Thinking of rebarrelling........

[IMMORTAL]

my Savage LRPV 204 to either a 20 Practical or a 20BR and need some advice. The gun would be used for ghogs here in WV and pdogs in Wyoming. Also weight is not a concern.All my varmint rigs weigh 15lbs.+.
My questions are:

1) Which caliber would you prefer and why?

2)What barrel brand would you suggest? I have been thinking about a prefit Pacnor with a finish length of 30" and a muzzle dia. of 1"+.

3)What twist rate would you recommend? Thinking 1-11 for the 20 Practical since I like to shoot the 39gr. and 40gr.

Any and all advice appreciated.

 

[LitLBoy]

.20 practical --- cheap brass - easy to form - very accurate with 8208BR and 39BK's
LitLBoy

 

[Phil]

Since it`s a Savage.......Why not both?

11 twist for the little stuff.

9 twist for the .20BR with Berger 55`s.

Best of both worlds.

What distances do you usually shoot at??

That info might help with your decision.

Phil.

 

[IMMORTAL]

Since it`s a Savage.......Why not both?

11 twist for the little stuff.

9 twist for the .20BR with Berger 55`s.

Best of both worlds.

What distances do you usually shoot at??

That info might help with your decision.

Phil.

Ranges would be about 450-500 yds. for the ground hogs here and 600-700 yds. for the prairie dogs in WY. I have other rifles if I need to shoot at longer distances.

 

[lpreddick]

i am new to the 20 caliber...have a 20 TAC, 11 twist, muellerworks barrel. the 20 TAC has a really strong following and some are getting 4100+fps with 32 gr bullets. i have a 40 gr bullet going at 3900 fps with no pressure problems. the .223 parent brass has a 30 degree shoulder and slightly longer neck and with no freebore bullets can be just into the lands and bases still in the neck. almost at 204 ruger speed with less powder and possibly better accuracy...i have a few groups in the ones and many at .25 in! i'll eventually build another 20 cal, just haven't decided.

 

[DogBuster]

20 Practical.........or 20-222....have 'em both

 

[Wirelessguy2005]

If you are looking to get the max range/performance out of the 39 sierra or 40vmax i would go with a 20 BR or a variant of it. If you are looking for a smaller more efficient case that you can shoot all day without overheating a barrel i would recommend a 20 SCC. With the 20 SCC you get 204 Ruger speeds of 4,000 + fps when utilizing 32 grain bullets and it only takes 21 grains of powder versus 27-29 grains in a 20 prac or 204 ruger. Efficiency and low barrel heat is always what i am looking for in my Pdog rigs. Back in June of this year i spent a week in Wyoming on a pdog trip, i used my 20 SCC for almost the entire time and it was a solid performer out to 400+ yards. Beyond that distance i used my 20-223 AI with 39 grain Sierra's although i couldn't get the fps out of it that i have been able to with a 20 BR variant. As far as barrels go i would highly recommend the Pacnor 3 groove 1-11" twist barrels.

 

[searcher]

A gunsmith friend and I both decided to build .20 Practicals, his a bolt gun and mine an A/R. He used a 1-11" Pac Nor and I was wanting to stick with a Krieger but found the wait was to be a year as they weren't going to do any .20 barrels for a while. I instead ordered a Hart - a barrel you don't hear much about anymore and I had never tried one. Turns out, the Hart really shines and would not hesitate to get another. My pal's Pac Nor shoots real well too. To 500 yards and some beyond, you would like the 20 BR, 20 TAC, .204 Ruger, etc. I would love to do a .20 BR but I don't like to load when I go on a hunt. Frankly, I don't want to buy 1,000 BR cases for one gun. Aside from cost, too much brass prep for high-volume shooting. If I lived where taking occasional shots at critters was the norm - that is what I'd build though.