I went from a 22.250 to a 204 and love it

I used the .204 exclusively for a year as well, it is an awesome coyote cartridge..downfall is that in my area, finding ammunition for it is virtually impossible..also impossible to find 22-250 ammo, which I used for several years..I've bought a Savage model 10 heavy barrel chambered in .223 solely because I can actually find the ammo for it. For many people, ammunition availability is the limiting factor for what cartridge is chosen. It's challenging to find reloading supplies.. primers, powder ect, and when you do it's astronomically priced. Really hope some day that there is a big change in this.

I had requested you do a write up on the .204 a while back. Thanks Ron for following through! Some may not agree, but I use this caliber to cull deer and hogs with a bullet to the neck or ear drops them right there. My shots are usually inside of 150yds though. Fun to watch them hit the ground through the scope!! My wife hunts with me and a few weeks ago it was a little foggy in the morning and she heard me shoot ~ she said it sounded like "Boom, ssssssssssss, Pow!".. Doe DRT!

Back in '72, IIRC, I bought a Remington 700 BDL in .17 caliber. The factory 25gr. BTHP was rated at 4,200fps. I reloaded, so I played with the powder charge a bit - and discovered that with an added five grains the primer was starting to balloon a little. I'm not sure what the fps was, but the recoil was more noticeable. I finally figured out the max was around three grains over factory reloading data - so, I settled on the factory reloading recommendations after all, since I wasn't seeing any added benefit of more charge. As an aside, after I scoped it with a Redfield 3-12x50, and sighted it in at 100 yards, it put five rounds through the same hole. I thought I was missing every shot after the first one, and spent some time testing the scope to see if it had somehow become damaged; however, the target showed a nearly perfect .17 caliber hole with four shallow, cloverleaf-looking bites out of the inner edge. I sold it off to a Marine Corps Sergeant Major in 1977 . . . and I regret it to this day.

The 204 ruger has had a spot as my truck rifle for about 10-12 years. Probably shouldn’t admit this but my neighbors daughter ended up using it on her antelope hunt with great results. Very recoil sensitive shooter but made a great shot and did the job and was legal in my state.

I recall Hornady had to change the type of plastic on the bullet tips because they were actually melting in flight. I think the .204 Ruger was one of them.

I have 5 rifles in .223 I always knew about the .204. Didnt know much about it. Thanks for the great explanation.

I have owned a Ruger #1 in .204 Ruger since 2005. It is my favorite white tail gun using the Hornady Superformance with a 40 gr bullet. It’s a deadly round. Shot a cull buck with it at 425 yards. Neck shot. The guns a Tac driver.

Thanks for good info on the .204 ruger! As we speak Im waiting for a barrelblank to arrive so I will get my own .204 up and running!

Awesome cartridge and it is one of the most accurate as well this should be at the top of the list for it's accuracy 🙂

I bought a 204 Remington 700 SPS back in 2014. The very first animal I dumped with it was a big Male Timber Wolf up here in Saskatchewan. 32 grain bullet. Handled him pretty easy. I love the cartridge.

A mate of mine has one and I’ve shot it. We shoot mostly at night and target foxes in Australia. He reloads and has dropped the powder load a little so it doesn’t burn as much but is a sweet spot in the mid 3500s. Very good out to 200m for night shooting, light and no recoil. Easy shooting and a pleasure to use.

I love it for the brass! Now I’ve got great brass for my Steyr SL in .222 Rem Mag! No more web and gun show searches for the nearly unobtainable! BTW: I’d love to own a .204 also. Thanks Ruger!

I’ve got a 204 . Used it for prairie dogs and it worked well at 300 plus yards .

