.204 Ruger

[T_barb]

Does anyone have any experience with this caliber bullet?

I was reading up on it the past couple of days and the ballistics look fantastic..

I was considering a .17, but i like the heavier bullet with the .204...

I am actually looking for a rifle that my wife can comfrtably shoot. We have been having an problem with Coyotes around our barn, so if nothing else, it will give her some piece of mind. That said, I want something that she can be proficient with and it isn't going to beat her up.

I have also considered .22 hornet, .22 mag and .223...

I just really like the ballistics on the .204 and .17 (reality is, it will be something new for me to "play" with as well)..

Interested to get some feedback..

Tom

[Lund SSS]

Awesome round for yotes... buddy has a Cz and shoots coyotes out to 300 yards with ease. The only thing that I was surprised by it is LOUD

[lineman49]

Guns & ammo tv show just did a show on the 204 cal. this past week end you might be able to catch a repeat show of it either on sportsman or outdoor channel. I agree it sounded like a fun gun/cal.

[Chromeslayer]

excellent round for coyotes!! and does some serious damage to woodchucks too! recoil wont be a issue for your wife

[rshubuck]

I sold mine. It was also a CZ. I loved it but I lost 3 yotes to it. Each yote dropped but to my amazement they all got up. I tracked the one for 3 hrs. Good times. I did bag some yotes with it including a 44 pounder. The guy I sold it too last I knew was bagging varmits left and right with it. I love the trajectory as well but I have doubts with its lethality but I wanted an AR 15 223 for the semi, so I might be a little impartial. The 22-250 and the 243 have similar trajectories and are my personal favorites. I can't tell you how many varmits I have killed with them. Just thought I would share my 2 cents. It is a great round.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[chowder]

Go with the 22-250 if you are using the rifle for yotes. 17hmr,22mag & 204 typically have poor results on dogs when the shot is marginal. From my experience they don't stop for long enough to always guarantee a well pulled together rifle shot.

[skipper19]

I agree with Andy. The venerable old .22-250 is a better choice for yotes. There are so many more bullet choices for it as well for any purpose. I have even taken deer cleanly on every shot with it where I wanted a long range open territory shot. If you are handloading, or know someone who does and want some special purpose loads the .22-250 handles bullets from 40 grains all the way up to 63 grains very well. 55 grain is my favorite and the styles are wide open.

It will not drift with wind nearly as bad as the little .20 caliber. Recoil is nothing to worry about with either of these calibers. Not saying that the .204 is a bad caliber, just the .22-250 will do it better on the terminal end, especially on those tough dogs. All these small caliber hot rods are a little loud but a different kind of loud. More Sharp crack is typically what most folks object to, but if you are shooting at a range a lot, it is always better to wear hearing protection with any firearm.

Mark

[ Post made via Android ]

[discovery246]

You guys have me second guessing now, I'm also in the market for a coyote/fox gun did some research and pretty much decided on a Savage axis in 223.

Like it for wide range of ammo available, but the consensus here seems to be 22-250???

[Keep'n it Reel]

I am also a 22-250 fan I have shot yotes with that and also along with the 204,223,22mag and even my .17 I have a savage model 93 with bill barrel and thumb hole stock and I upgraded the scope as well and at 100 yards I can comfortably say just about anyone could hit a tab on a can, but with respect for the animal that is a caliber I would not recommend when it comes to ethics and clean effective kills!! 22-250 all the way in my book

[DJ 17]

I also vote for the 22-250, great varmint gun.  In regards to the savage axis, I know they are cheaper but I don't think they have the accu-trigger.  I could be wrong, but in my opinion that trigger is one of the biggest reasons to get a savage!

[Missdemeanor]

 I agree with your reply about the accu trigger on the savage....They are sweet....I have a savage ML2 Muzzle loader with the accutrigger.....Very smooth.

