.204 Ruger/.223 Rem and a nice budget~what would you buy?

.22LRGUY

.22LRGUY

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Hey guys~I'm at a fork in the road, looking for some input. For the last few years, I've been lugging around heavy varmint guns through the spring/summer...hunting groundhogs..and having a dandy time. :) This year, I added a non-restricted black gun (.223) to the mix with an eye on it being the gun I use if I take another crack at coyote hunting this winter. I have allot of money tied-up in this rifle and as much as I like it, a 7 hour hike through hot/humid fields gets old fast with such a heavy rifle/scope package. It is accurate though!

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I'm reluctant to sell a rifle that shoots this well unless it's replacement is something special, but with a heavy .223 bolt gun in the collection, I'm considering something in .204. The issue is, I have no experience with .204. I'm browsing through Prophet River's selection of Coopers, but think a heavy varmint gun in .204 might be too similar a shooting experience to the .223. (Savage Precision 10 Carbine) Not comparing Cooper to Savage, but they're both heavy. I'm considering the Coopers though, but also a CZ 527 American in .204 Ruger. What do you guys think? I do re-load.

Looking forward to any input.

Thanks,
.22LRGUY
 
You don't always need a heavy barreled rifle to shoot varmints. If you're handloading you should be able to get great accuracy out of a sporter barrel as well and shave a few pounds off. They just require more fine tuning than a heavy barrel and sometimes that will cause you to rip your hair out...

So a Tikka lite if you can stand them or a mountain rifle of some sort would make a night and day difference as long as you can stand hitting the coyote a quarter inch off where the heavy barrel would.
 
Since you reload, I'd get a fast twisted 223, if you don't already have one. Even in a sporter weight, which is nice for a walking varmint rifle, it'll open up a whole new world of target shooting fun with the heavier, slippery projectiles. My 1-8 is my favourite gun to shoot. Scope it properly, with good turrets and targets near and far are just a hoot.
 
I dont think youd be disapointed with one of the new cooper model 51s in 204. Also kimber makes a varmint rifle in 204 that weighs about 7.5lbs if I remember right. That might be worth looking into for you?
 
I can't see how you could go wrong with a nice model 51 Cooper in 204. If you want to shoot a heavy for caliber bullet order it with a 10 twist barrel like I did. I have just started playing with an 8 twist Sako 223 but there is no way I will give up my Sako 204 for varmint hunting. When the new Cooper arrives it should be a coyotes worst nightmare shooting 40 or 50gr Bergers.
 
Thanks for the input guys, greatly appreciated. Thinking I should get behind a .204 somehow, maybe get a feel for it before committing. I'll do some reading on the Cooper 51s, but how do they stack-up (accuracy-wise) to SAKO/CZ...even Savage? Different classes of guns, but my Savage leaves little to be desired in the accuracy dept. with re-loads. I do want something nicer than a Savage..but it doesn't "need" to be a Cooper I suppose.
 
I've got pretty much every standard "varmint" caliber covered from 17 fireball to 243 rem and have access to many more. The rifle I carry most when hunting coyotes? My Swiss Arms in 223 with the heavy 24" sniper barrel as converted by Marcus at CSC. And if that's not heavy enough I have the 6.5x20 Leupold varmint on it.
It is accurate enough out to 600yards for the ones that hang up way out there yet great for when you call in 3 or more (I've had numerous triples with it yet never more than a double with a bolt)
I'd keep what you have and use it.

I sell sell bicycles and concerns about weight are paramount. That being said there's a lot of riders out there that should worry more about their weight than their bikes. Not judging just saying'.

And I'll add that I had VSSF in 204 that I bought when the round first came out it was as accurate as anything else but crazy loud (as in noticeably louder than pretty much anything I own) and the whole "you can watch your shots hit through the scope on a prairie dog/gopher field" sales pitch wasn't really true. Not alot of bullet choice but the ones available seem to work. Coyotes hated it though.
 
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Hello 22LRGuy:

Not to hijack your thread; but what kind of accuracy are we talking about from your XCR?

Secondly, what mounting system are you using for your scope?

Thirdly, what powder / bullet combo are you using for your most accurate rounds?

Sorry to hijack; my XCR gives me fits. I am thinking of ripping off my scope and mounting system just to eliminate them as culprits.

You may know return to your regularly scheduled programming. 😃

Regards,

Chizzy
 
Donny Fenn1 said:
I've got pretty much every standard "varmint" caliber covered from 17 fireball to 243 rem and have access to many more. The rifle I carry most when hunting coyotes? My Swiss Arms in 223 with the heavy 24" sniper barrel as converted by Marcus at CSC. And if that's not heavy enough I have the 6.5x20 Leupold varmint on it.
It is accurate enough out to 600yards for the ones that hang up way out there yet great for when you call in 3 or more (I've had numerous triples with it yet never more than a double with a bolt)
I'd keep what you have and use it.

I sell sell bicycles and concerns about weight are paramount. That being said there's a lot of riders out there that should worry more about their weight than their bikes. Not judging just saying'.
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How did you know I was fat? :) I get what you mean. I guess 7 hours of hiking in hot, muggy T-shirt weather...and that slung XCR bouncing on my left side...well, not the most comfortable thing in the world. My Savage PC10 package is about 10lbs and it's easy to lug around, all smooth edges, etc. Weight is only part of the issue.

