20 Practical or 223 with 40g--Thoughts?

[dusterdave173]

I LOVE my 223 bolt guns for Prairie dogs and every day fun shooting--The only varmint I would ever shoot is a PD with it.
I have been thinking about a 20 Practical but then wondered why not just do a 223 40g Vmax running pretty fast? I usually stay with my friend -the 53 Vmax--- I was thinking low recoil--less heat and powder economy are a plus--I have 223's that serve me Well out to 500 ish and am taking a 6BR this year for some long shot attempts--I guess I am just restless and want another project
What do you think? I have never shot a 20 of any kind. Looking for the collective wisdom of this fine forum--it always points me in the right direction Thanks Gang

 

[Hotshot]

A 40 grain bullet in a 223 is really a bunch of fun in a pd town. I have shot tens of thousands 40 vmax doing just that.
I don't shoot my 20 Practical very much because I have several 204R's and plenty of brass. A 39 or 40 grain bullet in a 204 is in a whole different class than the 223. The simple fact is much better ballistic coefficient from the 20 caliber makes it significantly better in trajectory and wind fighting ability.
You will hear many opinions on this subject but the ones who argue that the 223 will equal a 20 Practical either don't have a lot of experience with both of they don't reach out very long distances.
So you won't go wrong with the 223 but if you choose 20 Practical it will amaze you.

 

[JSH]

I shot up most of my 204R ammo a couple of weeks ago, most was 32 grain@4100. Swapping from one to the other I found myself under or over depending on 204 or 223.
I found more easy use for the task being a 20. Some say the trajectory is close enough to not see a difference, I found that not quite true and I will still discuss/argue time of flight vs weight. My hold into the wind was considerably less with the 20.
It’s like tools in a toolbox, need more than one wrench for the job.

As far as the 20P goes I advise as long of a barrel as you can stand, 26” bare minimum and I would look at a 30”. Buddy built one a few years ago when 204R brass was unobtainable, 30” Mcgowen and it runs right with a 204R with a bit less powder, he use CFE223.
I refuse to chop or order a short varmint barrel when using a suppressor, I want the speed for splat factor and air time.
I have come to like and respect the 20’s enough I built a 20VT for 32-34’s and a 20BR for 55’s. The BR will launch 40’s at about what ever one so desires to try.
I doubt I will ever be without either a 204 or a 20 of some flavor.

 

[drover]

I LOVE my 223 bolt guns for Prairie dogs and every day fun shooting--The only varmint I would ever shoot is a PD with it.
I have been thinking about a 20 Practical but then wondered why not just do a 223 40g Vmax running pretty fast? I usually stay with my friend -the 53 Vmax--- I was thinking low recoil--less heat and powder economy are a plus--I have 223's that serve me Well out to 500 ish and am taking a 6BR this year for some long shot attempts--I guess I am just restless and want another project
What do you think? I have never shot a 20 of any kind. Looking for the collective wisdom of this fine forum--it always points me in the right direction Thanks Gang

I have been using 40 gr V-Max and Nosler BT in 223 for years and having owned three rifles in 204 Hornady, I have found that in the world of PD shooting there is very little difference between the 223/40 gr combo and the 204. My experience come from a few decades of use, if you want to look at the differences in drop and drift on a chart go to JBM ballistics and run a comparison. I have never understood the less recoil, less powder argument about the 204/40 cal vs the 223/40 cal - they both require virtually the same amount of powder and so therefore the recoil will be the same.

The 223/40 combo can easily acheve 3750 with commonly available powders, accuracy has been better for me with the 223/40 than i could get out of the 204/40 combos. To stabilize the 204/40 most factory rifles are not twisted fast enough to properly stabilize the bullet, the 204 does better with the 32 gr bullet but then it is pretty much limited to PD and smaller varmints, I had poor luck with the 32's on coyotes, too many splashes and run-offs.

If yu decide to try a 20 caliber go with the 20 Practical, it duplicates the 204 Hornady but with commonly available 223 brass that requires nothing more than a necking down.

drover

 

[JB10]

There is a difference in recoil from 223 to 20p. I built one in December. Its a 22in barrel and i suppress it. Let a friend shoot it 2 months ago at the range. Guy next to him shot right when he pulled the trigger. The other guys muzzle brake blast caused him to not even know he shot. He extracted the brass puzzled, shot another round and said there is nothing for recoil. And he owns 2 223 bolt actions and 3 AR's. I built mine with a 10 twist for the 40gr bullets. Im basically using as much powder as a 223 so not an argument there. Its a freaking joy to shoot. If you have enough 223's and have one to spare for a build... DO IT and dont look back. My load is a 40gr vmax at 3,718fps and never tried to chase anything other that accuracy. I have a 204 ruger 22in barrel using 35gr bergers at 3,880fps.

