Going Wildcat from 204 to 20 Practical

[pilot]

I'm looking for a practical way to go to a 20 Practical and I'm thinking buying a rifle in 204 Ruger and having the barrel set back and rechambered for 20P could be a good way to go. Am I missing something? Would it be possible to use a CZ 527 in 204 for this? Would it be easier to get a prefit Savage barrel for a rifle I already have?

 

[STS]

I have a wildcat that is a .105 short 204 Ruger. That allows me to use .223 Lapua brass necked down to .20. There’s a lot of
poor quality 204 brass out there. This avoids that issue. Dies are inexpensive shortened 204 dies. It’s a pretty slick setup.

 

[B23]

With factory barrels it's always kind of a crap shoot, sometimes you luck out and get a good one, another time you may not be so lucky, so investing any amount of money in a factory barrel can be a little risky. If this is a gun you really want precision with and plan on keeping it awhile, I'd probably opt for getting a good quality barrel. If the smith you use cuts it off enough to put a fresh chamber on, that cost will be the same regardless if it's a new barrel or not.

The last Hart barrel I ordered was a 11tw .20 cal and it was only $330 delivered. It only took four weeks from the time I placed the order till it was sitting on my doorstep.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

What's wrong with the 204 Ruger?
I'm assuming this idea is from brainstorming on ways to save money?

The little bit of money you save with using 223 brass instead of 204 Ruger brass will all be ate up and then some when you pay to have the barrel rechambered. And there's no guarantee the factory barrel chamber is cut straight. If you own a bore scope, you will see a lot of bad chambers on factory rifles.

If you are really set on having a 20 Practical, you'd be better off finding a cheap Rem 700 action and throwing a decent barrel on it.
Wilson makes a really good shooting barrel that is very affordable (same barrels used on Cooper rifles).

Remington 700 actions
http://northlandshooterssupply.com/actions/remington/

Wilson 20 cal barrel, 1 in 10" twist, LV contour
https://raggedholebarrels.net/colle.../products/204-caliber-1-10-twist-light-varmit

 

[B23]

I'm a big fan of the idea of using a Rem 700 action and if you know where to look you can get new ones for under $300.

https://www.impactguns.com/rifle-re...l-back-x-mark-pro-trigger-047700273471-27347/

 

[pilot]

What's wrong with the 204 Ruger?
I'm assuming this idea is from brainstorming on ways to save money?

The little bit of money you save with using 223 brass instead of 204 Ruger brass will all be ate up and then some when you pay to have the barrel rechambered. And there's no guarantee the factory barrel chamber is cut straight. If you own a bore scope, you will see a lot of bad chambers on factory rifles.

If you are really set on having a 20 Practical, you'd be better off finding a cheap Rem 700 action and throwing a decent barrel on it.
Wilson makes a really good shooting barrel that is very affordable (same barrels used on Cooper rifles).

Remington 700 actions
http://northlandshooterssupply.com/actions/remington/

Wilson 20 cal barrel, 1 in 10" twist, LV contour
https://raggedholebarrels.net/colle.../products/204-caliber-1-10-twist-light-varmit

Thanks for the links. You're right, nothing wrong with the 204. For the price of installing a barrel, I ordered a TC Compass from Kentucky Gun. I'll jump on a wildcat later.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Thanks for the links. You're right, nothing wrong with the 204. For the price of installing a barrel, I ordered a TC Compass from Kentucky Gun. I'll jump on a wildcat later.

I have a handful of different 20 cal varmint rifles. Mostly wildcats, but one of them is a 204 Ruger. It is very fast and extremely accurate. Im sure you'll be happy and have a lot of fun with the 204R. Then one day when you are ready financially, you can dive back into the wildcats

 

[pacificman]

I had a savage action 204 that shot very well for a factory rifle. When I wore the barrel out
I bought a Pac-Nor 20 Practical and spun it on...Very happy with this set-up. As said shoot yer 204
till worn out then go 20P.

 

[moorepower]

If you have a problem with brass use the Norma brass.

 

[ww morris]

I'm looking for a practical way to go to a 20 Practical and I'm thinking buying a rifle in 204 Ruger and having the barrel set back and rechambered for 20P could be a good way to go. Am I missing something? Would it be possible to use a CZ 527 in 204 for this? Would it be easier to get a prefit Savage barrel for a rifle I already have?

i bought an used .204 t/c venture and after shooting it i found the primers were backing out about .014" i called riverman gunworks of coeur d'alene, id. and asked if he had ever heard of the .20 practical. he said he had built them. i have a lot of .223 brass picked up at the local gun range. i bought a redding reducing bushing die and have had really good luck with this gun. it comes with a 1 in 10" twist and shoots 40 vmax bullets with super accuracy esp. w/h322. ar-comp, re-10x and who knows what else. some of these loads shoot right up there with the .204 rugers that i own, in terms of velocity and accuracy.

 

[Bill K]

I'll jump on a wildcat later.[/QUOTE]

Actually your 204 R is a wildcat. Necked down 222 Rem Mag, but just turned into a factory chambering offering. Your 20 Practical is just the 223 necked down to 20 cal and still not available in factory chambers.. Enjoy the 204 R.