204 Ruger Preferred bullet/s?

B

B23

Well-known member
I worked out a trade deal with another PM member so I'll soon have a CZ 527 Varmint in 204 to play with and there seems to be quite a few 204 Ruger shooters here and many of you even have the CZ 527 204 so what bullet/s, powder, primer combo shoot the best in these things???

The only .20 cal bullets I have are a few hundred 55gr Bergers but those are being saved for my 204 Terminator build so I'm open to whatever bullet/s work best. I have a lifetime supply of Hodgdon Benchmark and 205M's so hopefully those two components work well in the 204R but I do have a brick of CCI BR4's and a few pounds of CFE223 if either of those work well.

How well does the factory ammo like Hornady Superformance stuff shoot in these things? Do these things prefer the 32gr Superformance ammo or do they like the 40gr version better because I'll likely shoot factory ammo until I get geared up to reload for this one. Besides Hornady, who all makes brass for these things?

I was going to have the barrel threaded right away and maybe even shortened up a couple inches but before I spend the money to have either of those things done I'm going to see how it shoots first, then I'll decide how much to have cut off.

Sorry for all the questions but I've never fooled with a 204 Ruger much so any and all help is appreciated.
 
35 Bergers, 32 gr.Speer HP, 39gr.Speer HP.and Hornady V-max's They all shoot in my Howa 204 Ruger. I reload and all these rounds work on coyotes. Except V-Max's I haven't shot a coyote with them. I hear on here that they work. I shoot to save and sell the fur. Rudy
 
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Both of my .204s like the 39gr SBKs with 26.3gr of W748 and small magnum primers...One .204 is a CZ527 Varmint, the other is an AR...
 
Originally Posted By: B23I worked out a trade deal with another PM member so I'll soon have a CZ 527 Varmint in 204 to play with and there seems to be quite a few 204 Ruger shooters here and many of you even have the CZ 527 204 so what bullet/s, powder, primer combo shoot the best in these things???

The only .20 cal bullets I have are a few hundred 55gr Bergers but those are being saved for my 204 Terminator build so I'm open to whatever bullet/s work best. I have a lifetime supply of Hodgdon Benchmark and 205M's so hopefully those two components work well in the 204R but I do have a brick of CCI BR4's and a few pounds of CFE223 if either of those work well.

How well does the factory ammo like Hornady Superformance stuff shoot in these things? Do these things prefer the 32gr Superformance ammo or do they like the 40gr version better because I'll likely shoot factory ammo until I get geared up to reload for this one. Besides Hornady, who all makes brass for these things?

I was going to have the barrel threaded right away and maybe even shortened up a couple inches but before I spend the money to have either of those things done I'm going to see how it shoots first, then I'll decide how much to have cut off.

Sorry for all the questions but I've never fooled with a 204 Ruger much so any and all help is appreciated.



Hey if you are wanting to shoot some factory ammo you can buy Hornady Vmax factory ammo in 50rd boxes for $24.99 at
Outdoorlimited.com they have been charging us about $16 to ship a case.
 
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Originally Posted By: bryan h
Hey if you are wanting to shoot some factory ammo you can buy Hornady Vmax factory ammo in 50rd boxes for $24.99 at
Outdoorlimited.com they have been charging us about $16 to ship a case.

I figured I'd shoot factory ammo, if it shoots well, until I get 50-100 pieces of once fired then start reloading my own. Which typically shoots better the 32 or 40 grain Superformance ammo??

Also, how sensitive are these 204's to neck tension?
 
Originally Posted By: csi35 Bergers or 39 sierra blitz kings in front of your aforementioned benchmark should work nicely!

I am using these 2 bullets but with IMR 4895 and they both should super good.
 
Quote:How well does the factory ammo like Hornady Superformance stuff shoot in these things? Do these things prefer the 32gr Superformance ammo or do they like the 40gr version better because I'll likely shoot factory ammo until I get geared up to reload for this one. Besides Hornady, who all makes brass for these things?,,,When it comes to factory loads, I think you will find that your rifle likes either the light 32gr or the heavier 40gr, but seldom does one like both equally...Remnigton used to put out some rounds using the 39SBKs, but I haven't seen them for several years... The difference in performance is one of the reasons I started reloading, since longer range accuracy is important to me...

You really need to buy a box of each bullet weight and see which your rifle prefers...
 
Old turtle is correct some like 32's some 40's that said all of mine and my dad's have always liked the 40's and Hornady Vmax ammo has always shot very good groups in all of our 204's both bolt guns and AR's.
 
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Originally Posted By: OldTurtle
You really need to buy a box of each bullet weight and see which your rifle prefers...

And that's what I was planning on doing, just curious if these things predominantly liked the 32's or 40's better.

Is the Hornady brass as good as any or is their a better choice? Sure would be nice if Lapua made 204 Ruger brass.
 
When I first got a .204 (2005), it was the least expensive rifle I could find (Savage Weather Warrior) and it preferred the 40gr Hornady V-Max rounds,,,I fell in love with the caliber and had my AR built (2006), it liked the 40grs as well...But, it was a custom built AR and the chamber was cut for that bullet...

I started reloading about that time for the .204 and don't think I've fired a factory .204 round since that summer...
 
Reloader 10x/39 gr. Sierra Blitzkings work well (1/2") in my CZ Varmint. But, when I'm out I'll get into my stash of Federal Premium stuff with the same bullet - almost as good, maybe a little slower. That's what I'd recommend for factory stuff if they still made it!!! (The Hunting Shack did at one time offer it loaded, among other types). At any rate, most factory .204 guns and their 1:12-twist barrels will barely stabilize 40 grain bullets, (the 39 SBKs work okay), leaving the 32's your probable best factory bet.
As far as brass: several brands exist. I use good Norma and Nosler (they may now be the same), but have tried Hornady (some neck splits) and Winchester (Cabela's recently got a big shipment of the now-outsourced Win.; not as good as the old stuff, but okay). Haven't seen any Remington for a while; and if you use re-use cases from factory Federal rounds the primers are glued-in, and you'll not get the old ones out with a standard de-capping die.
Also, I personally wouldn't shorten a .204 barrel because of the loss of velocity of the little round. But then again I do have the luxury - for now - of 3 different .204 rifles with 22, 24, and 26-inch barrels. No matter what, I'm sure you'll end up loving that C-Z!!
 
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Originally Posted By: PriMeR450Another vote for the 35 bergers or 39 blitzkings

I'm definitely a Berger bullet fan and if I can make something with Benchmark or CFE 223 work really well, even better.
 
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