 

[Lefty2506]

I'm going through this same thought process. I'm currently useing a Savage Model 12 in 223, and I have 4 different loads for it. I have a reduced load that pushes a 40gr vmax a little over 2k. It basically makes for a very accurate 22 Hornet and its great for whacking things out to 150 yds. I also run a 53gr Vmax at around 3500 fps and a 75gr Amax at around 2900 fps, but the only thing I've used the old A-Max on is paper. I still have 200 rnds of it loaded but I never get around to using it in the field. I'm relatively new to the PD game, but I've noticed that the overwhelming majority of my misses are either high or low, with the bulk of the misses being just under the dog.

After 30+ years of shooting finely tuned reloads from some pretty accurate factory rifles, I am slowly acquiring the parts for my first custom rifle. It's primary focus will be whacking PDs and I'm leaning HEAVILY towards having the first barrel chambered in 20 Practical. By the numbers, it will shoot flatter and have less wind drift than either a 40gr or 53g from a comparable 223, and its still cheap to feed. So I get a flatter trajectory without giving up anything to the wind. Inside 500 yds, I'm not seeing anything that would indicate that the midsize 22s (22ppc, 22br, 22ARC ect) are able to push the 53gr Vmax fast enough to be any flatter than the 20 practical. With heavier bullets, the mid size stuff does better in the wind, but they drop noticeably more than the 20s. Since I'm not having wind issues, those cartridges don't help me any. To keep the trajectory of the 20, but get better performance in the wind, I have to move up to something like a 22-250 or a 22 Creedmoor. Either way, all of those cost a LOT more to feed

As far as recoil goes, my 53gr Vmax loads have just enough that spotting my impacts can be a challenge. Even a very slight reduction would be a significant improvement for me. Even with a hot 40gr load, I don't normally have this issue so another win for the 20 So far the ONLY down side that I'm finding with a 20 Practical is that I'd have to get a different seating die, and another bushing (or 2) for my sizing die.

 

[JB10]

I use a 223 seating stem in mine and works just fine. I do however use 2 different bushing when necking down.

 

[ken158]

I have a 20VT and a 20 Tac - both are Coopers and don't think they ever made a 20 Practical. I also have a Tikka SV in 223 with an 8T barrel. Just got back from my annual Wyoming PD safari. The VT shoots 32‘s the 20 Tac shoots 40’s and I was shooting 55’s in the Tikka. With the 8T barrel, the Tikka did not group 40’s very well, the 50’s were better and I stopped with the 55’s as they grouped under 1/4“ at the range. The difference in the VT and the Tac is marginal but you get more splat factor with the Tac at longer ranges. I will say the 55’s in the 223 gave destructive results. If you want to shoot 40’s in a 223, I would suggest a 12 or 14 twist barrel to achieve your desired results.

 

[chuckshooter]

I used to shoot 223 at prairie dogs and squirrels, now I mostly take. 20 cal. Rifles. On a normal trip I take eight rifles, four double gun cases fit nicely in the back of the truck. Seven will be 20 caliber rifles and I try to take one gun that's lonely and been left out of going on trips for a while. After 13,000 rounds this year, I've come to the conclusion I only need to take two cartridges. A 20 vartarg and a 20 Tactical.

 

[Alguapo]

We have built 4 20 Practicals off the Savage 12 FV . They are our go to rifles for varmints. Mostly Pdogs , but Gophers, Yotes and Badgers are in serious trouble. Shilen Prefit Barrels , 12 twist, 26 inch. 32 Grn Vmaxs, Just came back fro a 10 day shoot in Montana, great stuff.

 

[L.Sherm]

I use a 223 seating stem in mine and works just fine. I do however use 2 different bushing when necking down.

I use a 223 seating die also for my 20 Prac. but the seating stem i use JB weld to " bed" the bullet im using.

 

[Dale264]

I've shot 40gr vmax in both the 223 (24"AR) and 20P (26" Bolt). Velocities and accuracy were comparable, but as others have said before the 20cal bullets of equal weight handle the wind slightly better. I found it easier to reload with 22cal bullets but 20cal isn't nearly a bad as the small 17s. Dies require some effort as there are no factory 20P dies off the shelf. I went the Hornady Match Dies route and required a call to their custom shop to get a decapping/expander assembly in 20 cal.

