Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints .204 Ruger for coyotes

Is the .204 Ruger enough rifle for coyotes. I have always used a 22-250 and want to get a lighter rifle to carry about as I get older and been thinking about a .204. Thanks, Chuck

yes. and little sewing....

+ 1, 204 is enough for yotes.

Definitly enough.
Been whacking them with 34gr Varmint nightmares for many many moons.

The smaller hole in the barrel makes for a slightly heavier barrel, assuming equal contour and length.

My RAR-Predator in 204 is like a varmint death ray.

With a 204 Ruger; DRT.



With a 204 Ruger; DRT.



I took this one with a 22-250. From where the exit hole was, I believe it was a heart shot and it ran about 300 yards very fast before going down.



And then there was the deer at 252 yard with the 204 Ruger.

A very good round for coyotes, especially when using 35gr Berger bullets, for those that reload.

I went to Nosler 40 BT's and haven't had any problems with (well hit) coyotes. Broadside exits are nickle sized, usually.
See no reason to change, as I've run them for many years.

Plenty enough and very quiet for the results you get. Everybody I know is running the 39 grain Sierra Blitzking, rarely exits and unless gut shot they are DRT. The Sierra pushed at max velocity will hang with or out-do the 50 grain pill in 22-250 due to its higher B.C. bullets. Only way the 250 will hang is if you have the ability to run the high B.C. V-Max 53 grain at max speeds, then it will be a bit flatter to 500.

Sight in around 225-250 and its a center hold to almost 350. Extremely flat shooting round. As soon as I gat my Savage Long Range 25-06 sold I am ordering a CZ Varmint 204.

Like most other things in life - it depends.

If you are expecting the 204 to drop them like the 22/250 then you will probably not be happy. As a previous poster noted you probably won't have problems if they are "well hit" but it is not always possible to have a perfect shot.

However the biggest issue in my view is that the 204 was designed to be a varmint round (think ground squirrel/prairie dog) and in order to get the explosive effect that seems to be so desired they are thin jacketed. Thin jackets work well on smaller varmints but if you go up to a 35 lb animal they usually don't. But what is worse is if you hit a shoulder bone the bullet will blow up usually leaving a large gaping external wound and a slow agonizing death for the coyote - even coyotes do not deserve that.

The only 204 bullet that I have had moderate success with out of the 204 was the 35 gr Berger, they do have a slightly thicker jacket and seem to hold together a bit better.

Regardless of paper figures a 22/250 with a 50 gr near max velocity hits with a lot more authority then a 204 with a 40 gr bullet.

If you are primarily using it for coyotes rather than colony varmints why not a lighter 22/250 for a walking rifle?

drover

The Sierra 39 gr BK is my favorite bullet in my 204 and yes it is more than enough for calling coyotes

drover, I picked up a Ruger 22-250 with a 22" light barrel. I already had brass,dies, large rifle primers, powder for the 250. Wasn't sure if I would have to get another good cleaning rod besides new dies and brass for the .204. A lot lighter rig than my 788 22-250 with it's 24" medium heavy contour barrel. I still would like to try a .204 someday, but decided to go this route for now. I hunt a lot of heavy cover to open pasture fields and don't always have perfect shot opportunities, the 250 makes up for that sometimes. Thanks for all the help and replies, Chuck

A guy got in trouble in these parts, shooting a nice rack with a .204.

Check wildlife regs, at least before going public...

Be holding a 30-30 or something else when you take the photos...

DF

Sounds like you got what you need for what you do Chuck. I love both rounds, but the 250 does have a bit more say so to offer.

Happy Hunting

ChuckKy,

Good choice IMO. Yes, you would have needed a new cleaning rod, powder funnel, dies, brass and small rifle primers, and depending on the powder you have on hand possibly a different powder. It's surprising how fast those things can add to the cost of a caliber change. Another issue is that 204 brass seems to be in short supply which can be probematic.

Good shooting on the coyotes.

drover

39 bk doesn't fare well with azz shot....back to 52 gr tax for me in 223

I have shot a few with 35 Bergers and they performed well

35 Bergers are ok but the 40's are where the 204 starts behaving like an elephant gun. Be it Vmax, NBT or Berger, the 40's simply changed my opinion of the 204.

Oddly though the 39 Blitz king is the worst bullet I've tried.

Hate to hear that, just loaded up 200 of them


I did however try them first, accuracy was good, and all they'll be used on is gophers and PDs, which I suspect they will kill....


I'm a lover of the 40 Vmax too.

Cracks me up when someone blames the caliber, or bullet, when poor shot selection is the obvious problem.