204 Maximum Effective Range

General discussion and information about the 204 Ruger.
User avatar
Varoum
New Member
Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2011 3:54 pm
.204 Ruger Guns: none
Location: Montréal, Canada

Re: 204 Maximum Effective Range

Post by Varoum »

Fred_C_Dobbs wrote:If you have long enough a barrel and tight enough a twist, you should be able to easily drive a 55-gr Berger to more than 3000 fps, which will remain supersonic to about 1000 yards. Almost 1100 with a near-max pressure load.

How long should the barrel be?
Berger recommeded twist is 8. Who shoots 55gr Berger and what twist their barrel have?
Fred_C_Dobbs
Senior Member
Posts: 237
Joined: Thu Oct 22, 2009 1:13 pm
.204 Ruger Guns: Savage 12 Varminter Low Profile

Re: 204 Maximum Effective Range

Post by Fred_C_Dobbs »

Varoum wrote:
Fred_C_Dobbs wrote:If you have long enough a barrel and tight enough a twist, you should be able to easily drive a 55-gr Berger to more than 3000 fps, which will remain supersonic to about 1000 yards. Almost 1100 with a near-max pressure load.

How long should the barrel be?
Berger recommeded twist is 8. Who shoots 55gr Berger and what twist their barrel have?
QuickLoad says a 20" barrel should be able to drive it to 3000 fps with not quite 51,000 psi. It predicts a 26" barrel and max SAAMI pressure will get you a shade over 3300 fps. That's with 101.5% case fill with RL-17.

The 55-gr Berger was designed for benchrest competition shooting, who mostly use the .20 BR and .20 PPC. I spoke with Todd Kindler not long after it was released and he said he knew guys who were shooting 6" groups @1000 yards with it. They also shoot a 57-grainer made by a guy named Don Unmussig which is reputed to have the highest BC of any .20 cal bullet made.

From a practical standpoint, if you were going to shoot that heavy a bullet and it had to be a .20 cal, you'd probably be better off with one of the 6mm-based wildcats. But Douglas barrels will gladly make you a .204 barrel with a 1:8 twist. So if you feel the need to shoot 1000 yards with a .204, there's nothing stopping you but the cash.
User avatar
Varoum
New Member
Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2011 3:54 pm
.204 Ruger Guns: none
Location: Montréal, Canada

Re: 204 Maximum Effective Range

Post by Varoum »

Thanks Fred,

I have bought a reamer for a custom cartrige (20-222) close. The owner of the cartrige has a 40gr bullet travelling at over 3600fps with groups around .2 to .3 with 20.4 to 22.1gr of powder RL10X and IMR 8208. He has not done any test for the 55gr Berger bullet. Did not have the barrel with the proper twist.

He is claiming results like you with his cartrige and a 55gr Berger bullets.

Just might get that 8 twist barrel... :chin:

One more question is the 57gr bullet requiring a thighter twist than 8 :huh:
Jim White
Moderator
Posts: 1406
Joined: Mon Nov 03, 2008 2:06 pm
.204 Ruger Guns: CZ-527, Remington 700 VLTHSS

Re: 204 Maximum Effective Range

Post by Jim White »

I'm just curious...if one wants to shoot 1000 yds (or further) with a 204, would it be for paper punching or real small critters (because it doesn't have a lot of energy out there)? For the long stuff there better cartridges with much more horsepower for either option.
Fred_C_Dobbs
Senior Member
Posts: 237
Joined: Thu Oct 22, 2009 1:13 pm
.204 Ruger Guns: Savage 12 Varminter Low Profile

Re: 204 Maximum Effective Range

Post by Fred_C_Dobbs »

Varoum wrote:...One more question is the 57gr bullet requiring a thighter twist than 8 :huh:
Not sure, Varoum. You might call Todd Kindler @ The Woodchuck Den and talk to him about it. He's sort of the Oracle for all things .20 cal.
Jim White wrote:I'm just curious...if one wants to shoot 1000 yds (or further) with a 204, would it be for paper punching or real small critters (because it doesn't have a lot of energy out there)? For the long stuff there better cartridges with much more horsepower for either option.
Jim, a bigger caliber makes better sense to me, too, but there's some folks who just get a kick out of doing things the hard way. There's a poster at The Varmint's Den forum who recently scored a 1032-yard hit on a prairie dog with a .20 BR. He was pushing the 55-gr Berger @3600 fps. It should have arrived with about 1350 fps still in the tank, ~220 fpe. That was enough to zap the poor little p-dog.
Jim White
Moderator
Posts: 1406
Joined: Mon Nov 03, 2008 2:06 pm
.204 Ruger Guns: CZ-527, Remington 700 VLTHSS

Re: 204 Maximum Effective Range

Post by Jim White »