I was a highly successful bench rest shooter with the 222x35 (the new kid on the block then) which also uses the 222 Mag brass. (A little too successful. Nobody wants to shoot with you when that happens because it's no fun for them.) It was a Brown fiberglass stock, Hart barrel, 40X action with Model 70 extractor, Leupold 24x, smithed by Fred Sinclair when he was a one-man band working out of his home workshop. I was in my early 20s and flew my plane down there and spent some hours in his shop when I picked up my gun. He made up my reloading stuff on the lathe, bought a micrometer measure, and cleaning stuff (and said to me if anyone asks you where you got it tell them you found it on the side of the road). He must have had some awfully understanding neighbors put up with him or they couldn't hear anymore because before I left, a little before midnight, he fire formed some cases for me in his back yard in order to teach me how and how to use the tools. I never had to resize, so after a few cycles the cases stop growing and the bullets seated perfectly and evenly. 20 to 40 pieces of brass will easily out-shoot any barrel that way too. He gave me some ideas of what powders and bullets to determine what the gun liked. I used all of the typical bench rest powders of the day and cheap to fancy bullets. I started out weighing loads, bullets, and weighing and matching brass. It made absolutely zero difference, so I just set the measure, and seated bullets. It also didn't work to push them fast though. What made the gun shoot the best Reloader #7, and the cheap Sierra 55gr. hollow points shot as good or better than the Hart match boat tails. It could hold between .160 and .280 at a 100 all day long, but was happiest @~2200. If I pushed it faster with Reloader #7 or hotter powders, the accuracy fell off. I used it for varmint too, but with no safety and a 2 oz. trigger, I didn't chamber a round until I was ready to shoot. I used a golf range finder and an arrow with a paddle and scale to track the wind that I could read through the scope. A guy had a .220 Swift where used to shoot. It wasn't a bench rest gun but the groups were not that good, and those ran @4100 at that time. I wondered how useful a fast gun is for small varmint like ground hogs, prairie dogs, crows, and long-range coyotes if it can only shoot a silver dollar group @100. After this, I went to the academy and flew military after that, and with a family and no time, I regrettably sold my airplane and guns, maintaining only the family heirlooms. So as you can tell, I've been out of it forever. I'd never heard of a 20 cal. anything before now, but at @4500, I'm curious as to what its typical group is at @100. PS: 4,500 fps isn't hypersonic, but it is mach 4. Fortunately it only maintains that for a fraction of a second or it would surely melt.

I have a CZ 527 in .204, it is amazing! Thanks for your expertise!

Great video Ron. I’ll stick with my .243 using Hornady 58 Grain V-Max for coyotes. They are super fast and super flat at 3,950 fps.

A good friend of mine uses a .204 exclusively as his varmint gun. Always been impressed with it, not sure if it's velocity or something else, but it makes a very distinct sound when it hits a coyote at 100 yd.

I switched over to a 204 Ruger for predators after finding out that my 243 Win was making too much of a mess out of lighter-skinned varmints like red and grey foxes at least 15 years ago. The 204 reachs out loooong distances, and crushes even bigger dogs like yotes provided the bullet didn't hit any obstacles in its path down range. Hornady VMax Superformance 32gr factory ammo is rated at 4,225 fps muzzle velocity as printed right on the Hornady box. 👍 Unfortunately, you can't find 'em around here any more.

Love your stories Ron, but the cheapest 204 Ruger ammo is around $2/rd.

Remember the 30-06 accelerator made in the mid 1970's? A .223 in a plastic sabot in a 30-06 cartage MV over 4000 ft per second with zero ballistic rifling markings on the projectile.😎

Just a friendly FYI...4,500 fps converts to (3,067.8 mph)... absolutely sizzling... LOL 🤣...Thank you sir you are the best of the best of outdoors sports writers and I and I'm sure many many others are wishing you the very best this holiday season...Merry Christmas for you and your family Mr.Spomer...

Love my little 204 in Weatherby Vanguard. I’m having some success with 39 grain Speer Hollow Points.

One of my favorite calibers. I got it from my late uncle. It was his Fox gun for protecting his chickens. He would say hold it center of a fox out to 300 and the top of its back to 400.

I’d like to see you do a video on the 17Remington. That’s another hot rod!

I've almost got into 204 but my 223 and 22-250 with 36 grain varmint grenades& 35 grain frangibles do everything I could ask for.

So underrated, one of the best red misting nuclear groundhog rounds I ever shot. Bucks the wind much better than one would expect. 40 grain v max was my best bullet. My dads rifle liked the 32 grain v max. If you buy one and reload, reloader 10x, cc1 benchrest primers, worked well in our rifles.

You can't beat the 17 caliber, if you're hunting pelts they just leaves one tiny little hole one stitch takes care of it, it's like shooting a needle

I got mine when it first came out, I can't can't ask for anything better. At 200 yards I'm at 0.5 moa add day long. Hand load all of my amo.

