Here's what happened to me.



I purchased a Cooper in .17HMR. Really great new cartridge.



So then I went back to the gun shop, and the same guy that was excited about the new .17HMR, says don't get the .204 Ruger. Why not I axed? This is a new greatly hyped cartridge, just like the .17HMR.



You are correct he said however you can get substantially the same performance out of light .223 match ammo and your ammo cost is about 1/3 that of the Ruger.







.223 shown with longer .204 Ruger. Note that case is totally different from the .223 and velocity is several hundred feet faster.



OK, said I and bought the .223 Cooper model 21. Excellent decision in retrospect, and it picks up right where the .17hmr leaves off.



D.

I have a CZ Var,in 204 w/walnut stock. With factory 32 gr loads my first group was 1/4 inch @ 100 yds!!

Great rifle.

Shep

Kory,
I think that it's denial.
Denial makes people do and say stupid things.
I don't understand why someone would choose a rifle based on someone elses opinions. Before I bought my 204 I researched this particular cartridge until I finally made up my own mind(not what some jackass at gun store wants me to buy) that the 204 was what I was looking for.
Happy Hunting,
slygunner

The .204 has a lot to offer.Anyone who can read a ballistics table can see that.Perhaps the gent at the gunshop has problems with basic math..



As to the gunshop idiot's asertion that the 17HMR is "overhyped", I say it's terminal ballistics were 100% dead on as billed- a terrific 200 yard varmint round for Prairie dog sized targets on down.Anyone who has ever actually used it past 100 yards will attest to that.



The 17HMR was never billed as a rimfire .223!

Let's take this back to the original post..... czrami--1st, congratulations on your new CZ. I would be interested in knowing if you intend to handload for your CZ and also, how it shoots with 40 gr. loads. Keep us posted on your experiences with it. Also, what scope did you mount on it? Have you adjusted the trigger(s) yet? I am planning on getting the same rifle, have been holding out for one that has some nice wood in the stock. I have another 527 that has terrific figure in the stock and was hoping to find a mate for it.

Mike

4000 fps with a 40 Nosler BT in the .223 can be done easy enough, you just got to have the right rifle and know what your doing.

I've done 4409fps with the 32 grain VMax out of the .204 but it's not necesarry! But at the speed of 4279(which is the load I'm using, it's flatter and less affected by wind drift than the 40 grain BT out of a .223 at 4000fps...if you get that speed. GHD

4000fps with a 40 in a .223? Good luck.

4000fps with a 40 holy high speed batman. Explain how you are getting those speeds. I am very interested. How many loadings are you getting from your brass? What powder are you using? That is about 200fps faster than any data I have for the 223.

Ok, here goes! My rifle is a 40X single-shot action rebarreled with a 27" Hart barrel, it was installed by Hart Barrels.
My load, 40 Noslers(mollied) Surplus 844 powder, IMI brass, CCI-450 primers. This is over my Oehler 35P at 10 ft.

29grs 3739-26-10
29.5grs 3803-48-18
30grs 3854-21-9
30.5grs 3973-35-12
31grs 4043-23-8

I've shot the 31gr load several times now in the same brass.And it groups below 1/2"!