Views on the .204 Ruger for rabbiting

[celticrusader 78]

I was actually thinking the same thing, is there another alternative to the .17hmr which offers great accuracy over longer range, less effected by the wind and does no more damage to the meat?.

As i have no experience with the 22 or 17 hornets and neither the 17 remington or fireballs i can understand that there may be varied factors to take into account and reloading being one in favour, so if someone like myself or another person thinking of changing calibre would the types calibre's i've stated be viable options, i know that you always end up sacrificing in one way or another.

 

almost forgot to say that i would be using the alternative for the same reasons matthill01 has stated being predominantly rabbits and some fox.

[Deker 3,453]

I was actually thinking the same thing, is there another alternative to the .17hmr which offers great accuracy over longer range, less effected by the wind and does no more damage to the meat?.

As i have no experience with the 22 or 17 hornets and neither the 17 remington or fireballs i can understand that there may be varied factors to take into account and reloading being one in favour, so if someone like myself or another person thinking of changing calibre would the types calibre's i've stated be viable options, i know that you always end up sacrificing in one way or another.

 

almost forgot to say that i would be using the alternative for the same reasons matthill01 has stated being predominantly rabbits and some fox.

 

No, is the simple answer.

 

What you are talking about requires greater energy, therefore generally greater damage, a possible option is to move away from V-Max type ammo to something that does not expand so well, or at all, and attempt nothing but very accurate shots, but you then probably face power and over penetration issues. If you download to much you can end up with an interesting trajectory and counter productive results.

 

So, in simple terms moving up the energy ladder, there isn't, ........another alternative to the .17hmr which offers great accuracy over longer range, less effected by the wind and does no more damage to the meat? ..... You can have some but not all that!

 

Just the same, you can blow the head off a bunny at distance with very powerful rounds as long as you wait for the right shot, but that can be frustrating waiting for the shot to present. (#14 Martin)

 

Does it matter with foxes, few eat them? So this is potentially only a bunny issues.

 

Also consider costs as you move to CF. The TRUE cost of reloading with any will still be more than HMR prices.

 

Edit

Someone may well jump in and suggest the 17WSM (which we will not see for a long while yet). This remains unproven by way of performance and costs, but the answer will be the same as the Centrefires anyway, even if it does work, it is more destructive!

Edited October 9, 2013 by Deker

[Alsone 789]

Yep I'll jump in and suggest that!

 

However, as Deker says its not available in the UK yet.

 

Ballistic wise its better than .22 Hornet for windage and drop although not as powerful overall.

 

Being a rimmy its also cheap on ammunition although I'm sure some will point out .17 Hornet can be reloaded for round the same cost - .17 wsm believed to be around £16 for 50 shots if the typical 1:1 US to UK price ratio seems to hold true (never seems to obey the exchange rate with goods!). Could be around about the £12 mark at the exchange rate as I understand .17 wsm is around $16-18 per 50.

 

 

 

That said I understand where you're coming from with the 1 gun approach as I'm in a similar situation although I'm looking for possibly deer / long range fox / rabbit as I'm only ever likely to pop 2 or 3 rabbits off on a walk around so cost isn't an issue. If I ever needed large scale rabit control, then a rimmy would be the way to go be it wsm or hmr or lr.

 

As you have a separate deer rifle, the wsm or hornet may suit your needs.

Edited October 9, 2013 by Alsone

[charlie caller 3,654]

Buy a .17 rem and reload it, 300 yard bunnies no problem.

[celticrusader 78]

Since i'm new to this site and i've managed to jump onto the back of matthill01's original post so i want to thank you guys for your honest replies and opinions.

 

Where i currently shoot there isnt much rabbits in numbers and what little are there seems to be spread out across the varying landscape but what you guys have said has only reinforced what i've already been thinking and that we all know what it's like to be out in the field with the wrong tool in hand at the wrong time and this must surely be the case for the ever widening search of the ONE JOB FOR ALL rifle that always seems to come up in forums quite frequently, well like i said in my previous post you will sacrifice in one way or another which ever calibre is chosen.

 

That said... i'm sticking to the HMR as i like to eat the hairy little b******s and not waste them, as tempting as 300yrd headshots are ...the land i shoot is just not that flat and open.

[zx10mike 137]

Yep I'll jump in and suggest that!

 

However, as Deker says its not available in the UK yet.

 

Ballistic wise its better than .22 Hornet for windage and drop although not as powerful overall.

