Im looking at the .204 the .223 and the .22-250. With this gun Im looking at long range shooting and some hunting. I have heard that you can hunt deer with the .223 and the .22-250, but how about the .204 ? Which one would be the best long range caliber for target shooting ?
Which 22 centerfire ?
- Thread starter biggerair
- Start date
Hunting deer with a 22cal CF rifle requires PROPER bullets, not the run of the mill stuff varmint stuff found at WalMart. Barnes TSX, Nosler Partition, Speer 70gr are the most appropriate. There are far better calibers for deer, but a .223 or 22/250 will do it and it is pretty much a handloading proposition with the aforementioned bullets.
I WOULD NOT use a .204 for deer..... period!
.
I WOULD NOT use a .204 for deer..... period!
.
BC Bigbore
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- BC's Peace Country
Come on SC, lots of guys brag about dumping 700lb moose at 250 yards with their pet .22-250 and 45gr HP W-W box loads 
First of all, I'll assume you know the .204 Ruger is not a .22 centrefire.
Secondly, .22 centrefires aren't an ideal deer cartridge, but that's a whole another can of worms. In some places its perfectly legal. For example, in Labrador you can hunt caribou with a .22 centrefire as long as you're working with muzzle energies of 1,500 ft/lbs or better.
If you're looking to hunt deer, you can go with a .22-250 and factory ammunition in a 55 grain flavour. Or you can go with a fast twist .223, and use even heavier bullets. Fast twist .223's also make great long range target shooters.
(The .20 cal is used to take deer in some places, like Texas. But these are typically small bodied deer, and they usually use the heaviest possible bullets, like the 50 gr Berger).
"...the .204 Ruger is not a .22 centrefire..." Yes it is. It's based on the .222 Rem Mag. Certainly not suitable for deer though. It's a varmint cartridge using 32 and 40 grain bullets. Same weights as a.22 RF. It may not be readily available either.
"...factory ammunition in a 55 grain flavour..." Nearly all factory 55 grain ammo uses varmint bullets. Varmint bullets are not suitable for deer. They're made to expand rapidly upon impact without much penetration.
Make sure using a .22 CF for deer sized game is legal where you are. It isn't everywhere.
"...the best long range caliber for target shooting..." The .223 using match grade bullets. The rifling twist matters too. A fast twist will stabilize heavier bullets much better than a slow twist.
"...factory ammunition in a 55 grain flavour..." Nearly all factory 55 grain ammo uses varmint bullets. Varmint bullets are not suitable for deer. They're made to expand rapidly upon impact without much penetration.
Make sure using a .22 CF for deer sized game is legal where you are. It isn't everywhere.
"...the best long range caliber for target shooting..." The .223 using match grade bullets. The rifling twist matters too. A fast twist will stabilize heavier bullets much better than a slow twist.
Yeah, the cartridge case is based on the .222 Rem Mag, but the projectile (thats the important part, btw
) is .20 cal, not .22 cal.Agreed, not suitable for deer unless we're talking little deer in Texas or Mexico or some other exotic. Which I assume we're not.
Amazingly, Winchester, Remington and Federal (and probably others) all make a 55 gr PSP round in .22-250.
Sage advice.
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