4200 fps!?

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ZWCoffindaffer

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A friend of mine is having a custom .204 ruger bull barrel built for his t/c encore. I've never heard much about the round so I started looking at my loading manuals. There is load data that pushes 4200 fps. How the heck does that little bullet not completely melt down at that speed!? That's close to a mile per second. :what:

Anybody else have one of these little speed demons?
 
I would expect the barrel life to be less than 1/3 that of a standard velocity barrel. When you approach 4000 fps the barrel life drops significantly. You also have to have the right construction of bullet. Soft lead tips peel back at that velocity and you lose a lot of bullet weight before it hits the target.
 
I loaded 36 grain Barnes varmint grenades in my 22-250 to 4,400fps, chronographed.
They were lasers. And terribly loud.
 
My .22 middlestead shoots 75gr berger vld's @ 3400 fps... I haven't even pushed it hard, when it got accurate with that velocity I stopped... I haven't even shot any light rounds in it...
 
Apart from being very impressive for people like me, who do not own such a caliber (4500 fps, really?!?), does the round do better than its predecessors, especially .223 Remington, for hunting purposes? I have varminting in mind, but is there another hunting use for .204 Ruger (except target)?
 
I would think they would get the job done on small critters. Maybe even something as big as a coyote with good shot placement. I'm not sure what all bullet offerings there are for the caliber
 
I have seen load data for .30 cal sabot rounds out of a 50 BMG over 5000 fps.
 
I have both a bolt rifle and AR-15 chambered in 204 Ruger, both with 26" barrels.

The round is primarily a varmint round up to coyotes.

With 32 grain bullets, I get uncomfortable with any velocity much over 4000 fps. Case life goes to pot especially in the AR-15.

I use 40 grain bullets for prairie dogs at about 3600 fps plus. Shoots flatter than 223 Remington.

I have 600-700 rounds through both of mine and have not burned the barrel out yet.
 
The .204 is nothing new. A latecomer in the 4,000+ FPS game, actually. .220 Swift was the first commercial number, introduced in 1935. The .17 Remington, added in 1971, was the second successful commercial number to eclipse 4K.

There have also been countless wildcats to hit that mark over the last century.
 
IMO the .204 Ruger is good medicine on a dog hunt. Flat shooting out at distance and explosive on target. There is no comparison with the .223 Rem.
 
does the round do better than its predecessors, especially .223 Remington, for hunting purposes? I have varminting in mind, but is there another hunting use for .204 Ruger
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I think it has better factory loaded ammunition, and is more precise than 223. My brother-in-law took a large buck with it with no problems. It wouldn't of been my choice, but he did it.

I sold my 22-250. When I first got into shooting, I wanted the fastest wizzbang thing out there. Now I want better MPGs.
 
I have a CZ527 Varmint in 204. I shoot mostly 40 grain bullets. Its a shooter. Never measured speed with it. Mostly use AA2230.
 
I have a 22-250 that pushes 4000 fps. It's a great coyote/groundhog gun.
 
It is nice to see some others join the 4,000 fps club. I have been more than happy with my .220 Swift. To aid longevity of barrel life I only shoot mine at targets over 300 yards. On certain days with the right conditions you can see a vapor trail going downrange.
 
h5uz178.jpg

Not the only thing I've taken with mine but the biggest. I use "heavy" bullets, i.e., 45 grainers, and have made no attempt to reach 4,000 fbs.
 
I have been more than happy with my .220 Swift. To aid longevity of barrel life I only shoot mine at targets over 300 yards.
Click to expand...

As a handloader, I find one of the greatest benefits of using the Swift is achieving top end .22-250 velocities at much lower chamber pressures, meaning increased case and throat life. My go-to load is a 50 gr V-Max at 3,950 FPS. Yes, it can be pushed 200+ FPS faster, but there's really no need, and .220 brass is expensive.
 
My favorite .22-250 load drives a 40 gr. ballistic tip to a little over 4000 fps (chronographed) with 36.5 gr. of IMR4064. This load is very explosive on ground squirrels, and is not hard on cases at all. It shoots about 3/8" for 5 shots @ 100 yds. out of a Savage 12FV.
 
Deer. That is a big animal for such a little bullet. Well, moose has been harvested with .22 LR after all.

I just read a little and found 10 (there could be more, this was not an exhaustive research) commercial loads for .204 Ruger, a round marketed since 2003. Would you say its following is growing, or do you think it has plateaued? Is it a cartridge best used by handloaders only?

I am seeing .204 Ruger as a possible improvement over .223 Remington within commonly available commercial loads with regards to varminting for those of us who do not handload. Ammunition cost apart, is that wrongful thinking?

I thought it would have created a need for a .243 Winchester if someone chose .204 Ruger over .223 Remington, but dead deer makes me question that opinion.

How does .204 Ruger shoot in the wind?
 
My favorite .22-250 load drives a 40 gr. ballistic tip to a little over 4000 fps (chronographed) with 36.5 gr. of IMR4064. This load is very explosive on ground squirrels, and is not hard on cases at all. It shoots about 3/8" for 5 shots @ 100 yds. out of a Savage 12FV.
Click to expand...

What sort of case life are you seeing? That load is not a max load, but getting there.

Of note to anyone reading this thread is that with 40 gr. bullets, there is really no practical difference between the .22-250 and .220 Swift or .223 WSSM. It's when you move into 50gr and higher that the larger case capacities start to matter, the latter two being able to push over 4,000 FPS safely. Just like comparing "magnum" cartridges in larger calibers to their smaller cased counterparts, the benefits are realized with heavier bullets.

Respective case capacities are .22-250-44.7 grs, .220 Swift-47.6 grs and .223 WSSM-55.0 grs.
 
I am getting really good case life. I am careful to adjust the sizing die so there is some resistance to the bolt closing. Some of my casings have 8-10 loadings and the primer pockets are still tight. I trim every third loading or so. Winchester brand. Some of these casings were bought back in 1991. I have 500 or so.
 
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