Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Load info on 204 Ruger

Well I've been a .17 Rem fan for years and finally decided to get a 204 Ruger . I bought a 204 barrel for my encore . It is a 26" heavy barrel . I have done some research , Im planning on useing Sierra 39 gr Blitzkings and Berger 40 gr HP , to start with , I'm thinking of starting out loading test loads with either Benchmark or Reloader 10 , those 2 powders seemed like a good place to start , any info on a good starting point would be great , and am I on the right track with what I'm going to start my test loads with . Thanks for looking

Probably two of the most accurate powders tested in the .204 are H4198 and H322.

H 322 did pretty darn well in mine, that's for sure..
H 4198, not so much...

but mine is picky...

Allaints new AR Comp is the best tho with ALL bullets tried in it...

I consider my 204 barrel picky, as it is a real light weight one..Ruger Ultra Lite tube..

Thanks guys for the info

40gr V-max, 24.5gr R-10
Excellent accuracy in my CZ 527.

LOVE my .204!! You will too! Mine's a cheapie, Savage bull, 26", accu-trigger(love it), Bsa Platinum 6-24x. Got it just to try out the .204.. I may get another, but won't part with this one.. If the wind and heat rise behaves it'll behead a prairie dog at 350yds....... need I say more. CHEAP to shoot, I'm mostly a Hornady V-max guy, 32's and 40's, but like 39gr Blitzkings and WOW! the 26gr Varmint grenade.! My wife got the 'Kind' shot this summer just shy of 200yds, all we saw was a red hallow about 3' in dia..... NOTHING LEFT!!!!!!!! LOL! FLAT shooter. The heavier bullets are better for us where we go, shooting 200-450yds across a big draw, so heat and air movement are an issue, but if we get out early in the morning, we kick whistle pig butt..
Good Luck! Anxious to hear how the T/C does!

Try the data out listed on this website, (www.204ruger.com) and see what you think. If that barrel doesn't work out, you might try an boltgun.

IMR 8208 XBR or H4895 have been very accurate powders in the 204. They also give excellent velocity.

Thanks again for all the info

24-25.1 of RL10X some wheres in there is a good load for your rifle.

76 michael,

If you check out the various sources of loading data, you'll find that Ramshot TAC is always among the fastest powders listed for the .204. It's proven to be that way in the three .204's I've owned, and is normally very accurate as well.

My current .204 is a Remington 700 VTR. I normally shoot 10-shot groups toward the end of experimentation with any prairie dog rifle, as I like to see what the rifle will do with a hot barrel. Plus one 10-shot group is a lot more indicative of the rifle's accuracy than 5-shot or, especially, 3-shot groups. This rifle groups then 32-grain Nosler Ballistic tips into under 3/4" or less with 29.0 grains of TAC.

In addition to being both fast and accurate, TAC is very clean-burning and includes a de-coppering agent. I've also installed Dyna Bore-Coat in the VTR, and barrel cleaning in the field simply isn't needed. I prefer to shoot rather than clean!

Crap...I guess I gotta go buy more TAC...I'm out....

My rifle loves 28 gr H4895 and the Berger 35 gr Match HP

Ever try any IMR 4895..?

no, not in the 204, i like the temp insensitive Hod4895

OK...thanks..Ive not had temp. sensitivity issues with IMR4895...but I know the H4895 is supposed to be more resistant...

I don't like even a small change in pressure in the sub cal bores. They are running on the red line as is. It just doesn't take much to push them over the pressure line.

I'll have to go with H-4895 and Benchmark.

I tried Benchmark in my 204 and it wasn't as consistence accuracy wise as H4895 . I'm going to try BL-C2 and see how it does.

My encore 15 inch shots most accurate with re 15 but speeds are low with max loads.I've tryed ww 748,benchmark,4198 but the re 15,is buy far the most accurate so far but speeds are 350 fps or more slower,just got barrel and have'nt had alot of time for development.it will shoot dime sized groups at 100.

Per the 204 Ruger site H322 the most accurate powder tested.....

My buddy farted with this for weeks and hundreds of rounds. I told him to quit fighting it a switch. He finally did he's shooting .5's to .7's at 200.

bea175,

I tried max listed loads of Benchmark and TAC in my rifle on the same day, shooting 10-shot groups. TAC was 100 fps faster and .1 more accurate.

varget shoots very well in mine but you give up some velocity

I have a pound of TAC and will give it a try.

TAC works for me, both for accuracy and fps.

And it certainly seems to shoot cleanly.

Works very well in my 223's too.

And the metering is lovable!

Has killed a lot of PD's.

Steve

8208XBR has worked well for me so far with the two v-max bullets. I was using BL-C2, but did not like the temperature sensitivity. T.S.

