The 204 Ruger

Whitetail Junkie

Whitetail Junkie

CGN Regular
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Location
AB
Lets Talk About It!!!!......

I dont have one,or havnt shot one,but Ive wanted one the last 3 years.Lightning fast rounds,low recoil,minamal Fur damage and long barrel life! Sounds like a must have cartridge to me!

Kimber makes a good varmit 204 ruger,but only with a stainless barrel,which im not a fan of...cz makes them,but I hate how the clips stick so far out!....Sako makes a great varmit rifle with wood&matte blue finish in 204 ruger,so that was my only option the last 3 years,however other purchases prevailed.

Rumour is Cooper at the shot show is coming out with a M21-R Repeater rifle which chambers the 204 ruger and a few other smaller cartridges like the .223!

Any advice/input would be appriciated,thanks,WJ
 
I have a tikka t3 varmint in .204, love it! I shoot 35 and 40gr Berger re loads. Puts dogs down in there tracks. They barely bleed! No fur damage. See your hits in the scope. Flat and fast. Good entertainment when vaporizing gophers!
 
Yes I got to agree, I too love the .204 ruger. I have a CZ527 varmint heavy barrel and yup the mag protrudes a bit. But man the set trigger and the accuracy with 32gr Vmax is hard to beat. It has dropped every critter it's ever been pointed at, I shot a yote at 300 yards and he did the typical circle of death. One hole in none out, like always. A blast for vaporizing gophers. Whatever make and model you choose enjoy and make sure it shoulders just how you like.
Cheers
Geoff
 
just shot my brothers .204 on Sunday. I'm sure he'll chime in and tell the details but lets just say 2L pop bottles didn't have a chance even out at 400 yards. And that's from shooting off my crappy shooting table! Could hardly see the bottles with the bare eye. Also - the bullet made it out that distance in unbelievable time too. I want one.
 
The thing about the 204 is either you love them or you don't. It is not magic, you still have to have the right bullet for the job and shot placement is still important. Most rifles are very accurate in this cartridge and there is minimal recoil so you don't develop a flinch which makes it easier to shoot well. I have had 6 204s now and will always have at least 3 around. I am thinking the next one I order will have a 10 twist barrel to take advantage of a little heavier bullets that are availible. I also have been playing around with reduced loads and 30gr Bergers but I can't find a fox willing to stand at 100yds so I can test them and see if they will work for the 2nd reason I developed them. The first reason was for controlling problem beaver and having a useable pelt left, which it is very good at.
 
reomack said:
How about an AR chambered for 204. A good one is extremely accurate and a semi auto would certainly allow for rapid follow-up shots on coyotes.
Click to expand...
Only problem with that plan would be that AR's are restricted in Canada.Given the latest mass shooting,i wouldn't be suprised if they end up prohibited.Too bad because they'd make a hell of a predator rifle.
 
Ive ran through the varmint cartridge gamut, and keep pulling out my .204. Its fast, fun and very easy to get a good load for. 39gr for coyotes, 32gr for gophers.

Cheers!!
 
Love the .204. Itty bitty bullet going really fast. Lots of fun. First rifle was a Remington 700 VLS, which I eventually rebarreled with a faster 1 in 10 twist Pac-Nor Super Match for target work at the bench. Was on a waiting list for a lefty Tikka T3, but it was taking forever, so I went with a CZ 527 American. That little rifle is a pleasure to carry all day long.
 
Those of you that reload for the 204, do you find it a pleasure? Or is it rather finicky? Some cartridges I find are very easy to make quality uniform reloads, and others can be a little more picky with things like brass prep, neck tension, bullet seating or uniform powder charges that keep your ES down. Is brass life good?

Just curious, I have been thinking about a 204 lately with all of you CGNers that seem to love your 204's, but not everyone reloads.
 
What I can't believe is Ruger themselves do not offer it in their #1 rifle? I would buy a 204 in a #1V in a heartbeat. That to me would be a sweet Varmint rifle but then I am really sold on the #1 since buying one in a 22-250. Solid , well built rifle that is a tack driver even with factory ammo and they look GOOD! I still think you can't beat the 22-250 as the premier varmint calibre, it carries more downrange energy for longer shots( beyond 300 yards) on larger varmints like coyotes but the 204 would be a superb all around varmint calibre and I am betting it would be hell on prairie dog towns!
 
I've got a custom 700 built on a stainless action, snow camo McMillan Remington Hunter, #3 contour Gaillard barrel, bushed bolt inside and out, Rifle Basix trigger put together by Ted Gaillard. It is easily one of the most accurate rifles I own. Haveing said that, its still no '250 on yotes and I can't see any difference to a .223 on gophers. 20 thousandths of bullet diameter doesn't do something magical.
 
my sons have the 204 Ruger in T/C Venture Preditor (new arrival), XR100 Remington and a CZ527. Actually, I own the CZ, but haven't fired it, yet.
 
I bought a ruger hawlkeye last year in 204. Gotta say i love the caliber. Its flat and fast. Sure takes the guesswork out of long shots and is just plain fun to shoot. i shot an opossum yesterday after work. It took 3/4s of its head clean off.
 
I found reloading was fairly simple for me and I am still fairly new at reloading. It took five different load developments to find the right one for my rifle, that was 32gr now working on a 39gr development. Plus is that it is very inexpensive to shoot.
Cheers
Geoff
 
I have owned several, and i have rebarrelled as well. They are not good on barrels, but no true varmint round is. I love the cartridge. 32 grain vmax or sierras and as much BLC2 as you can fit in a case.
 
WJ, I really like the 204 for coyotes and it's fairly fur friendly. I've taken them clean out to 300 yards or so. I find it easy to reload for as well, both my 204's get better groups with the smaller bullets. More and more though I find myself grabbing the .17 Fireball when I see a yote out the back door, although it's a little on the light side for shots over 250 yards.

Craig
 
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