.204 Ruger Barrel Length

[CMBTshooter]

Sweet! I think I'm gonna go for it but I'm still on the fence about the caliber.

 

[Oldtrader3]

What are you on the fence about the caliber for? It uses the .222 Magnum case which was one of the best ever designed .22 CF varmit calibers. The only issue that I have seen with my .204 Ruger is the 1 in 12 inch twist. This limits my practical accuracy to about 40 grains with spitzer bullets. If the twist was 1 in 10 inches, the caliber would be a world beater with both its accuracy and efficiency. Just wondering?

 

[CMBTshooter]

Charlie the only reason I'm on the fence is I don't want to lose the capability as a varmint/defense gun instead of just a varmint gun. With the velocity and energy at distance it looks capable, I'm just unsure about bullet performance. What were your speeds with the 40 grain bullets? Another thing I forgot to ask about is barrel life. Can I expect 10,000 rounds out of the .204?

 

[Oldtrader3]

I am getting 3960 fps with the 32 gr bullet and 3650 or so with the 40 grain bullet. I am losing about 50 fps because my barrel is 22 inches. The 40 grain bullet will kill a coyote in its tracks. Plus there is a 45 grain semi spitzer which will go all the way through a coyote. They are equal certainly to a 45/50 grain .223 bullets, given the high velocity.

I have read that they will go 3000+ rounds on a barrel. I do not know about shooting the 45 grain bullet. Barrel life at 3500 fps with that bullet should be longer?

 

[CMBTshooter]

3,000 isn't bad but it isn't great. A little more in depth reading it appears that barrel life is on par with .223/5.56mm. So I can safely assume excellent accuracy until about 3,000-6,000 rounds with warm loads and up to 10,000 with low-mild loads.

Looks like I'll be sending it off to the smith next time I deploy.

 

[Oldtrader3]

There are a some things that I like about the cartridge: the accuracy is excellent, you can see the bullets hit the target because the recoil is so low and as I mentioned, I have always thought that the .222 Mag case was a terrifically balanced design for the .224 or the .204 for that matter.

I don't load so much for speed as for accuracy and the cartridge is plenty fast enough anyway, that who cares about another 50 fps for a 400 yard varmit rig?

 

[CMBTshooter]

If I get within 100 fps of your velocities this will be a sweet rig. I'll have my wife send it off a month before I come back, which is still awhile away. So long as congress and the "commander-in-chief" don't cancel this trip this will be a go for sure.