Field testing - PD bench, 20 VT, 204, 223 AI (GRAPHIC!!!!)

[acloco]

RIO - bump that AI to 55 BT's, VMax, or BK's....they stretch just a little further.

You are correct, 204 is awesome.

I would like to try a 20 Practical though. The idea of necking down 1x fired 223 brass is VERY appealing to the reloading budget.

[Rick in Oregon]

acloco: Yep, I know, but I use only the 50's in my 223AI for the speed and flatness of trajectory, and use the 55's in my Swift.

Using the 50's in my 223AI gives the same speed and trajectory as shooting the 40's out of my .223 Rem's, so the trajectory is almost identical, so switching rifles on the bench in the field there's less to remember in terms of hold, and the come-up charts are almost indentical for both calibers. Not only that, but by shooting 50's in my 223AI, I can see all my hits/misses through the scope, as the 55's in that 11 lb. rifle push me off the sight picture just enough to not see the hit.

Now that I'm shooting two 204's though, the .224's are getting shot less and less. I have to take one along each trip just so I don't get cobwebs in the barrels sitting in the safe!

Is not the 20 Practical about the same animal as the 20 Tactical? I agree that one of these would make perfect sense too, and another good reason to build another rifle. (Like we NEED an excuse, right? )

[acloco]

RIO - yes, Practical and Tactical are nearly the same..just the cases are different.

[Rick in Oregon]

acloco: Are they not both based on the .223 Rem case with no other changes? I've looked in Kindler's book "The Terrific Twenties", and although he has many reamer drawings, no drawing for either the 20 Tactical or 20 Practical.

The 204R has a 30 degree shoulder, and the .223 Rem has a 23 degree shoulder. I just can't seem to find any reamer drawings that separate the 20 Tac and 20 Prac to see what the difference actually is. Maybe a horse by the same name?

No matter, but if a guy did not have a 204R, but had a bunch of 223 brass on hand (who doesn't, eh?), it would make perfect sense to build a 20 Tactical, as the ballistics for it and the 204R are only a hair apart in the real world. Granted, the 204R has the edge in case volume, but it amazes me how close the 20 Tac comes to matching it using 32's and 39's/40's.

[acloco]

I can help...our friends on 6mmBR have a couple articles.....

http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek061.html


http://www.6mmbr.com/20caliber.html

[acloco]

Pay close attention to the first picture in the gun of the week article....that is 20 Practical rounds load in AR mags.

[Silverfox]

I believe one of the differences between the Tactical 20 and the Practical 20 is that there is a 30º shoulder on the Tac 20 and a 23º shoulder on the Prac 20.

[acloco]

Silverfox - yep, believe you are right.


...and there is also about $40 per hundred DIFFERENCE in the price of new brass between the two.

[Lee C.]

Great picyures acloco, And some pretty nice shoot too.

[race4hills]

I got new XR100 in 204 that had recambered in a 20 Practical and it shoots great! I went to Casper WY last weekend on pdog shoot and got to try it out. I was shooting across a field at mound that turn out to be 628 yards a way. I couldn't get my Leica 1200 to range it from where I was at and I forgot my comeup charts at home. So I keep going up with the scope till I hit the mound right be low the pdog. He went down the hole and barrel was get hot by then so I let cool down for a while. Got it back out and shot some pdogs that were closer then set the scope back to were I had it at and shot him first shot. I am shooting 39gr BK's going right at 3700 fps . I really like the thight camber for reloading . Its a great round to shoot along with my two 204s!