Tactical 20cal rifles????

204saskman

204saskman

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East Central Saskatchewan
So i was lookin at new rifles the other day and i cam across a add here on CGN for a TAC 20 rifle. Now im lookin for a new coyote/varmit rifle. I currently have a Savage model 25 in .204 ruger. Now the thing that caught my eye is that it still uses the .204 bullet but a .223 case necked down to 20cal. Now i seen in my manual tha the TAC 20 is a bit faster(certain loads) than my 204, but other than that its pretty much the same. Now im just wondering if there is any significant advantage to this over the .204 rifle? Im gonna be using this mainly as a bench or sitting rifle so im not to worried about weight. I was lookin at a Remington 700 VLSS .204 before this. The rifle im lookin at has everything i want in a gun, im just looking for feed back.
 
Easy to find , cheap brass. We sell quite a few Cooper rifles in this calibre. Allso, we even carry the Dakota(Lapua) brass with the 20 TACT stamp. :)
Of course, one main advantage is the 'coolness' factor. ;)
 
I have a Tac 20. You can not easily turn 223 into tac20 with a fl die, you need a form die. I bought Lapua brass, easy way to go. If you want to go this route the Practical 20 apparently can be formed with only a fl die. I believe the Tac and the Prac are about the same ballistically.
 
Cummins4x4 said:
Seems to me the 20 Tac is so close to the 204R why bother with another set of dies etc. The 20 that interestes me is the 20 Vartarg based on the fireball case.
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X2 on that. Ive got a .204 as well and the Tac 20 has nothing on it other then a cool name.
20 Vartag looks pretty cool. Great velocity for the amount of powder used.

Cheers!!
 
Cummins4x4 said:
Seems to me the 20 Tac is so close to the 204R why bother with another set of dies etc. The 20 that interestes me is the 20 Vartarg based on the fireball case.
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The 20 VT is one of our top sellers. A lot of performance from that 'little' case and the sweet little M38 action.
 
Not a whole lot of difference between the various .20 caliber cartridges (there are at least a dozen or more out there), but wildcat projects are fun in themselves, so if you really want to try it, I say go for it.

I recently rebarreled my .204 Ruger Remington 700 VLS with a faster (1 in 10) twist custom barrel, and its pushing 40 gr Bergers at nearly 3,900 fps. Good clean fun. :)
 
Cummins4x4 said:
Seems to me the 20 Tac is so close to the 204R why bother with another set of dies etc. The 20 that interestes me is the 20 Vartarg based on the fireball case.
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See and thats what i was thinking. Only reason im interested in this rifle is cause the fact that it has everything done to it already. I have gone to some other sites and read some more information on them and they seem like a good rifle. I like my .204R alot and it has been a good rifle so far, Only reason i was interested in a TAC 20 is cause the new 204R im lookin at is more money than this one and this other rifle has only been test fired and has a trigger job and Gaillard barrel and a thumbhole stock. It seems to me that there is no real advantage to the TAC 20 over the 204Ruger but a few FPS. Like i said im just lookin for opinions on these as from the 3 or 4 other sites i have gone to, it seems like guys like these rifles alot.
 
We've got this 20 VT built and it will be on the next shipment late this month. thought it might be nice to see:
aaaacooper.jpg
 
Tac 20 shines where one has a short action such as a Sako Vixen and wants to build a 20 cal. 204 ruger case is a bit longer OAL than the 20 tac...therefore one can seat bullets further out making for improved accuracy as magazine length becomes an issue. 223 brass can be formed into 20 tac with a bit of monkeying but 223 necked to 20 cal. becomes the 20 PRACTICAL. The only advantage 204 Ruger has on the 20 tac. is that 204 brass is readily available where as 20 Tac. is special order stuff...and expensive!
 
Ya i think im gonna stay with the 204. I like my 204 and i have alot invested in 204 stuff(brass,bullets,etc.). I did some more reading and the Tac 20 has good balistics and so on, but it has nothing really that my 204 doesnt have. I realize its a bit fast but i think ill stick with my .204. Thanks for the replys guys and keep drooling.
 
but wildcat projects are fun in themselves, so if you really want to try it, I say go for it.
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Yeah I have never done a wildcat though many passed my mine over the years, currently I am thinking of rechambering my takeoff .204Ruger barrel into something like a .20 K Hornet, keeping the traditional lower pressures. Basically something ballistically similar to a 17 HMR to fill the gap between the .22LR and centerfire varmit cartridges.

Its just a dream, probably never happen, but all the same just plain fun to imagine.
 
416ON said:
Is the 20 'Practical' any different than the 20 Tactical or is it just a nickname?
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The 20 Practical and the 20 Tactical are almost identical cartridges. Only slight differences in case OD, shoulder angle and case body length:





Bolt face to shoulder Shoulder O.D. Shoulder angle Total length

20 Tactical 1.5232 .360 30 Deg. 1.755



20 Pritacle 1..5778 .3553 23Deg. 1.760
 
I think the 20 tactical or 20 practical would be cool but the little 20 vartarg would be really neat. But the 204 ruger is still faster than all those, only marginally with 3 grs more powder capacity than the 20 tactical. The 20BR or PPc would also be cool, gotta love the 20's.
 
Own 2 each 204 Rugers. XR-100 and a custom from MG rifles in Texas with a PacNor barrel. Love them both. Would love them just as much if they were 20 Tactical.

Comes down to either wanting convenience or owning something unique. In real world use, you probably could not tell them apart.
 
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