204 ruger

[maddysdad]

a friend is looking to buy a 204 for groundhog hunting in the spring.what would you recomend for hog hunting and what do you consider the max range for that bullet for dispatching the little fellows?1 am assuming about 350 to 400 yards.thank you for your thoughts on this.
gary b

 

[TAJ45]

My opinion is those ranges are realistic - with the usual caveats.

 

[A_Gamehog]

Gary,
He wants a:
1-11 Twist rate if you want to shoot 40's it's needed. Most of the first 204's came with a 12 twist, they were hit or miss if they would shoot the 40's. The 1-11 Twist Guarantee's the 26-40's to work.
39 Grain Sierra's, 32 V-Max, 32 Nosler's
X-Terminator, Reloader 10X, LT-32 Powders, R-15, Benchmark
CCI 450's and Rem 71/2 Primers, Fed 205's

Reloader 10X, Fed 205, Norma Brass, Sierra 39's are a Proven go-to-load.
Past 300 yards I don't trust them with Coyotes, but for Chucks and Pdogs they are good to 400+

Don

 

[varmintshooter]

Barrel length is another consideration as a shorter barrel will give up velocity. A 25" or 26" barrel will help when shooting at longer distance. My 1-12 twist shoots the 40's but I agree a 1-11 is a safe bet. CZ 527 Varmint is a nice gun for the money.

 

[17VLD]

Picked up a beautiful XR-100 in 204,found another locally so I bought it as well,can’t wait to shoot them.The second one may get turned into something else if it doesn’t shoot well.Should have never sold my first 204 model 700,Glad I have them back at home again,it’s a very good round
11 twist and 40 grain V-Max’s will ruin a ‘chucks day quick
Matt

 

[jepp2]

Just so you aren't surprised, the SAAMI standard freebore for the 204 Ruger is 0.100". So if you decide to shoot the lighter bullets you will be a long way off the lands. And if you go with a Remington, they don't always measure what the literature says. I have two that are both listed as 12T, but the older one is 13.25T and the newer one is 9.5T.

 

[L.Sherm]

The .100 freebore on the saami reamer sucks.

 

[Tim s]

I shoot a TAC20 which is pretty damn close, if you go with 40 Vmax you’re good to 500 yards, with practice a bit more.

 

[bloc]

I have a Savage FCV. It loves the 39 Sierra over 27.5 Varget and produces <0.75 MOA. At 3800 fps and with a high BC bullet, what's not to love??

 

[drags]

a friend is looking to buy a 204 for groundhog hunting in the spring.what would you recomend for hog hunting and what do you consider the max range for that bullet for dispatching the little fellows?1 am assuming about 350 to 400 yards.thank you for your thoughts on this.
gary b

I had a cooper 204 ruger and used it for Pa. groundhogs and I liked it until I got some shots at around 350 yards and the wind blew the bullet all over the place, it is a good caliber if you have other groundhog guns but for the main gun I think there are better choices. If I was to have only one rifle I would get a 223 or 22-250, for 350 to 400 yards the 22-250 type cartridges are best. I read here that the 204 caliber are recommended for prairie dogs and I agree but groundhogs are bigger and are not easy to kill. I have a 8 twist 22x47 and 8 twist 223 I shoot the 80 gr amax and 69 gr STMK and they work very well for groundhogs. A standard 22-250 would be about perfect for your friends needs.
Drags

 

[moorepower]

Look at the wind charts for a 40 grain .204 and compare to a 55 grain in a .22-250 and get back with me. Unless your shooting the 75-80 grain bullets in a .22-250 the wind drift is nearly the same. With a 200 yd zero, the .204 with a 40 vmax at 3800 is 3.15 moa drop and 3.66 moa drift with 10 mph wind. The 53 vmax at 3800 is 2.99 moa drop and 3.34moa drift in 10mph wind at 400 yards. At 550yds the .22-250 is 6.54 moa down and 4.99 moa drift compared to the .204 at 6.94moa drop and 5.52 moa drift. I have taken many a Pdog at over 550 yds with the .204. IF groundhogs is all your shooting, meaning no high volume shooting I would go straight to a 6mm Creedmoor and use 105-108 grain bullets. The .243 works great too, but I don't know of any off the shelf .243's with 1-8 twist barrels like the 6CM. The 87- 95 grain bullets are nothing to sneeze at either in a .243 I am NOT bashing the .22-250 just letting you know the .204 basically matches drift and drop of a .22-250. The .22-250 WILL have more energy at that range, but the 6mm's will be a big step up from either, in energy, with similar drift and added drop.

 

[dfrosch]

If your friend is near a Cabela's, they have the Savage 12FV in 204 on sale for $330.

https://www.cabelas.com/product/SAVAGE-FV-VARMINT-RIFLE/1994604.uts

There's also a $60 rebate out there:

https://basspro.scene7.com/is/conte...fectPackage1218_12312018_2018121811148705.pdf

I hear these are kinda iffy with the 40 grain VMax, but shoot the 39 grain Blitz just fine.

