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Joined: Dec 2004
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I have a coworker who I work pretty closely with. I do the technical, hands-on stuff and he does all the billing and shipping stuff. Once in a while, we take a few minutes to gab about shooting, hunting, reloading, rifles, and the like.

Last week we chatted for a few minutes in his office. The subject of acquiring rifles and handguns in new-to-us cartridges came up. He mentioned a few, and so did I...things like 10mm, .300 H&H, and .204 Ruger. When I mentioned that I might one day shop for something in .204 because I've never owned it, he opened his desk drawer, reached in, and handed me five factory .204 rounds. They're sitting on a shelf in my loading room sending me telepathic messages right this minute.

That bastard.


Don't be the darkness.

America will perish while those who should be standing guard are satisfying their lusts.


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Enablers make the world go 'round!


"You can lead a man to logic, but you cannot make him think." Joe Harz
"Always certain, often right." Keith McCafferty
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Indeed they do, and I can play the same game. I have a partial box of .22 WRF sitting on the shelf and suffer no temptations due to their presence...and he happens to like old and oddball stuff. I'd rather it be something he'd feel compelled to reload, though.

I might have a couple of rounds of .303 British stashed away someplace too.

I'll get even with that SOB.

wink


Don't be the darkness.

America will perish while those who should be standing guard are satisfying their lusts.


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Resistance is futile. Give in to the dark side.


There are 2 rules to success:

1. Never tell everything that you know.
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Hahaha - Follow the path to enlightenment. It is now at your feet.

Honestly, if you’ve not experienced it, you’ll love the 204. My first experience was with a second-hand Cooper that was for sale at a great price. I took it out to a friends place who has a 100 yd range. Shooting off a rolled up sleeping bag on the hood of the truck, I had a group you could cover with a dime. The hook was set; much to the chagrin of my wife. Yes, that gun is in the safe.

Last edited by Ben_Lurkin; 02/28/21.

Yours in Liberty,

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I may well do it---if things ever get back to something resembling "normal" and component availability makes it practical. Retirement is right around the corner (again, depending on how things go) and I'll have time to go north a little ways to shoot prairie dogs. I think a .204 would be a great way to go, in addition to my .222, .223s, and my Swift.

A return to normalcy sees to be the question of the day.


Don't be the darkness.

America will perish while those who should be standing guard are satisfying their lusts.


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We live in interesting times. Some ancient (supposedly Chinese) suggested that might be a good thing. Or maybe he thought it a curse....

Don't like the term "oddball cartridge". But it can refer to almost any cartridge (or even bore diameters) having minimal popularity, generally causing owners to develop ammo anxieties. Results: owners wisely accumulate lifetime supplies of ammo/components and retail operations might have very old inventory they'd like to sell. When a new whiz-bang cartridge having no real advantage over existing rounds appears there might be a very short-lived glut of ammo for that chambering. Think 6.8 Western, not trying to pick on it.

Enter the plandemic. Flexibility becomes king. People are using small rifle primers in pistol cartridges, poring over burn rate charts to see if XYZ powder can work in ABC cartridge.

A cogent argument can be made for purchasing a sizeable cache of ammo/components for some forgotten old/unpopular new cartridge when it runs into you. Purchasing the firearm so chambered afterward is likely easier.

Sorry for making this clear as mud, but yeah, buy a .204.

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I'll play devil's advocate here, and tell you to save your money and don't buy a 204. I've had 2 of them, a Remington 7 and a Howa. Both shot well, and I killed coyotes and bobcats with them. But, I wasn't impressed in the least with the 204 Ruger. I had several instances in which the 32 grain VMax's went splat and didn't penetrate. Eventually I switch to the 35 grain Berger bullets, but by then my confidence in the cartridge was gone.

If you like the lighter weight bullets, you can easily push a 40 grain 22 caliber bullet to over 4000 fps in a 22-250, and it works on coyotes perfect. I've killed more coyotes with a 223 shooting the 50 grain VMax, and it will perform almost as well as the 40 grain 204 bullet will.

I'm of the opinion that if I want to shoot little bitty bullets, then I want a 17 caliber, and if I want to shoot heavier little bullets, then I want a 22 caliber. Anyway, I have a 22-250 to shoot the 40 grain bullets fast, and 223's for every other 22 caliber need. Honestly, I see no need for anything smaller.

