Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Favorite Load in the 204 Ruger

What is your favor load in the 204 Ruger? My go to load is the Sierra 39 gr BlitzKing, 26 gr's of Hod 4895, Rem 7.5 Primers, Win Cases.

32 gr. Nosler Varmageddon,30 gr. BLC(2). Super accurate in my 700 Rem.

I was using H 322, and a 32 grain V Max and the 24 grain NTX from Hornady...super accurate... but I retired my barrel and rebarreled to 20 Practical due to brass availability...

I have thousands of 223 brass...

use H 322 in the Practical.

Bea, have you tried CFE223? Based on a recommendation of a friend I've just loaded some 39 grain Sierra's and will test them later this week.

I have a pound but haven't tried it in either the 204 or 223

I have two. Start with Winchester brass and Remington 7-1/2 primers.

For all of the 32 grain bullets I've tried, best groups have come with 28 grains of H335.

With all of the 39-40 grain bullets I've tried, best groups came with 27.5 grains of Varget.

Best load tested is the 39 grain Sierra with the Varget load.

Tom

27.0 gr IMR 4895 and your choice of bullet.

I use 27.5 H-322 with the 32gr. bullets in my .204s. They work pretty good. Coyotes die, prairie dogs fly, crows explode.

I've used Benchmark with good results, too.

I've played around with a bunch of powders and bullets in several .204's. Don't have ONE favorite, but among my favorite loads are:

26-grain Barnes Varmint Grenade and 29.5 grains of Ramshot X-Terminator, for just about 4300 fps and tiny groups. No real need to use this except in areas where "non-toxic" bullets are required, but it really works!

Any 32-grain plastic-tip and 29.0 grains of TAC, for 4000-4100 fps from 24" barrels, the velocity depending on the bullet. If the wind's not blowing too hard this is my everyday prairie dog load. Dunno how many PD's this has sent skyward in four .204's, but the pieces would probably stop a 3/4-ton 4WD even on level ground.

On windier days I use 40-grain Hornady V-Maxes and 27.5 H4895 for a little over 3800 in my present rifle. This bullet drifts less in the wind than any other 39-40 I've tried in the .204.

Have tried CFE223 with 32's and 40's, but it doesn't provide the velocity of TAC with 32's, and doesn't shoot as well as H4895 with 40's, at least in this rifle. But the 35-grain Berger shoots super-accurately with 29.5 CFE, so gets some use now and then, just because....

27.5 grains of AA2520, Fed 205 Match primers and 39 grain Sierra BK. If there is a 204R that doesn't perform using this recipe you have an anomaly! (Oddball for those of you in RioLinda) GHD

My load.



A 100 yard target.



A victim from 311 yards.



Another victim from 252 yards.



Taken from out one of my bedroom windows.

I just picked up a 700 VTR and a bunch of Hornady 40 grain Vmax superperformance Ammo. I assume Hornady brass is good stuff?

IMR8208 works for me.

So far, best 5-shot group out of my new RAPredator has been 7/8"
with 39gr SBK's, 27.5gr RL15 all in the only .204 cases that
can be found, Hornady's. To be fair, have not shot any rounds
from fire-formed cases, yet.

25-1/2g Re-10x + Berger 35g

28 gr of IMR4064 and 32gr z-max hornady brass cci400

Hornady brass just as good as Rem or Winchester?

"Winchester" hasn't made their own brass in many years now, they buy it on a least cost bid. Depending upon their standards, may be, may not be good.

My cooper seems to like everything I have tried...