204 ruger AR Barrel

N

NChunter89

Member
Hey guys anyone have any recommendations on a 204 ruger barrel for my next AR Build? I would like something 18-20" and sub MOA accuracy is a must. I don't mind a little weight but I definitely don't want something that is going to wear me out carrying on a long night of calling.

Thanks!
 
I had been looking hard at BHW barrels. Only thing I didn't like was that it looks like lead time is a few months or more on getting one.
 
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I'll give my vote for Black Hole Weaponry as well. Standard wait on 204Ruger barrels from them is 10-12wks. Really not a bad turn around, comparatively to any other custom maker that's turning the barrel AFTER you order. Sure, you can buy Shilen or White Oak (bison, wilson, etc) off of the shelf, but many of them cost more than the BHW.

I'd personally recommend the 20" over the 18", otherwise, you might as well look at a 20prac. I have a 22" that barks fire out of the muzzle, cut 4" more off of it and I can't imagine how loud it'd be on the range beside you. Small bores need length to burn powder. The smaller 20prac case ran at a bit lower pressures (less powder) would be more efficient in an 18" barrel, if you really want to go that short.

Keep an eye on BHW's site too, they do RTS (Ready To Ship) barrels in 204R occasionally too. Usually standard profile in black cerakote.
 
I had Predator Technology Group build me a 20" .204 upper. Accuracy is sub MOA. Mine was 1/2" and
I put my money where my mouth is.
They also are PM sponsors.


Pack
 
I don't have any experience with their 204 barrels but i am sure pleased with my BHW 223 Wylde and plan on using them on my next build. As Verminterror pointed out they are a make to order business so even though you may have to wait a little bit for the barrel you get exactly what you want. If you do end up going BHW you might check out Ritch's website (also a sponsor here) http://ritchsprecisionguns.com it appears that you can get a custom BHW barrel from him cheeper than if you go through BHW.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. I called and talked to Ritch earlier today for a pretty good while and I have a 20" BHW 20 practical barrel on order now. I can't wait to see what it'll do. It seems like everyone really likes the BHW barrels.
 
if i were doing an accuracy build i'd go straight for WOA.

im planning to use one of their barrels on a future 223 of the same length class as you're looking at for your 204.

i havent had the chance to build that upper yet, but from what i've seen of handload accuracy groupings with their barrels has impressed the living daylights out of me.
 
When the .204 first came out in '94-'95, I fell in love with the round and had a custom upper built by a shop out in CA...The last time I checked, he was no longer taking orders due to the demand, but he installed a Douglas XX Match barrel, 22" in a 1/12 twist that I've been so happy with that when I had to replace the barrel on my .308 and switched to a 6.5 Creedmore caliber, I went back to Douglas for another one of their barrels....

Sub MOA accuracy has never been a problem with my reloads that are tailored for the barrel...This was the best of the test loads that I worked up in '07 and I've never found the need to change the combination...The squares on the target are 1/2" for reference...


Now that I have finally got everything together for loading the 6.5, I expect to achieve the same results out of one or more of my test loads for it....
 
If you are not set on a 204, you may want to look at a 20 Practical. The 204 brass are hard to come by but the 20 Practical you can find 223 brass every where and will not lose any performance. If I ever do another 20 caliber, it will be the 20 Practical.
 
Originally Posted By: Plant.Oneif i were doing an accuracy build i'd go straight for WOA.

I have one WOA barrel - but on the other hand, maybe I have more than that - WOA's match grade barrels are Shilen blanks. I'm not saying that it doesn't matter who turns, threads, and chambers the blank, but I don't think it's super surprising that WOA barrels shoot so well, since they're Shilen bores! Usually it's cheaper to get the Shilen barrels through WOA, so that's an advantage.
 
I ended up ordering a BHW barrel in 20 practical. I have heard some great things about them as a company and the cartridge itself. Cant wait for it to be here.
 
Originally Posted By: NChunter89I ended up ordering a BHW barrel in 20 practical. I have heard some great things about them as a company and the cartridge itself. Cant wait for it to be here.

Hearing and seeing are two different things. Here's a couple of 20 Practical groups shot with my BHW barrel that Ritch did for me. I was in a hurry to get ready for PD's and spent a plaeasnt, though windy, morning in the desert two days before the opening shot. I had done some preliminaryt testing so wanted to reconfirm my previous resluts.

The first one was my early warm up trying out some X-Terminator. They were the first record shots through the barrel that morning.

20%20PRACTICAL-%20EXTER%20TARGET_zpszgqyfyr9.jpg


I moved on to try some Benchmark after letting the barrel cool. Of course at that point the chronograph decided enough was enough and stopped. I had shot similar loads in my 20 Tactical so knew an approximate speed. The prior two targets had run 0.764 and 0.773 with four running about the same as these five. with my typical one out yip. I only had five rounds left and the wind died on me. I squeaked this one out.

20%20PRACTICAL-%20BENCHM%20TARGET_zpsqjhoivzh.jpg


This was the one I settled on as the agg was under 0.6 for the three groups. I've shot a few other poweders but the Benchmark seems to be the ticket.

Greg

BTW the Bergers performed VERY well on the PD's over the next two trips. 100 rounds fired with 90+ or - kills from about 120 to 360 yards. Average shot was maybe 265.


 
That's an outstanding kill ratio Greg! My bhw 20 prac is also deadly, and prefers 40 gr bergers, which is what I wanted for coyotes. It shoots the Midsouth 34 grainers well enough that I loaded a bunch for plinking and pdogs. I have been using wolf primers and surplus W846 powder.
 
Originally Posted By: 204 ARThat's an outstanding kill ratio Greg! My bhw 20 prac is also deadly, and prefers 40 gr bergers, which is what I wanted for coyotes. It shoots the Midsouth 34 grainers well enough that I loaded a bunch for plinking and pdogs. I have been using wolf primers and surplus W846 powder.

I have been on my game the past two trips. I shoot the Sierras in my Tactical and just wanted to try the mid weight pills. Plus the 20 LBC and 20X6.8 will be slated for them. Supply is good and the price is not bad.

My Tactical chamber is a bit large and I have the same case capacity so I have a pretty good comparison to work with.

Greg
 
Precision firearms has 20 cal bartlein barrells,it will be hard to get something to shoot better the wait will suck,but bartlein quit making them so he has something no one else has.D9 can build you a 20cal shilen that will be shoot what your looking for.His customer services will be hard to beat,and he makes match burners,
 
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