But, on the other hand, it's none of my business how someone else spends their money, and if it trips your trigger, then go for it.

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I tried the 204 three times (yeah, I know - slow learner) but I came to the same conclusion as JamesJr. The only 204 bullet I found that worked semi-reliably on coyotes was the 35 gr Berger and even with them I had a couple of runoffs that I have never experienced with 40 Nosler BT's out of my 223.

I know that there is a lot of love of love for the 204 but in my experience using the 32 gr bullet on gophers and PD's is where it is reliable, the varmint bullets are just too fragile for anything else. Even then for me it does not do anything that the 223 doesn't do with the 40 gr V-Max and Nosler BT.

drover


223 Rem, my favorite cartridge - you can't argue with truckloads of dead PD's and gophers.

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RiverRed: Be careful, VERY careful who you "listen" to on this site!
The 204 Ruger cartridge IS a Coyote killing machine!
PERIOD!
I know - I done it - I do it.
DO NOT let ANYONE tell you anything different.
I own and shoot 9 (nine) Varmint Rifles in caliber 204 Ruger and began shooting this wonderous cartridge back in 2,004 when it first came out.
I have kill't all manner of Varmints with my 204's including Coyotes, Fox, Badger, Rock Chucks, Skunks, field lions, Ground Squirrels, Raccoons, Jack Rabbits, a host of flying Varmints and a Wild Turkey so far with mine.
And one of my friends here in SW Montana harvests a batch of Whitetail Does each year with his 204 Ruger!
The 204 Ruger in my opinion and based on my extensive experience with it - is the top "All Around" Varmint/predator cartridge there is.
And by "all around" I mean ALL AROUND for predators (especially for night calling) and Varmints which includes everything from various Colony Varmints to running Jack Rabbits (remember sped kills and makes hits easier on running game).
Slow to heat a barrel, easy on throats, virtually no recoil, flat trajectory, extremely efficient with small powder charges, astounding accuracy, amazing lethality on Varmints, predators and small game and easy on pelts are just a few of its many attributes!
I will HIGHLY recommend to you (as I have to more than a dozen other interested newbies to date!) that you buy and try a Varmint Rifle in 204 Ruger.
Best of luck if decide to try the amazing 204 Ruger.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

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Originally Posted by gnoahhh
Enablers make the world go 'round!



My real close friends are enablers, but paybacks are a biotch...


Originally Posted by raybass
I try to stick with the basics, they do so well. Nothing fancy mind you, just plain jane will get it done with style.
Originally Posted by Pharmseller
You want to see an animal drop right now? Shoot him in the ear hole.

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Andrew, be lucky it wasn't me doing that to you...

someone gave me a 204 barrel off a Ruger, a light weight one...I put it on one of my Rugers...

Being Mr Practical, I took it off the action, and ordered a 20 Practical Barrel in a heavy magnum contour, 22 inches long...

Since I had plenty of 223 brass, all I had to pick up was a 20 caliber neck sizer from Hornady, the rest of my 223 dies work just fine on it..

its not really that far behind the 204... in fact, all I have to do is go up two clicks on the scope adjustment and could zero it for the same point of impact, at 150, 200 , 250 and 300 yds....

My favorite bullet on that, is the small one... the 24 grain NTX from Hornady.. you can run it at about 4400 fps +....

it hangs a job on sage rats, prairie dogs, and also did the same on a couple of badgers and rock chucks...


"Minus the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the Country" Marion Barry, Mayor of Wash DC

“Owning guns is not a right. If it were a right, it would be in the Constitution.” ~Alexandria Ocasio Cortez

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I'm with Seafire, although I'd go the 20 TACTICAL for the longer neck and extra wildcattiness.

I have worked up a couple of 204s, one was a troublemaker and the other considerably more willing. Both are rather sensitive to case concentricity, your brass HAS to be good, or ultra-prepped, or you'll MISS.

What I love is watching the shock wave, the recoil is really next to nothing. On meat, never had an issue, but was using Blitz King 39s in all situations. Overall, however, I think the 204 is throated too long from the factory, at least it has been in my experience, and it also runs pretty darn warm, heats up quick in the dog fields.

So, when I build my 20, it's gonna be a short throated TACTICAL where I have to prep all the brass beforehand. Looking forward to it, actually.


Up hills slow,
Down hills fast
Tonnage first and
Safety last.

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