[Xxx]

My buddy Eddie has a 204 and I got to shoot the rifle, sweet rifle but man, does it crack!! I think it's as loud as my 25-06, really!! he has a big Christmas tree farm and the last thing he wants is the bucks rubbing their horns on the little trees, which is what they seem to like the best. They just go down the row of trees and ruin the littler trees, he also has a crop damage permit, so he has to call the game comm. and tell them when he's going so he did and we went on a little ride and I got to try the 204 out on a nice 7 pointer, I aimed for the neck about, range finder said 163 yards so he said hold right on, and that was the end of that buck, fell together right in it's tracks, but my ears were ringing for a wile, man does that gun crack it's a very sharp loud crack, not like a larger cal. were is a dull boom like sound, very different sound, when we skinned the deer off the head was hanging in by a thread no saw required to remove the noggin, I was impressed, the recoil was next to nothing!! I'm in the process of getting my AR223 made into a 22-250, I saw this in a magazine and called the company up and for $595.00 they make a barrel and a clip to fit the 22-250, it can only be semi auto, but that's ok I don't have a need for full auto, matter of fact mine was only semi, it was never fully auto when I bought it, it was not new, and I bought it from a guy that needed the money, I really got a buy and it's registered into my name, I didn't want to buy a stolen gun. Can't wait to get it back, I think then I will have the best of both worlds. I will report back after our first mission for OL' yote dog!!

[momay4000]

My buddy Eddie has a 204 and I got to shoot the rifle, sweet rifle but man, does it crack!! I think it's as loud as my 25-06, really!! he has a big Christmas tree farm and the last thing he wants is the bucks rubbing their horns on the little trees, which is what they seem to like the best. They just go down the row of trees and ruin the littler trees, he also has a crop damage permit, so he has to call the game comm. and tell them when he's going so he did and we went on a little ride and I got to try the 204 out on a nice 7 pointer, I aimed for the neck about, range finder said 163 yards so he said hold right on, and that was the end of that buck, fell together right in it's tracks, but my ears were ringing for a wile, man does that gun crack it's a very sharp loud crack, not like a larger cal. were is a dull boom like sound, very different sound, when we skinned the deer off the head was hanging in by a thread no saw required to remove the noggin, I was impressed, the recoil was next to nothing!! I'm in the process of getting my AR223 made into a 22-250, I saw this in a magazine and called the company up and for $595.00 they make a barrel and a clip to fit the 22-250, it can only be semi auto, but that's ok I don't have a need for full auto, matter of fact mine was only semi, it was never fully auto when I bought it, it was not new, and I bought it from a guy that needed the money, I really got a buy and it's registered into my name, I didn't want to buy a stolen gun. Can't wait to get it back, I think then I will have the best of both worlds. I will report back after our first mission for OL' yote dog!!

 

With all due respect - I think it's unethical to have used a .204 ruger to kill a deer at 163 yards. Yes, everyone will make the argument that you can kill a deer with a pellet gun if the shot is placed properly, and yes the .204ruger is a legal caliber in NY (the only illegal rifle round in NY to hunt deer is a rimfire cartridge), but you're talking about a 32-40 grain bullet that's smaller than the diameter of a .22lr.

 

I'm sure you had a well placed shot, but I'm certain the outcome could have been different if your shot missed vital structures. Most .204 Ruger bullets are only 32-40 grains, compared with the common .270 which is typically 150 grains. Although the .204 is a zippy little cartridge, you're losing a ton of muzzle energy at a distance of 163 yards (I believe the muzzle energy of a .204 at the end of the barrel is only around 1300 ft/lbs.and I would imagine around 200 yards that it drops to around 600-700 ft/lbs). Compare that with the .270 where the muzzle energy at the barrel is 3000 ft/lbs and still around 2000 out to 200 yds.

 

.204 Ruger - legal to hunt deer? Yes.

