22-204

[urbanrifleman]

I have one gun dedicated to the Nosler brass, I have no issues with it.

You can get 223 brass for cheap. A 223ai is a much cheaper and safer selection, considering the nature of supply chains these days. IMHO.

 

[alf]

You can get 223 brass for cheap. A 223ai is a much cheaper and safer selection, considering the nature of supply chains these days. IMHO.

And you don't have a 22-204 reamer.......

 

[urbanrifleman]

And you don't have a 22-204 reamer.......

That is correct because I see no reason whatsoever to have one for the reasons I stated. I make lots of recommendations to people based on availability of components these days. I think I'm doing them a favor. This is not a great time to go off on a tangent unless you are already supplied.

 

[rockhound78]

I have gone two different routes. Run a 223 reamer in deep and use 204 brass and use a 223AI reamer in deep and use 204 brass.
I use 53 vmax in the 223ai-204 and get just shy of 3800fps and have just started playing with the 223-204. Had the two reamers on the shelf and being a bit frugal and not wanting to spring for a new reamer/dies is why I went that route.

 

[MEdude]

Thanks for the insight on the heavies Alf. Looks like #’s I’m shooting for…. Get it, “Shooting for…” bet you never saw that pun on here before. I’m kill’n me.


Also thanks for looking out for me urban…. I’m finding many things “reloading” difficult to source, but very little is truly unobtanium. I’m a patient fellow, and will head down the path that suits my shooting preference once I figure that out. At least 1/2 the fun is the pursuit.

 

[AWS]

"You can get 223 brass for cheap. A 223ai is a much cheaper and safer selection, considering the nature of supply chains these days. IMHO."

Cheaper, Maybe. New barrels cost the same, rechambering an existing 223 barrel, cost go to the 22-204 hands down, I do them without even taking the barrel off the action, 223AI done right needs to have the barrel set back then rechambered, pretty much a gunsmith or machinist and lathe needed. Brass is cheaper for the 223 BUT then it needs to be fire formed to take advantage of the increased capacity(slightly less than a 22-204), 22-204 is pretty much load and shoot, no fireforming or case forming other than running through a FL size. If you treat it right the brass lasts a long time, I'm still loading brass from 2006. When I built mine in 2006 223AI needed custom dies and the 22-204 could use off the shelf dies with just swapping out parts, in fact I load the 22-204, 6mm-204 and 25-204 with the same die set.

Safety is in the hands of the loader not the cartridge.

There is a chance that you will have trouble with feeding with a 40 degree shoulder of the 223AI, the 22-204 feeds great.

I'm heavily invested in wildcats on the 204 case(22-204, 6mm-204, 25-204) and they have treated me well doing everything I asked of them and have been able do all the work myself without the need of a gunsmith. Only the 25-204 was done by a the barrel maker and they cut the chamber with a 204 Reamer and cut the neck and throat separately. My 6mm-204 is a 6x47 Rem rechambered with mt 22-204 reamer with a 6mm pilot on it as the neck and throat were already correct technically you could call the 6mm-204 a 6x47 Improved 30 degree a fairly common BR cartridge from the 70's but with 204 brass not needing fireforming or custom dies.

 

[Ackman]

I know it's been talked about before but I like bringing up old stuff.

I have a an old wore out 788 .223 that belonged to my grandad I want to do something with at some point. This round has my interest. Is it just a simple one step resize? Think it would be pretty cool on a 1-12 with 52 Bergers/55 SBK's.

The 22-204 would be great. Only thing is, that case won't fit the 788 - 222/223 magazine (they're the same) . Those depressions running down each side, the 204/22-204 shoulder is a bit too far forward. The case wont go into a magazine. Also, the mag isn't really long enough for a bullet with much length or a chamber with any kind of freebore. The shoulder length on 223AI case is just short enough to fit the magazine and appears that it would work, but dont know how well it would feed. The 223AI wasn't around when mine was done, and I didn't have the reamer back then or the old 788 probably would have been made into an Ackley. So it's still a .223, with very minimal and 0 freebore chamber. With good brass you can do quite well with a .223. My old 788 was a 222, rebarrelled with a Rem. 700 /223 re-threadeaded and cut to 20". The accuracy / working load is a 40Vmax @ 3895, with VVpowder, IMI brass. Haven't tried Lapua or LC in this. But a 40 at almost 3900 shoots pretty flat and does a nice job on varmints. Not a pretty thing but is handy at that length and works really well.

 

[MEdude]

I'm heavily invested in wildcats on the 204 case(22-204, 6mm-204, 25-204) and they have treated me well doing everything I asked of them and have been able do all the work myself without the need of a gunsmith.

