27 replies to this topic

[atavuss]

anyone using a .204 Ruger for coyotes? I have taken plenty of squeaks with my bolt action .204 Ruger and I am curious as to if the round would be enough for a coyote? how far would you estimate a clean humane kill could be made with the .204 Ruger? recommend heavy bullets?

[Possumal]

My grandson, Josh, has been knocking them dead with his Savage Predator 204. No problem with killing them graveyard dead since I started loading the Sierra 39 grain Blitz King for him.

[leftfoot]

the .204 is a nice round for yotes. Does a good clean kill. But if your shot isn't on target, even a 300 win-mag will take time to do the job.

[tommybuilt]

I've taken a coyote and a bobcat with the .204 Hornady 40 gr. v-max. Both were less than 50 yards, but I would be comfortable out to about 200 yards.

[Switch]

I've taken loads of coyotes with the Ruger .204 (Blitz King 39 gr.). Do your job, and they drop in their tracks. Don't and you'll likely have to put another into them.I've had humane kills out to 250-yards. Out passed that and it gets real iffy. My longest shot was 305-yards and I had to go looking for that one. But in reality, shots under 125-yards for calling are the norm. the .204 works just fine.

[BADCOYOTE]

There is a video out called Verminators there is a guy on the movie named TR he Kills coyotes like crazy With his 204 . I would check it out

[Baja_Traveler]

Never had a problem with my Savage .204 - Do NOT try to use the 29 grain Varmint Grenades on them though - I've read too many stories of lost coyotes. 39 gr. SBK and the 40 gr Hornady has shot well through my rifle and they don't get back up.

[Rogue]

The 204 does a nice job on Yotes with the Vmaxes, seems to turn their insides to jelly....maybe because it's traveling at 4500 FPS...one shot.

[nitis]

4500 fps cpme on you dont have to exaggerate I shot one last weekend with mine at over 300 and hit him a little far back so I had to chase him down but the carnage would have resulted in a DRT with a better shot I am shooting 45 gr softpoints at 3500 fps

[Shoot-it]

my 204 is going 5,000 sorry can't tell you my secret load so don't ask.

[Baja_Traveler]

Do tell! Which 45gr softpoint are you using? I've read some internet rumors of people having success with bullets heavier than 40gr without getting all unstable - what twist barrel are you shooting it through?

[Shoot-it]

Sorry baja I don't own a 204 was just being an @ss

[nitis]

I use the hornady soft point from my eye it is actually shorter that the forty gr vmax at least the part that touches the riflingI am shooting a regular 700 sps 24" barrel sporter weight they pretty much shoot cloverleafs 26 grs of varget and a cci 400 primer or winchester primer groups dont change much and I think there is room to push it a little harder but I stumbled on this group and called it good the cci primers get you about 50fps more than the winnie

[Colin]

Switch, I think, hit it on the head. Most of the coyotes I've called in are shot, at most 150 yards. i used to pull the trigger once they hit about 300 yards, big mistake. Now i enjoy watching the coyote come to the call and get them in close. Most are well under 100 yards. I have no personal experience with the .204, and the guys I know that use them have only killed coyotes under 200 yards. Seems to work very well for them at those ranges.

[Rogue]

Oh sorry, it's 4,225 fps according to the Hornady box.

[nitis]

ok roque I will buy that but those are 32 gr vmax not highly recomended for dogs

[Rogue]

I agree, use the 40's. Here is a post I found from Nodak Outdoors, hope this helps:I've used Remington 700's in 22-250 for roughly 25 years and had a Savage Model 12 LH in 204 for a couple. I traded in the 204 last year primarily as it was too heavy for walk around varminting. I may buy one again if I can find a LH sporter barrel model I like. I've also used/use the 223, 243, 257 Wby Mag, 270, 308, and 7MM Mag for coyotes.When it comes to coyotes & varmint calibers the 22-250 is head & shoulders above the 204, the 223 slightly better, and the 243 is head & shoulders above the 22-250.After fiddling with it quite a bit I decided the 204 is possibly the best coyote/fox fur round I have tried to date, provided it wasn't used in windy conditions (rare when we don't have wind here in ND) and shots were held to a max of 250 yards and preferably no more than 200. It's extremely accurate when the wind isn't pushing that little bullet all over hell's half acre, and a ball to shoot.The 204 has two issues, a very light weight bullet which sheds velocity quickly, and it's very suceptible to the wind. The 204 starts off screaming (my handloads were over 4K FPS at the muzzle) but that little 32 grain bullet shed velocity fast.All varmint calibers have wind drift issues, but the 243 is far & away the best in wind followed by the 250, then the 223, and finally the 204 & 17 centerfires. A shoulder hold on a broadside coyote at 300 yards in a 10MPH crosswind with a 204 will result in a hit through the hips or even a miss, where the same hold with my 243 coyote load still lands in the ribcage. Coyotes are tough and much as I hate them, I have no desire to wound them and have them run off to suffer. Trying to catch up with & finish a non fatally hit coyote is almost always an excerise in futility.So being I want the most thump (within reason) combined with the least wind drift I can get. That means my primary coyote rifle is a Tikka T3 in 243 (I use 70 grain Ballistic Tip handloads) and my second choice, a LH Remington BDL in 22-250 with 50-55 grain Ballistic Tip handloads. If I'm positive my stand area will likely result in shots of under 250 yards and I have no wind, I may grab my lightweight Savage 11 LH 223 that prints Ultra Max 50 grain BTs sub 1/2 MOA.Now having said that, I guarantee someone will respond that I'm full of it and they regularly whack coyotes at 400 yards with their 204 holding dead on. Maybe some do now & then, but I bet they miss or worse, wound and fail to recover more of those shots than they make. All the hyperbole in the world can't change the ballistic facts, all you have to do is a little research to verify what I have advised.So to answer your question, the 204 is plenty good enough for coyotes, within it's limitations. Is it worth trading in for a 250? Well, the 250 can do more & do it better than the 204, as far as coyotes are concerned. If it were me I would probably keep the 204 and save for a 250, or better yet, a 243...Good luck and good hunting, whatever you decide...