 

 Ethical? you decide, but for me I keep this gun for varmints

 

- Chris

[Xxx]

With all due respect - I think it's unethical to have used a .204 ruger to kill a deer at 163 yards. Yes, everyone will make the argument that you can kill a deer with a pellet gun if the shot is placed properly, and yes the .204ruger is a legal caliber in NY (the only illegal rifle round in NY to hunt deer is a rimfire cartridge), but you're talking about a 32-40 grain bullet that's smaller than the diameter of a .22lr.

 

I'm sure you had a well placed shot, but I'm certain the outcome could have been different if your shot missed vital structures. Most .204 Ruger bullets are only 32-40 grains, compared with the common .270 which is typically 150 grains. Although the .204 is a zippy little cartridge, you're losing a ton of muzzle energy at a distance of 163 yards (I believe the muzzle energy of a .204 at the end of the barrel is only around 1300 ft/lbs.and I would imagine around 200 yards that it drops to around 600-700 ft/lbs). Compare that with the .270 where the muzzle energy at the barrel is 3000 ft/lbs and still around 2000 out to 200 yds.

 

.204 Ruger - legal to hunt deer? Yes.

 

 Ethical? you decide, but for me I keep this gun for varmints

 

- Chris

Chris I hunt deer with a 35 Whelen, look up the ballistics on that gun!!!

[King Slammin]

35 whelen huh? Probably does the job quite well. I hunt deer with a .480 Ruger handgun. 325 gr. Hornady XTP.

[rolmops]

Small caliber bullets require great marksman ship because they do very little damage and unless the bullet is right where it should be,it does not stop the target.(exception,very soft,very high velocity rounds like nato 5.56).

You wife would be better off with a large caliber lower velicity round, so even if she hits the varmin (or intruder) in a non lethal place it will do much greater damage and likely kill the coyote just because of the much more destructive impact.

Edited December 20, 2013 by rolmops

[Xxx]

That's why they invented BUCK SHOT!!!!  BUT he's right my 35 whelen is a mean machine look up the ballistics, and I hand load every shell with 59 grains of reloader 15 and 200 grain Hornady interlock  a mag primer even though it's not a magnum  and that' good recipe for a pump action rifle.

Edited December 20, 2013 by pap

[momay4000]

Chris I hunt deer with a 35 Whelen, look up the ballistics on that gun!!!

 

I'm confused - I thought you just mentioned you shot a deer with a .204 ruger?

[skipjack]

That's how I read it.

[steelydan]

.17 WSM is the answer. i drop yotes from 150 yds in there tracks.

[Xxx]

I'm confused - I thought you just mentioned you shot a deer with a .204 ruger?

I did shoot a deer with a 204, but that's not my all time deer rifle a 35 Whelen is what I use to hunt deer. I just had a opportunity to shoot the 204 on my buddies tree farm and posted the results, if it's good enough to kill a deer then by all means it should work on a coyote, I don't hunt deer with a 204!!

[Fish Hunter]

I use a .223 for the Coyotes.

Have killed them with both .22 Mag's and also with a Savage I have chambered in .17 HMR.

.223 zaps 'em best of those 3, but a .22-250 is a wicked round for them.

[Xxx]

Not to change the subject, but did anyone hear about the new 17 magnum there coming out with, from what I gather its going to be the 22 hornet case necked down to 17 cal. and also a rim fire, and also a 17 wsm. which is going to be center fire, I saw it on line, was at Cabelas last week and they had no shells, that's really all I wanted to see, oh well time will tell.

[steelydan]

i have a 17 wsm, it is a rimfire and it is deadly on yotes. 3000 fps with a 20 grain bullet as compared to the hmr at about 2400fps with a 17 grain bullet.

[DJ 17]

A friend of mine has a 17 win mag.  I believe it is based on a .29 caliber nail gun case, but I could be mistaken?  I haven't had the chance to shoot it yet but there sure is a lot of room for powder behind that little bullet! Last I checked savage was the only company making a rifle for it, but that may have changed by now.