SmallCaliberCentral

First off I want to thank the members of this site for all the info i have found here. Great site for the 204 shooters.

I think it would help if in our signature put what make/model 204 ,any mods or add-ons, and best load you have found for your gun. That way newbies like myself that might have questions could find someone with a similar set up.

T-Longspurs: Not a bad idea at all. And by the same token, I'd like to see all members list their geographical location in the space provided. It's nice to know where a member is located, so when they post, we can imagine their surroundings, the game/varmints they have, and the weather patterns they experience in their particular location.

We're spread all over the country, this small feature the forum provides just brings us all a bit closer together. What do the rest of you guys think about this?

Oh yeah, Sako M75 Varmint Stainless/Fluted w/set trigger....Leupold 6.5-20X Long Range w/VHR and M1 Elevation turret. Load: 32gr SBK/RL10X/Rem 7-1/2/WW Brass and same with 39gr SBK. My loads are at or slightly above max, safe in my rifle, but I won't post exact charge for fear a newbie may try to duplicate with dire effects without proper load development.

My 204 in the field:



Those Sierra Blitz Kings ready to do their work:

what is ur c.o.l.?

jose: It's 2.060" measured with a Stoney Point Comparator....still about .100" off the lands, but I can't go any longer and have any bullet left in the case.

I neck size only, and have right at .0015" TIR using Redding Comp Seater Die.

RIO - skip a decimal? Do you have 15 thousandths runout or...... one and a half thousandths TIR?

those bk's look like there hardly in the case?

Hi Tommy. Welcome to the Forum. Good ideas you got there. I won't post my load either as it's well above max. I have in the past but have since changed my mind about doing so. It's 1.5grs over published max. Hope you enjoy the Forum as much as we do!!

acloco: Ooops! I had to fix that one pronto. Thanks for tagging me on it.!

Those rounds have about .125" in the case, plenty enough. They go from the press into a hard box, from the box into the rifle's single shot tray one at a time on the bench, then the empty goes straight back into the box, they never touch the ground or each other. No worries on that score, and they deal with Skippy quite well, to waaaay out there.

I stole the idea from a diesel truck forum i belong to. It just comes in handy when someone has a problem or wants to add aftermarket parts and you can better give advise or diagnose a possible problem they might have if you know whats been done to that truck.

I just thought it would work well here too.

Rick in Oregon where can I get ammo trays like yours?

what is ur col

Rick in Oregon wrote:jose: It's 2.060" measured with a Stoney Point Comparator....still about .100" off the lands, but I can't go any longer and have any bullet left in the case.

I neck size only, and have right at .0015" TIR using Redding Comp Seater Die.

ha ..that way you can get more powder in there.LOL

Rich: Those little CNC-produced aluminum ammo trays were made by Nesika (Dakota Arms) and sent to users of their rifles and calibers. I shoot a .330 Dakota (on a M98 action, Shilen barrel), and was asked what cartridge head size I wanted, and as I shoot many varmint calibers based on the .222 family of cases, thats the size I opted for. I don't think they still offer them at this time.

Here's another view that shows their logo (.17 Mach IV's w/25gr Bergers, WS2 coated):



Varmonter: Yeah, funny, but I'm just a tad past max now with RL10X, so the extra "empty" space would not do me much good unless I went with a slightly slower powder. It's an exercise in trying to get as close to the lands as possible, but we all know the 204 Ruger may be an exception to the established rule about that subject by now.

Good idea ....see if mine works

Hi all,
Im still very inexperienced when I talk about any thing to do with reloads but I cant help but notice the length that the bullets extend from the neck of the case in the pictures above. I shoot a ruger m77 mk11 with factory rem 40gr accutips and they are not even close to extending as far out of the case as the reloads are on this post. Does this mean that they are having to jump an exceptionally large gap to the lands of the rifling? Or is it different from gun to gun?
Im considering learning to reload next year when I can afford the equipment, but its starting to seem really complicated!

adam, you are correct, that those loads you see above are seated out fairly far in order to get closer to the lands. The 204 Ruger has the largest "jump" of any factory round available today, but in terms of accuracy, it appears not to make such a big difference in other similar rounds. Usually, the closer to the lands you can get the ogive of the bullet, the better the accuracy will be (usually, but there are exceptions).

The Bench Rest crowd jams their bullets into the lands in order to perfectly align the bullet with the bore, but their loads are carefully worked up to compenstate for the pressure spike that always follows such goings on.

Don't let this one facet intimidate you as to reloading. Once you get the basics down (easy) the rest all falls into place one piece at a time.

Tommy Longspurs: Sorry this thread got so far off topic.