Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles favorites loads for a 204

What are some goods loads for the 204 cal.

H4895 behind a 35gr. Berger using a Rem. 7 1/2 primer. I use 28gr. of H4895.

26.0 gr. TAC under 32 gr. V-Max.
Allan

27gr 748 with the 40gr vmax 29gr 748 with 32gr vmax

Ed

Toms22: I have as yet to find a "bad" load for a 204 Ruger!
I'm not kidding here either!
I have brought on-line 5 Varmint Rifles in caliber 204 Ruger and with all the loads (including factory ammo!) I have tested with different bullets and different powders and 4 kinds of brass the largest group (5 shots at 100 yards) I have fired to date has measured a paltry .841"!
That .841" group (five shots at 100 yards) was made using Hornady factory ammo by the way!
I have shot 32, 35, 39 and 40 grain loads in my five 204 Rifles to date, and again, I have yet to find a loading in any of them that was "in-accurate"!
For pure accuracy the 35 grain Bergers with Federal 205M (match) primers and H 4895 powder did the best in all my Rifles!
CLOSELY followed by the less expensive and much more common (easy to find!) Sierra 32 grainers.
In fact due to cost and availability I have switched all my Rifles over to using the 32 grain Sierras.
I am closing in on 6 years of intense and extensive experience with the 204 Ruger and I am convinced in my own mind it is an "INHERENTLY accurate cartridge"!
Kind of like the 222 Remington and the 6mm Remington Bench Rest calibers - I have as yet to see a Rifle in either of those calibers that was NOT accurate as well!
By the way the 35 grain Bergers were EXTREMELY lethal on all manner of Varmints as well as being splendidly accurate.
Be sure to try them and hope for availability.
Best of luck with your 204 Ruger!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Sounds like you have a lot of trigger time with the 204. Do you have a feeling for barrel life.
Thanks

My 204 experiences....I loaded 29.5/BLC with a 40 moly V max...had a buddy that used H380....I ran 2500+ rds out of a Pac Nor 204 tube....washed the first two inches of thoat in that time.....had it rechambered to 20 Vartarg...(20 Fireball)....My second 204 Pac Nor tube ended up as a 20 Practical (20-223)..after only 800 rds...got bored with the 204..these are now my 20 cal p/dog removal tools...awesome rds...the 20 PT actually uses less powder than the 204R and pushes the same 40 V max @ 3900 fps...pic shows 20 Vartarg..

http://www.204ruger.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=165



Nose around here, the "Favorite Loads" thread. There'll be something there that works in your rifle, I promise........

I have 3 .204 Rugers and haven't found anything that shoots bad out of any of them. I have had success with
RL-15
WW748
RL-10X
H322
using either of the 32 gr. bullets and my next work wil be with 35 gr. Bergers.

Dobetown: Thats one reason I have five Varminters in caliber 204 Ruger - I never want to find out about the accurate barrel life in any of them.
Rotation is the key to longevity in Colony Varmint Rifles!
I am sick and tired of paying exhorbitant prices for custom/replacement barrels and the cost of fitting and re-chambering them!
I have a Siebert Bore Inspection Tool and have immediate access to a Hawk-Eye Bore Scope as well and my 204 barrels are all still very perky as of now.
I probably have just 1,000 rounds through my "oldest" 204 and like I mentioned its fine and every bit as accurate today as when it was new.
Short answer - NO - I don't have a personal feeling for barrel life but I have a buch of friends with LOTS of Prairie Doggin under their belts with their 204's and none have replaced a barrel as yet!
I am hoping to get 3,000 to 4,000 rounds of very accurate shooting from my factory barrels.
I NEVER shoot them to anywheres near being hot and I clean them carefully and judiciously.
Someone posted their 204 barrel washed after 800 rounds - I smell "hot rodding" there to and past the max along with HOT BARREL shooting!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
Addendum: Maybe I misinterpreted the previous posting I referred to - it now seems to me that the barrel washed for 2" on that 204 after 2,500 rounds and in his other Rifle he became bored after 800 rounds - sorry if any cornfusion arose over my post.

Thanks Varmintguy thats the info I was looking for. I have a Shaw barrel on an old M700, and treat it the same way you do. PD's have been pretty short around home the last 2 years so I have't really given it a work out. I have settled on the 40grsiners for GP at least in the wind. Its rough on Crows and feral Pigeons.
Have a good holiday season.

