.204, pros and cons...

E. Fudd

Im STILL looking for a dedicated foxing rifle, and the .204 keeps raising it's head to me..... seems like a nice flat shooter.
So what are it's pro's and con's? And also, how loud is it? Say in relation to a .243? Has anybody here got or had one? is ammunition readily availale? What wouild it be like for the occassional bunny?

It wasn't me!

It's fast and flat, and accurate, with a lot of knock-down power. bunny shooter had one as I recall, and from talking to him, he has nothing but good things to say about them. Seems it'd be okay for bunnies as long as you keep it to headshots, assuming you want anything left to eat. It's quite loud, and a .20 calibre cleaning rod would need to be sourced, but apart from that, it seems very good, and according to him, ammunition is widely available. Not sure of prices, but I'm sure he himself can clarify that.

E. Fudd

Cheers, itwm, I'm sure he'll be along here some time this evening or tommorrow! Sounds like a nice round though!

It wasn't me!

E. Fudd wrote: »

Cheers, itwm, I'm sure he'll be along here some time this evening or tommorrow! Sounds like a nice round though!

It's on my mind as a general critter-bashin' round for some time down the line. It does sound very interesting. If you go for it, let me know how you get on.

bunny shooter

As predicted, I is back. Had a weekend of lovely shooting fun so hadn't time to visit.

204 is a very good all round calibre. A T4 reflex is plenty as a moderator. It's pretty quite in comparasion to a lot of calibres eg swift 243 etc.

Ammo costs approx €25 per 20.

Very good in the wind, very accurate out to at least 300 yards. As IWM said a 20 cleaning rod and brushes would be needed I got mine from this crowd, very good to deal with

http://www.sinclairintl.com/

If you have any other question let me know

cavan shooter

I would be a big 204 fan, very flat shooting and popular in the states. Better ballistics than the 223. Went to see my dealer I wanted to buy one and with plenty of sucking through his teeth warned me off, The importers are not going to bring any in now that 223 have been giving the nod etc etc etc.

Everywhere you look it's 223

204 ammo around me (hornady at 27 upto 32)

I am hoping it will go the same way as the 17hmr went slow at first now very poular

Still have the 22 magnum (remington 597) but every now and again tempted

Vegeta

Excuse my ignorance here but the .204 ammo seems very expensive. Is that good quality ammo or the cheapest available?

Does it perform that much better than the .223 to justify the price of the ammo

bunny shooter

Vegeta wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance here but the .204 ammo seems very expensive. Is that good quality ammo or the cheapest available?

Does it perform that much better than the .223 to justify the price of the ammo

hornady for 204 in Stakelums €25 per 20, federal premium €27 per 20 (better than hornady IMO)

223 €36 per 20 for remmy accutip and balistics not as good as 204.

Old story dealers have 223 on shelf and won't get 204 until they sell 223's.

Vegeta

bunny shooter wrote: »

hornady for 204 in Stakelums €25 per 20, federal premium €27 per 20 (better than hornady IMO)

223 €36 per 20 for remmy accutip and balistics not as good as 204.

Old story dealers have 223 on shelf and won't get 204 until they sell 223's.

That's some pricey ammo. I know its cheap crap but Remington 45 grain JHP are only 15 euro for 20 and American Eagle (federal) 50 grain hollow point are only 13 euro for 20 for the .223

What I don't like about the .223 is how hard it is (well I find this anyway) to get heavy ammo for target shooting, wouldn't mind getting some 60-65 grain + ammo

foxshooter243

Vegeta wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance here but the .204 ammo seems very expensive. Is that good quality ammo or the cheapest available?

Does it perform that much better than the .223 to justify the price of the ammo

Thats the question Vegetta, as the 204 ruger needs to be compared to
the 223 remington ,both using 40 grain v max in order to compare apples to apples.its also best to look at it from a reloading point of view, as this
would play a big part when deciding on which rifle to buy if and when we get reloading in place.cartridges like the 22-250 and 220 swift are out of the equation simply because they burn too much powder, and others like the 22 hornet and the 17 remington dont offer anything like the ballistics of the 204 ruger so out they go..
Chub Eastman of Nosler bullets was once quoted as saying "The 223 remington with a 40 grain ballistic tip at 3700 ft/sec in a medium weight 24 inch barrel doesnt miss the perfect combination by much" and my
experience using this load is that he is on the ball..so what more is to be gained by using a 204 ruger..well the 204 ruger has the edge on the 223,
both using similar 40 grain v max, as the 204 can produce about an extra 100 ft/sec,and the 204 40 grain bullet has a higher B.C than the 223 40 grain bullet..0.200 versus 0.275. so a 204 zeroed at 2 inches high at 100 yds is hitting about 3-4 inches low at 300.
Thats quite a flat shooting round and seems to be ideal for irish fox shooting conditions as few shots are at long range, and it has better ballistics than chub Eastmans perfect combination.;)
Reloading costs are similar, case life is similar, so imo as a dedicated fox rifle its a good choice.

