How good is the .204R???

[kjd]

I gotta go with Brad Y if you have a 22-250 or even a 223 I wouldn't bother with the 204.. Hell I know the 222 isn't as ballistically good as the 204 but hell I wouldn't trade it for one. Sure its a good cartridge but it doesn't interest me in one bit. Not only that the 22-250 have more energy at distance its got better ballistics to for the sake of more powder but seriously there is no need when you have a 22-250!

[Model70]

I gotta go with Brad Y if you have a 22-250 or even a 223 I wouldn't bother with the 204.. Hell I know the 222 isn't as ballistically good as the 204 but hell I wouldn't trade it for one. Sure its a good cartridge but it doesn't interest me in one bit. Not only that the 22-250 have more energy at distance its got better ballistics to for the sake of more powder but seriously there is no need when you have a 22-250!

Right on brother! 22-250 all the way!

[macca]

Another one who likes his 22-250. I admit I've been impressed with the 204 but I won't be swapping my 250 for one just yet.You sometimes like to walk out a little further then 300m and the big twenties then shine through.
Macca

[trevort]

Keith check your not reading it wrong, the 204 has better ballistics I believe if we are talking wind drift and bullet drop.

The 22 250 has more energy so if you hunt extra tough rabbits or those that wear protective vests then it will make a difference

Oh and I agree with you all that the 22 250 is much better for pigs and goats Dave actually asked about rabbits!

And then there is the point as to does it really matter what your favorite calibre is, they all work for the job they were designed to do

[dave]

What trev said is right this thing wont be going anywhere near a pig so thats ok, plus im happy with the performance of the 250 as ive had one but id like to know if hits can be seen with a heavy varmint in 204. So all i have to do is get rid of a sporter weight 204 and a 243.......im great at changing my mind lol

[macca]

Depends what distance and what projectile I guess.
204 Ruger 32 grain V-Max 4047fps 400yard drop 25.50" wind 10mph 17.88"
22-250 40gr Nos.BT 4060fps 400 yard drop 24.73" wind 10mph 16.67"
Macca

[Dr G]

just give in dave its easier, custom hevey varmint 204 built around a stiller predator action,

you know you want too....

Macca, kjd and others there is an article on the precision shooting website that is pretty interesting. There they compare a heap of different 20's and 22's from the 204 to the 22BR and of course the 22-250 in the field. Of most relevance with this debate the comparo's between the 204 and the 22-250 are with the same projectiles.

below is an excerpt

Under good conditions, winds less than 10 – 12 mph, all of us have come to really appreciate the long range shooting of the .22-250 and .204, both loaded with 40 grain bullets. We sight-in dead on at about 275 yards and can take those prairie rodents out to 350 yards without holding over. And since the wind drift of the .204 is less than that of the .22-250, we hit slightly better with it. At 400 yards and just a little crosswind, we make kills with the .204 with a certain hold-off, and with the .22-250 and the same hold-off we miss the rodent due to the extra drift. We have also found 40 grain bullets at higher velocities are easier to hit with at a quarter-mile than heavier bullets that show a higher ballistic coefficient (BC) but a much lower velocity. It seems that BC is not a very useful criteria until shots reach beyond our abilities, or probably about 600 yards. If we were seriously trying to land shots at 600 to 1000 yards, the kind we read about but have never witnessed, we would undoubtedly take BC into consideration.

the whole article which is worth reading anyway can be found at http://www.precisionshooting.com/psm_2008_01_frame.html

[Model70]

And then there is the point as to does it really matter what your favorite calibre is, they all work for the job they were designed to do

I agree 100% Trev, everyone has his favourite indeed.
Mine being the 250 ATM but am seriously leaning towards my 25-06
Mate it comes down to what YOU want, what you want it to do etc. etc. and I can only recommend a bit of field testing to gauge what you are looking for.
I can see hits through the scope on my 22-250 which is a varmint profile rifle but not so well in sporter weight. The few sporter weight .204's ive shot havent had a drama with this at all, and shoot real well.
But again, its about what you want!!!
(I wouldnt mind an XR100 in .204 )

[macca]

DR G I am not bagging the 204 but I can not get my software or past expierence shooting the 22-250 to agree with those figures.
If both use a 40 gr V-max the 22-250 will drive it faster and my computer says it will out perform the 204.Unless someone can get the 204 to run a 40 gr at 4000fps+.I would think that 3800-3900 would be the limit.
I very seldom use the 40gr but in testing it went very close to 4200fps out of my rifle and it did group well.That would give me 36.7 drop at 500 compared to 44.17 for the 204.Wind drift for the 250 of 21.05" and thec 204 at 22.35".Yes I use more powder to do it but that's the price for running a V-8 to a 6.

