204 Hype

[viking499]

Was at the local gun shop today and there was a couple of guys talking about their 204's. Glanced at them a while back, but didn't have much interest. Now I am looking again with a little more interest. I do not know anything about the 204.
What can you all tell me about them?

How do they shoot?

What do you guys hunt or shoot at with them?

What other caliber do they compare to or what caliber have you replaced with one?

Who makes the best 204 value for under 500? (Seeing as how one just sold on THR, I would say I missed out on a deal now that I am interested again)

 

[Outlaws]

Its faster than a .223, and its bucks the wind better than a .223. It has barrel life equal to or longer than that of the 223, and much, much longer than a .22-250. Then it also has a trajectory that is almost identical to a .22-250.
Factory Hornady ammo is not really any more expensive in .204 than in .223. And I can load with high quality components for just over 1/2 the cost of buying it...on the first loading. Every reload is about 1/3 the cost.

It really like it, and that is all that matters to me.

If I didn't have a Cooper I would get a CZ.

 

[kentucky_smith]

I would think a varmint-type AR in .204 would be a sweet setup.

 

[viking499]

What would that type of setup cost?

 

[Stinger]

I shoot a CZ527 in .204 and love it. It's accurate and has a very flat trajectory. As mentioned, barrel life should be comparable to the .223 (probably a bit less) but much greater than the .22 flamethrowers. A person would not need the others (.223, 22-250, .204, Swift, etc.,) if they already had one. But, hey, what does need have to do with anything. Just get them all.

I'm not big on getting into wizzing contest about calibers, or telling you my daddy can whip yours. They are all great.

 

[browningguy]

AR uppers alone in .204 are running $600 to $1800, don't see anyway you could build one for close to your price. The Savage with accutrigger would be very nice in .204.

 

[Bartkowski]

It has barrel life equal to or longer than that of the 223

Isn't the .204 just a necked down .222 rem mag? I thought that it was, and if I am right how does that make sense, higher velocity, smaller bore, more case capacity so I assume more powder...

 

[eliphalet]

Do a comparison yourself over at Hodgdon's web site, here's what a quick check told me.
In a 40 grain bullet a 204 is only about 100 FPS faster than a 223. Bullets at available for the 204 from 32 to 50 grains but 223 bullets can be had from 40 grains to 90. The 204 is a dandy cartridge but the 223 or almost any 22 centerfire is much more versatile.

http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

 

[rangerruck]

no way, a 40 grain bullet is only 100 fps faster than 223. No way, remember, the reason it got so fast and famous from the get go, is because it was touted as a factory load, that would break 4000 fps with ease, and the 32 grainer does. I would say a typical 40 grain load is 3600 fps, or faster. it does have a far better ballistic coef, and better sect dens, than 223, so yes it will buck the wind much better, plus have a flatter trajectory.
this is one of those bullets where i would say, that for your rifle, they really love a good hand load, and you can get your accuracy at 100 yards, to drop one hole on top of the other.
it is a 222 mag necked down, but you have to remember the powder charge for that factory round is a teeny bit special, the same way it is for the 17 firelball.
so they are able to use a powder charge, that is not the bbl burner you would think it would be. Heat testing , and throat wear show it to be right with the 223, or less in some cases.

 

[Outlaws]

In a 40 grain bullet a 204 is only about 100 FPS faster than a 223.

A 40 grain bullet in 22 cal is short and fat compared to a 20 cal. The 20 cal is going to fly better.

 

[TOU]

I vote with my dollars for the CZ 527 Varmint....here are the pictures of my recently aquired one and Mueller 8.5-25x44 AO Tactical. (With a bit of added sun-shading on the end. ) Sorry for the bad lighting...it was pretty cloudy.

 

[RonE]

I have been told that the .204 is the cal that will make the .220 swift obsolete.

 

[CZ223]

I have 2 204s

They are both Savage VLPs and they both shoot spectacularly. My first prefers the 32 grain Sierras and the second shows a liking for the the 40 grainer. Both do well with Hornady and Nosler bulletts as well but the real accuracy is found with the Sierras. The first gun was purchased used and and the first box of Hornady factory ammo produced 3 5 shot groups of less than 3/8". This gun will regularly shoot sub 3/8" with many of my handloads and sub 1/4" is not uncommon. The second gun is not quite as good but sub 1/2" groups are still the norm. All of my groups are 5shots at 100 yards.

 

[Browning]

browningguy : AR uppers alone in .204 are running $600 to $1800, don't see anyway you could build one for close to your price. The Savage with accutrigger would be very nice in .204.

I looked at .204 AR-15 uppers for a little bit, but the price is what killed my interest.

