Downsides to the 204 for coyotes

Experiences and effectiveness in hunting with the 204 Ruger.
erich
New Member
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Jan 08, 2007 10:37 pm
Location: WA

Re: Downsides to the 204 for coyotes

Post by erich »

I just put together a 20 P for coyotes and the 40gr NBT is working for me, I am going to experiment with the 34gr bullet mentioned as soon as my new Rifle Basics trigger gets here.

Image

Bullet selection is the only drawback for a 204, I have a shelf of 224 bullets and most of them are suitable for coyote but only a couple that I would trust for the 204.
Last edited by erich on Sat Nov 21, 2020 6:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
After the first shot the rest are just noise.
skipper
Moderator
Posts: 1404
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2006 3:32 am
.204 Ruger Guns: Remington XR 100, Custom build Lilja/Panda/Shehane/Jewell
Location: Cypress, TX

Re: Downsides to the 204 for coyotes

Post by skipper »

NICE :wtg:
Image Hold 'em & Squeeze 'em
Bill K
Senior Member
Posts: 2324
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:00 am
.204 Ruger Guns: also now, a Savage switch bull barrel in 204R. 23 inch SS
Location: Lake Forest, Ca.

Re: Downsides to the 204 for coyotes

Post by Bill K »

Why not trust them, in the right spot ? Lung/heart shots go in, blow and down they go. Here is one with the 32 grain lead free nosler, taken at 90 yrds, in my 20-223. He dropped in his tracks.
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:)
erich
New Member
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Jan 08, 2007 10:37 pm
Location: WA

Re: Downsides to the 204 for coyotes

Post by erich »

You don't always get to pick the perfect spot.

The Nosler lead free is a pretty good bullet, I've used the 40gr version in my 22-204 and 5.6x50R Mag for coyotes.
After the first shot the rest are just noise.
Guy M
Senior Member
Posts: 405
Joined: Sun Mar 11, 2007 11:58 am
Location: Washington state

Re: Downsides to the 204 for coyotes

Post by Guy M »

My coyote hunting opportunities have grown, so I removed the fixed 12x from my CZ varminter in 204, and replaced it with an under-employed 4.5-14x Leupold.

Have some 35 gr Bergers loaded up and ready to go. Just need to get out there and start looking for coyotes!

Guy
tfo
New Member
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2020 6:06 am
.204 Ruger Guns: none

Re: Downsides to the 204 for coyotes

Post by tfo »

I hear a lot of talk about .204 Ruger splat. Not with a good hunting bullet. I took this hog with a Hornady Vmax, 40g. Admittedly, it is a small hog but, as you can see, there is a lot of tissue damage and bone shrapnel from neck vertebrae. I always try for the neck, especially near the shoulder. The skin is relatively thin in this area and bloods vessels and nerves are relatively close to the surface.file.php
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Bill K
Senior Member
Posts: 2324
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:00 am
.204 Ruger Guns: also now, a Savage switch bull barrel in 204R. 23 inch SS
Location: Lake Forest, Ca.

Re: Downsides to the 204 for coyotes

Post by Bill K »

This will start a war, but those that complain about splats, with many bullet/cartridges, more than likely made bad/poor shots and bullet placement, so it is so easy to blame bullet splat, instead of admitting they made a bad shot.
I find 90% of my hits go in and mostly don't exit on the larger critters and the small ones just explode and do acrobatics. :)

Nice too see you good preformance. And we do like photos, which you added. :)
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