# .204 Caliber



## coytehunta (Dec 25, 2004)

:sniper: Im just into this sport and looking for a gun to start out with I was at a local gun store today and was looking at a few different calibers and was wondering if there is anyone that was a .204 or heard anything about them. The guy there said there a really good gun and I thought I would just ask you experts out there. thanks. :beer:


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## CryBabyPredatorCalls (Nov 14, 2004)

i hunt with a guy that has one and it has some suprisingly good knock down power for a little tike seen it drop two yotes at about 75 yards but that just an eyewitness account never shot it myself


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## the_rookie (Nov 22, 2004)

ive seen stuff about the 204 in my magazine and they say that the accuracy is hit or miss the best group they shot was .659 at 100yards and they were saying it should have a group of under .5 i can shoot that with my 22 mag at 100 yards


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## coytehunta (Dec 25, 2004)

thanks for the input. Do you think that it would be able to take a coyote about 300 yards? How much do you think it would drop at a distance like that? well thanks.


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## OneShotOneKill (Feb 13, 2004)

*If you are looking for a reliable 300 yard and beyond coyote killing machine, look no further than the 22-250 Remington.* This cartridge is a proven coyote killer. There is countless factory ammunition available and is an easy cartridge to reload. You can hand load hunting bullet weights from 35 to 70 grains! Check it out!


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## the_rookie (Nov 22, 2004)

you can find 70 grainers for a 22-250 wow i thiought the highest u could go is 55 grains i have a friend who shoots deer with a 55 grainer


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## coytehunta (Dec 25, 2004)

How much do the 22-250's run on price because I can find a .204 for $460 and I dont think that I would be able to find a good 22-250 for that price. Isnt illegal to shoot deer with a 22-250 here in utah it is. well thanks for the input just please answer thoughs few questions. thanks.


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## the_rookie (Nov 22, 2004)

i live in vermont its legal here to shoot them with a 22-250 the only thing you can not use is a rimfire weapon no matter what and u have to have a special permit for a crossbow but i have a 22 mag and a 22 lr and i shoot squirrells and porcipines wit them lots of fun but i use a 30-30 for deer hunting


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

I would absolutely agree with OSOK on this one. If you want to shoot to 300 yards the 22-250 is head and shoulders over the 204. Any excuse for a new rifle is good, but if you need one coyote caliber it would be hard to beat the versatility of the good old 22-250. The 223 is popular, but if I hit a coyote at 300 yards through both lungs he will many times still run 100 or even 200 yards. With the 22-250 he is down right now, and without a twitch.

OSOK would you agree that if you shoot the 70 grain you should stick to the round nose. I think you can get to 80 grain 22 caliber now, but I think you need a faster than factory twist to shoot higher ballistic coefficient bullets (longer) beyond 60 grain with good accuracy. Would you agree with that assessment?


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## OneShotOneKill (Feb 13, 2004)

* coytehunta,*

I am not sure about factory prices because I strictly reload all my ammunition, but you cannot ever think of using the 204 Ruger for deer and that's a good thing, but some states do allow 22 caliber center fire cartridges for deer. You might want to use your 22-250 Remington for deer in the future with an adequate bullet weight, construction and design.

* the_rookie,*

I am sorry to hear your friend uses varmint bullets for deer, look at the links below and tell your friend about this ammo &/or bullets. If someone wants to use a 22 caliber center fire cartridge for deer then he or she should use a bullet designed for big game like the Speer 70 grain Semi-Spitzer or 60 grain Nosler partition in the 22-250 Remington or larger case.

http://www.midwayusa.com/rewriteaproduct/691211
http://www.midwayusa.com/rewriteaproduct/789935
http://www.midwayusa.com/rewriteaproduct/665774
http://www.midwayusa.com/rewriteaproduct/126472

* Plainsman,*

I most certainly agree, but the only 80 grain bullets I have found are match/competition bullets not for hunting. The Speer .224 caliber bullet is a semi-spitzer, look at the link below. You are correct about needing a fast twist barrel to stabilize these longer bullets.

Speer Bullets 22 Caliber (224 Diameter) 70 Grain Semi-Spitzer Box of 100
http://www.midwayusa.com/rewriteaproduct/126472


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

OSOK

Yes the 80 grain I know of is a competition and not a hunting bullet. I think at one time Barnes made a very heavy 22 caliber in their original bullet, but don't know if it is available today. My father began using the 70 grain speer your talking about back in the late 50's or early 60's, I don't remember. I think that is when speer introduced the bullet. He again used that combination in the 70's. He normally shot a 308, but after open heart surgery he wanted to avoid the recoil for a year or two. He had became very sedentary, but after open heart surgery he was deer hunting four months later with his 22-250 and 70 gr speer.


