Hey everyone! New to the site!
So I wanted to start off with asking what everyone's experience with the .204! Thinking about getting one for foxes but worried about it being a barrel burner. Thanks!

Treat it nicely: don't let it get too hot, and clean it carefully when it tells you it needs cleaning (the accuracy deteriorates). Having said that, I've mine on several ground squirrel safaris where I probably shot 400 rounds per trip, sometimes frequently enough to heat the barrel up some.

Altogether, range and GS shooting together, I've got probably 1500 rounds through mine and just today, to verify my zero, I shot a .248 MOA group (3 rounds at 200 yards).

I've read about guys who've put upwards of 2800 rounds through their barrels with little noticable effect on accuracy.

I have put around 2000 rounds through mine and haven't gotten it hot at all and it still shoots great. Shooting mostly crows and deer depredation. The 204 and 17HMR are my two favorite calibers. Amazing what those lil pills will do.

God Bless, Louis

It'll take an awful lot of fox shooting to burn your barrel out.

barrels arn't barrel burners, shooters are barrel burners...let them cool between shots and even the swift will last decades..I have shot my varmint guns 220 swift, 6x45, 222, for 40 years on rock chucks and pinheads, the swift gave up last year so I retired it to whitetail culling I guess, and bought another another one, by chance as the price was right..I take two or three guns on a shoot, and switch them off..mop the bores and clean them..in fact the hot varminters are the only calibers I tend to overclean, the rest are lucky to get cleaned twice a year..It easy to burn your 204 or a swift etc out in 500 to a 1000 rounds if you abuse it...

then of course the best way to save your bore is shooting milder loads, a swift shooting 60 gr. Hornadys at 3000 will last two lifetimes and you can still shoot a few 4000 Plus pills from time to time, but not many..

Barrel burning is over estimated.

Treat your rifle properly, and it will give years of good service.

Most important aspect is don’t let it get too hot by excessive shooting.

Look forward to toasting it, they make new barrels all the time just for us.

I’ve got several 204s. All great shooters, and a varmint, including coyotes worst nightmare. I don’t get them hot and see no deterioration in accuracy.