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Barnes, and CFE..Got there, then backed off to normal. Will tell you with each 1/2 grain there is 100fps

Right after this I shot a 1/4 plate with the 32@ 50yrds, and had no trouble penciling through

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Originally Posted by bsa1917hunter
What's your take? Thanks

I'm on my 4th. The first 2 were failures, a 14" Contender barrel and a blued 700 SPS. I set aside the .204 after that for about 3, maybe 4 years, then had one built with a PacNor 3 L&G super match with a 1-12" twist. It was a very good shooter .. redeemed the cartridge in my eyes. Half inch was possible with every bullet I tried using Varget for the 39s and 40s and H335 for the 32s. Eventually the throat got so rough that it was ripping bullet jackets. At first it'd go 150 rounds or more without issues, without change in accuracy. After a few years I started noticing unexpected misses at 75-100 rounds into a day and sure enough, on paper I'd have tumbling bullets. Clean it good and it'd go almost as many rounds as it did the previous time but it was definitely going downhill. I shot it 'til I could only get about 15 rounds through it after cleaning before the bullets started failing in flight, then had it rebarreled. Again, PacNor 3 L&G with a 1-12" twist. I worked up loads from scratch. It surprised me, the top accuracy with the new barrel for each bullet was with exactly the same powder and charge weight as with the previous barrel despite switching from a varmint to standard sporter contour. The only difference is that first barrel would not stabilize the 40 grain VMAX but the current one will .. just that tiny difference between nominal twist and actual twist I guess.

I'm a huge .204 fan. For me it hits a sweet spot with .22-250 / .220 Swift trajectory over the distances I shoot but only .223 recoil and powder consumption. For the small rodents I mostly shoot, there's no visible difference in impact.

So far as coyotes ... I haven't stuck a coyote with it, but I have 4-5 boxes of the discontinued 45 grain Hornady soft points which the gun likes. It also likes the 40 grain Nosler BT. No wrong answer here other than not enough trigger time.


Anyone who thinks there's two sides to everything hasn't met a M�bius strip.

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Built a 204R Pac Nor barrel in 2007-Savage action

Kilt a few p/dogs with it

Sent it back & re chambered it to 20 Practical

Ballistic twin & cheaper brass


T R U M P W O N !

U L T R A M A G A !

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In the wind with 39/40's, the 204 is pretty awesome in a dog town; they don't seem to unglue them as well as .224's and definitely not as well as the .224's and .243's that are in the same speed zone.

Still a very good choice and easier to hit with, drop and windage wise, over std. twisted 222's and .223 class cartridges and better than 17's in my book.

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The little 204 Ruger is just so doggone much fun to shoot & hunt with! Recently wrote a little article and did a video to go along with it:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...the-204-ruger-video-article#Post17253783

https://ultimatereloader.com/2022/05/15/have-a-need-for-speed-try-the-204-ruger/

Regards, Guy

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Originally Posted by Cascade
The little 204 Ruger is just so doggone much fun to shoot & hunt with! Recently wrote a little article and did a video to go along with it:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...the-204-ruger-video-article#Post17253783

https://ultimatereloader.com/2022/05/15/have-a-need-for-speed-try-the-204-ruger/

Regards, Guy


For being the ultimate reloader, that guy fumbles around a lot.. A lot of that equipment is unnecessary too and gives new reloaders a false impression of what it actually takes to make good handloads. He's not about keeping it simple and nothing I've seen has shown me his handloads are any better than most guys using simple basic equipment.. I'm expecting my RCBS die set today. After I get the rifle in hand, I'll prove my point..


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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Originally Posted by bsa1917hunter
Originally Posted by Cascade
The little 204 Ruger is just so doggone much fun to shoot & hunt with! Recently wrote a little article and did a video to go along with it:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...the-204-ruger-video-article#Post17253783

https://ultimatereloader.com/2022/05/15/have-a-need-for-speed-try-the-204-ruger/

Regards, Guy


For being the ultimate reloader, that guy fumbles around a lot.. A lot of that equipment is unnecessary too and gives new reloaders a false impression of what it actually takes to make good handloads. He's not about keeping it simple and nothing I've seen has shown me his handloads are any better than most guys using simple basic equipment.. I'm expecting my RCBS die set today. After I get the rifle in hand, I'll prove my point..

