204 loads
- Thread starter peterf225
- Start date
Have a Ruger Hawkeye stainless/synthetic in .204. Beautiful rifle.
Most accurate load so far with the 39 BKing has been with H335, Rem 6 1/2 primer, Win brass, COAl 2.435, chronos at 3680 fps.
The Hawkeye has a longish throat so don`t want to give an exact charge weight because other rifles might be short-throated.
Put 3 into 1 1/2 inch at 300 metres (330 yds), 0.45 MOA. Only fire three shot groups out of sporter weight barrels.
Most accurate load so far with the 39 BKing has been with H335, Rem 6 1/2 primer, Win brass, COAl 2.435, chronos at 3680 fps.
The Hawkeye has a longish throat so don`t want to give an exact charge weight because other rifles might be short-throated.
Put 3 into 1 1/2 inch at 300 metres (330 yds), 0.45 MOA. Only fire three shot groups out of sporter weight barrels.
Reloader 10x is the best powder I have used for the .204. I use 25.7 grs w/ hbn coated 39 grn sierra bk's seated so bullets just kiss the lands. CCI BR-2 primers, winny brass neck-sized only. This load gives 3925 fps out of my 26" barrel. This load is possibly a little on the hot side as I only get about 4-5 loadings before the pockets loosen up.
joemax, I'm surprised that you are even getting 4 or 5 loading from your brass. All I can say is that I wouldn't want to be sitting anywhere close to you when you are shooting the load that you've listed, I'm hoping that you made a error when you listed your powder charge. First and formost reloading should be safe. Pmax (MAP) is listed at 58740 psi for the .204 Ruger. I ran your data on Quick Load which is a tried and proven Ballistics Software Program.
You stated your using a 26" barrel and I guessed your probably seating your bullet out as far as your chamber will allow and still allow enough of the bullet shank to be seated to control run out. so I listed your OAL @ 2.400 which as Joe O stated is pretty close to max length. With your OAL @ 2.400 that only gives you 0.116 of the bullets shank seated.
YOUR LISTED LOAD IS UNSAFE, IT'S 10814 PSI OVER PMAX. MAN YOU ONLY HAVE TWO EYES AND TEN FINGERS. YOUR LOAD IS DANGERIOUS HERE'S YOUR DATA RESULTS FROM QUICK LOAD.
39 GR SIERRA BK - 25.7 GR / RL-10 = 69554 PSI @ 3923 FPS
What scares me when I see someone post a load like this is that someone unexperienced will try and shoot it.
Please be safe.
RJ
With a 26" barrel and your OAL @ 2.400 here the listed Pmax load with your components.
39gr SBK - 24.2gr / RL-10 = 57879 psi @ 3750 fps with 94.2% case fill and 100% propellant burnt.
You stated your using a 26" barrel and I guessed your probably seating your bullet out as far as your chamber will allow and still allow enough of the bullet shank to be seated to control run out. so I listed your OAL @ 2.400 which as Joe O stated is pretty close to max length. With your OAL @ 2.400 that only gives you 0.116 of the bullets shank seated.
YOUR LISTED LOAD IS UNSAFE, IT'S 10814 PSI OVER PMAX. MAN YOU ONLY HAVE TWO EYES AND TEN FINGERS. YOUR LOAD IS DANGERIOUS HERE'S YOUR DATA RESULTS FROM QUICK LOAD.
39 GR SIERRA BK - 25.7 GR / RL-10 = 69554 PSI @ 3923 FPS
What scares me when I see someone post a load like this is that someone unexperienced will try and shoot it.
Please be safe.
RJ
With a 26" barrel and your OAL @ 2.400 here the listed Pmax load with your components.
39gr SBK - 24.2gr / RL-10 = 57879 psi @ 3750 fps with 94.2% case fill and 100% propellant burnt.
Rj, your post was somewhat interesting and informative. I do not have the benefit of (if there is one) QuickLoad and could find no load data for 10x when I developed that load. Not that I would have adhered to it. I would be curious to know if QL can factor in the various bullet coatings. How about tight or loose bores, or depth of engraving from the lands. Does it factor in whether or not your barrel is cut rifled or button rifled, lapped or not? What about choice of primers? What about variances in brass weight and volume? Does it also factor in neck tension? Full length sized brass as opposed to neck sized? I suspect not, though I don't know.
As I stated in other words from my first post, I think the load is a little over max. If someone reading my post ignored the first rule of reloading and did not work up from a lower load to be sure the load is safe in their gun then there is probably not much that can be done for them anyway and they should not be reloading or shooting a gun. Do I think the load is unsafe? No way. The only lives that load in my rifle are going to be detrimental to are those of my brass and barrel. Gee Whiz. How did reloaders ever survive before QL came along. If you think 70K psi is going to send a barrel down range, blow up any modern bolt-action, or even splinter a rifle stock, then I have a bridge I would like to sell you.
