Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles .204 for deer

Anyone use a .204 Ruger on deer? For those that have what bullet did you use? How well did it work? I was thinking the heavier ones from here: http://www.gunhausbullets.com/20-caliber-bulle20.html might work well on deer. I don't really care if you think it is rediculous to shoot deer with 22s or smaller, just looking for those with experience.

I have culled 2 deer with a .204 with 40 grain Vmax. Both were center mass neck shots and the deer pole-axed immediately.

The problem with the .204 is the lack of proper bullets, without going to a custom one, as in your link.

Then there's the folks who will chime in here and tell you what you said you didn't wanna hear...grin...

should be good for about 10 pages

I don't know....is a toothpick good for arrows?

The only ones I've seen were neck shots on South Texas does. Certainly killed em stone dead. That was with the 32 gr V-Max factory load.

You can kill a grizzly with a 22lr, but why?

There are more appropriate tools for the job. Have respect for the game you pursue. If you can only afford one rifle and want to hunt deer, I would suggest a 243.

Yes a 204 can work, but with commonly available bullets, it is a stunt, IMO.

lame...

Agreed.....

Well I can afford more than 1 rifle and do in fact use several different calibers for deer. I have a great deal of respect for the game I pursue which was why I asked the question, to find out if anyone had experience with the caliber on deer. I plan to use my CZ 527 .223 with 53gr TSX bullets this season along with a .504 caliber White muzzleloader. I don't believe the minimum for deer is a .243/6mm. I have killed deer with a .223 and plan to do it again. It is not a stunt, it is an entirely adequate caliber given the abundance of modern bullets. I simply asked the question after finding the heavier .204 bullets.

Can we quit with the apples and oranges arguments? Yes we all know you can kill a Grizzly, Elephant, Blue Whale or whatever other rediculous animal you wish to insert with a .22 Long Rifle. A Whitetail Deer is not a very hardy animal and will readily succumb to a well placed bullet or arrow.

It will also not succumb to a bullet or arrow that is not well paced, or to a bullet that cannot get the job done properly. A game animal is no place for an experiment. Will a .204 work many times, or even most? Perhaps, but we owe it to the deer to use the proper tool to get the job done every time.

In proficient and conscientious hands it should be fine, but there are better implements. I've not used the 204, but have used a 22-250 pushing 52 gain Sierra hollow points for depredation hunts where does were filing quietly past as they exited a dairy feedlot. Shots go just beneath the chin or below the ear if one is to the side. Perfect rest, stationary deer, and all were slam dunks. I'd not use the same implement though in Hells Canyon if looking for a trophy buck, and I'd not hand it to my kid and tell him to go hunting either.

Last week, I read an ivory hunter book where the subject ignorantly began with a 270 and a 30-06. He was successful, but quickly realized there were far superior tools. There is some risk with every cartridge out there, but there's also less risk with those tossing the larger heavier slugs. I really hate being on the receiving end of "I told you so."

My old gunsmith uses one for culling. All neck shots, takes s chunk of meat out the size of a very larg fist, deer lock up and bite the big one. Last year he culled over 30 deer all with his .204. He said they lock up as if struck by lightning!!! I think that long 60 grain bullet would do some killing if loaded properly!!! As long as the bullet does not blow up!!!

I have a 204 as well as a 22 250 AI . I just don't have a reason to use the 204 on deer . In fact , I'd not be likely to have it with me since it is my back up PD rifle .

OTOH , I often use the 22 for doe culling .

Personally I've never even fired a 204, but I do have a couple of good friends that have used them to take lopes/deer with no problemo.

back when I carried a 17 rem I used it on a few deer and lopes with no issues.

I have spoken with Ty @ Barnes more than once about the idea of them bringing out a 32 grain TSX or something like that. It'd be great for fur and for deer/lopes.

Dober

I've tracked and finished off a buck that had been gut shot with a .22 LR. He'd gone less than 100 yds., not pushed.
I knew a couple of guys that used to kill throphy Blacktails with a scope sighted .22 RF Magnum. All neck shots inside of 125 yds.
I've got a buddy that killed a good black bear with a .17 Remington. Took 3 rds., but he got it done.
No deer shooting for me with the 204. Not until I'm convinced that the bullets I'm using will hold together and penetrate, like some of the .22 caliber bullets. You never know when you might need that ability. E

"I don't really care if you think it is rediculous to shoot deer with 22s or smaller..."

Many states require a minimum caliber or bullet weight for hunting deer, and there is good reason for that requirement. If all deer hunters were required to use small animal cartridges for deer hunting, there would be a lot more deer suffering from non-lethal wounds.

You can kill a deer with a small animal cartridge, but that doesn't make it ethical or smart. The fact that you "don't really care" tells us a lot about you. As for me, I respect the game I hunt far too much to risk losing a magnificent game animal, or causing it to suffer needlessly by using something other than a suitable deer cartridge for deer. There is a plethora of suitable firearms available to any hunter that wants to hunt deer ethically.

I've only been hunting deer since 1965, but I've seen many deer shot with inadequate cartridges, that were never recovered. Many of the members here will note that I am not someone who normally flames a poster, but I couldn't keep my opinion to myself on this one.

204 for deer?? why not 17 remington for that matter?? you have got to be kidding me, I own a 204 myself and to be totally honest with you I don't feel there is even a good enough bullet available for it to be reliable on coyotes much less a deer. yeah a 204 will kill coyotes and deer however in my experience mostly with coyotes the varmint style tipped bullets that are available for the 204 will surface splash or explode before penetrating enough to do the job. one thing that also should be evident is there is alot of opinions out there however most guys really haven't shot enough animals to know what they are talking about. I learned this when trying to find a coyote bullet for my 22-250, tons of guys talk about how great the vmax is and in my experience they suck at those speeds, note to all reading this if you think a 50 vmax at 3900 fps is a great coyote bullet you haven't shot very many coyotes, a quailty soft point bullet like the sierra 1365 will get the job done every time

I find it ironic that people flame someone for wanting to try a 204, yet they think a 223AI is God's gift.

Cummins, what experiences did you have with the Vmax and yotes? I have shot a lot of coyotes, with a lot of diffent bullets (never a vmax though), and it seems every yote acts different than the last one. I have had yotes spin around in circles when shot, had them run 75 yard then somersault, and had them bang-flop, all with the exact same bullet.

I'll defer some, as you've been hunting longer than I've walked this earth . That said, was it an inadequate cartridge or inadequate shot placement?

It wasn't until a few years ago that I could wrap my mind around hunting a deer with anthing sub-.308. I would have no issue with taking out my Montana .223 stoked with a 55 gr. TSX at this point. In my case, live and learn.

George