Question for 204 ruger guys

Chaney2169

New member
Hey guys i recently acquired a 204 and ive searched and searched for hours trying to find what a good round for coyotes would be. So far i have shot 32 grain hornady 40 grain hornady 32 grain fiocchi and 32 grain remington. they all shoot relatively well in this gun but i am worried that the 32 grain isnt going to be quite enough. From all my research ive read over and over again that the 35 grain bergers are the best bullet on coyotes but i do not reload so i am kind of SOL on that. i have also read that the vmax can have problems with the speed of a 204, again i am just reading everything i can and im sure some people disagree with that statement. i am not interested in saving any furs either so if it blows half the coyote up thats fine too, just helping farmers out. if anyone can provide any insight on this it would be much appreciated. thanks
 
I have been watching for a 204 barrel for my TC dimension, HSM ammo at one time loaded both the 35 Berger and the 39 Sierra. If you can locate either in bulk numbers, I would give them a try.
 
Spotstalk they are out of stock everywhere i talked to hsm the other day and they said they will be in production soon, i plan on buying some as soon as i find them. they are hard to find.

devildogg, that is what im planning on doing unless i hear otherwise. have you shot many dogs with them? how did they perform?
 
I have shot the 32gr and 40gr Vmax bullets with a lot of success in terms of accuracy and the ability to drop coyotes. To be clear, you will have to make an accurate shot with the .204 to put a coyote down with it. The .204 doesn't have enough mass to let you get away with a sloppy shot like larger calibers do. But if you put it in the bread basket pretty much any of the hunting bullets like the Vmax or a hollow point will drop the coyote.

I do not like the Hornady Superformance .204, I prefer the standard Custom line of ammo from them. It seems like the Superformance is not nearly as accurate as the Custom line.

But if you don't place a good shot you are going to get runners. Gut shots, high chest hits and you will probably get runners which can be disappointing. But with the laser accuracy you can park a shot low behind the elbow or low in the chest and they are going to go down just fine.
 
Federal loads the 32 gr Nolser bt, that bullet is tougher than the vmax. You could probably find them right now. I like my 17 rem for coyote, velocity is your friend.
 
I have used both 32 & 40 vmax both with mixed results. Either the hammer of Thor or getting splashes. I switched to Hornady 45gr softpoints and was very surprised at how well they shot out of a 12 twist. Once I grouped it at 350 it became my new go to factory ammo. They're a little hard to find in stores compared to the vmax but IMO they're worth a try.
 
how are the results on dogs with the 45 gr softpoints?

spotstalk, i have actually been looking for them ive heard decent things about the nosler 204 rounds

snowman, thank you for the comments. i have shot a few with the superformance in 243 and was not impressed i had runners when it definitely should have dropped. i think i am going to stray away from the hornady, even though i have been shooting them forever.
 
I have had really good results with the Remington Accu Tip 40 gr. Really puts them down with authority. I do load my own now and really like both the 35 gr bergers and the 40 gr, Sierras.
OH by the way spotstalk you can get your 204 barrel at Haus of arms .com, ask for Marty. Thats where I got mine for my Dimension and I love it. Dont know about the 32gr's I have never shot a coyote with them.
Good luck!
 
Even better then the 204 barrel for my Dimension, would be a custom made 20 practical barrel. I keep hoping to find a smith that will(can) make a Dimension barrel.
 
I have had very good results with the 45's, more consistent is how I'll I put it. They're easy on the fur unless you hit em in the shoulder. I actually started packing the 204 with softpoints while deer hunting cuz lots of bobcats were coming through and they performed well on cats.
 
ive had great luck with sierra 39 grainers no splashes and my brother shot 32 grain vmax and had nothing but splashes and runners he switched to 45 grain soft points and hasnt lost one yet
 
Originally Posted By: Chaney2169how are the results on dogs with the 45 gr softpoints?

spotstalk, i have actually been looking for them ive heard decent things about the nosler 204 rounds

snowman, thank you for the comments. i have shot a few with the superformance in 243 and was not impressed i had runners when it definitely should have dropped. i think i am going to stray away from the hornady, even though i have been shooting them forever.

My pleasure. I have found that some of the stuff that Hornady has produced recently isn't really what it should be. I understand what Superformance is supposed to do, I just haven't seen it. I have found that the accuracy is nowhere near as good as their Custom line of loads. Their Amax bullets are incredibly accurate but not good to use on animals. The SST's are better for critters but are not as accurate as Amax's. I recently found that their god old fashioned SP's flew the best out of my .308 and drop coyotes like the hand of god, go figure. Sometimes you shouldn't mess with a good thing.
 
Thank you for all the advice, i believe im going to go with the 45 softpoints and see if i can get them to group. if they do im going to stick with them until i kill a dog and see how they work out. i would love to shoot the sierras or the bergers, and i actually have a dillon 550 i believe is the model, i literally just do not have the time to reload i have twin 2 year olds and one that will be here in 2 months so busy is an understatement. thats one of the reasons i started night hunting so much. i can sneak away after i put my kids to sleep!
 
Just rolled up my tenth coyote in a row since switching to the 45 gr sp. The 32 gr Vmax would always require multiple shots to anchor a coyote and 3 out of 5 coyotes shot were never recovered. But like stated before they are a little hard to come by......finding them online is usually the best bet.
 
Originally Posted By: Arizona BushmanJust rolled up my tenth coyote in a row since switching to the 45 gr sp. The 32 gr Vmax would always require multiple shots to anchor a coyote and 3 out of 5 coyotes shot were never recovered. But like stated before they are a little hard to come by......finding them online is usually the best bet.

is your gun 1-12 twist? im wondering if ill be able to get them to group out of mine.
 
Not to be critical, as I love the .204, but it seems that many try to apply a Varmint round to larger Predators and then wail about lack of expected performance..

With the .204, as with other smaller calibers, shot placement is sometimes very critical and the quarry doesn't always cooperate with presenting that perfect shot...Also, some hunters forget where the ideal point of aim is on a Coyote, or other canine type target..mentally draw a line from the head, back through the neck, and a second one from the front leg up..Where the two lines intersect will put your round into the lungs and heart...I think your 'runners' will be fewer..

Using a ballistic tipped bullet is great, unless you happen to hit a rib squarely, or hit too high into the shoulder bone...That's when your 'splash' occurs...Not to knock HSM cartridges, but in both of my .204s, I got more consistent accuracy with the Hornady 40gr V-Max...If you lived closer to FL, I still have a couple of hundred rounds of HSM 35gr rounds buried in my ammo cabinet since I haven't bought any factory after reloading for it 12 years ago...


 
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