As I stated in other words from my first post, I think the load is a little over max. If someone reading my post ignored the first rule of reloading and did not work up from a lower load to be sure the load is safe in their gun then there is probably not much that can be done for them anyway and they should not be reloading or shooting a gun. Do I think the load is unsafe? No way. The only lives that load in my rifle are going to be detrimental to are those of my brass and barrel. Gee Whiz. How did reloaders ever survive before QL came along. If you think 70K psi is going to send a barrel down range, blow up any modern bolt-action, or even splinter a rifle stock, then I have a bridge I would like to sell you.
joemax,
The QL stats must be fairly close being you stated your given load speed was 3925 fps, while QL shows it to be 3923 fps !!! Speed is produced by pressure and you yourself stated that your primer pockets were loose after only 4-5 loading. I've never once found QL to be off by as much as 40 fps and in most instances found it to be well within 25 fps whether being shot from a factory chamber or a tight neck chambered barrel. When the .204 was first introduced a lot of reloadeds found themself trying to produce loads that would match the claimed fps listed on Hornady's box and were unable to attain that speed without exceeding recommended Pmax.
P.S. I think I may have at one time purchase stock regarding that bridge but I was much younger then and my risk tolerance higher.
Keep safe
RJ
The QL stats must be fairly close being you stated your given load speed was 3925 fps, while QL shows it to be 3923 fps !!! Speed is produced by pressure and you yourself stated that your primer pockets were loose after only 4-5 loading. I've never once found QL to be off by as much as 40 fps and in most instances found it to be well within 25 fps whether being shot from a factory chamber or a tight neck chambered barrel. When the .204 was first introduced a lot of reloadeds found themself trying to produce loads that would match the claimed fps listed on Hornady's box and were unable to attain that speed without exceeding recommended Pmax.
P.S. I think I may have at one time purchase stock regarding that bridge but I was much younger then and my risk tolerance higher.
Keep safe
RJ
I'd say the primer pockets are loosening up....That's got to be the only way to get BR2's to fit in a 204 case....... 
Just kidding of course...I'm sure it was a typo.
Dave
Just kidding of course...I'm sure it was a typo.
Dave
P1ZombieKiller
Silver $$ Contributor
well... I would say that reloaders survived by understanding that if brass is only lasting 4 firings, that something is not right. I'm just guessing of course. My 204 shoots right around 3800 fps with 39 blitz kings.joemax said:
I never could get any accuracy out of the 39grn class with a 1:12 twist. :-\
However, I love the performance I am getting with the 32grns class bullets.
Remington 7.5 Benchrest Primer, 27.5 grns ft H322, and the Sierra or Hornady 32grn bullets. (This is a hot load,
so approach with caution) I am getting a little over 4000fps with it.
I went out to the pan handle to blast praire dogs with my 204 last summer and had a blast.
I shot 3 choices of bullets. Sierra Blitzking 32, Hornady VMAX 32, and the Barnes Varmint Grenade 26 grn. The hornady bullet would actually make the dogs blow up and do tricks in the air. The others would just fall off this side of the mound.
Robby
However, I love the performance I am getting with the 32grns class bullets.
Remington 7.5 Benchrest Primer, 27.5 grns ft H322, and the Sierra or Hornady 32grn bullets. (This is a hot load,
so approach with caution) I am getting a little over 4000fps with it. I went out to the pan handle to blast praire dogs with my 204 last summer and had a blast.
I shot 3 choices of bullets. Sierra Blitzking 32, Hornady VMAX 32, and the Barnes Varmint Grenade 26 grn. The hornady bullet would actually make the dogs blow up and do tricks in the air. The others would just fall off this side of the mound.Robby
RJ,
I have read your post (and others) in regards to QL and am starting to think i should put it in my list of reloading data to accquire. It sounds like a Great Reloading Tool!
p.s. i believe your post's response reflect a True Texas Gentelman's response & I have a lot of respect for youall!
I have read your post (and others) in regards to QL and am starting to think i should put it in my list of reloading data to accquire. It sounds like a Great Reloading Tool!
p.s. i believe your post's response reflect a True Texas Gentelman's response & I have a lot of respect for youall!
My Savage does strange things with 32 grain Nosler BT's: perfect linear diagonal stringing. Still scratching my head on that one.
Robby T said:I never could get any accuracy out of the 39grn class with a 1:12 twist. :-\
However, I love the performance I am getting with the 32grns class bullets.
Remington 7.5 Benchrest Primer, 27.5 grns ft H322, and the Sierra or Hornady 32grn bullets. (This is a hot load,
I went out to the pan handle to blast praire dogs with my 204 last summer and had a blast.
Robby
RJinTexas said:
RJ I'll agree 100% safety first. Yet Alliant lists max load for the 39bk as 25.1gns of 10X at 3700fps.
Big discrepency between thier data and quickloads. Although I've shot over 10,000 rds of 204R handloads at paper I've used very little 10X. So no personal expierience just comparing data.
Seeing as Joe is using HBN as I do I'd bet if he were to use a little better quality brass it would last longer.
Obviously he would want to back down that charge and work back to his velocity/accuracy node.
While Joes load may be considered hot it may not be as dangerous as quickload indicates according to Alliant anyway.
Joemax, One little warning here. I'm a jumper myself and never found an accuracy advantage loading out to the lands or jamming. I have tried tho
What I've found in these long throated 204's is pressures drop off considerably as you seat further out. UNTIL you get to jamming. Pressures really begin to ramp up fast. JMO.
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