New .204 options

[Bearguy]

Hello all, first post here. Been a 30-06 guy my whole life but am getting into coyotes now and don’t want to ruin my good moose rifle so I’m going to pick up a .204. I’ve been torn for months between a 22-250 and a .204 going back and forth with which I should get. I am planning at this point to get a .204 if ammo stays available.

Now the reason for my post is I’m looking at two guns, the CVA Cascade VH which is 20” barrel at 1:10 twist. Or a ruger American Gen 2 which is also 20” but at 1:12. I plan to shoot 39 or 40 gr bullets from what I’ve read. I’m leaning toward the 1:10 CVA even though the ruger is more readily available so far because of the faster twist in a 20”.

Am I crazy or am I having a good train of thought here?

[Bill K]

Either rifle you are looking at will do the job. I would favor the Ruger rifle and with the 1/12 twist you will find the 39 grn bullet will be a better choice as most 1/12 twists seem not to like the 40 grn bullet, as for best accuracy and grouping. Saying that however any coyote hit with the 39 grn bullet in the proper placement will never know the difference.
And even with a good 32 grn bullet, which I use more often in the 204R will also do the job. As long as you are not wanting to save pelts as they do seem to open up and good sized hole. I don't save pelts so it matters not too me. I just want DOA with the hit on the varmint.
At least that is my opinion. I am sure others will chime in and offer their advice also.
No matter which way you go, you will enjoy and like the 204 Ruger cartridge, it is one fine varmint reducer.

Forgot to say Welcome to the board, A good bunch of guys and gals here to exchange information. And keep in mind we do like photos of your trips, rifle and critters.

[Bearguy]

Thanks for the welcome Bill, I don’t plan on saving pelts, just looking to get rid of some pests so as long as they are dead I will be happy. I was nervous about a 1:12 after reading quite a few reports of them not stabilizing the heavier bullets, maybe I read too much into it.

[Bill K]

Yes and no on the twist issue. The 1/12 twist often will be borderline on grouping with the heavy bullets. A really good balance, seems to be a 1/11 twist, which it appears most of us with the 204R use.
However saying that again, maybe your rifle and 1/12 will shoot them, with a load you work up. However if you start out with the 39 Sierra BK I think you will be very happy with it and it will serve your purpose just fine. Funny how one grain and design on a bullet can make a diffence, but many have found that true.
Also do not bypass the 32 grn bullets also, they work very well also. Either of those will do the job you want on any coyote, with good and accurate bullet placement. Don't over think it, just find a load or two your rifle shoots well with and go have a blast ( pun intended) with your 204R.

[Shaky Hands]

Hello all, first post here. Been a 30-06 guy my whole life but am getting into coyotes now and don’t want to ruin my good moose rifle so I’m going to pick up a .204. I’ve been torn for months between a 22-250 and a .204 going back and forth with which I should get. I am planning at this point to get a .204 if ammo stays available.

Now the reason for my post is I’m looking at two guns, the CVA Cascade VH which is 20” barrel at 1:10 twist. Or a ruger American Gen 2 which is also 20” but at 1:12. I plan to shoot 39 or 40 gr bullets from what I’ve read. I’m leaning toward the 1:10 CVA even though the ruger is more readily available so far because of the faster twist in a 20”.

Am I crazy or am I having a good train of thought here?

Bearguy
Welcome to the forum I recently joined and so far its a good forum. I recently picked up a Ruger 204 and love it, today shot some 39 grains over Benchmark powder, they did some good grouping. I also have a 22-250 and I enjoy shooting that as well. To answer your question, both rifles are good shooting and will do the job well. The only difference I can think of is the 22-250 shoots a heavier bullet. A 55 gr out of 22-250 is wicked on varmints. Since you reload it might be cheaper to reload the 204 key word is might. Nice thing about rifles is one day you will walk into the store and decide to pick up another one LOL.

Good luck deciding on which one.

Shaky Hands

[Rick in Oregon]

Bearguy, reading what you'll use the new rifle for, and the fact that you'll be using factory ammunition in it limits the true potential of the caliber. I'd suggest choosing a rifle that has the standard 12 twist, as there is a much larger crop to choose from. There's not many coyotes out there that can withstand a solid hit in the boiler room with any of the 32gr 204 bullets getting pushed right at 4,000 fps, and you still have the option of shooting the tried and proven 39gr SBK which seems to properly stabilize in all the12 twist factory rifles.

The CVA rifle has really never made gun forum headlines that I'm aware of, and very limited aftermarket offerings. Same for the Ruger, as if you ever paid attention to the match results over the years, a Ruger rifle was never in the top 10, ever, and really not ever mentioned at all. I'm not bashing either brand, just stating facts.

For that new 204 rifle for coyotes, I'd take a fresh look at all the offerings that have made their owners happy. Look back on previous posts here to gain some insight and proceed accordingly. I would not limit my choices to rifles only having a faster twist than 1:12. Three of my 204 rifles are 12 twist, and they'll all shoot less than .5 MOA. I built an 11 twist M700 that will shoot the 39gr SBK and all the 40's, and still thrives on the 32's, but at the cost of a custom build. There are beaucoup 12 twist factory rifles that will do what you want for coyotes shooting the 32gr or 39gr bullet.

Lots to ponder, so let us know what you finally come up with and how she shoots once in-hand. Best of luck!

[Bearguy]

Thanks for the replies guys, I will read some more of the older posts to see what people preferences have been for rifles, I picked those two new rifles because of the reviews I have read on them. The CVA uses bergara barrels and is priced aggressively. The new ruger gen 2 is supposed to be a vast improvement over the original ruger American and very accurate for its also very aggressive pricing. I have looked at some other brands like tikka but it’s more difficult to search websites for what’s available in 204 as it’s not nearly as popular as say a 22/250. I am open to accurate well priced rifles of course

As for the ammo, at some point I plan to reload my own, but have read tons of good things about the 39gr BK though.