lookin at a new coyote gun!

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dog slayer

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ive been lookin at the h&r fluted ultra varmint int either 223 or 204. iknew there was no better place to ask for opinions. ive own a 22-250 stevens. not a very solid platform for my liking. 204 is supposed to have less than half the recoil of the 22-250. wonder if a guycan load 223 to be as fast as 204. would it be cheaper? the gun itself is supposed to be under 300$. what do yall think? dont lett me down boys........ u never do!
 
dog slayer said:
ive been lookin at the h&r fluted ultra varmint int either 223 or 204. iknew there was no better place to ask for opinions. ive own a 22-250 stevens. not a very solid platform for my liking. 204 is supposed to have less than half the recoil of the 22-250. wonder if a guycan load 223 to be as fast as 204. would it be cheaper? the gun itself is supposed to be under 300$. what do yall think? dont lett me down boys........ u never do!
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I own and reload for rifles in all three of the cartridges you mention. I can tell you the .204 has zero appreciable recoil (not that any of them have really anything to worry about). My usual boomstick in .204 is a CZ 527 American, a very lightweight rifle, and there is no recoil worth mentioning. Spotting hits through optics is a breeze.

Regarding velocity, be advised that it can be difficult to achieve velocities above 4,000 fps with any .20 cal bullet except with the lightweight, varmint bullets like the 32 gr Hornady Vmax. Its not the greatest bullet choice for coyotes. (Not that it won't knock em dead, but its probably better assigned to the gopher detonation role). Most of the other usual .20 cal bullet choices, e.g. 39 gr SBK, 35 gr Berger, 40 gr Berger, 45 gr Hornady SP, or the custom 38 gr Wildcat (there are others), will generally net you velocities in the 3,700 to 3,900 fps range.

Regarding the cost of reloading, most of my .204 loads use slightly more powder than my .223 loads. Brass and bullets are perhaps a little more costly or difficult to obtain, but not unreasonably so. Reloading supplies are fairly hard to get here in NL, but despite that, I've been able to acquire everything I have ever needed.

Yes, the .223 is cheaper to shoot overall, but I would not discourage you from acquiring a .204 if you are a reloader. Its a really fun cartridge to shoot.
 
I was in the same boat as you. I liked the .204 for the high velocity thing, but after looking at the numbers, I decided I didn't like the small bullet weight of the .204. It always seems to be windy where I hunt, & I'm concerned about wind drift.
I decided that the .223 cartridge was the one for me. I am looking for the Savage model 10 Predator package rifle in brush camo, which should be good for all season hunting. Good luck finding the rifle you want.
 
I would take the 22-250 over either of your choices, but of the .223 or .204, it would be the .223. The heavier bullets make a huge difference in minimizing wind drift and hit harder at longer ranges. For gophers, bullet size makes no difference, but the little .204 bullets lose steam fast at longer ranges and that is not what you want to flatten yotes with.

Mark
 
The choice for me would depend on the distance you expect to shoot. I have a .223 and like it.
 
The only way that you can bring the .223 to .204 velocities is a light bullet...which is neither ideal, or any guarantee that it will even print worth a damn out of your rifle. If you tool up for .223, brass is readily available;)

Where R U? ASU, WATC, CMTC?
 
If you do decide on the .204 dont shoot 32 gr. bullets opt for a 35 gr. or better yet a 39 gr. Blitzking. You get alot of runners with the light bullets.
Though I dont get the 4300 fps I solely use 39 blitzkings in my T3 Varmint, it produces ragged 5 shot holes with those bullets.
If you are just looking for a coyote gun the .204 isnt the best choice but its the best all around varmint killer. A 22-250 would be my choice for a sole coyote gun or a 220 Swift.

Cheers!!
 
I am a huge fan of the .223 Remington. There are more bullets and brass available and all your .22-250 support stuff (i.e. cleaning rods/patches/etc) are still good for it. Barrel life is outstanding and you can get any make of rifle for it. You just can't go wrong with a 223...
 
dog slayer said:
I've been looking at the H&R fluted ultra varmint in either 223 or 204.

The 204 is supposed to have less than half the recoil of the 22-250. I wonder if a guy can load 223 to be as fast as 204. Would it be cheaper? The gun itself is supposed to be under 300$.

I've owned a 22-250 Stevens, but it's not a very solid platform and not to my liking.

What do you all think? I know there is no better place to ask for opinions. Don't let me down boys. You never do!
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That's better.


.
 
I was looking at the 204/223 this fall, I have the opertunity to go for Prarie dogs is the spring (Montana).

I finally settled on the 223, (I already had all the cleaning stuff I needed for .22) it just seems to be a more "rounded" option.

Cheers and good luck no matter what you decide!
 
If you go .223 (depending on your barrel twist) you can get into the 600-1000M shooting with the right rifle in the off season.
 
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