[204destroyer]

For what its worth (nothing probably) I got rid of my 223 and the 22-250 and shoot all my vermin with the 204. Using the 40 grain Hornady V-Max I have killed coyotes at 300 yards with no problem at all. Bobcats at 250 to 300 all the time. I killed a 300 lb. boar 2 years ago with that small bullet but I would not recomend it to anyone. The only reason I did it was just simply thats what I had in my hands when I walked up on him sleeping. I know everyone has thier favorites and whatever you have shoot, if you shoot it accurately and it will work, but I love the 204 cartridge. I believe its the best all around gun for vermin, less recoil than a 22-250, more speed and flatter shooting than the 223, good for squirrels, coyotes, cats, oh ya and hogs. By the way I have my savage heavy barrel shooting my hand loads at 4650 FPS. No bragging here, just facts.

[gmoney]

4650 wow I am hoping to get the barnes 26gr pill close to that, with a 40 gr that is screemin, faster than a swift right?

[204destroyer]

I've shot the 204 thru a crony ( yes the crony works) and it will hit that speed every time. I started out with a max load then started working it up 1/4 grain at a time looking for messed up primers and cases, at 4650 it showed no bad signs but I stopped there. The accuracy was good and I liked the speed. I agree with one of the erlier posts though, the 40 grain V-Max looses that speed real fast, and the knockdown power is all but gone at 600 yards.

[204destroyer]

Just looked up the drop on that 204 at 1000 yards, at 1000 yards it drops 336 inches, and the energy is below 100 ft. lbs. But its a good round at 300 yards.

[gmoney]

what was ambient at the time you did testing and what constitutes shows no signs of pressure, and can you give the load on this site or is that a no no?

[204destroyer]

I checked out the cases for neck splits--primer bulges, made sure they would re-chamber easily,etc. The temp was around, 75 Deg. I dont feel comfy telling you exactly what my load is, I would rather you work up your own load. I will tell you I'm using H4895 powder, and I started near the top of the loading chart, then increased 1/4 grain and fired 3 shots with each load, chrony that load and move up another 1/4 grain and so on. Checking each case for any signs of high pressure. Thats what I did and it worked for me, every gun is different, and for sure all powders are different. If you go slowly, and know when to quit you should be OK. Main thing is move very slowly up the scale checking each case. After doing all that work I'm not sure that speed is necessary because I'm sure I'll burn the barrel out much sooner.Good luck, be careful.

[nitis]

204 destroyer which bullet you using?

[gmoney]

wow you are talking about 950fps fasater than a max load for that bullet thats hugely impressive. So how fast did you get that 40 gr bullet before you backed off to your 4650fps load? I am so impressed with the 204, that has to be the nonwildcat king of 40gr bullets, its 50fps faster than a wssm with a 40gr bulletI am not gonna try it I was just asking, I am currently working with tac and 335 anyway.thanks

[DonArkie]

I shoot the 204 in a H & R single shot. Kills them dead with zero problem. I shoot the Hornady 40-grain V-Max bullet. I also hunt yotes with a .17 HMR in the same rifle and same camo. I use the 17 gr. bullet for them, with little complaints

[Marino]

Wow. All very helpful info. Looks like the .204, .223, .22-250, and .243 all work for yote. Question I have is re. off the shelf pricing. Would someone list average (ballpark) price for these rounds? How is Walmart's ammo quality? Thanks.

[Rogue]

Sportsman's Guide has 204 Vmax for 15.47 for a box of 20. That's a good deal for me if I buy 3 boxes or more with shipping compared to me buying them down town for 22.00 plus tax. I find that a box lasts quite a while. My Savage Predator with Bull Barrel is a tack driver and I can get it sighted in in just a couple rounds. As for hunting, that thing shoots flat so usually you always hit your mark. I have personally never had to have any follow up shots, so far one shot one down hard.