Chizzy said:
Hello 22LRGuy:

Not to hijack your thread; but what kind of accuracy are we talking about from your XCR?

Secondly, what mounting system are you using for your scope?

Thirdly, what powder / bullet combo are you using for your most accurate rounds?

Sorry to hijack; my XCR gives me fits. I am thinking of ripping off my scope and mounting system just to eliminate them as culprits.

You may know return to your regularly scheduled programming. 



Regards,

Chizzy
Click to expand...

No problem, here you go;

Scope: Vortex Viper HS 4-16x44 with BDC reticle
Mount: American Defense Recon
Load data: 55gr. Hornady V-Max in front of 26.8gr. of Varget, 2.25" OAL, CCI BR4 primer

Accuracy~MOGH (minute of groundhog head) :) I don't have a proper rest for it (the cheap Hoppe's I use doesn't work for the XCR) but even without a steady/proper rest, I could get them all in/touching the 1" ring about 1/2 the time. Groups could open-up to as much as 1-1/2" but the only time I've had it on the bench I was sitting between dueling SVT-40s~hardly a good time to try and stay steady. I've designed a rest that I'll get on the CNC machine if I decide to keep the rifle and based on my experience with it, I truly believe it's capable of being a consistent, MOA shooer. I didn't buy it as a target shooter though, and I haven't missed any groundhogs this summer with it. (out to 200 yards) There is photographic proof-o-plenty, but I don't want to de-rail this thread. :)
 
.22LRGUY said:
Thanks for the input guys, greatly appreciated. Thinking I should get behind a .204 somehow, maybe get a feel for it before committing. I'll do some reading on the Cooper 51s, but how do they stack-up (accuracy-wise) to SAKO/CZ...even Savage? Different classes of guns, but my Savage leaves little to be desired in the accuracy dept. with re-loads. I do want something nicer than a Savage..but it doesn't "need" to be a Cooper I suppose.
Click to expand...

My Sako 204 will shoot 1/4" groups at 100 yds off the bench with a max load of XBR 8208 and 35gr bergers. The new Cooper will come with a 1/2" accuracy gaurentee and I do expect it to shoot like my other Cooper which can do a 1/2" 100yd group with most any combination I try to load for it. Most of the loads I use for hunting coyotes will do way better than a 1/2".
 
My savage lightweight varminter with thumbhole stock will shoot 32 grain Sierra blitz into .2-.25 all day (I'm pretty sure this is only limited by my shooting). It will shoot TNTs into about .75 but they really lift the gophers up. Have to see it to believe it. It's got a heavy enough barrel that I can fire off about 40-50 before my shots start to wander. Yet still
Not so heavy that I can't lug it around all day. I'm probably in better shape than 95% of the guys posting in this thread though. I have two sets of leupold quick detach weaver mouts. During summer I rock a 6-24x50 to get personal with the gophers, in the winter I shoot a 4-12x40. I would shoot something with higher mag but the side focus or AO slow me down too much.

Cheers

Edit: if I was just shooting off the bench or hunting from a table or rest or truck (a nice easy hunt) I would have picked up a cz 527 var targ Kevlar. They are phenomenal guns but I consider them too soft and pretty to crawl in tr dirt with. To each his own. My scopes combined are worth almost three times the rifle. Buy good glass.
 
I've had 204, 223, 22-250 and 243. Had a heck of a time deciding and had some nice rifles too. A 700 LVSF, Ruger MKII, both gone. Right now I have a T3 Lite S/S with set trigger in 22-250 waiting for yotes. The Heavy Barrel Savage in 223 I would not carry in the field. I have a KelTec Su-16 coming to try that. All those calibers work, some are more fur friendly than others. I think the right rifle in 223 handloaded could be the overall winner though. The point about medium power scopes without AO or SF is bang on.
 
my son's went with the 204 Ruger in a mighty fine CZ, I'm sticking with my variation of Rem V.S. 700 BDL's in 222, 223, 22-250, 243, and I'm missing the 6mm, 7mm-08 and the 308 in the Rem 700 short action BDL V.S. rifles. I guess I'm just old school! I have a custom stock that accepts right hand rifles for a left hand shooter in the thumbhole custom Apache gold stock (personally custom fitted and built for me by Steve, GunPro right here in southern Mb) and each one fits in the stock, and yes of coarse, one at a time! My Favorite is definitely by FAR FAR FAR is the triple 2 Rem! She's a love maker! And a one holer! Hey, did I shoot once, or was it 10 times? Read all about the 222 Rem, maybe the most accurate cartridge ever produced! she's so sweet! It's all in the same hole for her and me!
 
ShrtRnd said:
+1 on the Tikka T3 Lite. Add in some 35gr Bergers or 39gr SBKs' and your good to go with the .204R
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My choice and its an excellent rifle to carry all day.
With the 8" barrel twist in the 223 virtually any weight of bullet that you choose for varmints will shoot really well.... and don't believe that crap about the 'plastic' parts breaking, only abuse would do that.
 
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