 

Being a rimmy its also cheap on ammunition although I'm sure some will point out .17 Hornet can be reloaded for round the same cost - .17 wsm believed to be around £16 for 50 shots if the typical 1:1 US to UK price ratio seems to hold true (never seems to obey the exchange rate with goods!). Could be around about the £12 mark at the exchange rate as I understand .17 wsm is around $16-18 per 50.

 

 

 

That said I understand where you're coming from with the 1 gun approach as I'm in a similar situation although I'm looking for possibly deer / long range fox / rabbit as I'm only ever likely to pop 2 or 3 rabbits off on a walk around so cost isn't an issue. If I ever needed large scale rabit control, then a rimmy would be the way to go be it wsm or hmr or lr.

 

As you have a separate deer rifle, the wsm or hornet may suit your needs.

worst rifle i have owned = savage (hornet)

worst rimfire ammo i ever had = winchester

i'll give that combination a miss thanks.opinions vary

[andyf 144]

Hi:

You are having a laugh, aren't you?

.204 for Rabbits, I'd like to see your 'Good Reason' for that one?

Look if you want a .204 that's OK, but just say it's for FOXES.

Keep the 22rf you'll regret not having one if you don't.

AndyF

[alan81 110]

why the fcuk would you want to shoot a rabbit with a .204? that's just ridicules you must be on a seek and destroy mission or something. .204 is a foxing round and if you want long rang precision that's fine get the gun and stick to paper and fox's.

[danw 1,748]

Well I use my .222,.223, 25-06 and 300rum for shooting long range rabbits my ticket has aolq attached to all my calibres why do it well I enjoy it my ammunition is free and it makes a change from bunny bashing with the .22 or shotgun at work so I say get the 204 and crack on mate it will do the job just fine.

[andy s410c 59]

Been running a .204 for the last 2 years & I can't see the problem with using it for rabbits.I homeload so it's working out about 70-80p a pop(rough estimate).It's a great calibre for small ground vermin & it suits my shooting requirements over the land I have.I only use the rabbits for ferret food so meat damage is not a issue to me,if I want rabbits for eating i'll grab the trusty .22 rimmy & bag a few...

 

 

[bobjs 28]

Been running 20 tac's and lots of other calibres for the best part of 15 years(20 tac for about 5) and i have used it on fox/corvids and rabbits since day one.

 

easy to load cheap to run if you buy in large amounts,

 

cheaper than running a 243/6mm br for the same shots as i did in the past.

 

I have 5 golf courses to control and in the 17 years i have been shooting all but 2 of them the bunnies are getting ' A ' grades in how to avoid me and others, so for me its a necessity to have a rifle that is less noisy and cheaper to run than a 243/308/3006 etc, as for overkill for a pest controller who does not need the meat then its job done,

 

the 17 rem is a cracking round but its not one that i have used to any great deal but a rifle builder friend of mine says its a cracking caliber, so ill take his words on that one.

 

i hope you enjoy what ever calibre you choose and who the f am i to tell you either way

 

regards

 

bob.

[alan81 110]

just because you have A.O.L.Q on your licence doesn't mean you should blow an animal to pieces. shooting and hunting to me is not about mindless killing with no respect for the animal. every animal I shoot goes to good use bar fox's. there all either eaten by me the dogs or the ferret. and to say its only ferret food, meat damage doesn't matter is siht talk. 1 hole rabbit will feed a ferret for just as long as 3 or 4 that have been shot to pieces. so your view's are its just a rabbit it doesn't matter?

[Deker 3,453]

This thread died in March 2012, perhaps it would have been better if it stayed that way!

[danw 1,748]

just because you have A.O.L.Q on your licence doesn't mean you should blow an animal to pieces. shooting and hunting to me is not about mindless killing with no respect for the animal. every animal I shoot goes to good use bar fox's. there all either eaten by me the dogs or the ferret. and to say its only ferret food, meat damage doesn't matter is siht talk. 1 hole rabbit will feed a ferret for just as long as 3 or 4 that have been shot to pieces. so your view's are its just a rabbit it doesn't matter?

 

I will never understand how folks say they kill but with respect I mean what a load of bollocks they animals have no concept of respect nor do they care for it, they do not worry that their carcase is made use of nor do they worry that you use the pretence of respect to salve your conscience, now you can piss and whinge and question others morality but the fact is however you dress it we kill for fun-enjoyment the how, where and why make no difference to those we chose to kill.

[alan81 110]

I do respect the animals I hunt and shoot I think you have to if we didn't it wouldn't be long before there would be none left. the animal doesn't care if its left to rot in the field its dead but I do, there's no point in killing something to just leave it there when its good food. fun is only a part of hunting/shooting for me its not the hole point. I don't see the point in waste.