204 Pet loads

[Booner Sniper]

Hi Guys,
I have finally just about gotten through all the factory ammo I had for my 204, so I have enough brass to start my reloading. Looking for some pet loads that guys are getting great accuracy out of. What type of powder is best suited for this lil guy?
Thanks

[bradh]

I've had good success with Varget and Barnes and varget and Nosler. It seems to be real easy to find loads that work great in mine.

Ruger 26" VT

[coolpoolken]

I'm using AA2015BR with Sierra 39gr Blitzkings and getting real good groups. I've also tried Reloder 10 and it seems to work well too......Ken

[Findal]

I've had good luck with H4895 with the heavier .204 bullets. 38g Wildcat HP, 39g Calhoon HP, 40g Berger HP, 40g V-Max, and the 45g Hornady SP.
The HP seem to work more consistantly on coyotes, but I havent shot any animals with the 45g yet.

The 26g Barnes and all the 32g seem best for me with Benchmark, but H322 was close on the 32's. For gophers I actually prefer the 40g VMAX for lift-off, but that new 26g Grenade really makes a mist.

I'm a believer in Hodgen Extreme powders for the cold.

I'm shooting a CZ 527 Varmint with a 25.5 inch barrel.

Since every rifle is different, what shoots great in mine may be too hot for yours, or just not have the same harmonics. Picking a powder for the bullet your shooting and working up some loads is the best bet to finding a winner in your rifle. Powder lot #, barrel length and seating depth are all important in finding a load too, and most often are left out when being given a load.

Google up "204Ruger.com" as it has lots of info and is a great resource for this cartridge.

[6tmile]

my savage 12vlp liked the latest load the best it is h-322 25.2grns. win brass win small rifle primers, 40 grain bergers, coal of 2.25

[gube]

I've posted these here before. Here they are again.

35 bergers, 25.5 gr of RL-10X and 26.8 gr of benchmark
40 bergers and 40 V-max, 24.5 gr RL-10X and 25.5 gr of H-4895
39 sierra BK and 40 gr Nosler , 25 gr RL-10X and 27.5 gr of H-4895
32 V-max and 32 gr nosler, 26 gr RL-10X and 27 gr H-322 and Benchmark
26 gr varmint grenade, 26.3 gr RL-10X and 23.3 gr H-4198
45 gr hornady sp, 24.3 gr RL 10X

All of these loads will generally print out 1/2" groups or better out of both of my savage 204's.
These loads may not work in your gun so REMEMBER to start below these and work your way up at approx .2 to .3 gr at a time.

For yotes your best bet is to use the 35 and 40 gr bergers or the 45 gr Hornady sp's.
Wildcat makes a 38 gr hollow point that should be excellent for yotes as well. I am hoping to have some test loads of these soon and will probably be using them this season.

The ballistic tips will work for yotes as well, but if you hit bone they may splash and can produce some very large holes.

There are no factory loadings for bergers or wildcats in Canada. The Hornady SP's are available as factory made bullets and most 204's shoot them okay as their overall length is shorter than the 40 gr V-max.
Ideally you will want to re-load to get the most out of your 204 for accuracy and once you do you'll find it very addictive.
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[Faststeel]

The test target that came with my rifle used 4895,40gr Nosler ballistic tip and produced a splendid group. I happen to have a bunch of Varget around and the new Nosler manual, so I went with that combo. 27 gr gives me around 3700 fps and real nice groups at 100 meters.
I tried out the Barnes 26gr using 32gr data and Varget, did 1/2 gr loads starting at 26gr stopping at 28 gr. My best group was from the 26 gr load at 100 meters.
I just picked up a CZ527 American that I will try these same loads in when I return from Mexico. FS