204 Ruger or 20-222

[redrockranger]

20 Practical 10 or 11 twist. Read the 20 cal section on the home page. Like my 20 Practical .Use the Fireball reamer design.

 

[F224]

204 Ruger, 39-40gr bullets, you can buy good ammo just about anywhere.

 

[varget204]

This Bartlein beauty arrived yesterday. Silly me, I have a bunch of 204's but still bought a 204 bbl with 12 twist, because it is exactly what I want. In fact, I have Krieger building another 204 bbl in 12-twist.

How unfortunate, to be so happy with a twist that so many experts know is all wrong.

One of my 204's has a 26" Krieger 1-11" twist,shoots everthing in bugholes,had 2, 1-12",they did the same

 

[TAJ45]

The difference is.......with a quality, aftermarket cut bbl, you are getting a true rate of twist. That is why some can stabilize the heavies and some can't with mass produced 1-12 bbls from the "Big Four".

 

[KY_Windage]

All of my existing 204's with 12-twist are factory rifles. I shoot only 32-gr. bullets. I have shot 39-gr. in them and they are just as accurate -- I just prefer the 32-gr.

It is not unusual for me to need 5 moa over to hit a distant p-dog in a good breeze. With the 39-gr I would need, what, 4 moa? Not a big deal. And the performance of the 32's at 400 or 500 yards is very acceptable.

What's not acceptable is the additional jump in the scope with the 39-gr bullets.

12-twist is perfect.

 

[Oso]

<35gr bullets 1:12 twist
<40gr bullets 1:11 twist
>40gr bullets 1:10 twist

Modern bullet construction eliminates concern about excessive spin rate causing bullet to disintegrate. I planned to shoot bullets in 30gr-40gr so 1:11 twist.

 

[Stepsjframe]

The 204 does about 1000fps more than the 222(from a rifle barrel). Personally, I'd stick with the 222 in a 14" barrel.

 

[Oso]

In a perfect world I prefer no portion of the bullet extending back into the case beyond the neck. I like to keep the case body open for powder volume and avoid any directional force on the bullet other than straight down the bore. blah blah blah

I have several 222's and they are a gem to shoot...nothing like shooting a reduced load 223 with a sexy neck! The 20-222 is almost identical to the 20 Vartarg Turbo. If you are not chasing max velocity and the typical distance is 300 yards then you may want to consider a 20 Vartarg, which is very similar to a 6mmBr in its efficiency of size and velocity. With only 66% of 223's powder charge it will send a 40gr bullet at 3,500fps or a 35gr bullet at 3750 fps. This cartridge's parent case is a 221 Fireball, is a strongly favored round amongst varmint hunters with no recoil. Reloading dies and reamers are readily available, and you can make your own brass from a number of cases (223, 222 or 221 Fireball). I

I have a vintage 17-222 and it is a great little gun. When the day comes that I need to replace the barrel it will become a 17 Fireball.

 

[Stepsjframe]

.204 for my vote
Still halfway easy to find ammo for it too!

There was a butt ton of .204 and .222 at academy today, don't have much experience with the .222 but I know the .204 is a tack driver as is the .22-250. How does the .222 perform? How hard is it to get a deer quality bullet for the .204 and .222? Also note if I was to use it on deer and pigs I would be earhole them more than likely. I know you can load up some deer loads in the .22-250.

 

[Oso]

.204 for my vote
Still halfway easy to find ammo for it too!

There was a butt ton of .204 and .222 at academy today, don't have much experience with the .222 but I know the .204 is a tack driver as is the .22-250. How does the .222 perform? How hard is it to get a deer quality bullet for the .204 and .222? Also note if I was to use it on deer and pigs I would be earhole them more than likely. I know you can load up some deer loads in the .22-250.

You need to check your state hunting regulations. Certain states set minimum caliber size limit for hunting deer, which restricts rounds that are .224 diameter or smaller. Someone is going to challenge this with fact that you can kill any animal with a well placed shot with 22lr. However, "conventional wisdom" is that there in No suitable bullet in .204 diameter (20 cal) for use in hunting anything larger than Varmint. The .20 caliber bullets aren't large enough to carry adequate mass. As for .224 diameter bullets (.223 and .222) the 62gr Barnes TSX is perhaps the best. Barnes also make a 70gr TSX, but it has tendency to not open/expand on impact, but makes a great penetrator round for hard surfaces. There are a number of other adequate .224 bullets for hunting. Once again, most .224 bullets aren't considered heavy enough to be effective for hunting larger game.

To get a Better bullet selection of heavier bullets +80gr for hunting then you are looking at 6mm bullet or larger diameter. Just think of all the hunting rounds for .243 Winchester. if you want to stay in smaller caliber class but also take advantage of 6mm bullets than the 6x45 (aka "6mm-.223") or another wildcat cartridge based on the .223 Remington, such as 300 Blackout. There are several .25 caliber and .270 caliber wildcats based on .223 case.

 

[Stepsjframe]

The 204 will be a little easier on pelts and flatter shooting. The 204 is a 222 Remington magnum necked to 20 caliber. Reloading is going to run the same for either one.

 

[Evan]

Just to echo Oso, the 20 Vartarg is an incredible round worth considering. I shoot the 40vmax in mine at I don't know what the speed is, but with only 18gns of powder it takes about 1.75 MOA to reach 300yards and it will shoot groups sub 0.5" way out there if the wind is consistent. Now here is the best part: I shoot 50 rounds at a moderate pace without any pauses and the barrel is only warm to the touch, about the same as shooting a single 5 shot group out of a 22-250. It is one of the easiest cartridges to get shooting that I've ever loaded; everything just works! Seems like it is right there with a BR or maybe even a PPC for accuracy. At least one guy (Harold, I believe his name was) campaigned one in shortrange BR for a while and did pretty well with it.

My 20Vartarg: http://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/my-20-vartarg-custom.3969176/

 

[searcher]

Because of your described limited use on coyotes, etc. - I'd just re-barrel to your .204 Ruger and not have to incur the additional expense of another die (unless you already have a .223 bushing die which would only require another bushing or two). I have shot both of these a lot and while I prefer the .20 Practical overall - I'd probably just stick with what you have. You won't see any marked improvement in the killing effect on a coyote or ground hog - or in the ability to accurately hit a critter of that size at reasonable ranges suited to the killing power of either cartridge. Now - if you were to be shooting at smaller critters like squirrels, gophers, etc., I'd choose the Practical hands down due to high-volume cheap brass I make from LC brass and what I believe to be slightly better performance.

 

[CT10ring]

I will take a 12 Twist 20 caliber barrel any day of the week! All my 20s that ive had 12 twist on will shoot any bullet 30-40 gr very well! Several have told me i cant shoot 40 V-MAX in them but ive done that many times. If its a true 12 twist 40s will hammer!

My Sako 75 .204 Ruger 1/12 twist shoots Sierra Blitz Kings 39g very well, definitely stabilized. A real whack on pd's out to 400 yds.