reloading .204 R~stick to 2.26" for O/A length?

.22LRGUY

.22LRGUY

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Hey guys, I'm the proud new owner of a .204 Ruger as of yesterday ( :) ) my first...and while researching bullet options for it, my plan was to follow my .223 experience and set the O/A length @ .010" off the lands. I'd rounded-up 32 and 40gr. Hornady V-Max, and 39gr. Sierra Blitz Kings. I sat down last night with the calipers and a note pad and was surprised to see how much longer those results were for each bullet when compared to the 2.26" SAMMI spec. The 32gr. (for instance) on average...nearly .060" longer. That's 1/16" of an inch, to say nothing of how the bullet is barely IN the neck at that point. I did some digging around on a well-known .204 R forum, and found the following, discussing a "jump" to the lands. Would you .204 loaders agree with this?

Thanks for taking a moment to reply,
.22LRGUY

I'd strongly suggest forgetting about 'loading to the lands' for now, and just load your rounds to the standard SAAMI overall cartridge length of 2.260". Chances are, your rifle will shoot just fine, feed from the magazine as designed, and will be reliable with any standard book load.

Later when you've been at it for a few years, custom cut chambering reamers, minimum freebore, leade angle, shoulder angle and all the other techo stuff will all make sense, and with a good background of 'loading by the book', you'll be a safe and experienced handloader....not just a 'reloader'.

The 204 Ruger is an animal all to itself, in that the "usual" jump (or not) to the lands is far greater than most cartridges, including most high intensity varmint cartridges. As designed, it shoots quite well with this 'jump' to the lands as you'll soon see. Just do all you can in the way of case prep, use a popular powder and bullet known to perform in the 204, and load to factory spec
 
Hi, Im fairly new to this so far ive only loaded 32 gr vmax in my 204 started at 2.250 like my book says. Am shooting easy half inch groups with 27 grains benchmark or 23.2 grains imr4198 so never felt the need to change my overall length.
 
I just went with what the book said and played around with powder till I found a load that worked. I also like to load hot for gophers seems the faster the bullet goes the more pink mist and parts fly.
 
Most of the load data I have saved from that same site lists OAL between 2.240-2.250 (35gr Bergers & 39gr SBKs' respectively).

With the PHC board still down, I can't access the threads I saved on 204R Loads. There were alot of different projectile-powder-primer combos covered under both load development & in the field. Hopefully some of the regulars there like CV32, Booner, todbartell et al will be able to chime in and recall some of those threads.
 
I appreciate the input guys, thanks! ShrtRnd~if there is any more you'd like to add, please feel free. I've read in a number of places that 2.2598" (.0002" under 2.26") is the O/A length, but I haven't started pouring powder yet. According to my testing in the rifle's chamber (friction-fit a round in an empty case/into the chamber) it would seem that a little longer vs. shorter would be a good choice.

Look forward to hearing more, and thanks again.

.22LRGUY
 
What powder & primers are you planning on using?

Have you given any thoughts towards the Berger 35gr FB HPs' (#20303) or are you stuck on the three you previously mentioned? Nosler had some 34gr BTs' at one time, which would've been interesting given the BTs' reputation & my own experiences with them in other calibers. But I can't seem to source them anywhere.

For powder I have Benchmark set aside, mostly cause somewhere in my travels while researching, Varget was said to be a little cold temp sensitive & I didn't want a POI difference on cold winter Yote sets. Also most of the data from that sites' published loads show Varget down the list of powders & I couldnt source it at the time (although got that covered now). I've been told by members here & on PHC that they're getting good results with XBR & CFE223 also, so they might be viable options as well. I tried to keep alot of the data I found from users north of the 49th, as it was more akin to the typical conditions I'd encounter as opposed to someone say in NV, WY or the like. Sadly, as mentioned it's sitting in limbo on the PHC Board now.

Primers are a whole nother topic for this Cal. Due to the higher pressures associated with the .204, something with thicker walls & cups like CCI450, Rem 7-1/2, Red 205M or BR4 are the most common in use

My list of components;

Hornady Brass (new)
Benchmark
Varget
35gr Berger FBHP
39gr Sierra BK
CCI BR4 or CCI 450 primers

Once you get up n running, your going to love this 'lil cal. Not hard on brass or barrel life (shoulder angle helps), it's got speed 36-3900fps (depending), flatter than the 22-250 beyond 300yrds, minimal recoil and a nice quiet report compared to other varmint calibers. What's not to like? :cool:
 
^Thanks! I'm not set on any bullet at this point, but being 1:12", I have a hunch the -40gr. bullets would be best. While finding a nice variety of .204 bullets locally should be easy, it's not. So, I've decided to use my .223 experience (shoots Hornady 53gr. V-Max best), some internet research, and order 3 options that SHOULD shoot well or at least, rule-out what won't. I've never hunted with SBKs, but am more than familiar with the effect of Hornady V-Max on groundhogs/crows...and that's the desired effect.

I'm optimistic 1/3, at least, will shoot very well and if not, time to special-order some alternatives. Between the 3 weights, and the cross-section of charges planned (small steps) I have my hands pretty full right now! :) Another factor~the only range I can access easily is a 2 hour drive from home, so I'd like to have this sorted-out in a couple of range trips if possible.

Right now, I have;

1 box Hornady factory ammo, 32gr. V-Max (to get on paper, and salvage the brass)
200 pcs. Winchester brass, new (100 pcs. FL-resized, chamfered/de-burred, ready to prime)
CCI BR4 primers
3 bullet options listed
 
I guess i got real lucky with both of my 204 rifles. The first load I ever tried in my HS Precision was 40gr ballistic tip with 27gr of varget was basically a one holer at 100 yards and when I loaded for my CZ it loved the 39gr blitz bullet with 28gr of varget. I have loaded Nosler, Hornady and win. brass all with the same loads. FS
 
Sorry for the late jump-in, but I'm running 39gr Blitzkings over 25.6gr of Benchmark with CCI BR-4's to 2.260" Really pleased with this. What I found most interesting is how much more accurate the 39gr Blitzkings were over Nosler 40gr Ballistic tips (ran a ladder for both - the Noslers wanted 25.2gr of Benchmark). Amazing what 1 gr difference will make. And the 39gr will still drop a coyote at 300m...
 
39 grain blitzkings over 26.0 g of Varget or IMR4895 or H335 works good for me. I seat most to 2.25 OAL. Did some at 2.28 OAL just touching lands on my 700 and the bullets went sideways....

I have had some good luck with 40G VMAx and 27g of H4895.
 
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