204 For Problem Animal Controle

[KSV]

Hi to all,

I'm Kalahari Sands Varminting from South Africa. Me and a buddy run a small Problem Animal Controle bussines here, part time.

At the moment I'm using a 22-250 Rem and Jaco a 243 Win for calling and shooting Jackal and Lynx.

The qeustions I want to ask are the follwing.

1. Would the 204 Ruger be able to consitantly kill and down Jackal and Lynx? Body weight are under 50 kilos.
2. Would I also be able to use it for competition shooting. We have competitions to simulate hunting conditions. The ranges set out are seldom longer than 350meters.
3. What are the expected barrel life expected for a .204 ruger
4. Which twist rate and length for the barrel should I look at? I decided that the 40gr bullets would best suit my purpose.

Regards,
Hein

[ryutzy]

I havent hunted Jackal so I cant really comment from experience, but I would recommend using a hollowpoint or at least a harder bullet than a ballistic tip. I have had good luck using a 40grain VMAX on coyotes but occasionally I need a followup shot because of shallow penetration. I know barrel life is good on 204s, but I'm not sure how many rounds till they're gone. Upwards of 2000? For a 40grain bullet I would look for a 1:10 or 1:11 twist. A 1:12 is borderline in stabilizing a 40grainer. Just my opinions.

[Joe O]

I agree with RYUTZY.Don't know if you can buy a factory rifle with a faster twist than 1:12.Those animals are tough.The Berger 50 or 55 gr holowpoint should do the job,but you need a 1:10 for the 50gr and 1:8 recomended for the 55gr.If you can only get a 1:12 twist,I would prefer HPs,otherwise a Sie39gr Blitz.If you hunt in extreme heat IMR 8208 XBR would be my choice for 39s and varget for 50s.

[mzimmers]

50 Kg? You'd be better served going after that size animal with a bigger bullet, IMO. I think the 243 is just about perfect.

I'm not a fan of using too much gun, but neither do I like the idea of using too little. A .204 on an animal that size is not the ideal cartridge.

[ryutzy]

I think a 204 with a 35+ grain bullet would probably be fine for lynx, but I would think your 22-250 would be more ideal for Jackals. I personally like to slam my critters down, so I often use my .243 for coyotes. If im by myself I use the AR in .204 for quick followup shots if I've got several coyotes coming in at once. It seems to work well for me. I'm afraid that if you use a light bullet in a 204 you will be shooting your jackals more than once, or worse yet tracking a wounded one. I have no doubt that a well placed 204 bullet will drop one, but that's hard to always do in the field.