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is the 20 practical , 20 tactical the same

Either one is a simple neck down and shoot, with the tactical increasing capacity a very little on the initial fireforming.
 
The 20 Tac has the shoulder pushed back to lengthen the neck but has a 30 degree shoulder angle, it's kind of a Todd Kindler thing, where as the 20 Practical is just a straight neck down of a 223 to 204. I'll bet if you took the exact same piece of 223 brass, necked it down to 204, measured case capacity, then formed that same piece of brass to a 20 Tactical and measured case capacity, the results would be nearly identical.

The 20 Prac has a longer body but a 23 shoulder where as the 20 Tac has a slightly shorter body but a 30 degree shoulder.

For me, I'd go 20 Prac over 20 Tac every time.
 
But that shoulder is awful sexy on the Tac...just saying...hehehe...but I also got the reamer for cheap...otherwise, I'd have done the Practical too.
 
What ya saved on a reamer, you can put towards the dies.
It was just one of the few that just "worked out"...got redding bushing dies and a few bushings on here for about $50...but you're right Jeff...rarely do you save money by buying a cheap reamer, hahaha. Lord knows I haven't!!
 
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The 20 Tac has the shoulder pushed back to lengthen the neck but has a 30 degree shoulder angle, it's kind of a Todd Kindler thing, where as the 20 Practical is just a straight neck down of a 223 to 204. I'll bet if you took the exact same piece of 223 brass, necked it down to 204, measured case capacity, then formed that same piece of brass to a 20 Tactical and measured case capacity, the results would be nearly identical.

The 20 Prac has a longer body but a 23 shoulder where as the 20 Tac has a slightly shorter body but a 30 degree shoulder.

For me, I'd go 20 Prac over 20 Tac every time.

why would you go prac over tac?
 
why would you go prac over tac?
I've never owned a Tac, but have several 20P's, so my bias is revealed.

The 20P is growing in popularity, the 20 Tac is flat/declining.
You can get AR's in 20P, don't know of any in 20 Tac
New dies will cost less (basically the cost of 20 cal stem and expander + bushings for the 20P)
 
why would you go prac over tac?
Personally, and I mean no disrespect, but I've never been one to drink the Kool-Aid on cartridges where there is such a teeny tiny change to the parent case design. Again, no disrespect but all of Kindler's creations are so minimally changed I just don't see the point of any of them over the straight neck down of the parent case versions. I'm sure some will read this and instantly see red. I'm fine with that and we all have our opinions but for me, it seems like a whole lot of marketing fluff just to get your name on something so you can claim it as your special design.

I've never owned a 20 Practical but considering it's a straight neck down from the parent case and would use dies many of us already have, even if there was a performance gain to the 20 Tac over a 20 Prac and at equal pressure I doubt there is, it wouldn't be enough to justify the extra cost of another set of dies and extra brass prep.

As I've stated many times before, the older I get the easier I want things to be and the less time I can spend in the loading room, the more time it leaves me to shoot and or do other things.
 
As @B23 says, it's the ease / low cost of adoption that makes the Practical more appealing. A gunsmith friend who built a lot of both versions during the UK's love affair with the 20s some years ago, adds that the disappearance of factory Tactical brass made a big difference in their respective popularity.

Nevertheless, when I had a choice, I went for the Tactical version when I had a twenty built. Same reason as @Ramblerman gives - it just looks such a lovely little cartridge.
 
While the cartridge is sexy @Laurie , I bet my 20 Tactical is weirder looking than everybody's here, put together, hahaha.

A M700 SS single shot I squared up in a wacky colored Robertson silhouette stock I bought off here...I call it, Liberace...hey, it's blingy, hahaha.

The hunk of aluminum is a piece I machined out of an odd piece of scrap I had to make it fit the bags like my other rifles. Haven't shot it much yet, but initial tests show a lot of promise.
 

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They are not the same, but there’s really no debating the two rounds.
I have a 20 TAC, my father in law shoots 20 PRAC.
Basically identical performance. Both are one swipe of a 223 case in a FL die and they are ready to load and shoot. Both accurate and fast. Other than the shoulder angles on the brass, I bet you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart on paper or a chronograph
 
I've never owned a Tac, but have several 20P's, so my bias is revealed.

The 20P is growing in popularity, the 20 Tac is flat/declining.
You can get AR's in 20P, don't know of any in 20 Tac
New dies will cost less (basically the cost of 20 cal stem and expander + bushings for the 20P)
Personally, and I mean no disrespect, but I've never been one to drink the Kool-Aid on cartridges where there is such a teeny tiny change to the parent case design. Again, no disrespect but all of Kindler's creations are so minimally changed I just don't see the point of any of them over the straight neck down of the parent case versions. I'm sure some will read this and instantly see red. I'm fine with that and we all have our opinions but for me, it seems like a whole lot of marketing fluff just to get your name on something so you can claim it as your special design.

I've never owned a 20 Practical but considering it's a straight neck down from the parent case and would use dies many of us already have, even if there was a performance gain to the 20 Tac over a 20 Prac and at equal pressure I doubt there is, it wouldn't be enough to justify the extra cost of another set of dies and extra brass prep.

As I've stated many times before, the older I get the easier I want things to be and the less time I can spend in the loading room, the more time it leaves me to shoot and or do other things.

thank you gentleman. Just straight up curious as to why. I went tactical route but never thought anything into the practical. Reason being I stumbled across a used semi custom 20 tac and a Cooper 20 tac both at the most insane price I’ve ever seen, with dies and 300 new brass. I have since
 
Reason being I stumbled across a used semi custom 20 tac and a Cooper 20 tac both at the most insane price I’ve ever seen, with dies and 300 new brass. I have since
If I had started with a 20 Tac, I would only have the 20P in the AR platform. Both are great cartridges in my opinion. And I also shoot a 204 Ruger. Throw in a 20 Bobcat and I'm a solid 20 caliber fan.
 
I purchased a 20 Tac about a year ago. Savage action and mcgowen barrell. I love that thing. It has been a dream to work with. Meaning I have worked up a load with a 39gr Blitzking and another load with a 40 gr Remington accu-v. Both bullets were so easy to find a good load. Both bullets shoot one hole groups very common. 500 yard grouping with the Remington bullet was outstanding.
I use Dakota brass and 10X powder
 

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