The Dummy, being me!

I've kinda wanted one for a long time, but never made the commitment. Anywho, a really nice one came up for sale at a price I could afford...

Now the fun begins....as I'm totally clueless about this caliber. What weight bullets work best with which barrel twists. What's the best bullet design for long range varminting...etc, etc, etc....


Somebody Help Me!!!


giz

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i will save you some leg work. bought a remington 700 vtr it has a 1-12 twist and does not stabilize 40gr bullets well, 1.5" to 2" groups at 100yds. then i went to 35gr berger hp and the groups are half that size! i am guessing it shoots the 32gr bullets well but it's for coyotes so i won't bother. you may get different results with another rifle, but that is what i came up with. i use 28gr of hodgdon varget with the berger bullet. hope this helps.

Mine is a CZ 527 Varminter and I'm starting out with the .32 gr weights to sight it in. It's the one with the set trigger and the Kevlar stock system. Also has a added OPS Muzzle Brake. Gonna devote some time to the gun to get the best MOA before I take it hunting. So any info on folks experience with the .204 will be helpful...

Looking to make it a SongDog gun...


giz

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Does this cartridge really have any utility?

It does...

It carries the smaller diameter bullet at a similar bullet weight to the lighter 223's. But it pushes it much harder. The ballistics are superior to a lightweight .223....with less felt recoil.

Here's a CZ 527 Varminter with a factory installed HS Precision Kevlar stock. The muzzlebrake is a OPS...



giz

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Dang it Giz. I liked your original reply.

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i agree with giz, i like this accurate little cartridge, especially the way you see the hits through the scope due to it's lack of recoil.

I thing the OPS muzzle brake was added to this one so you could see the red mist...at 300 yards.


giz

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I have the Remmy 700 SPS in .204. It likes the 32gr bullets also. 40s don't shoot well at all out of it.

Mine likes AA2520. 28.8 gr behind a 32 VMax. It usually launches these around 4100fps through the Chrony set about 10ft out (any closer and the muzzle blast flips it).

Joe

Old thread... Anyone still here?

Took the No. 1 Varmint in 204 to the range for the first time yesterday - only bullets I had were 40gr, and it seemed to do just fine. Was limited to 25 yards, but getting 1.04 to 1.4 MOA groups quite happily.

I have some 35gr on order, so we'll see what the difference is.

Lovely little rifle.

My Savage model 12 VLP loves the 40 grain Hornady and the Sierra 39 grain bullets with CFE223. It liked the loads right at max or at a mid-range charge, with 100 yard 3-shot groups of 1/2 inch routinely and an occasional grouping just above 1/4 inch. I chose the mid-range load to maximize barrel life. As others have indicated, very little recoil allows you to see your rounds impact through the scope. It has ballistics comparable to the 22-250 with longer barrel life, less recoil, and less powder. Of course, the 22-250 has more energy for larger game but I bought mine for a prairie dog hunt.

From a rest? Mine were bipod-and-shoulder, no rear rest, so it's a combination of me and the rifle. I'll have to find a rest to shoot from one day.

One day.

One of my shooting buddies that went Prairie Dog hunting with me used a .204, and loved it. He didn't reload and used only factory ammo. He insisted it shot so flat and hard he ignored wind drift, (That's hard to do in S. Dakota).

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Shooting from the bench with a bipod, no rear rest other than my fist beneath the rear stock. That's the way I shot during my PD hunt in South Dakota, too. I have used a wedge-shaped bag under the stock but it doesn't seem to help much.

H Richard, the second day of the hunt had 25 - 30 mph gusts, which were pretty hard to ignore, even with the 204! I had my AR with me, which allowed me to make a shot, see where it hit, make a correction, and follow up with a quick second shot, usually with good results!