AWS (and others with knowledge), questions…. Hand reaming seems to me, to be an achievable task. As you ream, what do you use for depth control? Just go slow and keep checking with go no go gauges? What gauge? A .204 Ruger go no go set? What other questions do I not know to ask regarding this process?
Thanks for the inputs you have already provided & in advance for further assistance.
Tony

 

[xswanted]

This has to be a record for a thread on the 22-204

48 replies and no one has popped off that it’s “just a 222 mag”

Wonderful stuff.

 

[MEdude]

And, nearly a year in the making… ;~)

 

[alf]

As to magazines..........

A trick I came up with on Remington 700's was to take a 223 magazine box, remove the spacer in the rear, then take a machined follower and grind/file the sides till it slides up & down in the mag box w/o binding.

Now you can utilize the full 2.800" mag box length for seating the bigger bullets out where they belong, with plenty of room to spare.

Bonus, now six rounds will fit down in the magazine, with one more in the pipe.

 

[G Love]

The 22-204 would be great. Only thing is, that case won't fit the 788 - 222/223 magazine (they're the same) . Those depressions running down each side, the 204/22-204 shoulder is a bit too far forward. The case wont go into a magazine. Also, the mag isn't really long enough for a bullet with much length or a chamber with any kind of freebore. The shoulder length on 223AI case is just short enough to fit the magazine and appears that it would work, but dont know how well it would feed. The 223AI wasn't around when mine was done, and I didn't have the reamer back then or the old 788 probably would have been made into an Ackley. So it's still a .223, with very minimal and 0 freebore chamber. With good brass you can do quite well with a .223. My old 788 was a 222, rebarrelled with a Rem. 700 /223 re-threadeaded and cut to 20". The accuracy / working load is a 40Vmax @ 3895, with VVpowder, IMI brass. Haven't tried Lapua or LC in this. But a 40 at almost 3900 shoots pretty flat and does a nice job on varmints. Not a pretty thing but is handy at that length and works really well.

I've since decided to not use the 788. I will have it built on an action, Manners EH6A, Krieger 1-12 Rem Vmt. Bart's 52 Ultras. Prob get started on it by the end of the year, early next.

 

[chop house]

48 replies and no one has popped off that it’s “just a 222 mag”

yup. when i read the title did a double take and thought - wait, that is where the 204 came from, no?

 

[GAnderson]

yup. when i read the title did a double take and thought - wait, that is where the 204 came from, no?

No, the 204 is quite a bit different than the 222mag...

 

[DogBuster]

Interesting cartridge

Having heavy dog guns in 223 AI & 222 mag up & running

I'll stay with them...call me the frugal shooter

P/dogs don't care..........

 

[jamesdmock]

I know it's been talked about before but I like bringing up old stuff.

I have a an old wore out 788 .223 that belonged to my grandad I want to do something with at some point. This round has my interest. Is it just a simple one step resize? Think it would be pretty cool on a 1-12 with 52 Bergers/55 SBK's.

The equivalent of the .22/.204 is the .222 Magnum. I have shot many prairie dogs with a .222 magnum with 14 twist Hart barrel/52 grain match bullets and N133 powder.

 

[nakneker]

After wanting to build one I finally quit procrastinating and I’m having one built now. Thank you Alf for allowing use of your reamer print with JGS, should have it back in another couple months. Fun!

Never even thought of a 25-204 till reading AWS’s post, what a great big game rifle for a youngster granted shot selection is within the limits of the cartridge but I bet it’s pretty capable. Would love to play with that one!

 

[G Love]

Heck, I may wind up building two. 1-12 and a 1-8. 80's at 3000+/- would be a gnarly dome popper on a WT/pig. I'd shoulder shoot a 150" with it, all day. inside 200 or so.

 

[GAnderson]

The equivalent of the .22/.204 is the .222 Magnum. I have shot many prairie dogs with a .222 magnum with 14 twist Hart barrel/52 grain match bullets and N133 powder.

Show me a 222 magnum that will easily push a 55gr bullet at 3600+FPS without really stepping on it and will send a 50gr bullet at 3800+FPS with ease.

Gene

 

[AWS]

Yes the 25-204 is a fun rifle, pretty much a clone of the 257 Kimber without the fancy case forming. Commercially it was marketed by Gary Reeder as the 257 Raptor and matches original factory ballitstics of the 250-3000 and 257 Roberts. 100gr Partitions at 2800+fps, 85gr NBTs at 3000 fps and 75gr HPs at 3150.

It works well on deer.