dann boy Posted December 19, 2010 Report Share Posted December 19, 2010 hi all was thinking of getting a 204 anyone use one wot thay like wot make and model do you use many thanks dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted December 19, 2010 Report Share Posted December 19, 2010 A mate has a Ruger No1 in .204,he reckons it's the dogs danglies.He handloads and reckons he's sending 'em down range nigh on 4000fps.Seems a bit excessive to me,but each to their own.A very flat round by all accounts.Haven't had a go with it yet,but it's a lovely looking rifle,have always liked falling/rolling block actions,and the No1 in particular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dann boy Posted December 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2010 thanks scully will take a look at it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rem223 Posted December 19, 2010 Report Share Posted December 19, 2010 I re-barreled a Sako 75 223 to 204 Ruger. However I don't achieve the kinds of velocities that you read about in some quarters with my 23" Pac-Nor barrel. With 32gr bullets it is about 3750fps. Though I prefer the 39gr Blitzkings or 40gr Nosler at around 3600fps. It shoots as flat as the 22-250, but with less powder and hardly any recoil. What's not to like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted December 19, 2010 Report Share Posted December 19, 2010 I re-barreled a Sako 75 223 to 204 Ruger. However I don't achieve the kinds of velocities that you read about in some quarters with my 23" Pac-Nor barrel. With 32gr bullets it is about 3750fps. Though I prefer the 39gr Blitzkings or 40gr Nosler at around 3600fps. It shoots as flat as the 22-250, but with less powder and hardly any recoil. What's not to like? maybee the barrel life? speed generally being related to barrel life or the over light bullets? for UK quarry at least Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted December 19, 2010 Report Share Posted December 19, 2010 I amy be wrong,but i think you have to put a lot of rounds througha barrel to shoot it out,even at those velocities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted December 19, 2010 Report Share Posted December 19, 2010 Whilst some rave about the .204 there are also issues. You need to get a good one, and keep the barrel VERY long to achieve it's full potential, that can make for an unwieldy field tool. They tend to be very ammo fussy and reloading may be an advantage. They obviously have a use, but there may be other alternatives, and they certainly have not taken off very well in the UK, or anywhere else from what I understand! Wonder why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigglet Posted December 20, 2010 Report Share Posted December 20, 2010 maybee the barrel life? speed generally being related to barrel life or the over light bullets? for UK quarry at least I htought they were supposed to outlast a .223 barrel as long as you don't go mad with them? It was after all developed as a varmint round in the states where blatting of a few hundred rounds per session is common. Info here http://www.6mmbr.com/20Caliber.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted December 20, 2010 Report Share Posted December 20, 2010 Have you considered the 6.5 Grendl?Awesome round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted December 20, 2010 Report Share Posted December 20, 2010 I htought they were supposed to outlast a .223 barrel as long as you don't go mad with them? It was after all developed as a varmint round in the states where blatting of a few hundred rounds per session is common. Info here http://www.6mmbr.com/20Caliber.html Barrel life depends on many things but generally speed means shorter life and reducing the bore size in relation to the case is bad. For simple example look at the .308 win which is fairly good in comparisom to the .243" version which is bad. Vamint shooters blatting lots of critters is meaningless realy otherwise the .222 rem would wildly outsell the 22-250 as they prize flat shooting above all else. Like i say difficult to prove but i should be mistrust someone who claimed better barrel life by necking down a case and running a smaller lighter projectile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dann boy Posted December 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2010 thanks chaps went to my local gunshop other day to see about a sako 204 thay said its speacail order only on sako will take 6 mouths so think it will be a cz or a ruger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rem223 Posted December 20, 2010 Report Share Posted December 20, 2010 maybee the barrel life? speed generally being related to barrel life or the over light bullets? for UK quarry at least Barrel life I suspect is on a par with a 22-250. I would imagine provided you keep the barrel temperature down the lifespan would be in excess of 1200 rounds. I don't know how many rounds you put down the tube each year, but that will last me quite a while. Barrel life of the 204 is almost certainly less than a .223 but I doubt many people shoot out their barrels through day to day use. I can see it happening on prairie dog shoots. For the average UK user I would think they are more likely to trade the rifle in before wearing the barrel out. As for the light bullets. I don't really see your point. People here in Canada use 204 on Coyote and Wolf so I doubt a fox would present much of a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieT Posted December 21, 2010 Report Share Posted December 21, 2010 One of the real fun clibers, I would not be without mine. Have a read of this................... http://www.6mmbr.com/20caliber.html. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildfowler.250 Posted December 21, 2010 Report Share Posted December 21, 2010 One of the real fun clibers, I would not be without mine. Have a read of this................... http://www.6mmbr.com/20caliber.html. linky doesn't work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted December 21, 2010 Report Share Posted December 21, 2010 thats weird as the link looks right, go to 6mmbr.com and select the 20 cal tab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyb Posted December 21, 2010 Report Share Posted December 21, 2010 it's got an extra "." in the URL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted December 21, 2010 Report Share Posted December 21, 2010 I'm not really understanding all this, perhaps I come from it to clinically and not from a "I want a new toy" point of view. Guns and calibres are tools in my mind, I don't buy one because I "like" it, I buy it because I have a requirement for it. Frankly you will have to as well, because you will have to justify it's use before it is granted to you. The .204 is fussy and will not necessarily have the longest barrel life, but, so what if you have a use for it. If you have a specific requirement that the .204 is the danglies for then get one , if you have a general requirement that you think you would like a .204 for then consider very carefully other calibres before investing! ATB! