I am wondering if some of you may have tried one of the 204 cal. rifles. I have been thru almost all calibers and sold all except the 204 Ruger custom that I made in 2010. Sold off lots of 17 cal. bullets and 17 Rem cases at the last Shilen meet back in April. I have killed 5 deer with 17 cal. rifles. If you place the shot in the neck they will go down quick. I will use the 204 Ruger on deer if I get a chance as I am getting too old to hunt.

A 243 Win is in my plans for all game maybe starting this coming summer. I shot a Mexican Red Wolf in 1960 with a 243 Win. and he made a couple of spins around before he went down. I had the head mounted back then and now it hangs in my grandson's collection.

i've got a couple that have been shooting prairie dogs with my perception is that they have a greater blowup ability than 17's and less than 22's they reach out better than a 17 it seems to get to 400 about the time as a 223 gets to 200 recoil is slight enough to see hits and misses wind effect is somewhere like a 40 gr 222

Shooting .17 cal air rifles and .22 cal, I found the 20 cal to be the best of both worlds. For that reason, I thought a .20 cal center fire would be great, this was before the .204 Ruger came out. Once out, I like the CZ because it is light weight, but don't like the backwards safety, so I don't have a .20 cal, but think I'd like it.

My 20BR has served me very well in the PD fields. It launches the 40 VMax at 4150fps, and the Berger 50 LTB at 3950fps.......good medicine at long distance.

Kevin

I owned a .20 Tactical (.20 on a slightly modified .223 case with almost identical ballistics as the .204 Ruger), but sold it because I found it no more effective than my little .20 Vartarg (.20 on a .221 Fireball case). The Vartarg seems to do as well on prairie dogs as any larger caliber I've ever used, and has the advantage of such minimal recoil that you can see the bullet strikes in your scope picture. The smaller powder charges of the Vartarg don't heat the barrel as quickly, are a bit more economical, and with a 32 grain bullet at 3650 fps, a few hundred fps more velocity attainable with the larger cases like the .204 Ruger buys you little in the way of ability to hit your target.

In short, I'm delighted with my .20 Vartarg and don't really think a larger case does much for performance. A few guys have chambered a .20/.222, which wouldn't be a bad choice, either.

I shoot a couple 20 Practical and they're the bomb on coyotes. I just shot another night before last at 276 yards with a 40 grain BIB at 3800 fps.

Easy to "form" if you ream a standard chamber Just neck down 223 brass and voila, 20 Practical.

*My chamber reamer is for minimum-release necks so I do outside neck turn but that's easy too.

Shot a 22-250 for years (decades and decades) but the 20 is the best of all worlds IMHO.

Zeke

I've got three 20 Vartargs and two 204 Rugers. Like Stonecreek said, the Vartarg is a great cartridge. For the Ground Squirrel shooting I do it works great with 32 gr V-Max. I seldom shoot beyond 275 yards.

The 204 Ruger is great too. I got the best accuracy out of 39 Gr Sierra but those have dried up so I'm using the 40 grain V-Max.

I use several other calibers but if I had to thin the herd the 20 Vartargs would be the last to go.

I have a CZ 527 Varmint in 204 that I've had for quite a while now. Laser accurate with 40 VMax's and Reloader 10.

I had a 204 in a CZ as well.

Really great on everything you point it at.

I shot a lot of kangaroos (head shots) with a 204. Works like a champ!

The report is, the 204 ruger is awesome. It’s fun to see your bullet strike one’s target. Get one. That’s the report. And if you don’t have a 204, shoot the rifle you have now. Because it’s probably pretty cool too. We really need to figure out how we can loan each other our rifles, because I seem to want the rifle I don’t have and I have rifles I own that I have never shot.

But that’s just me.

Hey Kevin,

What twist to shoot a 50 gr bullet? I use the 12 twist and the 40 gr bullets are almost a one hole.

Les,

The K&P barrel has a twist of 1 in 10.0".

Yes...Berger bullets reccomended a twist of 9 inches....but at 3950fps the 50LTB shoots well in this barrel.
Note....I'm at 981 feet of elevation.

Kevin

TC contender with 32" 204 Ruger Bbl
32 gr. bullets IMR 8208 XBR = best

Just popped a couple more coyotes Saturday evening with the 20 Practical... this time with 40 grain Ballistic Tips atop XBR 8208.
One came in to 100 yards, big mistake.
The other pulled up at 350 yards, another big mistake since the little 20 isn't challenged by that paltry range either.
I can't count the number of dogs I've slayed with it but it continues to impress the hell out of me!

Zeke

I have two 204 Ruger chambered Rem 700s. They’re great prairie dog and coyote rifles.

Has anyone used the 20 cal. on hogs? I believe in high speed and small caliber bullets. The shock will kill most any varmints. If I can get a hunt this spring for hogs I will use my 204 Ruger mini Mauser and report on the results.

quote:

Originally posted by Lester Brooks:
Has anyone used the 20 cal. on hogs? I believe in high speed and small caliber bullets. The shock will kill most any varmints. If I can get a hunt this spring for hogs I will use my 204 Ruger mini Mauser and report on the results.

Les,
If I were doing a hog hunt with a 20 cal, I'd look at Hammer brand bullets .....but through the ribs should kill one with almost any bullet.
I'm talking as though I know something about hogs, which I do not. I've never hunter them.
Best of luck to you, sir.
Zeke

I have had a CZ 527 Varmint in 204 Ruger since 2004-2005. It's been a great cartridge for coyote and the few prairie dogs i've shot with it. It's one of my favorites.

I have a lefty Ruger M77 Hawkeye I bought brand new (Around 2012?) in .204 Ruger. Absolutely love the cartridge. Have popped a handful of coyotes with mine and each of them have dropped with no exits.

I wish Winchester still sold their 34gr Lubalox coated hollow point factory ammo. It was great.

I have a 20 Vartarg I absolutely love

Les:

Sure wish I could PM with you! About TSJC.

gldwight1@yahoo.com

Thanks,

George

Used to own a Panther Arms DPMS AR in 204 Ruger. I believe it was around 14lbs with a 24" stainless fluted barrel. The gun would cycle the round too steep toward the chamber and jam.

I think it was more of a mag issue than a gun issue. Either way it would knock those .204 bullets into the case. Didn't own it long enough to try other mags or try to figure it out. Didn't like lugging that weight around hunting either.

The CZ 527 American is discontinued but I think enough sold that they shouldn't be too difficult to find on the used market. I picked up one in .223 at the Fort Worth Cabelas for a great price. I try to not make a big deal about the backwards safety. Maybe in a quick action situation it will mess with me since I am so used to the forward fire , back for safe.