If I use my 204 between 50 and 350 yards it kills coyotes like lightning. In my hunting, the 32 grain bullet isn't tough enough to penatrate reliably on bigger varmints like coyotes. For coyotes, you need a little heavier and tougher bullet like a 40 to 45 grain. Out to 50 yards, the bullets tend to blow up on the hide and at 350 yards it starts to run out of steam. But every rifle I ever shot chambered for the 204 has been extremely accurate, with 1" groups at 200 yards being common. With no recoil, being inherently accurate, if you use it within it's parameters it does a very good job. I have been shooting the 204 since it came out. Oh and Ron, I too love the 39 grain Sierra Blitzking. In fact it is my favorite bullet for that round. You notice I said, "39 grains" not 36. Look it up, I think you made a slight mistake. I really like that I can see the hits through the scope. No, it hasn't any recoil.

Great cartridge! I've had one since the early days and it never fails to perform. On barrel life, I'd say it is significantly longer than you indicated. Mine has had close to 3,000 through it and still holding 0.5 MOA with my handloads.

30 odd years ago we were working in the back country of the northern Hawkes Bay of New Zealand. There were two possum cullers working with us at the same time and place. Long story short, they were two of the pioneers of helicopter hunting and later on heli-live capture of feral deer in New Zealand. They both swore by the Remington 222( most deer shot by govt. cullers back in the day) the 223 Rem., one of them Graeme was a Vietnam vet, when they had their business operating he was the chopper pilot. Graeme's last culling rifle was a Rem 222.mag. He told us he used 223 ammo which would then fire form to the correct case size for reloading. Dunno if this was a true story, I think it was, but for the first time in 30 years it was neat to hear someone mention the 222 Rem Mag. Thanks Mr Spomer for your posts, I don't follow your page but certainly enjoy your content when I come across it. 🙂👍

My son is ready to move up from his lever action .22, the .204 was never on my radar......Until now. Thank you.

You are right! Berger at least had data for 50 gr BT VARMINT w/G1 BC of 0.281 with max velocity of 3381fps. They also had data for a 55gr BT LONG RANGE VARMINT w/G1 BC of 0.381 max velocity of 3228 fps. According to Berger's 1st edition 2012 print manual in a 26" barrel.

I used this out in Wyoming on prairie dogs. What a great little cartridge! Managed a shoot out to 780 yards. Ton of fun!

I bought one of these in a cheap Rem 700 sps varmint model not too long after it launched. I put a Nikon monarch ucc 6.5-20 (the old adjustable objective one) that I got on closeout when they came out with the side focus model, tuned tge factory trigger a bit and headed to the range. With 32 grain Hornady factory ammo, it would consistently shoot 5 shots at a 1/2" or better. With subsequent handloads you usually won't see paper between the bullet holes. My pet load is 32 grain nosler over 27.1 grains of Benchmark and a cci br primer. Never chronographed it, but I know it's around 4k fps as I have a 26" barrel. It's absolutely the most accurate rifle I've ever owned.

I still have a 222 rem mag, a 700 BDL. I've shot countless varmints with that thing, 6 foxes recently. Factory ammo is basically nonexistent. My suggestion is to skip the 204 and get a 223 , you might actually be able to afford to shoot it.

I love the .204 Ruger! It's a lovely quiet round with a moderator, quieter that a .223 and yet has the same muzzle energy as the .223. I use a .39 grain Sierra Blitzking at 3,800 fps with homeloads and its amazing to see a fox drop before you even hear the bullet hit. Damage is low unless you hit a bone and push it out...

I own 4 rifles in this calibre and it is absolutely devastating on Pdogs, Gophers and Coyotes (within 500m) When i bought my first rifle in it in 2005, I subsequently sold all my 223, and 22-250's because the performance of the 204 is just that good. Zeroed for 275M and you have an amazingly flat shooting round. Loading 40gn Vmax at 3977fps with H322.. mind numbing experience.

The first rifle I bought was a .204 Ruger. As a broke college freshman I shot my first deer with it... dropped in its tracks (under 25 yards). Shot placement>bullet size.

My dad loves his .204. "wherever I put the cross hairs is where it hits".

I use my .204 almost everyday!

Great presentation on the .204 Ruger. Never gave that cartridge much thought, but you did a great job Ron. Probably would still take the 22-250 or the Swift but it’s food for thought. Thanks Ron!

With a brake with all the zoomies, I can see where it hits at 50 yards. It doesn't move. But it has a lot of bark.