ivanthehunter

foxshooter243 wrote: »

Thats the question Vegetta, as the 204 ruger needs to be compared to
the 223 remington ,both using 40 grain v max in order to compare apples to apples.its also best to look at it from a reloading point of view, as this
would play a big part when deciding on which rifle to buy if and when we get reloading in place.cartridges like the 22-250 and 220 swift are out of the equation simply because they burn too much powder, and others like the 22 hornet and the 17 remington dont offer anything like the ballistics of the 204 ruger so out they go..
Chub Eastman of Nosler bullets was once quoted as saying "The 223 remington with a 40 grain ballistic tip at 3700 ft/sec in a medium weight 24 inch barrel doesnt miss the perfect combination by much" and my
experience using this load is that he is on the ball..so what more is to be gained by using a 204 ruger..well the 204 ruger has the edge on the 223,
both using similar 40 grain v max, as the 204 can produce about an extra 100 ft/sec,and the 204 40 grain bullet has a higher B.C than the 223 40 grain bullet..0.200 versus 0.275. so a 204 zeroed at 2 inches high at 100 yds is hitting about 3-4 inches low at 300.
Thats quite a flat shooting round and seems to be ideal for irish fox shooting conditions as few shots are at long range, and it has better ballistics than chub Eastmans perfect combination.;)
Reloading costs are similar, case life is similar, so imo as a dedicated fox rifle its a good choice.

Still they gazed and still the wonder grew how one small head carried all he knew..
Thanks fox******* great stuff again

foxshooter243

ivanthehunter wrote: »

Still they gazed and still the wonder grew how one small head carried all he knew..
Thanks fox******* great stuff again

ROFL :D

johngalway

Problem is we're stuck with factory rounds though.

I'm getting on very well with my Remington .223 with 40 grain moly coated Hornady Vmax I'm paying probably over the odds for them at 32 Euro a box but there's a reason for that, which is a big dirty secret so don't ask lol. Getting really good groups. Not missed a fox with them so far.

I'm not knocking the .204. I did consider it when switching .223's. But for another while yet I'd go with what's tried and tested.

foxshooter243

johngalway wrote: »

Problem is we're stuck with factory rounds though.

I'm getting on very well with my Remington .223 with 40 grain moly coated Hornady Vmax I'm paying probably over the odds for them at 32 Euro a box but there's a reason for that, which is a big dirty secret so don't ask lol. Getting really good groups. Not missed a fox with them so far.

I'm not knocking the .204. I did consider it when switching .223's. But for another while yet I'd go with what's tried and tested.

Gotta live in hope john;), im using 40 grain v max in my 223 myself not molycoats-i like the round a lot.

johngalway

Living in hope I completely agree with, already have four reloading books here beside me. Buying in hope is another thing lol. Couldn't get non moly coated myself so I took the plunge

Jonty

Where'd you pick up the non moly coated v maxes foxshooter?

Kareir

I was looking at the .204.
the one thing the Americans had to say is that at further ranges (one guy said 200ish yards) the .204 occasionally caused splash wounds, rather than penetrating. (i.e. the bullet exploded on contact). This can break bones and blow surface flesh, without causing fatal damage.

_Kar.

foxshooter243

Jonty wrote: »

Where'd you pick up the non moly coated v maxes foxshooter?

pm sent

foxshooter243

Kareir wrote: »

I was looking at the .204.
the one thing the Americans had to say is that at further ranges (one guy said 200ish yards) the .204 occasionally caused splash wounds, rather than penetrating. (i.e. the bullet exploded on contact). This can break bones and blow surface flesh, without causing fatal damage.

_Kar.

there are two opposing camps on the attributes of the 204 ruger and if its fur friendly or not..truth be told any of the ballistic tipped ammo hurtling along at high rate will surface splash given the right conditions..its the old question as to what quarry its suitable for and at what range its effective,
and do you want to save the skins or not.

cavan shooter

Not much choice in 204 out their both rifles and ammo, did some ringing around. Anyone know if they are getting more poular or have they died.

foxshooter243

cavan shooter wrote: »

Not much choice in 204 out their both rifles and ammo, did some ringing around. Anyone know if they are getting more poular or have they died.

you were probably right when you said dealers were stocking 223s rather than the 204 ruger-but their fan base is growing stateside amongst varmint hunters, and i wouldnt mind one myself.