Happy chap. 204 Ruger

[Brickhill 28]

I haven't had the Tikka out for a while. Now the fields have been cut i'll be out and about after Mr Fox.

Zeroing session today. Two loseners, then down on it. Picked a solid backstop which measured 167 yards. I got 8 within a golfball with factory ammo.

That will do. Any other .204 ruger boys on here? I love this round !!

 

 

     

   

Edited September 17, 2018 by Brickhill

[Rimfireboy! 1,463]

I’ve been thinking about getting one Nigel. Are you using 32 grain or 40 grain?

[Brickhill 28]

33 minutes ago, Rimfireboy! said:

I’ve been thinking about getting one Nigel. Are you using 32 grain or 40 grain?

I’ve tried the the Hornady superformance 40g and they are great up 100 yards but unquestionably the best factory round is is 32g superformance.

Ive also put a box of Remington 32g through the gun. Paid £27.50 for 20 They weren’t as good as the Hornady 32g at £20.70 a box so the Remingtons got knocked out.

I might get round to reloading at some point now I have some time on my hands. The 39g blitzcreig bullet seems popular with .204 shooters but I’m seriously impressed with the factory stuff which does near on 4000 ft ps at the muzzle. Flat shooting and deadly. Get one you’d love it.

[Rimfireboy! 1,463]

My poor wallet.      

[ianm 2,594]

Yep! i have two Tikka T3 supervarmints in .204.

[Alsone 789]

Must admit I've changed my opinion of the .204 over the past couple of years. Lovely piece of kit with the right bullet. However, there have been splash issues with 32 grain. The heavier rounds especially the 39/ 40 grain are in my opinion a better bet and carry more far energy downrange. Not sure why you think the 32 gr is superior. Ballistics for the 40gr are almost identical, despite the higher co-efficient (literally to within 0.1 of an inch at 400yds with the widest difference being 0.2 inches at any range below that). Meanwhile, energy is approx 10% higher out to 300yds, and nearly double at ranges thereafter. If you're seeing a larger accuracy difference / bullet drop, maybe the Tikka isn't stabilising the heavier bullets as well.

Against small game probably 32gr is great. But throw fox in the equation and personally I'd be reaching for the 39/40 as the risk of splash isn't worth the light bullet. In fact all things considered, the 2 bullets are ballistically so close, there's probably no reason not to simply stick with 39/40gr for everything. The 39gr Sierra Blitzkrieg does seem to be the most popular round.

[ianm 2,594]

I only shoot homeloaded 32grn  bullets out of both my 204s. I have managed to shoot many, many hundreds of foxes and haven't seen or had any of these so called splash incidents . I sometimes have to kill foxes at 300+ yds and do so without any drama or problems, but what do i know.

[toads 5]

I am of same opinion as above. Had my Ruger 204 M77mk2 for about eight years,no issues with splash injuries ever. Shooter still has to do there bit.For me it's fast,flat, little or near zero recoil, watch the hit.Prefer 32s over 40s both accurate but as previously said my barrel may not stabilise 40s as well down range. My closest fox 17yds furthest 410yds mostly no exits just "soup" inside . Devastating comes to mind regards toads

 

[Brickhill 28]

These 'splash' issues? What are they all about?

There doesn't seem to be a concensus on here they exist. Or have I got that one wrong?  For my money .204 ruger using factory ammo has to be the pinnacle vermin round in GB.    

[Rimfireboy! 1,463]

I’ve read that quite a few American shooters are rebarreling their .22-250’s to .204 for performance and three times the barrel life apparently.

[Alsone 789]

On 08/09/2018 at 19:01, Brickhill said:

These 'splash' issues? What are they all about?

There doesn't seem to be a concensus on here they exist. Or have I got that one wrong?  For my money .204 ruger using factory ammo has to be the pinnacle vermin round in GB.    

There used to be quite a lot of reports about this. This is just 1 thread on another forum. I'll let you search for the rest.

Not had one so can't comment on personal experience. However, the blame seemed to be pointed at the 32gr bullets. 

[Deker 3,450]

On ‎08‎/‎09‎/‎2018 at 19:01, Brickhill said:

These 'splash' issues? What are they all about?

There doesn't seem to be a concensus on here they exist. Or have I got that one wrong?  For my money .204 ruger using factory ammo has to be the pinnacle vermin round in GB.    

????????????????????????

I don't give a hoot about consensus, I've seen it in the field, just the once with .204  but never with any other caliber!

[Alsone 789]

It's hard to tell if it was early bullet design as I've not seen anything recent, or maybe people just don't report it anymore. However, all of the reports seem to involve 32gr ammo. Once you transition to 35gr or above, there are no reports of splash I've ever seen. TBH I wouldn't be surprised it was early ammo. It was a new calibre and with such high velocity and a light bullet it's conceivable that maybe the bullet required a tougher jacket than manufacturers anticipated. However, I wouldn't know the actual answer.

[Deker 3,450]

On ‎08‎/‎09‎/‎2018 at 19:01, Brickhill said:

These 'splash' issues? What are they all about?

There doesn't seem to be a concensus on here they exist. Or have I got that one wrong?  For my money .204 ruger using factory ammo has to be the pinnacle vermin round in GB.    

Vermin, troublesome insects and rodents, mice, rats, squirrel!  Whilst we all know the rabbit and fox can be troublesome there is debate as to whether they come under the heading vermin, so frankly, I'd say .204 is way over the top for the vast majority of Vermin in the UK.