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## mallardwacker (Dec 6, 2004)

I would have to agree with all of you. But if versatility is what you want then you may as well buy a .243. That way it it legal for deer most states and can still be loaded down. I reload all of my loads for varmints and deer, but I stick with what the gun likes to shoot. Like most guns they need to be broke in right and they shoot different groups with different ammo. Of course if you already have a deer rifle then the 22-250 would win hands down, or I just bought a .223 WSSM, which is basically a juiced up 22-250 and I have a lot of fun with that. I'm going to use it on antelope in SD. next year. :sniper:


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## OneShotOneKill (Feb 13, 2004)

* Plainsman,*

Barnes currently makes a 22 caliber Triple-Shock x-bullet in 70 grains, but I haven't ever used Barnes X bullets when I saw a 100 grain x-bullet shot from a 25-06 Remington fail to expand on an Antelope back in 1993. The bullet ran full length from chest to tail and never expanded, the antelope was recovered because I shot it with my 243 Winchester using 100 grain Nosler partitions before it ran too far. The only Barnes bullets I trust are the Originals!

Barnes Triple-Shock X-Bullets 22 Caliber (224 Diameter) 70 Grain Boat Tail Box of 50
http://www.midwayusa.com/rewriteaproduct/837001

* mallardwacker

I agree the 243 Winchester wins hands down for a varmint/antelope/deer cartridge with the correct bullet, yardage and shot placement.*


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## the_rookie (Nov 22, 2004)

OSOK, 
ill tell my friend about the 70 grainers im sure he will be very pleased thanks a lot


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## OneShotOneKill (Feb 13, 2004)

the_rookie,

That's good to hear. *I personally don't recommend the use of any 22 caliber center fire cartridges for the taking of big game*, but many states allow them. I just wish these states would restrict the minimum bullet weight to 60 grains and minimum case capacity to 22-250 Remington size. If people purchase 55 grain ammo off the shelves and use this ammo for deer hunting then they are using varmint bullets!


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## the_rookie (Nov 22, 2004)

lol my friend shot his deer at 250 running with the 22-250 with 55 grain bullets personally i think hes a wussy cause of the no kick :lol: but i use a 30-30 (brush gun) he said hes thinking of buying some of thise 70 grainers those look nice


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## southdakbearfan (Oct 11, 2004)

One thing to watch for with the heavier bullet weights is stabilization. In my 22-250 it will shoot the 60's fine, but if I go heavier, i.e. longer, the holes at 100 yds turn from nice dots to ragged holes. So don't go buy 500 of them and find out they wont work for you. Most guns are fine up to 70, but I guess I have the exception, it is a ruger m77, rebarrel job with 26" douglass on it. Will have to look to tell you the twist. Oh, and it wasn't that the barrel was bad, bought the gun for $125 because the guy that had it shot the barrel out and bought a new one.


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## the_rookie (Nov 22, 2004)

yeah i figured as much cause the 80 grainers are for heavier "bull barrels" right? just making sure... but my friend is thinging about the 70 grainers


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## coyote22250 (Jan 20, 2005)

Hey if your still wondering about the 204, my dad and brother have one. I took my dads when he didn't go and got two yotes with it. one i hit on the run at 120 yards high in the hind leg, slowed him up considerably. second one i took standing at 60 yards. my bro got one at 150 yards high in the back droped him like a cheap tent. I normally shoot a 22-250 55gr. id have to do more testing beyond 300 yards but the 204 is a good yote gun with no recoil. they don't drop as much as the 22-250 also. but i don't load normal shells i try to squezze every bit of speed out of my guns. with theses guns sighted inch high at a hundred you have to hold low out to 200 and just a tad high at 300. buy a gun you can adjust the trigger pull to about 2 lbs. i like winchester and savages triggers.


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## red_shaq (Jan 25, 2005)

I have the .204 and i love it. Not much recoil and has dropped everything i have hit. Very quick and very straight gun


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## hdjjc (Nov 12, 2005)

coytehunta said:


> :sniper: Im just into this sport and looking for a gun to start out with I was at a local gun store today and was looking at a few different calibers and was wondering if there is anyone that was a .204 or heard anything about them. The guy there said there a really good gun and I thought I would just ask you experts out there. thanks. :beer:





> It is a good round out to 400 yds for coyotes. and the trajectory is quite impressive. It also is a very fast round.


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