Maybe about the best way to do this is to just post
One View of all of this - in this case Remington's. Hopefully using Remington's ammo data won't cause owners of other makes of rifles, ammo, etc. to jump up and down and cry foul, but I doubt that it will unless they just want to "stir the pot" or whatever else they want to do.
For the "pot stirrers", about a year and a half ago, most of the gun writers were convinced the new 204 Ruger would "revolutionize" predator/varmint shooting to use one of the words expressed in an early article. I really didn't buy that either, so I hung on to a few other rifles I had, including a couple of other 20 caliber cartridges, a couple of 17's, a 22-250, and a few other .224", 6MM, and .257" cartridges.
I'm using this data as it should eliminate all questions about chronographs, ballistic programs, etc., etc., as it all should have been prepared as "apples and apples and apples". For the specifics of what was done you can look for yourself on Remington's web site under "Ballistics". If anyone has problems with any of the numbers, take it up with Remington. This is what I got at the time I prepared the data.
WARNING: These charts also include 223 Remington data in them. IT IS NOT INCLUDED WITH THE INTENTION OF CAUSING A MAJOR UPRISING ON THE PART OF 223 REM OWNERS. IT IS MERELY INCLUDED BECAUSE I PREPARED THIS DATA A WHILE BACK FOR A FRIEND WHO WAS INTERESTED IN REAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE THREE CARTRIDGES.
The first chart shows a comparison of velocities for the three cartridges out to 500 yards.
The second chart shows a comparison of the energy of the various bullets at distances out to 500 yards.
This third chart shows both the short range and long range trajectory ballistics of the three cartridges. Please notice that the zeroed distance for the 204 Ruger and the 223 Rem is 200 yards in the Long Range Table and the 22-250 is zeroed at 250 yards. I applolgize in advance for Remington making such a "screw up" as that to allow in one discrepancy in the data, but that's what
THEY did and I don't have any ties at all with Remington. If you want to make that data all the same, a good ballistics program will further enlighten you on the dfferences. The internet has several good free ones available.
About the only statement I've made here in this thread - that incidently has taken on new meaning to some - is that the real beauty of the 20 calibers comes from using the heavier bullets with a better ballistic coefficient for longer range shooting.
If you will look at the data for the 204 Ruger only, you will see that by 300 yards the velocity of the heavier, higher BC, 40 grain bullet has overcome the velocity of the lighter 32 grain bullet. Also, at 400 yards it practically equals, and between 400 and 500 yards the heavier 40 grain bullet overcomes the trajectory of the lighter 32 grain bullet. If these charts were extended further in distance, the differences in velocity and trajectory between the lighter and heavier .204" diameter bullets would become even more pronounced.
I never have nor do I ever plan to regularily shoot at a coyote much beyond 300 yards unless under ideal conditions - he's standing broadside to me and I have a good rest to shoot from. I don't hunt coyotes with a heavy barreled rifle sitting at a bench, so that limits what I do in those situations. However, when I'm shooting at PD's, the ballistic advantage of the heavier, higher BC .204" bullet can be utilized when you have one of those "arrogant" PD's at 680 yards who "defies" you to hit him.
EDIT: In addition, when a bullet manufacturer finally turns out a good heavy jacketed, lead tipped 20 caliber bullet, many of the problems folks have had with the 204 Ruger will vanish in trying to use a light jacketed varmint bullet as a hunting bullet. I hand swage my own, and its not a hard thing for a bullet manufacturer to do.
Beyond this, I don't know what more to add other than this comment: If I had to choose only one varmint caliber and had to live with it, it wouldn't be either of the two that folks have been argueing about here.
But, that's just
MY personal choice. Beside, to quote someone from a few days ago - I don't remember who it was /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif - : "Dead is dead.......who cares? I don't."
I hope the rest of you can live happily ever after with your choice if you choose to live with just one. - BCB