SmallCaliberCentral

hi guys this looks like a great site so i guessed i would join.

i live over in england and well the 204 has been about now it seams to be taking off just lately with a number of people getting them.

at the moment i have annie 1417 22lr for rabbit control

a tikka m595 222 which i use for vermin and fox

and a rpa 22/250 which i use just for foxing at night from the 4x4.

i was looking into getting the m595 222 rebarreled in 204 or 20 tactical but due to rebarrel costs etc over he it just wouldnt pay.

so hopefully the 222 m595 will sell soon as i have it up for sale.

im hoping to replace it with a custom 204 i have seen for sale. it uses the rpa quadlite action like i have on the 22/250
a good strong soild action. the barrel on it is a 24 inch pacnor 1 in 12 twist 3 groove all bedded into a mcmillan hunter stock.

what i would like to no from you guys is what is the ideal barrel length for the 204. will the 1 in 12 shoot the 40 grain bullets or will it be the case it might not and i will have to use 39 grain blizkings ?

so what sort loads do you guys use and what

powder's
primer's
bullet's


sorry for all the questions but this site does look very usefull and who better to ask then you guys

atb jamie

Welcome Jamie
Sounds like a perfect build,for the 204r.I'm assuming a heavy varmit barrel.I understand the 3 grove barrels clean up easier,and shoot as well as the 5 & 6 grove.It may shoot the 40sbut if it shoots the Sie 39 BKs you'll still have the same big smile on your face.Keep us posted.Many powders are producing exellent groups,ie;10X,Varget,IMR 8208 XBR,Benchmark,H322,and others.

Welcome aboard 22/250. Let the discussion begin.

There is no ideal barrel length really, but I use 24" barrels as a good compromise. Some prefer 22" and some say 21" is where the cartridge develops full velocity. Matter of choice.

Barrel twist is another area for discussion. I use 1:12" twist as a standard for 26 to 30 grain bullets, but have had good results with a 1:8.5" twist for everything from 26 grain Varmint Grenades to 50 grain Berger HPBT bullets. Others use a 1:11" twist. My opinion is that problems are encountered with accuracy of 40 grain bullets in some rifles due to the 1:12" twist being too slow for a particular bullet shape and length. My general rule is to use a stability calculator to gain insight into the twist rate needed. The one I use is here: http://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmstab-5.1.cgi you will need to measure the length of a sample bullet and input the data.

I use Reloader 10x, Varget, Benchmark and H 4895 for powders in developing loads.

My favorite primers are Remington 7-1/2 BR and Federal 205 Match. CCI's BR4 small rifle benchrest primers also work well. I use Winchester or Remington brass due to economy and good accuracy.

Because I live in a lead free zone I use Barnes Varmint Grenade, and other lead free bullets primarily. However, the Hornady V-Max and Berger bullets are exceptional shooters.

The .204 Ruger is an excellent cartridge that proved itself to be one of the most accurate and devastating varmint cartridges I have ever used. It's just fun to shoot.

Mine all have 1-12 twist barrels. The CZ (American) shoots the 40's but the two Remington's don't so I stick with the 39SBK for all three of them. I use Remington brass in the Remington's and Winchester brass in the CZ. For powder I have tried RE-15, RE-10X, H4895, Benchmark, Varget (to a small degree) and IMR 8208 XBR. So far I've styayed with RE-15, same load shoots in all there rifles but I'm going to experiment with 8208 XBR because it gave me some good velocity results.

The Remington's have 26" barrels and the CZ has a 21".

HTH,

interesting....I had always assumed longer barrel meant more velocity? Interesting idea of "max velocity" being achieved before the bullet exits the muzzle. I wonder if barrel length required for max velocity is less than I might think in many cases.

Joe O wrote:Welcome Jamie
Sounds like a perfect build,for the 204r.I'm assuming a heavy varmit barrel.I understand the 3 grove barrels clean up easier,and shoot as well as the 5 & 6 grove.It may shoot the 40sbut if it shoots the Sie 39 BKs you'll still have the same big smile on your face.Keep us posted.Many powders are producing exellent groups,ie;10X,Varget,IMR 8208 XBR,Benchmark,H322,and others.

hi there is its a varmint barrel its been fluted to take some of the weight off it. it should shoot very well onc ei get it and sort some load sout for it.

most of my shooting is foxes but will use the rifle for some long range rabbits to. so i would like to sort a load for 32 grain and 39 grain bullets.

32's for the rabbits and 39's for the foxes.

has anyone tryed reloader 7 in there 204's as i use it in the 222 with 40 grain bullets. maybe it would work well with the 39's in the 204.

i alos have some varget and imr 4007ssc but dont think you could get the speed from the imr powder with out alot of grains ?

I believe that powder is too fast for the 204r.Accurate 2230 is listed for good velocity and pressure.IMR 8208 XBR will get over 4000fps for the 32gr Sie and 3750fps for the 39gr,with good accuracy and low pressure(acceptable).I use Rem 71/2 primers,a friend likes Fed BR primers.

Reloader seven is a touch hotter than imr 4198 it is seven powders hotter than Aliant 10 X which I use. This is out of 144 powders listed. You might me ok with light bullet weights in the 204? But i would start low and be carefull pressure comes up fast with hotter powder and heavyer bullets. This info came from hodgden powder chart.

my 1 in 10 26 inch 204 shoots the 40 vm with 27.1 of 2206h (repckaged and sold in US as H4895) but re testing loads and I'm putting the charge up to 27.3. Norma brass rem 7 1/2 br primer (going back to rem brass when this wears out) Velocity at 27.1 (prior load) was 3830. My Tac 20 variant 24 inch 1 in 12 does 3750 with the 39bk and 24.1gn of RE 10x

both are very accurate

Wish I had a crono. I am liking the grouping with 10x and IMR 4895. I just drove over a hundred miles last weekend to get two pounds of powder I found. I couldnt get imr 4895 anywhere. For gads sake this powder originated in the cival war!

When I had my AR upper built several years ago, the barrel smith indicated that 22" was the minimum barrel length for optimum velocity in the .204, for shooting longer distances...Shorter than 22" will still function accurately until you get out past 250 yards....Most commercial manufacturers hold their barrels at 24"...to take advantage of the velocity the round is capable of producing...

I'm not sure what powders you have over there in easy availability, but I've had great success with Ramshot's X-Terminator for the lighter bullets, and their TAC for heavier ones...Winchester 748 has also been a consistent accuracy producer, all with magnum level primers...