What can you tell me about .204 Ruger and .243?

[buckshot]

I am curious as to what people can tell me about the .204 ruger round, and what its advantages would be over say .223 in a bolt action for gophers, coyotes, and similar? I really have not read anything on the round so I would like to know your thoughts on what it would be useful for and if its a good choice.


Similarly I am curious about .243 too. I understand its a necked down .308 and its considered a good round to start a youngster off with or perhaps the wife. I have also been told that its a versatile round that can be loaded for gophers or varmints and it can also be loaded to be a decent deer round. I would like to know what sorts of bullet weights are ideal for this round, whats out there and your general opinions on it.

 

[Scott_N]

I don't own a 204, but I think they are interesting and wouldn't mind picking one up some day. The advantage that it would have over the 223 would be flatter trajectory over normal "hunting" ranges, and I've heard that it is a fur friendly load if coyote hunting is your thing. The 223 would have the advantage of far more choices of factory loaded ammo / bullet choices for handloaders and the ammo would be less expensive. The 204 has only been around for a few years so factory loaded ammo / bullet choices for handloaders is still kind of limited. Both of these rounds have hardly any recoil, so you should be able to "spot" your shots on your target.

A 243 has quite a bit bigger case than the 204 and 223, and recoil, while still low, is quite a bit greater. You could shoot a 204 or 223 all day on a good gopher field, but the recoil of a 243 would probably get to you after a while. The bullet weights for a 243 are generally 55 grs - 105 grs, with the 55 - 80 gr bullets usually being varmint bullets. The "standard" deer bullet for the 243 is 100 grs, but there are others that are meant for deer as well.

 

[af_newbie]

I am curious as to what people can tell me about the .204 ruger round, and what its advantages would be over say .223 in a bolt action for gophers, coyotes, and similar? I really have not read anything on the round so I would like to know your thoughts on what it would be useful for and if its a good choice.


Similarly I am curious about .243 too. I understand its a necked down .308 and its considered a good round to start a youngster off with or perhaps the wife. I have also been told that its a versatile round that can be loaded for gophers or varmints and it can also be loaded to be a decent deer round. I would like to know what sorts of bullet weights are ideal for this round, whats out there and your general opinions on it.

The kick from a reduced load .308 and a full load .243 is about the same.

 

[a j cave]

243 is indeed a fine cal, it is my choice for coyotes. the recoil is light and a good pick for those sensitive to recoil. I find it light for deer but lots use it ( I"ve seen an elderly lady shoot a moose with one.-bullet placement) 223 is a better gopher gun but a 22 is still the best for the under 75 yd shooting. You will shot far more with a 22 than any other so get a good acc. bolt action just my $.02 good luck AJ

 

[sunray]

"...its a necked down .308..." Yep. It's one of several medium bores that can be loaded for deer/antelope and varmints out to about 300 yards.
The bullet weight will depend on the rifling. Most commercial hunting rifles have a twist most suitable for heavy bullets. 85 grains and up. There's a 115 grain bullet out now and a 107 grain match bullet(these aren't for hunting deer sized game) too.
Lighter bullets are varmint bullets and won't stabalize well with the fast twist. Varmint bullets are not suitable for deer sized game. They expand rapidly upon impact with little penetration.
There's nothing wrong with using heavy bullets for varmints though. Varmint hunting is great practice for larger game.