204 Ruger

A17Shooter · Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2005 12:33 am Post subject: Re: 204 Ruger

I'd like to see the purple. But, I figure a fiberglass stock on a PD or ground squirrel rifle is like a hot rod. Paint it to fulfill your fantasy.

A17Shooter

shrpshtrjoe · Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2005 6:54 pm Post subject: Re: 204 Ruger

Howdy. Lookin good Bill ya did a nice job!!. If ya go with the purple some yellow flames down the stock might be the ticket Cool

A17Shooter · Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 1:57 am Post subject: Re: 204 Ruger

Hot Dog! It's gonna be April Fool day soon. I can get my 204 A Bolt out of Jail on 4/1. Course the wife has a few honey do thangs for my day off. But, I will get my rifle! No ammo or brass though.

A17Shooter

tuck2 · Guest

My Ruger MK 77VT rifle, 26 In barrel W/ a Leupold 6-18 scope likes 28.3 and 28.9 Gr. of Varget powder.CCI BR-4 primer,Ruger cases,and 32 Gr. V-MAX bullets. 3/10 th inch five shot 100 Yds groups with both powder loads with a muzzle velocity of 3907 and 4065 FPS. Shot a few prairie dogs with the 204 Ruger 32 Gr bullets out to about 285 Yds. The Hornady 32 Gr.ammo also shot groups between 4/10 and 9/10 th inch groups. I got five boxes of Hornady ammo so I could have 100 cases for reloading.

Knifeboy · Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 11:55 am Post subject: Re: 204 Ruger

Tuck,
Sounds like you really have a shooter.
I have a .270 Browning A-Bolt with a BOSS on the end of it that i could cover 5 shots with a dime @ hundred yards (factory ammo). I broke the action in it and had to send it back to Browning to get a new action put on it. I am taking it out tomorrow to sight it in again. I hope it's still a shooter. I really love the gun, but the BOSS on the end of it makes it so dang loud i am having hearing loss, people think I am shooting a cannon.

Knifeboy

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

Pretty rifle congradulations. I've seen a couple purple rifles around and they look nice.

What does this gun shoot over the cronograph? I'm always curious about new rifles.

-DallanC

BillPa · Member Joined: Mar 17, 2005 Posts: 89

DallanC, haven't shot it yet, still gertt'n it all together. I need to finish a few things.headspace the barrel,put the bases on and mount the scope.
Still haven't connected on brass, so I bought some Hornady factorties to break it in and have a at least 20 rounds of formed brass to play with.
The guys are sell'n once fired brass on Ebay for 25+ a hundred and at times, 60. I buy new Lapua 308s for less!

Humm...purple with flames....
Bill

Tuck2 · Guest

Hi Knifeboy-- Browing makes a replacement part that is not ported for the BOSS . I called Browning and they sent one for about $ 30. Same muzzle blast as a non BOSS Mdl. I have a Mdl 70 Win. 7 MM Rem.Mag and a Browning Bolt Action Varmint Mdl 223 Rem with a BOSS. 1/2-3/4 inch groups are common with 223 Rem. rifle using 748 powder and 52 Gr bullets. I havent shot the 7 MM Rem Mag. it,s NIB. Winchester only put BOSS on their rifles for a few years so it may be a collector.??

calsibley · Super Member Joined: Jan 28, 2005 Posts: 317

I like your stock, especially the flat forend. It looks like a varminter. I would suggest glass bedding the action and floating the heavy barrel. I don't have a .204Ruger yet but do own the big brother, the .222Rem. Mag. whick is quite accurate. The long necked cases will make for easier reloading. Congratulations on your new rifle and best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

BillPa · Member Joined: Mar 17, 2005 Posts: 89

Heres the finished product. Headspaced the barrel and picked up a set of .9" Leupold rings, lapped them in and stuck a 8.5-25x50 Mueller on it. I wanted to give one of these scopes a try, so I decided this would be a good workout for it.
Wednesday I'll fire some factory fodder to sight and break it in then start some serious work with 32 & 40 Vamxs.

The list is...
Savage 10 action
Factory 204 barrel
Receiver ring ,boltface trued
Locking lugs lapped.
Barrel nut face trued.
Receiver/barrel threads recut and lapped.
Factory recoil lug surface ground flat.
Factory trigger worked to 22 ozs.
Ejector removed.

Stockade woodchuck stock.
3 coats medium gray "hammered metal" paint. Has a textured feel but smooth enough to ride the bags well.
Skim bedded with Pro-Bed.
Lug bedded all around with .010" clearence on the bottom.
Floated rear tang
Barrel floated from the lug forward.
Pillars opened to 5/16"
Screws torqued to 50/25 in/lbs front - rear.
Leupold base and rings.
Base bedded.
Rings lapped.

The final tally is just under $600 minus scope. It helps to be able to do this stuff myself.

Now, I'm wonder'n if'n the dern will shoot??????

tuck2 · Guest

The web site www.rugerhunting.com/204-data.php has a lot if info on the 204 Ruger round, rifles,reloading,etc. The Ruger Target 204 rifle may turn out to be my best prairie dog rifle.

Tusero · Rookie Member Joined: Aug 26, 2005 Posts: 19

I have a Ruger K77VT in .204 and am amazed at the accuracy from a factory rifle. It is like shooting a banjo string.

I shot 480 rounds of factory Hornaday to get the brass to reload. The factory ammo was very very accurate. I am attaching a pic for you to see my zero with the factory stuff. The top group is a three shot group intentionally 1 1/2 inches high with 32 grain ammo. Measured about .323 dia from side to side.

The bottom group is 40 grain aimed at the same aimpoint. 5 shots measuring .519 inch.

I have started reloading the .204 using BLC2 powder. I chose that powder because it is a ball powder and flows through my Dillon 550 better than extruded.

I have selected a load that is .7 grains below max and am getting an average of 4134 fps with it and accurate too. Don't have that pic downloded from the camera yet but will get that up soon too.

I have had great results with the caliber on prairie dogs. You will not get the same acrobatics that you do with a 55 grain bullet, but they pop plenty loud just the same and some of them do a few cartwheels to boot.

In short, you're gonna be very glad you bought that caliber, regardless of what rifle it is in.