I have had a few blokes shoot the 204 on the range and have been impressed. I think its a great round and it is cheap to run but it won't out perform the 22-250 with the same weight projectile.It definetly is more cost effective for performance than the 250 but that's a different thing.
Have a good one,
Macca

[dave]

Dr.G i have, maybe not the custom thing yet but just changed the order of a sps to a varmint model as a starting point cause i think im going to really like the roundso skys the limit after that. As for the .204/22-250 thing i love the 22.250 its just plain awesome and im sure the 204 will be too its just up to taste really the 22.250 has more options but the 204 is more efficent, i dont think you can objectivly say one is better than the other (Trev might disagree )

Either way it will be good fun there isnt a round i havent enjoyed and that includes .222,.223,22.250,243,25-06,308,7mm wsm and soon to be 204! At the end of the day i enjoy shooting and the company of mates more than the calibre of rifle in holding.

[MISSED]

Well put dave but just gotta love the swift

[dave]

lol we all have our favourites there is no doubt about that, i still reakon the humble .22lr will stand the test of time myself

[Ackley Improved]

Its shit... lol

[woob614271]

To each his own, but I suspect the 204/22.250 debate will never be solved.
Because of their individual ideosyncrisies (did I spell that right?) they have slightly different areas of speciality; the 22.250 can handle slightly larger game, because of the projie weight capacity.
But what do I know, better blokes than me (like you lot!) can argue it out!?

[Dr G]

macca I would happily side with your experience over mine with regard to these calibres any day. I have only ever shot a 22-250 out of the two calibres so have zero first hand experience when it comes to comparing them.

I put the article up because it is relevant to what is being discussed with regard to wind drift. How much credibility you give them is up to you. These blokes arent the first I have come across talking about less wind drift with the 204 compared to the 250. I had a look at the article and the 204 and 250 were shooting 40gn projectiles at 3880fps and 4000fps respectively. FWIW Nick Harvey's max PBR chart at the back of his loading manual shows the 204 has the edge with a 40gn pill over the 250. With a 2" kill zone he has the 204 at 311yrds and the 250 at 287yrds. I am pretty sure the Chuck Hawks site is similar. But as i said I am just writing what I have read not first hand experience.

If you havent allready read it its worth it just to hear the opinions of these fellas of the differnt calibres. In each case theyt all own the rifles they are comparing and despite owning 22-250's, 22-250AI, 221fireball, 22BR at the end of the day the author reckons he prefers the 204 over the other calibres for prarie dog shooting at ranges out to 500yrds.

The most used caliber on this hunting trip turned out to be the .204 Ruger. When sighted in as above, the 40 grain bullet is dead-on at 275 yards and 1" low at 300. At 400 yards it is down only 9" and at 500 yards, down just 23". At 500 yards this is almost 5" flatter than the 40 grain .22-250, and wind drift is reduced more than 6". We could see that it was easier to make long range hits with the .204 than with the .22-250, .22 BR, .223 and others. Even though we appreciated the ability of the .221 Fireball and .223, they simply did not compare to the .204, .22 BR or .22-250. Joe loaded his .221 hot enough to allow the 40 grain bullet to be sighted dead-on at 235 yards and in the rodent field we quickly found this little cartridge equal to the longer .223, and it used eight grains less powder. A real delight to shoot.

It has been said before though that the 250 and 204 are ballistically similar and I think even if you surveyed only those that own both you would find a hung jury as to which one is prefered.

For rabbits cats and foxes at the 300m mark I think the 204 is probably the ideal cartrige, the 22-250 however definately gives you a more flexible rifle for the bloke with only one or two rifles in the safe.

For me I want a dedicated cat gun and that will soon be the 204, a dedicated camel/donkey killer and that is the 30-06 and something in between for goats and roos and that will be the old model70 I am restoring and rechambering to 243.