Everyone does stuff differently. If we all did it the same way we’d never learn from one another. I like simple myself but I’d bet a dollar we all get to the same spot mostly.

I see posts on uniforming primer pockets and neck turning. If I HAD to do those to shoot, I’d shoot factory ammo but some guys love that stuff grin


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Originally Posted by bsa1917hunter
Originally Posted by Cascade
The little 204 Ruger is just so doggone much fun to shoot & hunt with! Recently wrote a little article and did a video to go along with it:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...the-204-ruger-video-article#Post17253783

https://ultimatereloader.com/2022/05/15/have-a-need-for-speed-try-the-204-ruger/

Regards, Guy


For being the ultimate reloader, that guy fumbles around a lot.. A lot of that equipment is unnecessary too and gives new reloaders a false impression of what it actually takes to make good handloads. He's not about keeping it simple and nothing I've seen has shown me his handloads are any better than most guys using simple basic equipment.. I'm expecting my RCBS die set today. After I get the rifle in hand, I'll prove my point..

Hi BSA, that guy is me. We've had some pleasant exchanges before. smile

"Ultimate Reloader" is the name of the website & youtube channel, it belongs to a friend of mine. He asked me to do something on the 204 Ruger, which he hadn't covered before, and he knew I'd shot it quite a bit.

I also took the opportunity to demonstrate the arbor press & Wilson dies, simply because they're different from what most of us use.

Usually on "Ultimate Reloader" I present some real basic stuff. Loading on normal Lyman, Hornady and RCBS gear. This time I used the cool little arbor press, just because it's different and I enjoy using it.

BSA, I'm not in competition with you or anyone else here. I just figured perhaps my years of using the 204 Ruger might be of some interest to you. It's such a cool little cartridge. Enjoy!

Regards, Guy

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Had several friends take 204 barreled AR's to a prairie dog shoot in SD years ago. They ALL cooked the throats out of their barrels in no time. The round never caught my attention.

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Originally Posted by Ghostman
Had several friends take 204 barreled AR's to a prairie dog shoot in SD years ago. They ALL cooked the throats out of their barrels in no time. The round never caught my attention.
Even a 223 will do that if you aren't disciplined.


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Originally Posted by 10gaugemag
Originally Posted by Ghostman
Had several friends take 204 barreled AR's to a prairie dog shoot in SD years ago. They ALL cooked the throats out of their barrels in no time. The round never caught my attention.
Even a 223 will do that if you aren't disciplined.


I met a guy who shoots an AR 15 in .223 on the prairie dog towns each year. He burns out the throat every time he goes and simply replaces the barrel before the next year. Replacing an AR 15 barrel is simple and usually pretty inexpensive. Personally I would rather take two or three rifles, but to each his own.

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Originally Posted by LeonHitchcox
Originally Posted by 10gaugemag
Originally Posted by Ghostman
Had several friends take 204 barreled AR's to a prairie dog shoot in SD years ago. They ALL cooked the throats out of their barrels in no time. The round never caught my attention.
Even a 223 will do that if you aren't disciplined.


I met a guy who shoots an AR 15 in .223 on the prairie dog towns each year. He burns out the throat every time he goes and simply replaces the barrel before the next year. Replacing an AR 15 barrel is simple and usually pretty inexpensive. Personally I would rather take two or three rifles, but to each his own.

2 or 3 rifles wouldn't qualify for a real Prairie Dog shoot, you need at least 12...


