooting my hunting buddy talked me into converting it to 20 Var Targ, it is my new favorite rifle for ground squirrels out to 300 yards even with unleaded bullets.

 

[gtl1946]

The Vartarg is superb! The 20BR is the rocket of the 20’s but it’s meant for bullets larger than the 40 grn bullets to shine in my opinion. Forty-five thru fifty-five grains which are around if you search.

 

[mensajd]

I think the wood is Bastogne walnut. The finish is hand-rubbed oil.

Battle of the Bulge. Historic.

 

[fyrewall]

Bastogne walnut = Paradox walnut - possibly the densest and hardest of all walnut woods - cross between Claro & English walnut (Luther Burbank) - less walnuts (eaties) than other walnut trees - the wood is commonly used for big blaster rifles. Walnut - beautiful wood & tasty walnuts.

I got into .20 P's & .204R about seven years ago and they have replaced my .22-.250 zippy loads. A 40 grain .20 VMax at just under 3,700 ft/sec is kind of close (mildly inferior) to a 53 .22 Vmax at about the same speed, or close enough but uses 8-10 grains less powder and bullets cost about $3.00 less per hundred. My .204R is heavy with little recoil and hits may be spotted, either dust from steel or red stuff.

The 7.7 twist .22-.250's are now loaded with 75 ELDM's, previously 75 AMax, to reach way out there. They use 8-10 grains less powder than the 6mm's, and .22 ELDM bullets cost about $10 less than 6mm ELDM bullets. The relatively economical, 87 g. 6mm Vmax bullets @ 3400 fps plus from a 6mm AI are not needed under 400 yards and the tiny .20's can perform up to that point provided conditions are favorable.

If you shoot lots of bullets, cost analysis is important. My feeling is the .20P & .204R are easier on barrels than the .22-.250 and the .243 W sure eats barrels. I just got a Bastogne walnut (not plywood) stock from Richard's for my .20 P (11 twist, 40 Vmax, 8208, LC .223 brass). I anticipate a pleasing contrast beween the dark gray-brown Basogne & the silvery, satin stainless. I have a Weaver Grand Slam 6-20X40, excellent optics & dependable mechanics but it has those ugly rubber focus and power rings so I might use some other scope - it must be at least 18X and kind of compact. Good scopes loat a long time, not like bullets.

 

[JSH]

Cost analysis, kinda foul language isn’t it?

 

[TAJ45]

Shooting the rodents with the .20's is productive and the development of professional anti-rodent task forces might be considered to at least stabilize the horrible rodent threat.

Sign me up...