SmallCaliberCentral

I have two 204's I am going to begin reloading for. I'm looking to buy a couple 250 count packs to start. What is your bullet of choice that seems to just always work well for you?

--Duck911

Duck911, what twist barrel are the 204's you got and what kind of shooting are you planning ?

RYW

I'm shooting a CZ 527 Varmint Kevlar and a Remington 700 VLS, both with 1:12 twists.

I'll be shooting critters ranging in size from ground squirrels and p-dogs (up to 500+ yards) up to possibly coyotes (I'll keep those shots under 200-300 yards) and of course, punching paper.

I will add that my Remington 700 VLS shoots Hornady factory 40 grain fodder into tiny groups. Not sure if I can load something to mimic that factory ammo or not... Haven't shot the CZ yet so no idea what it likes.

--Duck911

My vote went for the 40gr V-Max!!!! Very good SPLAT FACTOR with the PD's. Some rifles hate them however, but mine loves them! Which is sweet b/c they happen to be the cheapest 250pk out of your choices. Also, the Midsouth Varmint nightmares didn't do too bad......about a 3/4" 5 shot group without much load developement. I also liked the 39gr BK, the 32gr V-max, the 32 BK, and the 40gr Berger....but all shot about the same so I went with the cheapest.

For cheap shooting fun either the Midsouth Nightmare Xtremes or Midway dogtowns are hard to beat. They're the same bullet but Midsouth is quite a bit cheaper. You can get decent accuracy with these things. Otherwise I like 35 Bergers. I also have some 39 BK's that I'm going to start working with. Sometimes I wish Barnes would do something with the 20 cal other than the their Varmint Gernades-one of their solids maybe.

My RIFLES seem to like the 32 Hornady the best, without asking my opinions on the subject. I'd be happier if they preferred the 39 Sierras, but they have their own preferences. They shoot the 32 Sierras and Noslers quite well, too, so I just feed them what they like and deal with it. So far, it hasn't been a serious issue with me, I generally try to shoot PDs under 400 yards, so it makes no difference.
The little CZ American actually likes the Sierra a little better than the Hornady, but not enough to matter.
Both rifles will tolerate the Dogtown 34s, too, and seem to like Berger's 35s as well. When it gets to heavier bullets, things go downhill fast, but I can get useful accuracy with the 39s. I generally don't use them, because the point of impact changes a fair amount compared to the other FIVE bullets.

My Savage LRPV likes the Berger 35 HP.

one of the fun parts of my 204 is seeing the bullet hit for this reason i stay with the 32gr

chip-don wrote:one of the fun parts of my 204 is seeing the bullet hit for this reason i stay with the 32gr

If you enjoy seeing the hits, you should try the 26 gr varmint grenades. "Felt recoil" is quite noticeably less as compared to the 39 and 40 gr stuff. I don't think I would use them on bigger critters like yotes, but for whacking the smaller stuff at ranges below 300 yds (they have a lousy B.C.) they work great.

Living in the free range asylum of California, and shooting inside the lead free Condor Range, after last July when the law went into effect, I only load Barnes Varmint Grenades. They shoot as well as I do. The squirrels don't complain.

I am seeing a trend......

Well, according to your poll (aka; "trend") the 39gr Sierra is way out in front. Which I totally agree with also.

I've shot close to 800 rounds in my 204 using numerous powders and dozens of loads with the 32gr, 40gr, 39gr, 36 grenade, 43 tnt bullets etc, and while some come close, they cannot equal or beat the 39gr in mine and a friend of mine's rifles. Mine is 12" twist, can't recall what his is.

Anyway, 27grs of Benchmark, Fed205M primer & Win brass with the 39gr bullet make itty bitty "5" shot groups at 100 yards. 25grs of RL10X comes close, but slightly less velocity.

Good Luck in your Search

Frank

How are the 39gr sierras on fur?