223 rem will offer you far more buller options and reloading resources than the 20P will. The 20P is a fun little niche cartridge that I'm glad I added to my collection.

 

[L.Sherm]

Dies require some effort as there are no factory 20P dies off the shelf.

Any 223 bushing die will work.

 

[urbanrifleman]

I LOVE my 223 bolt guns for Prairie dogs and every day fun shooting--The only varmint I would ever shoot is a PD with it.
I have been thinking about a 20 Practical but then wondered why not just do a 223 40g Vmax running pretty fast? I usually stay with my friend -the 53 Vmax--- I was thinking low recoil--less heat and powder economy are a plus--I have 223's that serve me Well out to 500 ish and am taking a 6BR this year for some long shot attempts--I guess I am just restless and want another project
What do you think? I have never shot a 20 of any kind. Looking for the collective wisdom of this fine forum--it always points me in the right direction Thanks Gang

The 62 ELDvt has obsoleted the "50 something" varmint bullets.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I have a TC dimension, 223 1/12 twist barrel and 204R 1/10 twist. Both threaded. I can switch barrels in a couple minutes. I put a digital scope on the receiver on a pd run a couple summers back, so I could record shots. Using 32/39/40 gr bullets in the 204R and 40 gr tipped and 50 TNT in the 223. Using same bag/bench/suppressor just barrel/ammo change. In the recorded,video, it was noticeably better impact images with the 204r. Enough of a difference I probably won't bother recording while running the 223.

 

[L.Sherm]

The 62 ELDvt has obsoleted the "50 something" varmint bullets.

I will not be shooting no 35.00 a 100 bullet in sage rat patchs, there been many days that would be 200.00 for just bullets.
I see some have them down to 27.00 - 28.00 thats still some spendy days shooting in a good rat patch

 

[Ledd Slinger]

20 Prac or TAC is the way to go. Both easily formed from 223 with one pass in a FL die. 32gr, 39gr, and 40gr pills work great in an 11” twist. I’ve been shooting a 204 Ruger in one form or another since 2005 and that snowballed into many other 20 cal rifles over the years. In small .378” rim size cases, 20 cal is all I’ll ever run. They are just great!

I really see no need for 22 cal in anything. If you want to run heavy bullets and reach out there a little better in the wind, then I skip everything from 20 cal and go to 6mm chambering with lighter bullets for that kind of work. 20 cal will give you much better results than 22 cal on 40gr and under weight bullets, and anything heavier for long range work in the wind, 6mm will be much more satisfying than 22 cal as well

 

[Fern]

I shoot 40g noslers in my 223 and love it.
I also shoot a 204r that can not group the 40s no matter what so I just shipped it to pac nor to have a 10 twist barrel put on.
I also have a 20 tac but that shoots 32s since person I bought it from gave me severanhundred loaded rounds and will use those then load up some 40s
Main difference is the recoil. With the 20s I can see my impact. I whot my friends 204r couple years ago and it sealed the deal to find a cz527 varmint like his in 204r.

 

[DiRTY DOG]

I shot a Savage 223 40gr Vmax @ 3700fps for many years, great combo! Been shooting the 35gr NTX same speed pretty good too! Wanted something different.

Just replaced that barrel with a Criterion prefit heavy sporter in 20 Practical. So far nearly 3900 fps with 32gr Vmax with 1gr less powder than my 223 load. With same weight bullets, the 20P beats the 223 in the wind. The 32gr Nosler lead free is actually a slick BC bullet if they ever start making them again...

The 20P seems to have a little less recoil with a 9lb gun but still has similar muzzle blast and sound as 223. The recoil difference may be negligible in a heavy varmint gun.

 

[nakneker]

If you’ve never tried a 20 cal of any kind your in for a WOW moment when you do. Are they mind blowing better than a 223 with 40 grain loads? No but in my experience they are better in terms of impact chunks, recoil, being able to see your shots and the fun aspect of it all. Both calibers do a good job but the 20 cals do it better in my opinion. I still shoot my 223s and they put a smile on my face but I find myself reaching for the 20 cals more often.

I’ve owned a couple 204s, one 20 practical and I’m currently enjoying a 20-222. 39br Blitzkings do a fantastic job. Be warned, if you try a 20 cal of one variety or another theres a good chance you’ll own more in the not to distant future. They really are a lot of fun, lethal too.