.204 Ruger....Let's start a discussion!

[Littlelebowski]

Trident, consider the path less traveled.

[JimmyB62]

While the .204 has a lot of good qualities, for me the best attribute is the ability to see your bullet impact through the scope (ie: bullet tracking as lebowski said). This really increases the fun factor for me.

I suppose if you got into some fast and furious varmint action the AR platform makes some sense, but I strongly prefer a moderate to heavy bolt action.

[ALCOAR]

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[Artos]

if i shot a lot, the 204 would be my choice but I'm a swift guy and prefer the downrange energy.


bunch of cool rounds out there but i just stayed away from all the 17 & 20cals as I saw no need for another cleaning rod for my application and targets.

No high volume shooting in south tx and a swift will drop a doe, pig and down range yote better than the baby cals.

[Spooky130]

Has LMT ever printed anything stating they use Rock blanks? I know I've spread that information around but has it been verified?

Spooky

[ALCOAR]

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[Warg]

Reviving this thread as I'm interested in pursuing a potential 204 Ruger AR build for tagging little critters.

I noticed that Shilen, WOA, Lilja and a couple of others offer 20"+ barrels in HBAR profiles only. Why is this the case? I've seen and used plenty of medium-profiled bolt gun .204s that work well. A three and half or four pound barreled AR might be fine for punching paper, but not if you're trudging in the mountains or desert during the middle of summer. Is there an issue with barrel stringing or excessive heat that requires a heavy profile is this just the way they make 'em?

[SMC527]

I have a CZ 527 kevlar varmint in .204.

it is the smallest mauser action I have ever seen and has a single "set" trigger.

the gun was ridiculously reasonably priced (about $450) and will absolutely shoot (it is the only honest sub .5 MOA rifle I have ever fired)

I love the cartridge and love the rifle. It has killed lots of groundhogs and crows. One day in 2009, I killed 6 groundhogs between 575 and 600 yards.

I have never owned a 22-250 or a Swift, but I can tell you that the .204 absolutely blows the .223 away for varminting

[rob_s]

I've always found these types of calibers passively interesting myself, but always wondered what I'd do with one.

LL, you touched on just sticking with 5.56 (as well as the ignored advice to spend the money on training instead, which was a great suggestion) but outside of 200+ yard varmint hunting can you expound on what, if any, advantages this round may have? I've always just come back to hand-loading for 5.56 being the better choice. What am I missing?

[Littlelebowski]

I cannot think of a reason to own this outside of varminting, rob. Personally, I'd rather spend the money on training. If I was hunting with a .204, it would be a bolt gun as they will always win the accuracy contest and are lighter and far less bulky.

Maybe if you and some friends set up outside of a prairie dog town measured in acres there would be a compelling case for this .204 AR but otherwise, what's the point?

Were I interested in the long range AR game and had time and money to pursue it, I'd build a .260 and play with the big boys out to 1k yards at a formal long range training class. The .260 drifts and drops less than .308 and the accuracy is there.