GOT A .204

will227457 · Post by **will227457** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 11:43 am

Ok so I got a .204 cz 527 varmint kevlar.......gun is sweet!!!! I put a leupold 4.5-14x40 vx3 on top.....gun looks great...just a couple of questions

1. I dont reload so I am stuck with factory ammo what load would work well with this rifle? and what kind of groups can i expect, given the high price of hornaday ammunition what do you guys know about HSM?

2. given the flat shooting capabalities of this round am I under scoped? the 4.5-14x40 was taken off of my .223, since i envision shots out to 300 yrds plus on groung squirrels do I need a bigger scope?

Rugerdogdog · Post by **Rugerdogdog** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 11:53 am

HSM ammo is good for the price. My gun likes the Win 34gr better and its almost as cheap. I think I'm the only one around here who's had any success with it though. I didnt get any really small groups with any factory ammo. If I hit a squirrel at 300yrds with factory ammo I would consider it luck. Your scope should be great for 300yrds!

Keith in Ga · Post by **Keith in Ga** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 12:31 pm

I shoot 7x21 power scopes on both my pd guns, but I usually keep them at 14x. That's usually plenty for 300+ yd shots. My scopes are mil-dot, so more power fouls up my calculations.

The N.U.B. · Post by **The N.U.B.** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 3:11 pm

Check out your other post for Question #1.

http://www.rugerhunting.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2552

I think you probably have more than enough scope. I had a 3.5 to 14 VX-L on a Remington XR-100 chambered in .22-250 and used it a few days in Western Kansas on PDogs. I had more money (call it credit) than brains one day and bought a Nighforce 8-32 NXS and swapped them out. I bought too much scope for the purpose. I didn't like the 14 power for shooting really tight groups at 200 on paper. It was also the fixed objective model cause the SF models were not shipping yet. Nightforce is an incredible scope, just kinda stupid to keep the variable power working from 8 to 15 or 20 on a 32 power scope. In hindsight, the Leupold was fine for prairie dogs out to 400. I did trade the VX-L for an incredible .38-55 though. Suppose that extrapolates to ground squirrels at 250 to 300. Feel confident in your decision.

Ryan S Albright · Post by **Ryan S Albright** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 5:26 pm

I used a 3x9 for years out to 300yrds. As for shooting factory ammo I would take the money and buy and learn how to reload RCBS has a Partner loading kit that is very nice for $154 dollars well worth the investment. That will be the only way you will be able to take advantage of the 204 and get lots of shooting in.

Savage12VLP · Post by **Savage12VLP** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 5:33 pm

I read here and there where hunters say "my gun like this ammo or that ammo". What does this mean? How do you find out what ammo your gun likes?

Thank you

Phil

majcl5 · Post by **majcl5** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:52 pm

I have one suggestion about factory ammo. Dont use it... reload

Rick in Oregon · Post by **Rick in Oregon** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 7:09 pm

Savage12VLP: What the guys are referring to is their rifles "like" a certain brand of ammo, or a certain bullet/load, meaing it shoots that particular brand/load very well, meaning a high degree of accuracy at the target at 100 yards. Small groups are the result.

The only way to find out what your rifle likes, is to shoot various brands, clean inbetween tests, and buy a bunch of the most accurate ammo, preferably of the same lot number.

majcl5: Good advise there, buddy. The only way to really take advantage of what the 204 Ruger (or any other caliber for that matter) offers, is to handload your own ammunition.

If you shoot factory ammo, and find a good load, you'll be blown away at how much more accurate your rifle probably is with a good handload with that same bullet. Remember, if your rifle shoots 1" groups at 100 yards, that translates into roughly 4" groups at 400 yards...that's a miss on a prairie dog or ground squirrel about 80% of the time.

Keith in Ga · Post by **Keith in Ga** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 8:26 pm

If I had stuck with factory ammo, my Cooper would have been disappointing. With my reloads, it really came into it's own. You may find a good factory round, but reloads are usually much more accurate.

cracker · Post by **cracker** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:03 am

I must be the lucky one as my cz varminter loves the facyory 32 gr v-max.
there is no way possible i could get better groups with handloads. however since we dont have praire dogs here my target is coyotes and i want to start reloading for the 35 grain bergers as the word is this is the best bullet for that job. oh please dont let the yotes know that we dont have prairie dogs here as that has been my best sound to call them in.
Cracker

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:54 am

The N.U.B. wrote:Check out your other post for Question #1.

http://www.rugerhunting.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2552

I think you probably have more than enough scope. I had a 3.5 to 14 VX-L on a Remington XR-100 chambered in .22-250 and used it a few days in Western Kansas on PDogs. I had more money (call it credit) than brains one day and bought a Nighforce 8-32 NXS and swapped them out. I bought too much scope for the purpose. I didn't like the 14 power for shooting really tight groups at 200 on paper. It was also the fixed objective model cause the SF models were not shipping yet. Nightforce is an incredible scope, just kinda stupid to keep the variable power working from 8 to 15 or 20 on a 32 power scope. In hindsight, the Leupold was fine for prairie dogs out to 400. I did trade the VX-L for an incredible .38-55 though. Suppose that extrapolates to ground squirrels at 250 to 300. Feel confident in your decision.

Did you end up sticking with the Nightforce or swap out for something else? I'm curious about your experience because I'm shopping for a different scope for my .204. I currently have a Burris that goes up to 14x and I personally love higher magnification scopes. I'm looking at Leupold, Zeiss and Nightforce.

The N.U.B. · Post by **The N.U.B.** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 9:31 am

Mike:

I don't want to steal the thread. I'll start a new one in this same group.

will227457 · Post by **will227457** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 10:58 am

wen tto the range to sight in......shot these groups before it got to windy to hang out any longer....leuopld 4.5-14 worked great I could see the holes at 100 yards...Will be going squirrel shooting in a week or so will update on some real distance shots, of yeah HSM 32grain!!!

faucettb · Post by **faucettb** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 9:43 pm

will those are darn nice groups. I just got my order of 500 Hornedy bullets from Midway so I'm getting ready for squirrel season this spring. I've also got one of the CZ's and my groups look like this.

This is the little beauty that does it. Oh it's got an 8 by 32 Tasco target scope on it. I do like higher magnification scopes, just getting old I guess.

Ryan S Albright · Post by **Ryan S Albright** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 4:24 am

It just gets expensive shooting factory ammo at $17.99 for a box of 20 when you can buy 250 bullets for $25.99 and a hundred pieces of brass for $11.00 a box of 1000 primers for $20.00 and a pound of powder for $24.00. Get a Reloading kit like the RCBS Partner for $154.00 and you will have years of shoot thousands of rounds at a reduced price and a choice of many different bullet weights.

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