choosing a bullet and powder for .204 please help

[KLUTCH]

hey guys im new to the forum and the reason i joined im getting frustrated about the .204, now i dont reload but my uncle does and has been for 30 plus years and we havent found a bullet and powder that shoots well together could u guys please help me out thanks.scott

[Clint E]

Klutch wecome to the forum.
First there is folks here with way more experiance with reloading than i have.
Fisrt what kind of rifle with what twist is going to help

What bullets have you tryed with powder loads

The load i use in my cz 527 is 39bks with 27.7 grns of h4895
WORK your loads up in small incrments for saftey reseons.

Allso things to consider is the barrel floating full or makeing conntact to the forearm ,make sure your barrel is clean from copper fouling also.

BE safe working your loads and the folks will help you here turn it into a shooter.

[Silverfox]

H4895 has worked just great in my old Savage 12VLP in .204 Ruger for the 32 gr. V-Max, the 35 gr. FBHP Berger, and the 39 gr. Sierra BlitzKing bullets. I also use it for the 40 gr. V-Max hBN coated bullets out of my new/used Savage 12VLP in .204 Ruger that has a Pac-Nor 1 in 11 twist barrel.

Recently (this last April) I began testing IMR 8208 XBR in my Savage target action .204 Ruger and really like how it works in that rifle. I has also been excellent in my new/used Savage 12VLP in .204 Ruger that has a Pac-Nor 1 in 11 twist barrel as well as my old Savage 12VLP in .204 Ruger. I also use it in my Stiller Target action .17 Remington shooting hBN coated 25 gr. V-Max bullets and hBN coated 29 gr. BTHP Kindler bullets.

I tested about 10 different powders when I first started working up loads for my first .204 Ruger back in the summer of 2004 and H4895 was my choice. Give it a try and start down in the middle of the load range listed by Hodgdon and work your way up by a couple tenths of a grain at a time. Don't make half grain jumps in powder charges. These smaller cased calibers can go from a safe powder charge to one that will cause big problems if you are not very careful.

[Sidewinderwa]

My favorite combination is also 39 grain Sierra Blitzkings pushed by 26.0 grains of H4895. I believe the max powder listed is 27.7 grains of H4895. My rifles had the best groups with the lower powder level.

[jdefranc938]

I have had great luck with Benchmark powder in all my small caliber rifles. I also use SBK 32 and 39 grain and Nosler 40 grain BT. So give the Benchmark a try.
In my Cooper 204 I use 28.0 Benchmark with a 32 grain SBK to give me a .19" group at 100 yds at 4055 fps.
In my CZ 527 Varmint 204 I use 25.2 Benchmark with 39 SBK for a .26" group at 100 yds at 3622 fps.
In my 222 Rem I use 24.6 Benchmark with 40 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips for a .60" group at 100 yds.
My buddy just bought a Cooper MTV 204 which I loaded up for him and we settled on 25.9 Benchmark with 40 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips giving a group of .207" at 100 yds.
Good luck!

[rossandjet]

I have always been a firm believer in the Hogdon H4895, I am using 29gr under a 32 gr V-max bullet (3825 ft/sec) and is my second choice load.

My first choice by a very small margin goes to 26gr of 10X under a 39BK (3715 ft/sec) from my Howa sporter with a 22" barrel.

Both these are top end loads and as said before, work up to slowly.

[FireBallGuy]

My top 3 favorite powders for the 204 in no particular order are RL-10X, Benchmark and Varget. All produce superb accuracy and top velocities! My remington VSF prefers sierra bullets (both weights) over any other kind but shoots them all very well. Start your load work with benchmark and 10X with a bullet of your choice and see what happens. Either of these 2 powders will give you what you want out of your 204! Have fun, be safe and happy shooting!

[noneck180]

I have found that range/distance to target and conditions can put a hamper on different bullets..35 gr Bergers great no wind..300 yards..
39 BKs..for windier days..up to 500 or more..so I guess you have to expirement..lol

[FireBallGuy]

Valid point no noneck. Those low BC bergers and other similar bullets are great to about 300 yards on a calm day. When the wind picks up and the ranges get longer there really is only 1 choice in my mind. My bro inlaws ruger loves the 40 grain Vmax and my remington gobbles up BK's VERY well. Was trying to upload a target from my last range trip but cant do it at work. WIll post later but yeah, play around with your gun and see what it likes and then stick with it.

[FireBallGuy]

There we go!

[Jim White]

I'll toss in Reloader 15. I've found several 1/4" groups @ 200 yards with the 39 SBK, R 71/2 primers and RP brass from a CZ-527 American and two Remington 700 VLTHSS.

Jim

[FireBallGuy]

Have also used RL-15 with great accuracy as well.

[Ruger1]

I've had great success with 39gr BK's and 28gr Varget in my .204 Savage LRPV. Great groups and the results in the field were awesome.

[tarbabi]

25.5gr Benchmark over 39SBKs.

Matt

[Silverfox]

I highly recommend IMR 8208 XBR and the 39 gr. Sierra BlitzKing bullets for your .204 Ruger. I had read a lot about this powder over the winter and finally located and bought some in February of this year. I didn't make it to the rifle range until around April this year, but it has proved to be a GREAT powder for two of my .204 Rugers and also for my .17 Remington.

I'm shooting the 39 gr. Sierra BK bullets with hBN coating on them in my Savage target action .204 Ruger with a 1 in 12 twist 3-groove Lilja barrel. I am using 27.3 gr. of IMR 8208 XBR. Here's a couple of targets from when I was using 27.4 gr. of 8208 XBR. The velocities listed on the targets are at 12 feet from the muzzle. I dropped the charge back .1 of a grain partially to save wear and tear on the throat, but also because I get a little bit better accuracy with the 27.3 gr. load. The velocity at 12 feet from the muzzle with the load of 27.3 gr. of 8208 XBR is averaging 3,871 fps which gives me a muzzle velocity of 3,887 fps.





I use H4895 for my hBN coated 40 gr. V-Max bullets out of my Savage 12VLP in .204 Ruger, but that rifle has a 1 in 11 twist Pac-Nor 3-groove barrel on it. Here's one of my better test load targets using 27.2 gr. of H4895. It is only a 4-shot group, but on subsequent trips to the range to get the scope adjusted, it shot even better 5-shot groups. I'm getting an average of between 3,821 fps and 3,825 fps at 12 feet from the muzzle with this load which translates into abour 3,840 fps at the muzzle. This load combination really gives me some great acrobatic action out of the prairie dogs I shoot!!!



You will really enjoy the .204 Ruger. Keep us posted on how your rifle is shooting.