204 Ruger

[JEBar]

does anyone have any experience with rifle chambered for the 204 Ruger cartridge .. .. I've been following its development, a bit of history from Chuck Hawks ====> http://chuckhawks.com/204_ruger.htm .... this is the only small caliber (varmint caliber) that I've ever found to be even remotely interesting .... I've handled a number of 204 Ruger 77 rifles and so far, I haven't found one that feels right .... most have heavy, bull barrels that, to me, throw it well out of balance .... several companies are now producing rifles chambered in 204 but I seldom seem to run across any in stores

[Mistered]

I have no experience with the 204 but i fail to see what it's advantage would be over say over a more common .22 centerfire such as the .223. Velocity is not an advantage for me but ease of reloading and bullet choices are - and there are certainly more with a .22.

[North Country Gal]

I have experience with the 204 in a heavy varmint bolt gun and a 15" Encore pistol. It is a very accurate cartridge, a bit loud, but recoil-wise, hardly any. Amazing flat shooting cartridge. You can zero it for a given distance and forget holdover or hold under for even small varmints over an amazing distance.

Factory ammo is not cheap and not always available in some of our local stores, but not difficult to find, overall. Sold off both of the 204s for that reason. For our fun shooting, the 223 did just as well and is a MUCH cheaper to shoot and never a hassle to find.

[Yornoc3]

A friend won a .204 Ruger in a CZ 527 "mini bolt" at some type of sporting event raffle. He's left handed, and has a bad right arm, but hasn't seen the light and offered me a good deal on it . All kidding aside, that's a version that interests me, along with the .17 Hornet. Maybe Henry will add those to the single shot line .

[North Country Gal]

The CZ 527 is an awesome mini-mauser action bolt gun, one of our favorites. Keep your fingers crossed. Hope you can get it.

[Mgderf]

I have a Howa 1500 Sporter in .204 Ruger.
It has the Hogue over-molded stock, and came with a Nikko Sterling scope that is much better than I'd expected.
As noted above, that little .204 is loud! It comes out of the barrel at a screaming 4025fps if you choose the right ammo. I believe those are a 32gr projectile.
I have a box of Hornady Varmint Express in my hand.
The box reads a 40gr V-max bullet leaves the muzzle at 3900fps.

It is still a light weight bullet, so the wind is going to buck it a bit.
Still, at anything under about 300 yards, it won't matter much, unless you're shooting through a hurricane.

The .204 Ruger is a fantastic little varmint round from a decent rifle.
Just be sure to wear ear protection.
Can you still hear me now?

[BigAl52]

Its kind of funny how certain calibers gain our interest and others are just ho hum to some but light someone elses fire. This caliber has never done much for me but it must have done something for enough people that gun companies decide to chamber it. I have not ever been interested in this one as for me its one of the old work horses in this calibers territory and that would be the 220 swift. Fast with a little more bullet mass and oh my you should see what happens when it strikes a prairie dog. I dont own one anymore as for me now the 243 just takes its place. Just my take Al

[JEBar]

The .204 Ruger is a fantastic little varmint round from a decent rifle.

thanks for relating your personal experience with the 204 .... I'm going to start asking at every firearms dealer I visit to see if I can see as many different brands as possible .... until I can find one that feels good in my hands, purchasing a 204 will remain a mental exercise .... if/when I do find one, my interest will take a considerable jump

[Mistered]

Its kind of funny how certain calibers gain our interest and others are just ho hum to some but light someone elses fire.

A lot of this 'hinges' on whether one reloads or not. A reloader will usually settle on a few calibers and load them to his particular needs. My experience is longer term shooters/reloaders tend to stick with the more traditional calibers whereas the newer, non-reloading shooters seem to be more interested in the newer 'designer' calibers - some of which fade into obscurity fairly quickly.

[North Country Gal]

I'm am older (way older) shooter, now, who no longer reloads, so now shoot only factory ammo. This pushes me into shooting popular and common cartridges for the sake of affordability. Very much enjoyed the 204 when we were shooting it, though. Different sort of cartridge with some real zing. Lots of fun. TC still offers it in a Contender barrel, so I could always add the 204 to the collection that way.