SmallCaliberCentral

looking at getting a 204 for a walking aroung coyote gun would like to shoot 40gr bullets wondering if i should go with the tc venture with the 1:10 or the savage or ruger with the 1:12

The Ruger .204 would be a very good choice...another one to consider would be the CZ-USA model 527 "American" in the .204!

I would go with the cz or the savage .

Both are accurate out of the box added with adjustable triggers. Priced isnt high so you can put more to good optics and ammo.

will the 1:12 twist of the savage stablize the 40gr bullets

Go down in to the (reloading 204) section . Song dog has been shooting 40s in his with good results.
He is in the process of testing custom reloading tools new 40grn crt bullets.


Some other guys on here shoot 40s in theres also

Both of my Savages shoot the 39 grain Sierra Blitzkings very well. If you want to shoot heavier bullets then the T/C would be a good choice since it has a faster twist. I did not realize T/C was making a 204.

My M77 Target suits me well.........the 26" barrel with 12 twist does fine with 40 grain projectiles. The 1:12 will not stablilize 45's or the new 50's/55's to well.....

sounds like i will be fine with any then all i want to do is shoot the 40 vmax and 39 blits

My 1:12 doesn't do so well with the 40 grain vmax, but it shoots the 39 SBK well.

predhunter: Three of my 12 twist 204's do not care for the 40gr B-Max one bit, however my 11 twist Pac-Nor M700 shoots them into bugholes. All three of my 12 twist guns thrive on the 39gr SBK.

Here's the result of early testing with my 11 twist and the 40gr V-Max....nothing spectacular, just illustrates what a faster twist does with the heavier 40's.:



Bottom line: If you really plan to shoot the 40's, best to consider a faster twist than 1:12. Personally, I'd go with the 39gr SBK or 35gr Berger and go coyote hunting with confidence with any 12 twist 204.

well the 39s look like they will do the trick so i will probly pic up the savage model 11 fcns

I've gotten good results with the 40gr V-Max and the 39gr SBK in a Savage 1 in 12 twist. The SBK is a bit more accurate.

GaCop -

What load are you using in your Savage with the 39 gr. SBK? What velocity are you getting?

I've tried a few loads with no success. Last load I tried was 26.8 gr. H4895. Bullets key-holed and had sticky bolt and some primer cratering. Similar results with 8208 XBR. The 40 gr Vmax I can push with better results. I'm looking for accuracy but want to up my velocity for the trajectory. So far, my rifle performs better at the lower end.

well went a bought a 204 today picked up a used savage model 10 predator for 525

predhunter.....you will love shooting the .204. If you do get into reloading you will up your fun even more. I shoot 39gr bk's into one bughole with my cz 527 varmint. I use Benchmark 25.7 gr seated at 2.31 with rem 7 1/2 br primers. Have fun and be safe