I can’t believe he missed the 39gr Blitz King @3900fps bc .287 lol 24” of drop @ 500yds

Did a search for .204 caliber bullets from a ammo search engine. Nothing registers above 40 grains. Also checked Berger's website, again, 35 and 40 grain only listed. Did find a post made on a forum from 2001, for what it's worth: "The BC for the 50 gr. Berger LTBs is .296. The BC for the 39 gr. Sierra at 3,900 fps is somewhere right around .287. "I just plugged the numbers into a ballistics program, and the 50 gr. bullet at 3,352 fps (the fastest load listed for this bullet at the Hodgdon Web site) is no match for the 39 gr. Sierra shot at 3,873 fps. I set the zero at 235 yards for both bullets and the 39 gr. Sierra seems to outperform the 50 gr. bullet in that it is flatter shooting and has less wind deflection. I only went out to 700 yards with the chart. The 39 gr. Sierra even beats the 50 gr. Berger in the ft-lbs of energy every yard of the way out to 700 yards and beyond."

I wanted a 204 when they first came out, I was 14. I never got one but now I am 32 and I still kinda want one but I am pretty happy with the 223 and 222.

This is the "Nothin but chunks" prairie dog cartridge from the early 2000nds. I remember that one lol.

Love the content you provide. Always filled with insightful information. Thanks again.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge

Great synopsis of the 204 Ruger. One of my personal favorites for prairie dogs as you can watch your shots. Great bullet selection for this cartridge. The 32, 35, and 40-grain bullets are excellent. The 20 VarTarg is also a great cartridge.

Had my 204 in Australia for 15 years fox only, the great thing about it is it is a no-brainer to shoot "point and shoot"most of my hunting is done under a spotlight traveling over open harvested paddocks that have been cropped which the 204 shines and agrees very cheap to reload as for down range performance 32grain are great if you want to keep pelts i find the 40g Bergers are explosive on fox like open them up, one downside to the 204 is they are VERY! loud especially the 32g comparison the 243 sounds like a pop gun compared. highly recommended

Looks like a good excuse for another rifle. I may have to get one. My 223 runs .11 sp's and 25 grains of 4198 on prairie dogs. I don't think you can beat that price. I struggle to get many predators though. Might need one of those books.😉

I thought about a 204 ruger but, with the ease of getting 45-52gr bullets for the 223 I have not felt that spending more money on different calibers and loading equipment. I didn't give it much more thought.

I shot the 204 in the 40 and 45 gr for years on wight tail out to 200 yards but I took my time and picked my shots never had a problem a great all round cartridge

Have harvested almost 100 coyotes with the 204 ruger with the 40 gr vmax. Also fox, bobcat, and javelina. Always amazing results with minimal pelt damage.

Less than a year ago I put together a 204. I am definitely liking it for coyotes. Definitely less fur damage than with my 22 Nosler. Nice job explaining the 204.

Got an M77 Hawkeye in .204R. Super accurate. Bit of a giant killer.

Great explanation, Ron ! Thanks.

Thanks Ron, great video

Hey Ron...I have a Ruger # 1 in this cartridge and I like it a lot. I shoot 32 grain at paper and steal only these days. Tight groups low recoil and low cost to shoot if you can find ammo. Thanks for the video.

Love my .204! Even killed hogs with the 40 grain. It’s awesome.

The 204 ruger great for small game but also white tail and pronghorn shot a big body deer and right past the fur was a hole big enough to fit a medium-LG size fist through

22-250 for the win!

The 204 is a fine cartridge design and provides lower cost reloading. The standard 222 Remington is in the same class as the 204. Because the 223 Remington has a larger bullet selection and rifles to choose from it out shines both. It uses less powder or an equal amount. When loaded with 40-grain bullets or 35-grain bullets it only is marginally slower than 204 in velocities. The 223 is also only slightly slower than 22-250. If you are shooting at ranges to 300-yards, it works and is accurate. Fact is, 400-yards is not hard pushing it too either. It is not as loud and has low recoil in a varmint weight rifle with the light bullets. The V-MAX 40 grain bullet does not ruin fur either.

Hi Ron, Thanks for the video! I am in love with my .204". IMR 8208 XBR or some CFE 223, all day long. 😃

Love the 204 Ruger! Great to reload too

The .223 necked down to .20 caliber is a wildcat called the “.20 Practical.”

Great video Mr Spomer!

Squirrel head vaporizer with the recoil of a .22 - nice. Not many coyotes out here in europe, but still enough applications for smol screamers,

Hands down the best prairie dog round

You are correct. It still depends on what you have and what you want.I’ve been going through some of those same dilemmas. I sat down.

