204 pistol

[sniper model 12]

I've been looking for a pistol chambered in .204 I had seen an ad in an NRA Rifleman magizine for a Ruger .204 Mark ? pistol. Since then, I haven't been able to find it again. I would love to add this to my collection and hunting equipment box for trap lines.

Help Please.

sniper

[OldTurtle]

The only .204 Ruger handgun I'm aware of is the Thompson Contender...

Ruger makes a model 77 Mark II rifle in the .204 and that's the only MK anything I've been able to locate.

[Rick in Oregon]

SM12: Don't recall seeing that, and I usually read that mag cover to cover. Old Turtle is right too, but if you just have to have a 204 pistol other than a Contender or Encore, it would be easy enough to make one up on either an XP-100 or Model Seven action, as there are a number of stock makers producing suitable stocks for a little rig like that.

Do be aware though, that your velocity would suffer severely with such a short barrel, and the usual performance of the 204 Ruger would be greatly diminished.

(As an aside, most of the fellows I know here and up in BC that run traplines, usually opt for the .22 Magnum in rifle or pistol configuration.)

[sniper model 12]

The ad was in a NRA magizine from 2005. . . I didn't keep it (for some stupid reason).

It was a 7 or 8 inch bull barrel with a standard bolt action. It was marketed for match or competition.

I do realize that the abilities of the caliber would be dramitically impacted. . . .but my thought was use at a close range. . . . or simply to have in the collection as a conversation piece. . . so on so forth.

My brother-in-law carries a .17 pistol for his traplines. We don't trap rat or coon. . . just lookin' for Mr. Wiley and his friends. Traps are used during the year or location where the jokers are call sensitive or we cannot discharge a firearm. We cater to locals who have nusiance coyotes causing damage.

I didn't know about the TC though!! Thanks, I'll check into that.

I love the efficiency and friendliness of this forum!

[WrzWaldo]

Another that comes to mind is the Remington XP-100 and I think Savage had a similar model.

As I remember neither of these were released in 204 Ruger, but a barrel swap (on the XP-100 for sure) would remedy that.

WW

edit: Looks like RIO beat me to the punch on the XP-100 info!

edit #2: The Savage was called the "Striker"

[skb2706]

No doubt you could chamber just about any gun that will handle a .223 can be done in .204. I would suggest you read the info on the link about barrel length and the .204. Fred Smith is a stand up guy and pretty much tells things the way he sees them. If after you read his results you still want one you will be very limited on available handguns in .204. Many guys I know who had 14" barrels for their TCs have sold them off.

http://www.bullberry.com/204Rugerdata.html

[WrzWaldo]

Yep... I'd go with the 20 Vartarg.

[Hotshot]

I have a Savage Stryker in 223 that I am tempted to barrel in 17 Fireball or 20 Vartarg. You could easily barrel one in 204. The Stryker has the same barrel nut as any of the 10 series rifles so it is easy to install a barrel at home. Pac-nor will build a 16 inch barrel threaded and chambered, or a longer Savage barrel could be shortened for a reasonable price. The 223 is pleasant to shoot in a handgun form but a little loud. Balistics would be a lot more exciting with one of the hot little bullets. Mine is very accurate.

[sniper model 12]

WoW ! I did do some additional research since my last posting. . . . as the Bullberry page indicated, tests conducted indoors had "interesting" results with muzzle blast!

Little to no "true" accuracy at long range.....as expected. But, it can be fun to shoot as Hotshot mentioned, and gun assembly can be accomplished with realitive ease.

I may hold off for now.. . . I currently carry a Sprinfield 1911A1 stainless .45 as my trap line eliminator for coyote and other similar nusiance animals. I'll keep the .22 close for fur worthy critters.

Thanks to all for the info ! !

[jo191145]

Fellow shoots a 223 Remington XP-100 with an eight or ten inch barrel at the egg shoots I attend. Usually kills an egg every time he squeezes the trigger at 100yds. I see no reason the 204 could not do the same. I'm sure a light bullet and a fast powder would be in order. Benchmark or even faster. Faster than Benchmark you'll find trouble locating load data but with a pistol your usually breaking new ground anyway.

These are Bench pistols. Maybe not the preferred firearm for trap lines but I'm sure the 204 would perform nicely if loaded accordingly.

Thanx for the idea. One more thing to put in my want list