204Ruger

Well...the traditional 9 day gun deer season is in the books. Unfortunately I saw no deer to take home, antlered or antlerless. According to the Wisconsin DNR, preliminary harvest numbers were down at least 16%. A vast majority of the local hunters in my area are confirming this information saying they saw very few or no deer. There's still hope of a harvest as there is a 4 day state wide antlerless hunt & a 9 day holiday antlerless hunt in the southern farmland zones. Harvesting an antlerless deer is a bit anticlimactic but at least I might be able to put some meat in the freezer!

Well, in an effort to keep the forum from going moribund, I'll offer up my weekend/wet week plans......

Finally did all the brass prep on 200 fired 20VT cases, now pouring measured powder (RL-7) in preparation of seating bullets for next spring's epic rat multi-day rat shoot in E. OR. Nothing better when the snow is flying to be in my nice warm gun room loading rat rounds for next season. All four of my 204's have their ammo stored in plastic flip-top MTM boxes in .50 cal cans, four boxes to a can. I like to have two full cans (800 rnds) for each rifle in the field to ensure running out of ammo is never an issue.



Not exciting plans, but well worth the effort now to enjoy the sunshine, accurate rifles, good friends and of course beaucoup squirrels ready for launch. I consider it "low quality" fun to attain "high quality" fun a bit later.



Not so patiently waiting for springtime and the fun to start.....

Rick...that looks like the same bullet I use in my 20 VT; 32 Grain Nosler Ballistic Tip.

Jim White wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 10:35 amRick...that looks like the same bullet I use in my 20 VT; 32 Grain Nosler Ballistic Tip.

"Bingo"! You've won the grand prize there Jim! It is indeed the 32gr NBT shown in that pic. It, along with their excellent flat-base poly-tipped Varmageddon are my two most used varmint bullets, along with their coated Ballistic Silvertip, a joint venture with Winchester. All shoot about the same, are less expensive than the SBK's, when they can be found.

The SBK's are a tad more accurate in my rifles, but for the price (and scarcity of the Sierra's), they work just dandy on the varmints here, and are often offered as factory seconds, which show no degradation of accuracy as far as I can tell.

Looks like I will be replacing my garbage disposal this weekend....yea!

Tom Kat wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 9:13 pm Looks like I will be replacing my garbage disposal this weekend....yea!

I don't have one of those because I'm on a septic system. Hope it turns out well and its plug-n-play instead of plug-n-pray.

Rick in Oregon wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 11:29 am

Jim White wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 10:35 amRick...that looks like the same bullet I use in my 20 VT; 32 Grain Nosler Ballistic Tip.

"Bingo"! You've won the grand prize there Jim! It is indeed the 32gr NBT shown in that pic. It, along with their excellent flat-base poly-tipped Varmageddon are my two most used varmint bullets, along with their coated Ballistic Silvertip, a joint venture with Winchester. All shoot about the same, are less expensive than the SBK's, when they can be found.

The SBK's are a tad more accurate in my rifles, but for the price (and scarcity of the Sierra's), they work just dandy on the varmints here, and are often offered as factory seconds, which show no degradation of accuracy as far as I can tell.

Morning Rick...the 39gr SBK is my go to choice for all of my 204 Ruger rifles. When I first started with the small stuff it seem to carry better way out there than the 32gr pills and the 39-SBK shot a whole lot better for me than the 40 Hornady VMAX although the Hornady shot very well in my CZ but not in my Remington's'. I've never tried the Nosler 40-grain so I don't know how it would do and the 40 Hornady wasn't bad, the 39 SBK was just better all the way around in all of my 204's.

For my 20 VT I use the 32gr Nosler Boat Tail [NBT] along with 22-cal 40gr NBT in my 221 FB and they are as accurate as anything else I've tried. I also prefer boat tail pills in the smaller calibers for ease in reloading.

Regarding availability, I'm not seeing very many 17 & 20 caliber bullets at all. I'm well stocked but I always look when I'm out and about.

Jim White wrote: ↑Sat Dec 02, 2023 11:49 am

Tom Kat wrote: ↑Thu Nov 30, 2023 9:13 pm Looks like I will be replacing my garbage disposal this weekend....yea!

I don't have one of those because I'm on a septic system. Hope it turns out well and its plug-n-play instead of plug-n-pray.

I am happy to report it was plug and play and was installed with no real problems

A couple of times when I replaced one. The hardest part, for me anyway, was lifting/holding the unit up, getting it lined up with the sink drain end and getting the coupler twisted into place and locked.

Bill K wrote: ↑Sun Dec 03, 2023 9:59 am A couple of times when I replaced one. The hardest part, for me anyway, was lifting/holding the unit up, getting it lined up with the sink drain end and getting the coupler twisted into place and locked.

EXACTLY RIGHT. Once it was clamped in it was a matter of grunt work and flipping the switch. More about discomfort than being technicaly difficult

Ah yes, getting older does not add to the lying under and trying to flex around and be somewhat comfortable on the floor and under the sink/cabinet area.

Truth. But I am a hero to my wife, and I got a feeling of accomplishment from it. I hope thats it, forever. It was hard on an old man...