SmallCaliberCentral

Hello all! I've been shooting most of my 41 years here on earth. Fortunately I discovered the awesome round that is the 204 Ruger. Most of my hunting and shooting over the last 10 years or so has been varmints. I love my yearly treks out west to help control the prairie dog population.

Here are the latest additions to my rifle collection. The top one is a Remington SPS 204 that I acquired last June. It's topped with a newly acquired Nikon buckmaster 6.5-18 Mil dot scope. I finally got a chance to start wringing it out this winter. It has shown real promise with 32 grain Vmax factory ammo. I didn't care much for the 40 grain Vmaxes.

The bottom one hasn't even been shot yet....well this barrel anyway. It's my TC Encore pro hunter with a brand spakin' new TC pro hunter 28" 204 barrel. I've got a Leupold VXIII 6.5-20 fine cross hair with the dot mounted on it. I was a little skeptical about how it would look with brushed stainless rings but it ended up looking pretty darn good. There is a sling on my Pro hunter frame because it is my chosen weapon for wandering around the dog towns. This rifle truly is a joy to carry.



The majority of my shooting is done prone from a shooting mat using a bi-pod. This type of shooting goes great with my other passion of photography.



I have been reloading for almost 15 years now so as soon as I get my 20 cal loading accessories I'll start working up my loads for this coming may's prairie dog shoot. I look forward to reading and contributing to the 204 Ruger forum!

Welcome, I'm new here too. I really like your setup. Do you take digital photos/video of your PD shoots? Would be interested to watch. I've seen all the YouTube vids. What kind of AR are you using and what loads do you like best for PDs? I just got the same Buckmasters scope, but I think I'm gonna put it on my AR. I like the mildots and the Nikon "Spot On" software.

A big welcome to you Zeus. It is always great to have another 204 fan amongst us. It looks like you have a great start there on some prairie dog medicine. You might try some Sierra 39 grain Blitzkings if the 40 grain VMax does not work. My brother reduced his groups in half with his T/C in 204 by switching. Pictures are ALWAYS a big hit here. The red mist is encouraged here, unlike some other shooting sites. Looking forward to your additions to the site.

Thank you, we can learn the ropes together fellow newbie (and thank you sidewinder...I was writing this post when you responded)

I take pictures and shoot videos. The 150-500mm lens I have hooked up to my D7000 sure helps get up close and personal. I'll post a video below...just keep in mind it's pretty graphic. I prove missing is much easier than making hits when the gun is sighted in for 350 yards and I'm shooting @ 150.....lol

My AR is a DPMS Panther Bull 20". It's a dream to shoot in the dog towns. The DPMS gets a bad rap on the internet but it has been perfect during my varmint hunting sessions. The load in the video is a 60 grain Vmax in front of some WC844 (H335) surplus powder. The other load that I use is a 40 grain Vmax with a case stuffed full of Varget. Varget is a little slow for that small bullet but it punches tiny little groups in the targets so I use it. My TC Encore Pro hunter 223 barrel loves that 40 grain load too.

I'm going to set the 60 grain bullets up for longer range shooting. The higher BC should help it perform better in the wind. If I were to pick one load it would be one with a 40 grain Vmax. I've tried many different bullets but I always come back to the Vmax's. Mind you, my AR is a 9 twist and my TC is a 12 twist.

I hope the buckmark performs as well as it looks. It's not up to the leupolds level but it's a good scope for the money.

As promised here is a short video showing some misses.....er I mean varmint extermination. If this is to graphic for the forum I'll understand if the mods nix it......

Thanks for the video. Do not worry about the graphics, wait until you see other pictures and videos here. You will fit in nicely here I can tell. I wish I could take videos like that.

Thanks for the vid! Keep em comin...
I am guessin that telephoto lens costs about as much as a rifle? I have 1,000 40 gr "Z" max coming in the mail. Mine shoot well with the max load of H335 from my Stag 24" bbl. haven't tried varget since there is no load data. How many grains of Varget are you using? I was suprised that my 1:8 twist barrel handled the 40 grainers as well as the 77grain match bullets! My gun also likes the Sierra varminter 40 gr HP.

Welcome Zeus.You got it going on.204s and Pics.Our favorite things.Enjoyed the Video,especially the "WHUMP" on the last shot.

Yo Zeus: Good to see you over here buddy. I knew once you got a 204 we'd see you over here sooner than later. Welcome aboard....looking forward to your pics and vids of our favorite pastime.

Rick in Oregon wrote:Yo Zeus: Good to see you over here buddy. I knew once you got a 204 we'd see you over here sooner than later. Welcome aboard....looking forward to your pics and vids of our favorite pastime.

I noticed the name on a few posts here and I figured it was you. I'll try to keep the repetition to a minimum. From your post count it sure looks like you've got a lot to say about the 204. I look forward to picking your brain!

Welcome fellow bipod/mat shooter!!

Bodei wrote:Thanks for the vid! Keep em comin...
I am guessin that telephoto lens costs about as much as a rifle? I have 1,000 40 gr "Z" max coming in the mail. Mine shoot well with the max load of H335 from my Stag 24" bbl. haven't tried varget since there is no load data. How many grains of Varget are you using? I was suprised that my 1:8 twist barrel handled the 40 grainers as well as the 77grain match bullets! My gun also likes the Sierra varminter 40 gr HP.

You are correct. For the price of that lens I could have bought a pretty darn nice rifle. But like I said, Photography is my other passion so it gets just as much money thrown at it as my shooting equipment does.....lol But a lens like that helps you get pretty close to the action. This eagle never would have hung around if I had to get too close.....



Are you asking about Varget in my 223 or in the 204...I haven't loaded any 204 rounds as of yet. But as far as the 223 goes with the 40 grain Vmaxes I'm loading 26.5 grains of Varget....This yields 3200 fps in my 20" AR and 3350 fps out of my 28" TC. Keep in mind this load is 1.5 grains below the listed max in the hadgdon manual so velocity is no where near what it could be. I just loaded these up for an accuracy load. I'm going to start pushing the upper end of the load spectrum in my next few loading sessions.

I don't really think Varget is the way to go for max velocity with 40 grain 224 caliber bullets. It's a little on the slow side and the case is going to be plumb full when the max load is used. But man, it sure is an accurate powder in just about every load I've tried it with and it doesn't care if it's 10 degrees or 100 degrees outside.

Right i was asking about the .223. That's a respectable velocity for the varget load. I was thinking along the same lines as you having a good all-temperature load and accurate. I live at 5,000 feet and its a bit cool when i go out and shoot lately. Thanks for the powder recipe, I'll try it out.