.204 Ruger or .223 Remington ???

[VinceMule]

204 is really flat shooting, like a 22/250 AI and Swift.

 

[Outlaw6.0]

Wow lol More than 11yrs after my initial post in this thread (**** I feel old). I still vote .204 hands down lol

Now, don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with the .223, I have at least 3ea of them. But the only way the .223 could sway my vote would be in a +24" barreled bolt gun and having the chamber opened up to .223AI.




t

 

[QuietTexan]

No necroposting comment since OP came back and said it's ok haha

I have a .204 and lots of .223/5.56s. Different applications. The .204 cannot substitute for a .223
The .204 is really fast and flat! Seldom gets used, however. It will give you a view of the exploding rabbits. No recoil from either.

I shoot a 223 AI, I'm getting some Hammer 35gn HHs to try to run super fast out of my 7 twist barrel. @Zen Archery is getting 5000+ FPS from his 17 Stinger with Hammers so the bullets should hold up, but not sure if the twist rate is going to give me dispersion or not.


@orkan runs a 20-223 AI so he would know for sure, but on paper the case capacity seems to be ~32.5gn, very close to the 204 Ruger which IIRC is ~33gn? That will probably be my next small bore barrel if I manage to kill this 223 (more likely I get bored and buy a whole new rifle first). Seems like an interesting alternative to get 40* shoulders in the .204 bore.

But the only way the .223 could sway my vote would be in a +24" barreled bolt gun and having the chamber opened up to .223AI.

Mine is a 26" Rem varmint on a Defiance action in a Foundation stock. It's a a sweet little rifle.

You didn't happen to have a Ford 6.0 do you?

 

[LRNut]

I went through the same debate a few years ago and picked up a .204. The rifle is very accurate, cheap to reload for, and have almost no recoil. I can spot all my shots all day long. Here are some comparisons I ran through JBM awhile ago. There is an incorrect notion that the .204 has problems in the wind, probably due to the light bullet weight, but the 39 gr blitzking, with its .287 BC, is just great. I shoot them around 3750 FPS.


Bullet Weight/Type BC Cartridge Name Velocity 400 yd 10 MPH wind Drift
39gr Sierra Blitzking 0.287 .204 Ruger 3750 11.5"
40gr Hornady Vmax 0.275 .204 Ruger 3900 11.5"
40gr Nosler BT 0.239 .204 Ruger 3750 14.3"

40gr Sierra Blitzking 0.196 .223 Rem 3700 18.6"
40gr Hornady Vmax 0.200 .223 Rem 3700 18.2"
40gr Nosler BT 0.221 .223 Rem 3700 16.0"

40gr Sierra Blitzking 0.196 .220 Swift 4250 15.6"
40gr Hornady Vmax 0.200 .220 Swift 4250 15.2"
40gr Nosler BT 0.221 .220 Swift 4250 13.5"

40gr Sierra Blitzking 0.196 .22-250 Rem 4150 16.1"
40gr Nosler BT 0.221 .22-250 Rem 4150 13.9"
40gr Hornady Vmax 0.200 .22-250 Rem 4150 15.7"
55gr Sierra Blitzking 0.237 .22-250 Rem 3680 14.8"
55gr Nosler BT 0.267 .22-250 Rem 3680 12.8"

As you can see, the .204 really shines (the 3900 fps 40 gr vmax is from the Hornady factor ammo).

As for barrel life, you can expect 4000-5000 rounds for most typical barrels. At least that is what the people I shoot with have been getting.

If you are going to shoot a .22-250 or .220 Swift, get a fast twist bbl and shoot 75-90 grain bullets.

I am in this dilemma now: I have a light bbl .223 that I use on PDs in CO. Not going to shoot 50-100 rounds out of my Swift when shots probably average 150 yards, but I do want a more accurate rifle. I have a .204 Ruger No 1 that I love but currently it is in AZ.

 

[jrock]

204 hands down over a 223. Trying to keep apples to apples, the 204 with 40 grain bullets will have more bc and velocity than a 223 shooting 55 grains. The 223 gives you more options for heavier bullets but then the velocity falls to what I would classify as sub-varminting velocities.

 

[savage_one]

Given the ballistics advantage of the 204 Ruger, I'd only choose the 223 Remington if I was forced to use only factory ammo as its availability is far greater than that of the 204. The 204 is a very efficient cartridge and the 39-grain Sierra Blitzking is my projectile of choice. It is very effective on PA woodchucks, fox and coyotes.

 

[orkan]

@orkan runs a 20-223 AI so he would know for sure, but on paper the case capacity seems to be ~32.5gn, very close to the 204 Ruger which IIRC is ~33gn? That will probably be my next small bore barrel if I manage to kill this 223 (more likely I get bored and buy a whole new rifle first). Seems like an interesting alternative to get 40* shoulders in the .204 bore.

27gr of H4350 is pushing a 55gr .20cal berger from my .20-223AI at 3360 with ease in my current 26" barrel. It will run over 3425, but it doesn't seem to shoot as well up there.

27.5gr is what my proof 20" likes, and that will run 3185 and it really likes it there.

I have absolutely no use for a .223rem or an AI version of it with this cartridge around. If I move up to 75's-80's... I'd rather run my 22BR or 22BRA anyway. A straight .223 or .223AI just can not compare to the node stability of the BR/BRA cases.

If only running factory ammo for varmints/coyotes, I'd go with a 204R over a .223Rem.

-----------
Follow on Instagram
Subscribe on YouTube
Amazon Affiliate

 

[ken158]

The above chart and information regarding the 204 is spot on. Don't believe what some say about the 204 drifting more in the wind than the 223. I got about 3500 rounds of 204 through my Cooper before it had to be re-barreled. I shot it for three years on prairie dogs and know I heated it up more than I should have…

 

[flyguy1]

Wow, old thread. I love my .204 now that I have brass, but it was touch and go there for a while. Thought I had a rifle I couldn't shoot. Very little factory ammo around last year.

 

[unclecroc]

If you handload build a 20 practical if you don't handload get a 204.