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Originally Posted by bsa1917hunter
Originally Posted by Cascade
The little 204 Ruger is just so doggone much fun to shoot & hunt with! Recently wrote a little article and did a video to go along with it:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...the-204-ruger-video-article#Post17253783

https://ultimatereloader.com/2022/05/15/have-a-need-for-speed-try-the-204-ruger/

Regards, Guy


For being the ultimate reloader, that guy fumbles around a lot.. A lot of that equipment is unnecessary too and gives new reloaders a false impression of what it actually takes to make good handloads. He's not about keeping it simple and nothing I've seen has shown me his handloads are any better than most guys using simple basic equipment.. I'm expecting my RCBS die set today. After I get the rifle in hand, I'll prove my point..

Quit being such a twit!

The guy is bringing good content into an otherwise dead forum and you're trying to what? Flex your reloading might?

Seems to me, it sure would be great to be talking about rifles and load data again without all the drama and chest thumping associated with the fugging internet and all it's drama. Wouldn't you agree?


Screw you! I'm voting for Trump again!

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Originally Posted by shrapnel
2 or 3 rifles wouldn't qualify for a real Prairie Dog shoot, you need at least 12...


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I usually take about 6 or 7. My rifles include 17 Hornet, 204, 222, 223, 22-250, 22-250AI, & 6mm

Some years the dogs are thick and closer. Some years it's lucky to get any much under 300 yards. Some years it's cool, some years it's hot. I used to take three 223's. I'm down to taking only one. The best dog shoot I was on was in Wyoming in 1985, near where the North Platte comes out of the mountains. I took thousands of rounds and 6 rifles. We shot early morning until dusk. We shot PD's and other rodents for 6 days. We were often changing rifles just to keep the barrels from over-heating too much. The wife's were along. They shot 22LR's and shot an awful lot of rodents, not just PD's.

We will often clean rifles at the end of the day depending on how many shots we had with that rifle that day.

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Originally Posted by 10gaugemag
Originally Posted by Ghostman
Had several friends take 204 barreled AR's to a prairie dog shoot in SD years ago. They ALL cooked the throats out of their barrels in no time. The round never caught my attention.
Even a 223 will do that if you aren't disciplined.

another benefit of using Blue Dot or Alliant Steel and a host of other powders in that burn rate range...

12 to 13 grains of powder in each case... 2 to 3 shots every two minutes average...

I've shot 500 plus rounds in an afternoon, in a Sporter barrel with the 223, and never had it heat up enough to have to let it cool off...

and the rifle never lost accuracy all afternoon...

another reason I use bolt actions and no ARs to shoot sage rats...

used Blue Dot in my 22 Practical also.. 32 grain bullets... good velocity and accurate as always...

Unique, is also a good powder to use in 223 or 204... I use 10 grains in my 223s, with 40 or 50 grain bullets...


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I have TC Venture 204 ruger predator model 110 twist. Tac 322 works good but my main 2 powders are RL10 and H4895. With a berger 35gr or 40gr hp.

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Originally Posted by shrapnel
Originally Posted by LeonHitchcox
Originally Posted by 10gaugemag
Originally Posted by Ghostman
Had several friends take 204 barreled AR's to a prairie dog shoot in SD years ago. They ALL cooked the throats out of their barrels in no time. The round never caught my attention.
Even a 223 will do that if you aren't disciplined.


I met a guy who shoots an AR 15 in .223 on the prairie dog towns each year. He burns out the throat every time he goes and simply replaces the barrel before the next year. Replacing an AR 15 barrel is simple and usually pretty inexpensive. Personally I would rather take two or three rifles, but to each his own.

2 or 3 rifles wouldn't qualify for a real Prairie Dog shoot, you need at least 12...


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Shrap, who's driving your ammo wagon?

Last edited by OSU_Sig; 05/21/22.

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Believe it or not, I do have a driver’s license…


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Originally Posted by shrapnel
Believe it or not, I do have a driver’s license…
Yeah but you can't drive the gun wagon AND the ammo wagon at the same time. With all those rifle cases, there has to be an ammo wagon to keep you in the fight... smile


There are 2 rules to success:

1. Never tell everything that you know.
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