 

[CB900F]

Viking;

A smaller bore combined with a large powder capacity usually means fouling problems and long cleaning sessions. Witness the .17 Remington.

Personally, I've seen no need to aquire a .204. I have guns that fill the same niche & would rather spend my money on something other than a redundant gun.

900F

 

[CZ223]

No, I don't think so

I do not believe that the the 204 will make the 220 Swift obsolete. The demise of the 220 Swift has been predicted since its inception. While it did linger in obscurity for quite a while, it had a dedicated following of enthusiasts. It seems like it has become much more popular over the past 15 or 20 yrs. I, for one, will not give up on the Swift even though I also like 204 very much. The swift has the advantage over the 204 when it comes to bullets over 40 grains. The 204 is more pleasnt to shoot and probably a little more accurate although the 220Swift is is quite capable of great accuracy. I do believe that the both are here to stay for a long time to come.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

It will be really interesting to see how the 204 is doing in say 50 years. The Swift has been around since '30 if I remember right so its just coming up on 80 years old. It can still be bought in commercial rifles and occasionally factory ammo is seen in the stores. Really the swift is a handloaders round.

Now the 204 has been out what 3 years max? Give it another 20 years and lets see if it is just a passing fad like some rounds (45 gap comes to mind) or more staying like the 17 remington (a less common round but one that has about 40 years of legs now.

No slight to the 204 by the way, I would only buy another Swift (had a 70 when I was younger but sold it to put food on the table) or a 222 varmint gun. I don't have the use for a 204 in my shooting so I am just an idle observer.

 

[lunde]

I am completely sold on .204 Ruger. And, that is from my experience in using it in the field. I now own four rifles chambered in this outstanding cartridge. Three are made by Cooper Arms (a pair of M21 Phoenixes and an M21 MTV), and one is made by Dakota Arms (Serious Predator). I sold my Cooper Arms M22 MTV in .22-250 as a result of my .204 Ruger experience. My .223 rifles, two of which are made by Cooper Arms) see little use now.

My preferred load ia a handload that uses the Sierra 32gr BlitzKing bullet loaded with 26.5gr of Alliant Reloder 10X in Winchester brass. Quarter-inch 100-yard groups are the norm in all four rifles.

There are five known .204 Ruger brass suppliers: Hornady, Remington, Winchester, Nosler, and Norma. And, there are plenty of 20 caliber bullets from which to choose.

Life is good. Not for prairie dogs, though.

 

[Richard.Howe]

My .204 in a CZ Varmint Kevlar is one bad machine. Loaded with the Factory 40gr V-Max Hornadys, I can produce one-hole groups all the live-long day. So...badgers, ground squirels, and p-dogs hate it.

 

[viking499]

What is the average grain bullet you guys shoot in your 204?

 

[Outlaws]

What is the average grain bullet you guys shoot in your 204?

32gr V-Max is probably the most popular factory loading, and also the fastest.
40gr V-Max is also fairly popular factory load.
39gr Blitzking is probably the most popular bullet for handloading, followed in no particular order by the 32gr Blitzking, 35gr Berger, and the two aforementioned V-Max bullets.

There are others, but those are the main ones.

So to answer your question, 32, 39, and 40 grain bullets. It just depends on what the rifle likes.

 

[koja48]

Mine is a Thompson G2 Contender carbine. Likes 32-grain Hornadies, but I want to try the Sierra bullets eventually. Superb accuracy & light enough that I can pack it all day without too much difficulty. I also own a 223 in the AR platform, but the 204 has it's nitch in my user plan.

 

[Whitman31]

Well, I built an AR in 204. I had the barrel made by Shilen, it took a while to get, but it shoots great. I haven't started loading for it yet, but it's in the near future. I plan on using it for Fox and Coyote this fall/winter and prairie dogs starting next spring. Here's some pics...

Bushy lower, ACE stock, DPMS upper, 24" Shilen Stainless Select Match Barrel, Hogue furniture, Nikon Monarch 6.5-20X40 scope. I built this gun, without glass for $1200

5 shots, 100yds, factory 32gr hornady V-max. I hope to tighten this up a little more with a better trigger.

 

[GunTech]

The 204 looks pretty interesting, particularly with folks like Berger making bullets. But I like to shoot 500 yards or more, so I haven't been too interested in the cartridge. If I want to plink critters at short range, I can shoot my 223s or the 22 K-Hornet.

YMMV.

 

[koja48]

Whitman31

Nice job! I considered a 204 upper, but at the time, brass was nigh on to impossible to get, so I first bought a heavy-barrel Savage which was accurate, but a load to pack around. When I found a 204 barrel for my G2 & discovered that it shot as accurately as it did, that was the end of the Savage.