I had a young man get upset with me when he heard me talking with another man saying 204 was just to small for a good deer rifle. He swoll up and said you guys kill me, don’t know nothing about this new calibers and how powerful they are. Told him I’d always think it was just to small if you got that shoulder, I like the caliber myself but feel as if chance of losing a deer would be high with this caliber, and I don’t think it would leave a good blood trail. A fine tool but all tools have their ups and downs, it’s why they make so many different ones. Thanks Ron always fun to listen to your post. Good hunting to you and your fans. 💪🏽🎥💯👍

I've got a Volquartsen 17 mach 2, and that thing is wonderful walking around the woods. For use with small game and potential coyotes it fills that role well.

If I ever have a question regarding anything to do with hunting or shooting I turn to you first. You are by far the most informative and knowledgeable person on all things shooting related. Thanks for another great episode. I inherited a Winchester model 43 in 218 Bee years ago and sold it because ammo was very hard to come by. No one ever talks about it. I’d love to hear your opinion. Thanks again for the great content.

Thanks for this Excellent video Ron, I absolutely love my 204 and I will never never surrender! Lol just a ton of Fun 😮😮😊😊😊😊😊

Ron brillant video.Tks

The 204 is awesome little cartridge I just didn't want to have the deal with the brass for it so I just neck down 223 and make 20 practical very similar performance but nice to be able to make it out of brass that's so available and cheap since I have multiple 223s I built my first one on Ar platform it was so good I had to build another one in a bolt gun. I can get 4250 FPS with a 32 Grand VMAX and that shoots quarter inch groups all day long can't beat it

It’s my go to varmit/pred gun in a heavy barrel A-bolt for all the reasons you mentioned..great review.

Great cartridge. There are companies making varmint uppers for AR platform as well. Fun shooter.

Years ago I remember reading about a golf course grounds keeper that had a custom wildcat revolver (?) that shot .17 Cal from a necked down .44Mag case. Said it did a fine job of getting rid of gofers and squirrels without much recoil or noise.

Good stuff.

Great video Ron, of a cartridge I've had an eye on. Who doesn't like hyper velocity calibers. I like em all. Wish I could afford to have, store and shoot a rifles chambered in all or to keep it to a manageable number, most calibers. I feel in love many years ago with the .220 Swift when you and some Charmicle guy were spreading knowledge and savvy in monthly mags. Thanks for sharing.

Absolutely love my Sako 85 Varmint in .204 Ruger

Barrel Burner, like the 220 swift, 17 rem love them all Happy New Years!

Another excellent episode

Good vid. Very informative.

Sticking with my 22.250.

Best coyote gun around and fur friendly

I love my 204 and I run it alongside a 220 swift The 204 is so good. The 24 grain in the 204 is awesome on foxes and hares.

I remember when the .220 swift came out . The barrels didn't last and some bullets would vaporize in flight . I guess things have changed . Good report though.

I don’t think Ron mentioned it, but 204 Ruger will feed from standard AR-15 magazines and has the same bolt face as 223. Wilson combat makes match 204ruger barrels for AR-15 as well. I built one and it recoils a bit more than 22LR- that said, you get less velocity with a 20” barrel

I own a 204 in a cz and I love it . I’ve even used it to take a few small doe with it . I don’t recommend it for large deer. But it’s great little round.

Used my 204 on Whitetail with 100% one shot kills while on a doe & cull buck hunt in the Texas hill country.

Love my 204. It's what I use for prairie dogs.

I’ve loaded and shot this caliber for years. It is one of the best rounds out there. It is better to slow it down a little. It gets to the sweet spot around 3600. I shot prairie dogs for years and this is the best load. 39 gr Sierra’s at 3600 were deadly! Bucked the wind and held zero better than.223, 22-250 all day.

Have shot a lots with the 204 love this calibre, lot of energy for a little bullet

FYI Ron. I love the 204 Ruger. I own a couple of them. Just a note on the Blitz King. Its a 39 grain bullet. It will stabilize well in a 12 twist barrel. The 40gr Hornady typically will not stabilize in a 12 twist barrel.

I had an old .222 Rem, made me a 20 VarTarg Turbo. 1:10 twist. I LOVE it. 22.5gr H322, med velocity load, with 40gr Bergers. 3600 fps. I have great results with H4198 too.

Only problem with the 2o4, nosler hadn't made a partition for it.