For big stuff, cannot beat the 35 Berger and Benchmark.

For flinging goo, Ramshot TAC and either Vmax is a great choice...

Dobetown: Yikes on the low population Prairie Dogs in your neck of the woods.
I hope the dreaded "plague" has not hit your dog towns!
I have been dealing with "plagued out" towns in Montana and Wyoming for decades now - the plague comes and goes!
Its tough to get a town found, figured out and remembered and then have the plague come along and wipe em out!
Anyway I hope that your Prairie Dogs get re-populated soon!
I also shoot "Rock Pigeons" from time to time!
My good friend Tom LOVES to shoot "Barn Pigeons" as he calls them.
He travels GREAT distances from Seattle, Washington where he lives to clean out peoples barns of these flying Varmints.
He and a grandson got 105 of them out of one dairy farms buildings a few years ago - and he got these in one day!
And best of wishes to you and yours for the Holidays and the New Year!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Varmint Guy what length is the barrels on your 204. Have you found that a 24" or 26 is best length. I am in the process of getting averthing together to build one. I have not decided on what length to build. I agree about shooting dogs. That is the most fun. I take a custom 6-BR and a remington bdl .223. Toms22

VG - like you I got in on the ground floor so to speak with the .204. You just explained the reason I have three of them, better than I could of. My 'oldest' one has 2000 rds. thru it, next one has just over 1200 and the new one has less than 400. None have shown any loss of accuracy and in fact the middle one shoots better than day one.
With my 32 gr. bullets going right around 4050 fps and the 39s doing 3750 I keep the fire down on them a bit. Volume and quality trumps speeds and short life.

I have a Thompson Center Prohunter with a 28" stainless fluted barrel, I shoot the 39 grain Sierra Blitzkings using 25.1 grains of Reloader 10X. It shoots great and is destructive on everything it hits. It will shoot dime sized groups at 100 yards all day long. My gun didnt shoot the lighter bullets as well. I found this information on the following site, lots of good info.

www.204ruger.com

Skb2706: My sentiments are yours exactly!
I go for accuracy and consistency in my handloads and think about speed last!
My friend out in Everett, Washington is having a grand old time outfitting his first dedicated Varmint Rifle.
Its a new Ruger 77 V/T with the laminated stock and heavy 26" barrel that he bought a couple weeks ago from Sportsmans Warehouse for $505.00!
He just a couple days ago bought a Leupold 6.5x20 variable scope and 200 pieces of brass from Kesselrings Gunshop in Burlington, Washington. And now his better-half has ordered him a set of micrometer adjustable dies ($160.00!) so he can try to do something I'm not sure he needs done - but he is happy and excited so I didn't complain strongly at all (to this extravagance on the dies).
I just sent him 10 of each of the following bullets - Berger 35's, Hornady 32's and Sierra 32's - I have done away with the 40's so could not send him any of those.
I hope his Ruger 77 V/T is as accurate as my two are!
That is great news on your accuracy to round count numbers shows!
My middle VarmintSon has shown a real propensity for Varmint Hunting and when the time comes "VarmintDad" will not even hesitate to recommend (BUY IT!) to him the 204 Ruger in one form or another!
This son is in his last quarter of college and that may be his "graduation present" - or maybe I will just hand him more fistfuls of cash, as he has become used to that!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
P.S.: Long live the 204 Ruger cartridge!

Ok, I just got my hands on a Savage LPS in 204 Ruger.
I picked up a box of factory Hornady 40's with it. I was givin some Nosler 40gr BT by a friend. I loaded some up with 26.5 of Varget and went to the range. My hand loads sucked!, I tried the factory stuff and it produced dime size groups.

Varget has worked VERY well in my 223 and is listed in the nosler manual. Is the Nosler any good in the 204?

And is the 32 vmax tend to be more accurate in most rifles over the 40 grainers? I need help with this one, I don't have alot of money to buy everything under the sun to try out.

The Noslers shoot good in my 204 s , but as you know every rifle is a law unto itself......

just about everyone has good luck with the Sierra 39 gr...

Thank you, That does seem to be common a I have read many articles last night, Most state the same thing.

What do you use for a over all cartridge length? Both my Savages have an ample free bore. Touching the lands would require a 2" long bullet. In my 223 the "sweet spot" for 65gr and 69gr Sierras is 2.323