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildfowler.250 Posted December 21, 2010 Report Share Posted December 21, 2010 it's got an extra "." in the URL merci beaucoup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildfowler.250 Posted December 21, 2010 Report Share Posted December 21, 2010 How does the .204 compaire to .223 40grn? ATB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted December 21, 2010 Report Share Posted December 21, 2010 (edited) How does the .204 compaire to .223 40grn? ATB GENERALISATION>>>>There are always exceptions!! Odds are a .223 40g will give better ballistics than a 40g .204, nevertheless you also need the right barrel/twist for the .223 to achieve it, and the right home load will almost certainly help to! .204 ballistics excel at the 32g area, not 40g where other calibres can often be better, and .223 50g round can produce exceptional results as well, carrying its energy much better than 40g generally. Edited December 21, 2010 by Dekers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieT Posted December 21, 2010 Report Share Posted December 21, 2010 Have a read on the .204 Ruger.com site. Here are a few snippets....................to wet your appetite I will no longer argue about which caliber is better. The .17s have their place. The .22-250 has been around for a long time and it will continue to live on far longer than I will. My point is this; if a person wants to buy a .22-250, then buy one. If a person wants to buy a .204, then buy one. If a person wants one gun to hunt varmints, predators and the occasional deer (in states where allowed), the choice is obvious. Get a .22-250 or larger rifle. I never have nor ever will condone hunting any big game animal with a .204 Ruger. However, if you want a gun that is fun to shoot, can double as a varmint and predator rifle, is among a very small crowd of laser-like flat shooters and you don't want a lot of recoil, then you can't make a better choice than the little .204 Ruger. Having used my little .204 over a three year period and heard the numberless testimonies of others, the praises for this little caliber are many. Every accolade in my original article has been verified time and again by many shooters and hunters. The muzzle blast and recoil is less than that of the other larger varmint and predator calibers. One of the things that I love most about my gun is the ability to see my hits in the scope. I have a friend that has used his .22-250 for many years. After he shot a coyote with my .204, he vowed to get himself one. Is he getting rid of his ole .22-250? No! He will have one of each! The .204 seems to be inherently accurate, consistent and forgiving. Very few people complain of poor accuracy. There have been some reports of rifles from certain manufactures not being able to stabilize some of the heavier bullets. My gun is a Ruger MKII Ultralight and it shoots the 40 grain V-Maxes just fine. However, some rifles don't. Concerns about the .204 being a barrel burner have been dispelled. Sure, every gun made will erode the throat and barrel. Some faster than the .204, some slower. But because of the small powder charge, a barrel burner the .204 is not. Many people have reported shooting thousands of rounds through their pipes with little affect on accuracy. As stated three years ago, "The bottom line is this. The .204 Ruger gives all the favorable characteristics of the .22-250 in a low recoil, quieter, fun-to-shoot package." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dann boy Posted December 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2010 thanks lads for yr input i already have a 22.250 and 243 and a few others i want the 204 soley for night vision nice light little rifle thats fun to shoot with not much recoil and its fast and flat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildfowler.250 Posted December 22, 2010 Report Share Posted December 22, 2010 GENERALISATION>>>>There are always exceptions!! Odds are a .223 40g will give better ballistics than a 40g .204, nevertheless you also need the right barrel/twist for the .223 to achieve it, and the right home load will almost certainly help to! .204 ballistics excel at the 32g area, not 40g where other calibres can often be better, and .223 50g round can produce exceptional results as well, carrying its energy much better than 40g generally. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted December 22, 2010 Report Share Posted December 22, 2010 Barrel life I suspect is on a par with a 22-250. I would imagine provided you keep the barrel temperature down the lifespan would be in excess of 1200 rounds. I don't know how many rounds you put down the tube each year, but that will last me quite a while. Barrel life of the 204 is almost certainly less than a .223 but I doubt many people shoot out their barrels through day to day use. I can see it happening on prairie dog shoots. For the average UK user I would think they are more likely to trade the rifle in before wearing the barrel out. As for the light bullets. I don't really see your point. People here in Canada use 204 on Coyote and Wolf so I doubt a fox would present much of a problem. hey just about anything can kill anything, many here shoot fox with tiny 17 hmr bullets. I think were the .20 might score as far as UK users go are on long range corvids etc. such a round count might pass quickly and guns are far more expensive here and also harder to obtain and maintain. We are also limited to how many we might be granted Hey whatever floats the users boat though i don't see the .20 to be anything other than a neiche tool for the UK hunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dann boy Posted December 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 i was chatting to my feo and he said if thay grant me it i could use it to shoot munties aswell as fox as for shooting fox with 17 hmr i think its wrong even steve horndy who made the round said it was not made for that. 204 is not hard to get hold off my local gunshop said he can have me one in a week and all the brass and bullet heads i need Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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