204 Rugar

[jtr1997]

Is the 204 capable of shooting says 800 yards? I have posted some others like 243 25-06 22-250 220 swift and 6.5x55. i was curious what would be a good gun for shooting coyotes and wolves and targets out to 800 yards. If possible i want a small caliber to make it cheaper to shoot

 

[Big Sky]

Short answer, no. You will have to go at least up to a 6mm bullet to have consistent kills at that range.

 

[Catahoula]

Call me this weekend. My gunsmith is getting some amazing results with a 20 cal.
Kirk @ 208-716-2432

 

[Predator 22]

While I'm a big fan of the 20s I don't think it's a good idea for that range. Buy the extra powder and do a fast twist 22 cal (22-250, 22-250ai, 22-6mm) with heavy bullets or a 6mm. I'm looking for the same thing and finally settled on a 243 Reason being lapua brass availability mostly (6mm rem is kind of hard to find at the moment).

 

[F224]

With 40-50gr bullets the 204 Ruger is best at 350 yards and closer. The recommendation above for a fast twist 22 or a 6mm is a very good idea. Beyond 350 yards, wind is a bigger issue and you need the bit of extra energy that the heavier bullets provide.

 

[1TOMANYGUNS]

a 224 tth with a 1x8 twist would be a good choice, I shoot 75gn amax in front of a bunch of 4831 sc it leaves the chimney at just over 3700 , I have only shot 3 yotes in 4yrs but all were quite spectacular first one at 467yd , he was sitting on the slew bank I put the crosshair on his nose and perforated him dead centre of his breast bone, every thing behind his front legs was gone. did I mention it not what you call fur friendly

 

[Jason280]

Is the 204 capable of shooting says 800 yards? I have posted some others like 243 25-06 22-250 220 swift and 6.5x55. i was curious what would be a good gun for shooting coyotes and wolves and targets out to 800 yards. If possible i want a small caliber to make it cheaper to shoot

In all consideration, how much cheaper is loading .204 Ruger than say, .243AI? I know there is component cost difference, but in the scheme of things?

Ruger ballisticians never put ".204" and "800 yards" in the same sentence and it's simply not an ethical combination. Someone mentioned .223 and 75gr Amax as a "minimum" or sorts, but I personally disagree with that, even.

"Cheaper" solutions are .243Win, 7mm-08 and .284Win Or .260 Rem. At beyond 400 yards, pelt damage won't be as bad as you may think. Those bullets have shed a good bit of velocity even by the 400 yard mark. And if pest control is the only concern, a heavier VMAX bullet in any of those calibers will work well.

 

[jrock]

I ran some numbers a couple weeks ago and the cost differential tops out around 20 cents per shot after using brass for 10 reloads. Adds up if you shoot 1000+ rounds a year but at 800 yards, I would pick the .243 with a high BC bullet. Yotes aren't Pdogs

 

[1TOMANYGUNS]

i ran some numbers a couple weeks ago and the cost differential tops out around 20 cents per shot after using brass for 10 reloads. Adds up if you shoot 1000+ rounds a year but at 800 yards, i would pick the .243 with a high bc bullet. Yotes aren't pdogs

you cant put a price on fun, but shooting at doggy s at 8oo yds with a 204 would mean a lot of waste probably better to use something that throws heavy pills

 

[thocon]

" For Fun " Is a 208 a-max @ 3000 !

 

[4jake]

It will surprise some on here, but yes a .204 caliber bullet will do what you're asking. An 8 twist custom barrel chambered in 20-250 shooting a 55 gr. Berger bullet with a muzzle velocity around 3600 fps will work just fine on coyotes at half a mile.

 

[muleystalker]

I would move up to 6mm or something in the 6.5 like the creedmor. you could chamber a 22-250AI in a 1;7 twist and throat it for the long 90gr Berger VLDs but then your stuck shooting only those long high BC bullets. Im in the middle of building a 6x204 Ruger with a 1;8 twist to shoot the 87gr V-MAX and the 95gr SMK's. It should shoot the 95gr somewhere between 3150 and 3200FPS. my friend has a 6x45 shooting the 95 SMK at 2850 to 2900fps. we were out a couple months ago and were smoking rock chucks at 500+, even got one at 640 yards ranged with my G7. Very economical and easy to load for, just necking up 204 brass to 6mm. It's like a 6x47 REM.(6x.222rem mag)but Improved, slightly more capacity and easier to get brass for. Run the ballistics with those High BC bullets and its pretty impressive for what it is if you want to stay on the economical side. after that your jumping up to more powder, 243win on up, 6x47Lapua and so on.