Finding loads

[NESHOOTER]

I run a YHM suppressor on all my rifles and they come over to see JUST WHY ITS SO darn QUIET!!!! I just smile and say wanna try it and just like the butler on Happy Gilmore they are at the bench under the rifle... I'm in awe when they move so fast to shoot her.....

[M_D]

I have had problems finding loads that will shoot 5 consistently in the .1's, .2's aren't too bad, as often as not random loads will shoot in the .3's or low .4's. I did figure out how to make mine shoot 1", I picked out the worst brass I could find for a test and loaded some extremely bad ammo. One inch with crappy ammo isn't bad, in my opinion. There might be some less than perfect or outright bad .204 rifles around, but there isn't anything wrong accuracy wise with the .204 cartridge.

[Wrangler John]

I'm with Rick. Generally anything negative that I have heard comes from people with no first hand experience.

"oh the .204, thats a barrel burner"
"oh the .204, that gets pushed around in the wind!"
"oh the .204, can't kill coyotes with that"

And now.. "oh the .204, that's a fought cartridge to get to shoot accurately"

PHOOEY!!

WOW trent i thought i was the only one that has heard that . Especialy #3 . The 204 is my go to gun . You forgot Oh the 204 all they cause is splash wounds.

They are correct, that little 26 grain Varmint Grenade starting out at 4185 fps is a splash load - all the little alflafa gobblers splash all over the landscape!

[Wrangler John]

I too was a doubter, it's the cartridge that breaks all the rules: It's too long, it's too skinny, it needs to be a shorter fatter case, the neck is wrong, it uses a large flash hole, yada, yada, is one of the most accurate cartridges I have ever used - period bar none. The wind? Last April I shot rats in rotten gale conditions with wind swirling across fields and only missed when I added too much windage. The dang thing is so fast it gets there before the wind moves it much and that's with a 26 grain bullet!

Hard to load? I had a supply of Reloader 10x so I started with that, took one range session, 5 loads, 50 shots and I had a .247" 10 shot group with the second load tried, never even tried anything else with that bullet. This .204 Ruger is so deadly on rats I sometimes feel that I am watching a video of someone else shooting! Bump it up in a 1:9" to 1:8" twist barrel and you can shoot the Berger 50 and 55 grain HPBT bullets around 3,200 fps with Varget in little groups in the .3's and .4's, and I don't even use premium brass. Sweet.

Whatever Harvey Hick says at the range or gun shop just smile and walk away.

[Bill K]

I wish when someone says too loud, I could allow them to fire my 14 inch .375 JDJ, it is ported and even with the Pachmyer grips, etc. it is LOUD and rocks in your hand, very smartly. But Oh is it fun to shoot and it puts them down. Bill K

[Bill K]

Dr.: In all due respect, I think you were fed a line of hooey, and probably by shooters who don't even load for the 204, let alone have ever fired a shot from one.

In all four of my 204 rifles, finding an accurate load to print under 3/8" at 100 yards for ground squirrels, PD's, and chucks was no problem at all; three of the four do better. I'm only using poly-tipped bullets, and feel that this caliber has quite a bit of inherient accuracy. I've only been shooting the caliber since 2005 right after it first came out, but that's my experience.

I'm guessing that your naysayers most likely shoot 22-250's, right?

If ever there was a cartridge that is easy to load, it is the 204. As others have said here, the ones down playing it, probably never shot it. A couple of cartridge's that come to mind that are easy to shoot, find a good load for and accurate, are some like the 204, 222 rem and 223. Do not listen to some of those people, get one and started enjoying any one of those firearms/calibers. Bill K

[stef]

I think the .204 Ruger looks sort of like a scaled down mini .300 Win Mag without the belt.

"Everybody" knows the .300 Win mag is "not a good cartridge" because of the short neck, belt, deeply seated bullets and excessive powder capacity.

So how come .300 Win mags are so popular and continue on with winning scores up to 1000 yds, near one hole groups and many big game kills?

Possibly a small belt could be added to the .204 Ruger to make it as equally bad, tempermental, and useless as the .300 Win mag.

[inKYfromSD]

Possibly a small belt could be added to the .204 Ruger to make it as equally bad, tempermental, and useless as the .300 Win mag.

A belted minimum? I like it!