Had mine out on the range the other day again...

besides AR Comp and H 322, I was testing out the new 24 GR NTX Hornady over a charge of RL 7...

an old powder but RL 7 NEVER fails to keep impressing me with both accuracy and velocity in ratio to the charge used to get there...

those new NTXs are also impressing me with accuracy potential.. they are shooting much tighter groups than the Nosler Lead Free Ballistic Tips are in testing with the 22 caliber, and 20 caliber..

I have both a 204 Encore ProHunter and a CZ 527. Both of those rifles prefer H4895 and H322 than any other powder I have loaded for them. But I am using 32 grain pills.

Haven't seen AA2520 mentioned so far. 27.5 grains and the Sierra 39 BK have been the combo in at least 10 different 204's I've put together and tested. GHD

I found a good load combo using 39 SBK and CFE223 powder. 450 primers made it really tighten up. Go near the top of hodgdons load recommendations.

I’m still in the early stages with with my CZ 527, but 40 gr Vmax and H322 are in the lead.

My rifle likes the Hornady 32 grain V-Max and and 30.5 grains of BL-C (2)

This is an old thread, but I'm wondering, anyone here loading to the throat?

That was the first thing that struck me with the 204, how far out the throat was. I could only load Blitz Kings to kiss rifling, and then only the 39 BK because it has a truncated boat-tail. 40 VMs did terrible, couldn't touch the neck AND the rifling. So did some gold-tipped Rem factory fodder, just all over the paper. But the 39 Kings shot.
So did 32s after I'd done a concentricity check on fired cases, culling those that formed off center in what was a FAT chamber.

And yep, TAC works nicely.

Dave Skinner: Over the last 50+ years (actually 62 years now that I take time to figger!) of handloading for Rifles I came to realize that just because bullets" have to "jump" some to get to the leades of the rifling DOES NOT automatically make those bullets/cartridges "inaccurate"!
I own dozens of Rifles (factory Rifles!) that have throats longer than I would prefer and even though the bullets in them "jump" a lot they still attain for me good to excellent accuracy.
In my hoard of 204 Ruger heavy barrel factory Rifles I easily obtained EXCELLENT accuracy from all of them with little attention/concern as to "bullet jump".
These Rifles include:
Ruger #1-V S/S
Ruger 77 V/T (2 of these)
Remington 700 VLS
Remington XR-100 (4 of these)
H&R Handi-Rifle
And by the way I had to switch over all my 204's to the relatively short 32 grain Sierra BlitzKing bullets due to scarcity of my preferred Berger 35 grain bullets.
I am glad your 204 Ruger Rifle perked up and started shooting well - and if I read your posting correctly your experience coincides with mine (the 32 grain bullets shooting as well as the 39 grain BlitzKings/longer bullets).
I have as yet to come across a quality Rifle in caliber 204 Ruger that was "inaccurate"!
In other words I am saying the 204 Ruger is an inherently accurate cartridge!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I’m just about to hop into the 204 ruger and I can reload that caliber I’m ready to try out all kinds of new and different powder and loads.

Hey 76 Michael how do you like your 204 ruger?

I have three 204 Rugers, a great cartridge. I shoot only 32 and 35 grain bullets. Benchmark has proven accurate for me.

I've got two of them on AR platforms and I use Benchmark primarily too. But you guys have talked me into trying H322.
We'll see how it goes

I also have had great success with cfe223 in my 3 204's. 32 gr. blitxkings,32 vmaxs, and 39 gr blitxkings.fast and accurate. I've worn out a barrel on one of them. 3500 rds. approx. still shoots ok but going to get a new tube this winter. It's gone from a 1/4" rifle to 3/4" but I have about 300 rds that I want to shoot up in it, Have a new barrel ordered.

I've got two 204's quite different models. 700 with 24" barrel and Thompson Center compass with a 22 in barrel.The compass is 5R rifled 10 twist , 700 is a 12 twist. Both shoot 40gr v-max better than anything lighter. Haven't tried heavier yet in the compass. H 4895and 8208 what I like to burn

I've been gone for 10 days.....so forgive me not reading the whole thread....

but H 322, AR Comp and real old W 748 works pretty damn well also...

I shoot 24 gr NTX and 32 V Maxes....

I use Reloader 10X (26.5 gr) with Sierra 39 gr. Sierra. Shoots lights out in my Cooper and in EVERY .204 I've loaded for. Without exception. That loads shoots.

Tag

I’m using 40 grain vmax in my Kimber predator 204. Getting 1/4” groups at 300 yards.
28.8 grains of Cf223
Ctl 1844
Coal 2250

sure you are.......

My Cooper .204 ;just loved 10X, sub sub MOA .25 groups either V Max or Sierra .39's.

27 grains of N140 and a 39 grain Sierra are tough to beat.