204 Ruger, which factory rifle?

[Rick in Oregon]

My 204's both like Alliant RL 10X. That's a staple at my house, not a second choice.

Same here. All four of my 204R rifles give their best performance (velocity and accuracy) using RL-10X over all others. YMMV

[varmit_master]

I havent loaded any 35 gr berger with RL10. I will give it a try.

[gemihur]

Here's a factory rifle for you!
I call him Stumpy, he has a 15" threaded barrel and a muzzle break that brings the OAL to 17"

I only wish the barrel were thinner as that small deficit created by the 20 caliber bore leaves a lot of weight.

[Bill K]

Looks like a decent set up for a walk about rifle. Should not be that heavy with the sling. How does it group with your loads, etc. ?

[gemihur]

It holds 'em inside a tennis ball at 100 yds but it brethren contender wears a 23" barrel and can reliably tag a quarter from the bench at that range.

I've only used 32 gr. bullets

[Bill K]

They sound and look good. Should be fun to shoot. Any photos of some critters taken with them ?

[varmit_master]

No not yet. Working to much.

[MTPaul]

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, I've just been fully engaged and enjoying the great outdoors found in MT and WY. Because inquiring minds might want to know, the Cooper rifle I recently acquired has MORE than met my expectations. After having made several trips to WY while shooting both rock chucks and prairie dogs at close and far distances (up to and exceeding 400 yards), the rifle has performed admirably, not that there was any question, but until it was put to the test there was always the lingering doubt, albeit small, that it wouldn't live up to expectations. All doubt has been erased! The attached picture was taken in the Big Horn Mtns of WY and is the first of many confirmed rock chucks taken during the two-week camping trip. The distance was just a little over 200 yards and I was using 32 grain Fiocchi factory ammunition...DRT! I still haven't taken the time to fully evaluate all the factory ammunition (24, 32 and 36 grain from various sources) I've amassed, but the Fiocchi rounds did perform from an accuracy and stopping power standpoint. And as you can also see from the picture, the walnut stock on the rifle is a sight to behold!

204 Ruger - Big Horn Mtns.jpg (1.23 MiB) Viewed 243 times

[Jim White]

I have two of them in 221 Fireball just like yours [one has a fluted barrel] and I really enjoy both of them.

[Bill K]

Very nice. Photo and comments. Are going to reload or just use factory ammo that works well for you ?

[Rick in Oregon]

Paul, great looking country, beautiful Cooper rifle, great photo. I've visited MT and WY on many occasions, never had a bad time in either state.

Like you, I much favor my Coopers too, but in recent years have found that taking those beautiful Claro walnut stocks into the wild makes me cringe for fear of gooning up that wonderful wood. I've since reverted to taking a Cooper Phoenix with the synthetic stock to avoid disaster, as last season I took a tumble in the lava rock here, thankfully my rifle was not involved. Getting older, lesson learned.

My M38 VR in 20 Vartarg is one of my primary rock chuck rifles, as the small ranches I shoot here are not suited to a loudenboomer like the 204R. My 204's see the most action from the bench for sage rats in open country. These chucks were encountered not far from the house on a friends small horse ranch.



My Cooper M38 Phoenix in 221FB; great for small ranch shooting for work under 400 yards. All my Coopers have Jard 10oz triggers installed, seeing as Jewells are no longer available. No fretting about this one in the lava rock.



With the "old Cooper" gone, it's my sincere hope that NH once again produces the rifles we all lusted for prior to the sale of the MT company. I'd love to have a bit more of that nice-figured Claro walnut in the safe to fondle and drool over.

Thanks for posting; it's always fun seeing that country.

[MTPaul]

Bill K. At this point in time, I am using factory loaded ammunition while keeping it to less than 40 grains, and while I fully understand I can wring even more accuracy out of the rifle with hand loads, I haven't (yet) gone down that road.

Rick. Yes, I also exercise a great deal of caution whenever I take my Coopers into the wilds of WY and MT, knowing full well I'd be kicking myself
if I ever took a tumble (entirely possible as a 73-year-old codger) while in pursuit of the furry creatures. Believe me, if I had a Cooper with a synthetic stock, I would breathe easier, but such is not the case...at least not yet.

Because we all enjoy seeing the combination of scenic vistas, classic rifles and furry creatures taken while enjoying the great outdoors, here is yet another picture for you all to enjoy. This too was taken in the Big Horn mountains of WY. The elevation was right around 9,000 feet as you can probably guess judging by the nearby thinning forest. This particular spot is a little over a mile from the nearest forest service road and has been a favorite "honey hole" of mine for several years, not only because of the consistently high number of rock chucks that inhabit the numerous outcroppings, but also because of the inherent scenic beauty of the surroundings. The distance was just a little under 200 yards and again I was using 32 grain Fiocchi factory ammunition.

Big Horn rock chucks.jpg (1.79 MiB) Viewed 173 times

[Rick in Oregon]

Paul, sweet rifle, most excellent scenery, even if you did embellish it a tad with color correction. I'm also guilty of doing that, making a great scene excellent. It's what we do, right?

If you keep posting such great material, you're going to encourage a small migration of varmint shooters to your area.

Great gun porn, again, thanks for your interesting posts; keep 'em coming.

[Bill K]

Again, very nice. Thanks for sharing.