Fred_C_Dobbs wrote:
Jim, a bigger caliber makes better sense to me, too, but there's some folks who just get a kick out of doing things the hard way.
Fred it's interesting you say that. I was just chattin with an old shooting buddy and one of the things he mentioned was that I earned my NRA Highpower Classification (High Master) the hard way. Thinking about it, I would agree. I did it with a M14 rifle shooting mass produced (M852) ammunition even after the AR-15 using handloads had taken over of the sport. To add...I was a sailor, a submarine sailor at that. :shock: Heck, at the time, it was all I knew and besides, all one has to do is hit the 10 ring everytime. ;) Of course, the stigma of a sailor's (except SEALS) marksmanship skills is along the line; they couldn't hit a bull in the butt with a base-fiddle. Of course that goes along the ole' saying; "one should never judge a book by its cover". :wink:

Jim
Fred_C_Dobbs
Senior Member
Posts: 237
Joined: Thu Oct 22, 2009 1:13 pm
.204 Ruger Guns: Savage 12 Varminter Low Profile

Re: 204 Maximum Effective Range

Post by Fred_C_Dobbs »

Jim, I'd count that brag-worthy. So where do they put the rifle range on a pigboat?
Jim White
Moderator
Posts: 1406
Joined: Mon Nov 03, 2008 2:06 pm
.204 Ruger Guns: CZ-527, Remington 700 VLTHSS

Re: 204 Maximum Effective Range

Post by Jim White »

Fred, the only practice I could squeeze in was dry firing on the midwatch when the Torpedoman cleaned the M14's weekly (not that they were never dirty because I don't they ever got shot) and even then it was only the off hand position. One takes what they can get in those circumstances.

As far as the 204 @ 1000 yds (+), it would be hoot, but for me, I'd probably use a 6 or 6.5mm cartridge (presuming varmint or target work). They don't kick hardly at all and are heck of a lot more efficient.
User avatar
Sidewinderwa
Senior Member
Posts: 648
Joined: Mon Dec 26, 2005 9:39 am
.204 Ruger Guns: Savages
Location: Washington state

Re: 204 Maximum Effective Range

Post by Sidewinderwa »

I was watching a video on How to Dope the Wind and Tubbs stated that a bullet will start to fall in an erratic path when the velocity falls under 1300 feet per second. According to my G7 ballistic chart for my 39 grain Sierra Blitzking with a slow muzzle velocity of 3531 fps, the bullet is going 1413 fps at 800 yards with 173 ft-lbs of energy. It will have a 8.5 moa drift with a 10 mile per hour, 9 o'clock wind and a 16.9 moa drop. If this load was at the listed maximum, it should still be at the 1300 fps speed at 1,000 yards. I have made consistent shots out to almost 600 yards with my 20 VarTarg with the same 39 grain bullet going 3469 fps on prairie dogs.
Image
Please, no Sidewinder today!
User avatar
Hotshot
Senior Member
Posts: 809
Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2007 2:32 pm
.204 Ruger Guns: Savage and ar-15
Location: Rapid City
Contact:

Re: 204 Maximum Effective Range

Post by Hotshot »

With a stout load pushing the 39gr Sierra I have experienced consistent performance at 550 to 600 yards. I believe that bullet to be stable at that distance. Energy is doubtful even for prairie dogs, I would recommend shooting them in the head for a sure kill.
Fred_C_Dobbs
Senior Member
Posts: 237
Joined: Thu Oct 22, 2009 1:13 pm
.204 Ruger Guns: Savage 12 Varminter Low Profile

Re: 204 Maximum Effective Range

Post by Fred_C_Dobbs »

Hotshot wrote:With a stout load pushing the 39gr Sierra I have experienced consistent performance at 550 to 600 yards. I believe that bullet to be stable at that distance. Energy is doubtful even for prairie dogs, I would recommend shooting them in the head for a sure kill.
A 39-gr SBK has @1000 fps has about 90 fpe. A good stout airgun only has around 20 fpe energy at the muzzle. Ninety fpe should zap 'em pretty good.
Big_Bullseye
Senior Member
Posts: 100
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2007 7:08 am
.204 Ruger Guns: Ruger #1 Varmint Stainless - Custom Noveske AR15 .204

Re: 204 Maximum Effective Range

Post by Big_Bullseye »

Fred_C_Dobbs wrote:
Hotshot wrote:With a stout load pushing the 39gr Sierra I have experienced consistent performance at 550 to 600 yards. I believe that bullet to be stable at that distance. Energy is doubtful even for prairie dogs, I would recommend shooting them in the head for a sure kill.
A 39-gr SBK has @1000 fps has about 90 fpe. A good stout airgun only has around 20 fpe energy at the muzzle. Ninety fpe should zap 'em pretty good.
100 ft lbs of energy will kill a PD without any problems, heck that would kill a Coyote too.

Where we go PD'ing we always have 500 yard shots and most of us are shooting 204's and other 22X's and 20's and 17 centerfires. For me past about 450 yards I put down the 204 and pick up my 6mmBR but I still believe the 204 is still very effective out to 550 to 600 yards. Sure it will kill stuff farther I'm sure but that is my 2 cents. One of my 204's is a 10 twist and I shoot the 39's and 40's with great results.
Doveryai no Proveryai
Post Reply