204 opnions

F

fuel80guy

Member
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
I'm looking for some insight on the 204.
I have a 223 and a 22-250 so now I'm looking at the 204 for a dedicated coyote calling rifle.
I reload so would appreciate any insight there as well.
The rifle I'm looking at comes in 204 and 243 and can't make my mind up if the 204 is going to be enough gun.
 
You already have one of the very best coyote calibers in the .22-250. The .204 is not nearly as good for coyotes. Why are you hoping to change.

I use a .22-250 for coyotes almost all the time. But if I was going to get a rifle right now that was intended specifically for coyotes, I would get a .243. The .204 would never be my choice for a dedicated coyote rifle.
 
You may want to slide over to predatorhuntcan board, lots of info & advocates of the little 204R there.
Guys really like the 35Gr Bergers, followed by 39Gr Sierra BK's on handloads.
 
If you want the 204 go for it I had one for a short time really liked the cal but hated the remington i will never buy another new rem. If I remember right I believe it was Gatehouse (not entirerly sure) but one of our members did a little experiment and took a white tail or mule deer doe with a 204. With proper shot placement they'll do what you need it to and really what diffence will that couple thou mean I don't know my self but really can't see it meaning much
 
If you are planning on saving the hides the 204 is the way to go. If not the 243 can work as a deer rifle for you in Sask as well. I shot a coyote yesterday morning at 353yd with my Sako 204 and 35gr Bergers loaded with XBR 8208. The big male spun twice and fell over dead, 20cal enterance hole, no exit.
 
love my 22-250 I hit yotes from 100 - 400 yards just put the cross hairs on him and away you go, small entrance big exit hole but the job is done fast and clean.
 
Hawkeye said:
If you want the 204 go for it I had one for a short time really liked the cal but hated the remington i will never buy another new rem. If I remember right I believe it was Gatehouse (not entirerly sure) but one of our members did a little experiment and took a white tail or mule deer doe with a 204. With proper shot placement they'll do what you need it to and really what diffence will that couple thou mean I don't know my self but really can't see it meaning much
Click to expand...

Nope
He did that with a 221 Fireball and a 53gr Barnes bullet. FS
 
loading 204

I have loaded for 2 204's, one liked the 39gr Blitz bullet with 28gr of varget and the other likes 40gr ballistic tips with 27gr of varget. There are a multitude of powder and bullet combos that shott real well in many peoples 204 ruger rifles. 8208 XBR powder is a newer powder that many folks like. FS
 
The 22-250 is the best all around coyote round. The .204 just doesn't have the jam to consistantly put down coyotes. I shot a broadside coyote at 75 yds with a 35grn .204 round (going about 3700 fps) and he hunched up and then took off never to be seen again. Yes coyotes can be taken with .204's but the 22-250 is the best all around coyote round going.
 
Yoteboy said:
The 22-250 is the best all around coyote round. The .204 just doesn't have the jam to consistantly put down coyotes. I shot a broadside coyote at 75 yds with a 35grn .204 round (going about 3700 fps) and he hunched up and then took off never to be seen again. Yes coyotes can be taken with .204's but the 22-250 is the best all around coyote round going.
Click to expand...

I don't want to start an argument but I've also seen coyotes shot and drop to the ground 3 times with a 22-250 only to get up and run off. As with any cartridge shot placement and bullet are far more important than caliber shot with. I skin alot of coyotes over the winter and I would much rather skin one shot with the 204 than a 22-250.
 
I love my 22-250. But I also bought a 204 last spring. I love shooting the 204 also hopeing it 's going to be my new coyote truck gun. sorry to not have any 204 coyote kill info. It seems to have a good punch. I'm sure with the right bullet it's great. We will find out this winter.
Also I shot a coyote, the one in my picture, three times before she die died with a 22-250. Shot placement and bullet performance. Hit her twice right behind the shoulder.
 
I have two reasons I'm looking at the 204,one is that it's quieter than my 250 and the second reason is that my daughter will also be shooting it.
I shoot 55 grain vmax out of my 250 and have also seen coyotes take off after 3 shots into them which obviously were not well placed.
 
On coyotes the .204 has more in common with the .223 than the 22/250. The percentage of runners, spinners and floppers goes up with good hits.

I watched Yoteboy have runners that would have been flattened with a 22/250. They died after their run, so we know where they were hit. I actually ended buying that little sweet-shooting custom off him, and had the same results.

The 52 grain Berger varmint match makes a good hide saver in the 22/250. About 1 in 10 exit, the rest look like they've been killed by lethal injection.
 
I had a .204 and loved it. The .204 is a great choice for a coyote calling rifle in more populated areas - it is much quieter than the .22-250 and shoots just as flat. After hand loading with 35gr and 40gr. Bergers my rifle showed a definite preference for the 40gr. and I shot several coyotes with that bullet with excellent results. If I could hunt the wide open spaces of the west I'd prefer a .22-250, but on the small farms of rural Ontario the .204 is very hard to beat as long as you are a hand loader (too many of the factory ammo offering feature highly explosive "varmint" bullets which are a poor choice for shooting these big eastern coyotes, in my experience).

Coyotes are tough as nails and if your first shot isn't a good one things usually go downhill from there. For those having trouble with spinners/runners then stop shooting them too far back, like I used to. Coyotes are not built like a deer so if you shoot them behind the front leg (the classic deer "lung shot") then you increase your chances of hitting them too far back. Once I stumbled across this photo I started shooting them a bit further forward and it does the trick.

anatomy_coyote_side_2-1.jpg
 
Last edited:
I have shot lots of coyotes with the .204 and 35gr Berger bullets and a few with the 39gr blitz king bullets and I have not lost one with a solid hit. I lost 1 with a bad shot low in the leg that has been it. And I have had only 1 run after being shot and he went 20 yards and piled up. Make good shots and they fold up like a cheap lawn chair! I have seen dogs hit bad with a 300 winmag and they still run. Longest shot so far is 402 yards. If you are sneaking up on dogs or shooting them over bait piles and stuff where long shots are the norm then I would go to a .243. If you are calling them your shots are almost always under 250 yards. And the pelt damage using Berger hollow points is zero! Pin hole in and no exit.
 
good on you for posting this pic (post #18) and info as to where to aim! I don't like to see pain and suffering! I don't like what the yotes do to the deer, and I do believe in a one shot clean kill for everything. Here's hoping that all the yote hunter's will sharpen up, quickly! I prefer a 243 or 6mm for the job.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom