i got a rem 700 204 ruger today. ive been reading that hornady uses a "special" powder and the velocity/accuracy cant be matched by handloading. is this just a marketing ploy or is it true. has anyone loaded for the 204 ruger. i have never fired factory ammo through this rifle so i dont know if it would suit me or not. i cant imagine not being able to improve on factory accuracy so i didn't buy and factory loads.
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reloading a 204 ruger
- Thread starter 42769vette
- Start date
Re: reloading a 204 ruger
IMR 4198 is a very accurate powder your bullet choice is up to.
Hornady uses a blended powder not sure of its contents but you should still be able to obtain good FPS. with this powder.
IMR 4198 is a very accurate powder your bullet choice is up to.
Hornady uses a blended powder not sure of its contents but you should still be able to obtain good FPS. with this powder.
Re: reloading a 204 ruger
have been reloading my.204 for a year and yes its well worth it,much better than factory.Useing h4895 with 39gr sieras,other powders to try are bm2,blc2,2208.
fantastic little round,after 4 or so years i'm still enjoying it.
have been reloading my.204 for a year and yes its well worth it,much better than factory.Useing h4895 with 39gr sieras,other powders to try are bm2,blc2,2208.
fantastic little round,after 4 or so years i'm still enjoying it.
Re: reloading a 204 ruger
what kind of velocity are you folks getting. does it meet the advertised factory ammo velocities? i think factory is 4200fps with 33 gr bullets and 3800 fps with 42 gr bullets.
more importantly how does it group.
also what rifle are you using. i have a 700 adl with 1-12 twist. ive noticed most of the groups ive seen on the internet have 1-2-3 in the same hole and 4 and 5 are fliers, so i think ill bed mine before i even shoot it
what kind of velocity are you folks getting. does it meet the advertised factory ammo velocities? i think factory is 4200fps with 33 gr bullets and 3800 fps with 42 gr bullets.
more importantly how does it group.
also what rifle are you using. i have a 700 adl with 1-12 twist. ive noticed most of the groups ive seen on the internet have 1-2-3 in the same hole and 4 and 5 are fliers, so i think ill bed mine before i even shoot it
Re: reloading a 204 ruger
I have a Savage 12 in 204 Ruger
With Hornady factory 32gr bullets I got 4190-4220 fps (they claim 4225) and accuracy ran about 3/4 MOA
With Hornady factory 40gr Vmax I got 3750-3795 fps (the claim 3850 IIRC) and accuracy was 3/4 MOA
With HSM 32gr "factory" ammo I got 4125-4200 fps (no claim on the box) and I got 1.65 MOA
All of the above groups were 5 shots at 100y, measured only 5 rounds each across the chrono because light was poor that day. I fired 3, 5shot groups of each ammo.
My handloads with 40gr Vmax and H335 and BLC-2 both shoot sub 1/4 MOA with the exact same rifle, except I seated the bullets to jump .005" to the lands
I get 3800fps avg on the nose with BLC-2 and 3550 avg with H335
I've shot the 26gr Varmint Grenade by Barnes to over 4500 fps with a very hot loat of H335
The published data by Hodgdon does not exist for 26 grain bullets, I used linear interpolation to work out a starting point and then worked up from there.
All the groups mentioned above are 100y distances.
I've shot the same loads at 200y and the 40Vmax with BLC2 will shoot 3/8" for 5 shots. I do have a photo sitting around somewhere with the groups on it, but I can't find it right now. It's probably on the HD that's in my storage area.
I've shot it on a relatively calm day out to 600y and it held 3"wx6"h rectangular shaped groups. The loads were thrown charges of H335 and 40 Vmax.
Hodgdon has the loading data for both powders down to 32gr bullets. I won't post the 26gr Var. Gren loads but if you want them send me a PM and I'll give you the starting point.
I have a Savage 12 in 204 Ruger
With Hornady factory 32gr bullets I got 4190-4220 fps (they claim 4225) and accuracy ran about 3/4 MOA
With Hornady factory 40gr Vmax I got 3750-3795 fps (the claim 3850 IIRC) and accuracy was 3/4 MOA
With HSM 32gr "factory" ammo I got 4125-4200 fps (no claim on the box) and I got 1.65 MOA
All of the above groups were 5 shots at 100y, measured only 5 rounds each across the chrono because light was poor that day. I fired 3, 5shot groups of each ammo.
My handloads with 40gr Vmax and H335 and BLC-2 both shoot sub 1/4 MOA with the exact same rifle, except I seated the bullets to jump .005" to the lands
I get 3800fps avg on the nose with BLC-2 and 3550 avg with H335
I've shot the 26gr Varmint Grenade by Barnes to over 4500 fps with a very hot loat of H335
The published data by Hodgdon does not exist for 26 grain bullets, I used linear interpolation to work out a starting point and then worked up from there.
All the groups mentioned above are 100y distances.
I've shot the same loads at 200y and the 40Vmax with BLC2 will shoot 3/8" for 5 shots. I do have a photo sitting around somewhere with the groups on it, but I can't find it right now. It's probably on the HD that's in my storage area.
I've shot it on a relatively calm day out to 600y and it held 3"wx6"h rectangular shaped groups. The loads were thrown charges of H335 and 40 Vmax.
Hodgdon has the loading data for both powders down to 32gr bullets. I won't post the 26gr Var. Gren loads but if you want them send me a PM and I'll give you the starting point.
Re: reloading a 204 ruger
i think its to windy where i am to consider the 26 gr bullets. truth be known its to wind to use the 204 period but im going to try it.
thanks for the info
i think its to windy where i am to consider the 26 gr bullets. truth be known its to wind to use the 204 period but im going to try it.
thanks for the info
Re: reloading a 204 ruger
I shoot the 40gr V-Max under 25.5gr of Hodgdon's Benchmark. I don't remember how fast they are going right off the top of my head, but this load shoots good(under.5") out of a 26"Savage, & a 22 1/2" Tikka.
I shoot the 40gr V-Max under 25.5gr of Hodgdon's Benchmark. I don't remember how fast they are going right off the top of my head, but this load shoots good(under.5") out of a 26"Savage, & a 22 1/2" Tikka.
Re: reloading a 204 ruger
I am loading 26.2 gr. of RL-10X behind a 32 gr. Vmax using CCI primers and getting right at 3900 fps out of my 23" Rem. 700 with no pressure signs. The barrel was shortened to cut down on length as I run it suppressed. It shootsI tried numerous other powders and 10X bested them all. AS you can see by the attached pic. .1 gr. made a real difference in my rifle.
I am loading 26.2 gr. of RL-10X behind a 32 gr. Vmax using CCI primers and getting right at 3900 fps out of my 23" Rem. 700 with no pressure signs. The barrel was shortened to cut down on length as I run it suppressed. It shootsI tried numerous other powders and 10X bested them all. AS you can see by the attached pic. .1 gr. made a real difference in my rifle.
Re: reloading a 204 ruger
I own two 204s , a Savage 12 and an HS Precision. The Savage likes the 32 gr Hornady as well as any of my hand loads. With these factory loads it also shoots as good groups as any rifle I own. It does not shoot the 40 gr Hornady any better than 1.5-2 MOA. My usual handload of H4895 and 39 gr Sierra BK shoots extremely well in the HS. This is my usual hunting load in both guns as the Savage shoots them quite accurately as well. I have played with a few other powders, Nosler and Barnes bullets but the 39 gr Sierra seems to be the best fit.
I own two 204s , a Savage 12 and an HS Precision. The Savage likes the 32 gr Hornady as well as any of my hand loads. With these factory loads it also shoots as good groups as any rifle I own. It does not shoot the 40 gr Hornady any better than 1.5-2 MOA. My usual handload of H4895 and 39 gr Sierra BK shoots extremely well in the HS. This is my usual hunting load in both guns as the Savage shoots them quite accurately as well. I have played with a few other powders, Nosler and Barnes bullets but the 39 gr Sierra seems to be the best fit.
Re: reloading a 204 ruger
as far as wind goes,two of us are using .204's on a coastal sheep farm with a serious rabbit problem so wind can be an issue,but have been pleasantly surprised at how well they performed out to 200 mtr+ on real windy days,past that it can get a bit dodgy.we dont use 32gr bullets for that reason.
as an aside what concentricity gage will suit .204 brass?
as far as wind goes,two of us are using .204's on a coastal sheep farm with a serious rabbit problem so wind can be an issue,but have been pleasantly surprised at how well they performed out to 200 mtr+ on real windy days,past that it can get a bit dodgy.we dont use 32gr bullets for that reason.
as an aside what concentricity gage will suit .204 brass?
