New .204 Owner

[Markbo]

Howdy,

I was referred here for some information on the .204 Ruger. I have just received my first. The details are:
DPMS .204 Ruger Upper 1-12 twist.
Hi-Rise Upper with a 24" SS Fluted Barrel.

Since this is my first .204, I'd appreciate some starting places on loads. Powders? Primer or case preferences? I understand that with the 1:12 twist it will probably favor lighter bullets so I am starting off with 34gr Vmaxes. I can try anything if they will shoot.

This is my first .20 so I appreciate any input
Many thanks
Mark

[Jim White]

Mark;

Welcome aboard. The 204 is a nifty little round for sure and there is a favorite load section here that can be of help.

Bullets: As you explore around here you'll discover that the 39 Sierra Ballistic Kings shoot very reliably in most 12-twist guns, whereas the Hornady 40 VMAX is spotty. It's just going to depend on your barrel. Never heard of many issues regarding the 32-35 grain pills; I've never tried them in my 204's but they work great in my 20VT. There is a lighter 26gr pill out there from Barns which is great in my 20V,T but haven't tried in my 204's.

Brass: Remington & Winchester is the most common and they work pretty decent. Nosler also has some out there which is a step above in quality from what I hear. The only brass I've heard that is consistently bad is "Hornady" and I believe it is labled "Frontier" on the case head.

Primers: Remington 7 1/2, CCI-BR4, CCI-450 (and maybe CCI-400) seem to be the most popular. Since you're using a AR platform you'll want a primer with a thicker cup like the ones I mentioned. In any event, since your rig is a gas gun, make sure they are fully seated to help prevent potential "slam-fires".

Powder: Varget, Reloader 15, 8208XBR, Reloader 10x, H335, WW748...pick one in the burn rate area of these and you should be ok.

For me my 204's are most accurate near the high end of the powder charge. Having said that, the 204 SAMAI cartridge design has a lot of free-bore...aka long leade, long throat or bullet jump. Basically it is the distance from the case bullet to when it engages the lands. You'll need to check your distance to lands to find out especially if you want to zero in on the higher velocity loads. As always, start on the low end and work up slowly and don't let the barrel get to warm in the process.

One other thing; "don't be surprised if your velocities fail to reach advertised speed with your reloads"

HTH,

[Bill K]

First welcome aboard, good group on this site.. You will enjoy it. Jim has good info in his post.. Also go to the header of the site and follow link under 204 Load Date. This will also give you some heads up info and loads. Bill K

[shocker]

I am also a new .204 owner and it's my first center fire rifle! Thanks for the great post, Jim! I tried 32gr vmax with H4895 and the results were excellent. I just placed an order for 39 Sierra Ballistic Kings and I can't wait to see the results. I would love to try Berger 35gr bullets but I can't find any for months.

[Markbo]

I can't believe I didn't see that load data on top of the page. DOH!
Anyway, thanks for the information. I will see if I can find some 39gr Blitz Kings (never heard of Ballistic Kings) and try them out as well. Has anyone ever tried TAC Powder in the .204? Just asking because I got some great results with it in .223. Looks like Benchmark and BLC(2) are good (velocity wise) across several weights as well.

[Jim White]

I am also a new .204 owner and it's my first center fire rifle! Thanks for the great post, Jim! I tried 32gr vmax with H4895 and the results were excellent. I just placed an order for 39 Sierra Ballistic Kings and I can't wait to see the results. I would love to try Berger 35gr bullets but I can't find any for months.

I'm not sure if they are made anymore. I still have a few, I use them as barrel fouling pills. When I started out with just 1 204 I wanted a bullet that would do just about everything and I found that the 39 SBK was th ticket. It shot better, flew straighter and hit harder than all the others at the time so I stuck with it. H4895 is a superb powder for the 204 Ruger.

[Jim White]

I can't believe I didn't see that load data on top of the page. DOH!
Anyway, thanks for the information. I will see if I can find some 39gr Blitz Kings (never heard of Ballistic Kings) and try them out as well. Has anyone ever tried TAC Powder in the .204? Just asking because I got some great results with it in .223. Looks like Benchmark and BLC(2) are good (velocity wise) across several weights as well.

I've never tried it but if it shoots good in a 223 with light bullets it should be good for a 204 as well.

[shocker]

I'm not sure if they are made anymore. I still have a few, I use them as barrel fouling pills. When I started out with just 1 204 I wanted a bullet that would do just about everything and I found
that the 39 SBK was the ticket. It shot better, flew straighter and hit harder than all the others at the time so I stuck with it. H4895 is a superb powder for the 204 Ruger.

I contracted Berger and they said that they will be doing another run of them in January. So I guess i'll try the 39gr SBK on coyotes until I test out the berger bullets.

[bang bang]

Hi, welcome aboard. I also have a DPMS and the rifle shoots everything well. Even 45gr factory Hornady shot sub MOA at 100yds. I will say after a small amount of load development with IMR 8208, CFE, and 4895 my best load was a max charge of 8208, Rem 7 1/2 primers and 35gr Bergers. I use mix brass, but it is an auto loader. Shoots under .5MOA with no wind and I do my part. No pressure signs either. I also use the same load with Midsouth Shooting supplies, 34gr. Varmint Nightmares. Not as accurate but will do for plinking. They are a LOT cheaper. Make sure you start low and work up your loads. Good luck with your new rifle, it is a lot of fun.