Can you best a 204 PD Gun

[powderbrake]

I use a 6mm BR,shooting Berger 88 Varmint bullets, back up gun is a 22-250, shooting 64 gr Berger Varmint, 3rd backup is a 223 with Sierra 55 Blitzkings.

 

[pacificman]

I have two 204s for Prairie dog rifles and love them
If you were to build another PD gun what would it be.
Small recoil,small powder usage it what fits the bill for me.
I have plenty of 6mms and hardly use them so how about another 204 or 223?????

Bench

To answer your question it would be the 20 Practical. The performance I get from my 20 Practicals is as good or better than
my 204's. (only because I use reloads and never factory loads). When I wore my .204 barrel out I found that if I wanted another
204 I would have to buy a reamer for a shorter throat in the chamber so I could put the bullet closer to the lands in the barrel.
Seems SAMMI specs on the .204 is a long throat-ed chamber. Well with
the 20 Practical the standard reamer is made with zero free bore which saved me about 160 bucks or so and you can get .223
brass for next to nothing. There seemed to be way more advantages going with the 20 Practical over the .204. But as others here
have pointed out there are many .223 based cartridges that would perform as good or in some cases better than the .204. You know
it never hurts to have one of every caliber available if at all possible....LOL. Don't get me wrong the .204 is a great round for sure.
Just had to put some thoughts out there.

 

[22BRGUY]

Not one suggestion on 22BR??? I have 2 with 8 twist barrels that are very easy to tune, cheap to reload, very accurate, low recoil. At the range recently I shot 5 with 4 touching each other and the last on about a bullet width away. I also like my Anschutz .222 for closer range but the BR's will easily stretch out there. I shot 22 250's for 25 plus years and yes they are nice, but would not go back now. JMHO

 

[mac86951]

I'd think 20BR, or a 20PPC, but means you can't grab an extra box of ammo to for that extra town found on day 2.

-Mac

 

[rifleman700]

17 Fireball or 20VT. I love the 17FB and so does everyone who shoots it. There are times when I want to hide it and keep it to myself. 20VT has always intrigued me. Seems like a very well balanced cartridge.

 

[mikeinct]

Don't limit yourselves...Take 3 or 4 guns on a PD safari...My bud swears by his 204 R shooting Berger 40 gr...I like my Tac 20 using Sierra 39Gr..I have more kills past 500M than he..But I get out on the fields there more often..The 22-250 w the right twist can really turn the 60Gr Amax...My 6 MMBR ten twist loves the Berger 88 flat base...But When I want to reach out & touch a GH I use a nine or ten twist 243W 87 gr or 105 grain ...Those barrels shoot to a thousand yards....Another friend swears it is no fun unless he uproots them w his 44 mag pistol..Mike In Ct.

 

[Fast14riot]

I love my .20 Practical as the ballistics closely matches the .204R. I shot my .20P in a steel varmint match a few weeks back in 20kt winds, it held its own with the 22-250, 223 (52gr loads) and 6mm calibers. Actually took 3rd with it too. I run 32gr pills up at 4000fps, 39gr I use BL-C(2) and run them around 3600. I sit on several thousand LC cases pretty much at any given time, and usually have at least 500 .20P cases ready to go as well.