Effective Range of 204 Ruger

[Cueball]

I recently got a No 1 Ruger in .204 Ruger cal. I plan on using it for long range prairie dog and groundhog hunting. I was wondering, with a very good optic, what would be the max range for this rifle shooting from a rest or sandbags? I haven't shot it yet. I am awaiting the arrival of my scope.

As always thanks for the input.

 

[A-FIXER]

With my Savage mod-12 26'' Hbar 1-12 twist. using 26gr Barnes 32gr V-max and with a 10-15 mph breeze the longest I sighted a PD, was 450 yrds spotted distance with a lepuold spotting ocular and it still flipped it up and when we were done did locate the critter and found it darn near took him in half.... I know some have had longer shots but this was mine also using a suppressor and when I walked 3 shots in it allowed me to have multiple shots, but as of right now I still live in a free state....

 

[blackops]

If you have a rifle that can hold a TRUE minute of angle at 100yds, you have above average glass, and YOU are a good shot, I will go ahead and realistically say 4-450yds max. Keep in mind wind is a HUGE factor with a 204. That cartridge will get pushed around easily with wind passed 250yds. I'm sure there are guys out there who push the cartridge further, but they also have mostly likely been shooting many years.

 

[TonyAngel]

I don't have a .204 Ruger, because my search lead me to believe that it is not a long range round. By that I mean that anything past 300 yards is more of a gamble than it would be with something like a .243. The bullets are super small and light and have very low ballistic coefficients.

On the other hand, with really good glass and skill, I really can't say what the maximum effective range would be on varmints. Heck, some guys shoot .223s out to 1000 yards.

 

[Cueball]

I've made kill shots with my Savage Mod 12 .223 out to 500 yds and my 270 WSM to 750+ yds so I've got a fair amount of experience with the longer range stuff, but this is my first 204. I plan on using 40gr Hornady V-Max ammo and I have a Zeiss scope with the Varmint reticle ordered. The scope reticle is indicated out to 600 yds but I wasn't sure if the rifle, and that light round would be up to shots at that distance.

 

[Art Eatman]

I don't think I'd be going beyond 400 yards unless it were a fairly calm day or I was shooting parallel to the wind.

"Just a good breeze" and not what I'd call "windy", I've had about six inches of drift at 300 yards with a .223, and two feet of drift at 500 yards with a .30-'06.

FWIW...

 

[Cueball]

Thanks for the advice. I can understand that a 40gr bullet is going to be very susceptible to the wind. I'll let you know how it goes once I get it sighted in.

 

[Kevin Rohrer]

You and I are in the same boat. In addition to us both being from Ohio, I also just bought 1 #1B in .204R and plan on taking my first PD shoot next year. I have a Leopold 4.5-14 on mine.

I am currently experimenting w/ 32gr. Nosler Ballistic tips, 39gr. Sierras, and 40gr Hornady V-Max, all w/ 8208 powder. Nothing to report so far except that w/ 27.3gr of 8208, the Noslers average 4100fps.

I am thinking that I will use the Sierras and Hornadys for Ohio chucks, w/ the 32s being reserved for PDs.

 

[helotaxi]

The 32gn will be a horrible long range bullet. The standard fare .204 cal bullets are terrible in the wind. When I put my .204 together, I opted for a non-standard 1:9 twist so I could shoot the 50 and 55gn Berger bullets. They have hands down the best BC of any varmint style bullet out there. Even giving up 1,000fps, the 55gn has a foot less wind drift in a 10mph x-wind compared to the 32gn and about 3.5" compared to the 40gn leaving the muzzle 650fps faster.

 

[OKcarburetor]

I've only shot my .204 CZ at the range, but 500 yds. is no problem at all. Water filled 1 pound bottles of RL22 and H335 at 500yds. were fairly easy in the wind. I'd say much easier to shoot in the wind than the .223 it replaced. The .204 seems to have a lot more explosive power at that range than my .223 did as well. The gun does have a 3-15 x 42 Weaver Super Slam which makes everything easier. I think I'd feel comfortable shooting a little past 500yds. but not much. I have other rifles for that.

this is with 39gr. Sierra Blitzkings at 3950fps.

 

[Red Cent]

"I have heard many arguments against the .204 in the wind-drift department. Although I am still testing this in the field, paper science tells us a different story. My ballistics program computes 27.34” of drift at 500 yards in a 10 mph wind for the .22-250 compared to 24.21” for the Ruger. These calculations are based on the best loads for each caliber from the data listed above."
http://www.204ruger.com/204_overview.php

The 204 fills a niche. So does the 223 and the 22-250. There is reason for discussing the utility of each round but the discussion of which is "best" is eternal.

Caliber Bullet Powder Velocity 500 Yd Drop

22-250 40 gr. V-Max 39.5 gr. Varget 4135 27.5”
22-250 50 gr. V-Max 36 gr. Benchmark 3903 26.46”
.204 Ruger 32 gr. V-Max 30.7 gr. Benchmark 4047 27.53”
.204 Ruger 40 gr. V-Max 30 gr. BL-C(2) 3774 26.02”

 

[MistWolf]

Wind drift is more than just BC. It's also time of flight. The 204 with it's higher velocity has less time of flight which reduces wind drift

 

[helotaxi]

The wind drift of a bullet is directly proportional to the delta between the "vacuum" time of flight and the actual time of flight. The two ways to improve wind drift are to increase BC and increase velocity.

Improving both, such as is possible with a 40gn bullet in a .204 compared to a 50gn bullet in .223 and the wind drift can improve greatly. While the 22-250 is considered a good long range varmint cartridge, the .204 is actually better in the wind drift department. The difference is in the bullet BC. The velocities are very close to the same. Neither is what I would call a good long range cartridge with varmint type bullets. I'd love Hornady or Sierra to make a varmint type bullet made for long range (a la V-Max or Blitzking instead of A-Max or Matchking).