 

[drags]

Groundhogs don't stay around and let you shoot at them like Pdogs they let you walk your shots into them not so with groundhogs. Most factory gun 204 shooters I know shoot the 32gr. bullets because some factory twisted barrels don't shoot the heavier bullets as well. It is a big difference shooting Pdogs at 550 yds. then shooting groundhogs at 550 yds. Not knocking the 204 but with 60 years of hunting groundhogs I would not recommend the 204 to a new shooter I would recommend a 22-250 if he is going to shoot past 300 yrds or a 223 for a all around rifle. In my 60 years of hunting groundhogs in Pa. I have used rifles from a 7x300 wby to a 17 rem. and my favorites are the 22x47 22-250 and 223. I go out about 4 or 5 times a week and don't start hunting until after the first cutting and stop on labor day. I also shoot rifle competitions and use the 6mm br and 6 dasher and the 6mm creedmoor shooters haven't been winning in our shoots so I won't be getting one any time soon.
Drags

 

[Tommie]

Look at the wind charts for a 40 grain .204 and compare to a 55 grain in a .22-250 and get back with me. Unless your shooting the 75-80 grain bullets in a .22-250 the wind drift is nearly the same. With a 200 yd zero, the .204 with a 40 vmax at 3800 is 3.15 moa drop and 3.66 moa drift with 10 mph wind. The 53 vmax at 3800 is 2.99 moa drop and 3.34moa drift in 10mph wind at 400 yards. At 550yds the .22-250 is 6.54 moa down and 4.99 moa drift compared to the .204 at 6.94moa drop and 5.52 moa drift. I have taken many a Pdog at over 550 yds with the .204. IF groundhogs is all your shooting, meaning no high volume shooting I would go straight to a 6mm Creedmoor and use 105-108 grain bullets. The .243 works great too, but I don't know of any off the shelf .243's with 1-8 twist barrels like the 6CM. The 87- 95 grain bullets are nothing to sneeze at either in a .243 I am NOT bashing the .22-250 just letting you know the .204 basically matches drift and drop of a .22-250. The .22-250 WILL have more energy at that range, but the 6mm's will be a big step up from either, in energy, with similar drift and added drop.

^^^ THIS

A .20 cal and a 6mm will cover just about all the bases.

 

[Rick in Oregon]

To the OP: The 204R will do what your friend wants, period. Of course there's other calibers that will do it also, but you asked if the 204R would do it, and the answer is "yes".

I shoot everything from the 17 CF's to the 6mm's, and for just rat popping, the 204 will do it well. Hell, I shoot rock chucks with my 20VT out to 300 yards, and it could be considered a "204 Short", so the 204 with a bit more horsepower does it just a mite better.

Rock chucks with a 20VT? Sure....



You can get more muzzle blast, more recoil, and NOT see your shots/hits with other more potent calibers if wanted, but for the pure pleasure of seeing all your hits with laser-flat trajectory with almost no recoil, well then, the 204R would be perfect for your chuck shooting friend. JME

 

[B23]

Or, you can use a 20-250 shooting the 55gr Bergers and have the best of both worlds, well, sorta. lol

 

[DeadWoodDan]

If your friend is near a Cabela's, they have the Savage 12FV in 204 on sale for $330.

https://www.cabelas.com/product/SAVAGE-FV-VARMINT-RIFLE/1994604.uts

There's also a $60 rebate out there:

https://basspro.scene7.com/is/content/BassPro/!Product Images/999_PDF/rebate_/rebate_SavageThePerfectPackage1218_12312018_2018121811148705.pdf

I hear these are kinda iffy with the 40 grain VMax, but shoot the 39 grain Blitz just fine.

Just purchased two of these. One will be turned into a 20Prac. and that way I will have a replacement barrel ready to mount when and if I burn it out.

 

[Laurie]

And if you go with a Remington, they don't always measure what the literature says. I have two that are both listed as 12T, but the older one is 13.25T and the newer one is 9.5T.

Ouch! That's really poor.

 

[dfrosch]

Just purchased two of these. One will be turned into a 20Prac. and that way I will have a replacement barrel ready to mount when and if I burn it out.

Did you know the rebate is good for up to 3 rifles?

 

[varget204]

DeadWoodDan,sound like your ready to go, the 12 FV was the most accurate 204 i have ever had.shot Factory 40 v-max under 1/4 " at 100 yds.Drop in Stainlees Match Barrels can be bought for $250-$350,different calibers can be had by changeing bolt head.If you have access to a lathe,when barrel gets worn, you can set barrel back 1-2" freshen crown,rechamber to 20vt,20 practical,204 ruger.