204Ruger

I'm new to the forum and the 204. I've found your reloading information very helpful, but am having a hard time getting more than 3900ft/sec out of my Howa 1500 with 32grn bullets. What kind of velocities are you guys getting with 32grnrs?

Best I've managed to get is 4385fps, I average 4150fps, I have tried blc-2 I don't like the stuff, builds pressure really fast! my second choice is h335, I load this a little hot but it works for me! please be careful, I have managed to get it up to 29.7grs before wisdom and the loss of my brass made be back it down! I found that 28.8grs of h335 works for me! My powder of choice is Benchmark, accurate, stable and 28.8gr will take the 32grs to an average of 4150fps.

when you load above what the factory recommends, go up very slowly! it is possible to get over 4100fps! just do so carefully!

I use 27.5 H-322 for 4080fps with 32 VMaxes, which is plenty for shooting PDs and such. They don't take much killing, anyway. I can get 3880 with 39s using 27.5 H-4895, too, these numbers from my 26" Savage barrel.

Remember though, it doesn't matter how fast they go, if they miss , just use the most accurate load you have, it's still plenty fast enough to slay the critters the .204 is built for.

I also have a How 1500 (Varminter Supreme) I use RL 15 for 32 and 40 V-Max. With the 32's it loves 28.6 gr for right at 4000 fps. (29.0 gr gets 4100 but not as accurate). For the 40 gr. V-Max it loves 26.8 gr. of RL 15 for 3640 fps.

Crazy said the BLC2 builds pressure fast and I have to agree with him. It does give nice FPS and is accurate but when the temps get around 80 it it seems t obuild quickly. The RL 15 and Benchmark keep the pressure down real well.

Just happen to have my initial 32 & 40 grain factory ammo tests in front of me at the moment...

32 grain Hornady factory V-Max loads clocked an average of 3905 fps from my little CZ. They didn't shoot nearly as well as the 40 grain V-Max ammo from my rifle, so I've never messed with the 32 grainers after that initial test. All my handloads have been with 40 grain bullets. Still, it looks like you're getting about the same as factory velocity, which is cooking right along.

Regards, Guy

my Howa 1500, with bull barrel, 24 in. really likes the 32 Vmax bullets with 27.2 grs of Benchmark and wsr primers. moves at over 3950 fps. and will group under 1/2 in at a hundred. Really does a number on beldings, and the "AIR" show is breathtaking. just need to remember not to holdover near as much as with my .223

Arizona Hunter wrote:I also have a How 1500 (Varminter Supreme) I use RL 15 for 32 and 40 V-Max. With the 32's it loves 28.6 gr for right at 4000 fps. (29.0 gr gets 4100 but not as accurate). For the 40 gr. V-Max it loves 26.8 gr. of RL 15 for 3640 fps.

Crazy said the BLC2 builds pressure fast and I have to agree with him. It does give nice FPS and is accurate but when the temps get around 80 it it seems t obuild quickly. The RL 15 and Benchmark keep the pressure down real well.

Arizona Hunter please esplain the part about BLc-2 building pressure fast, such as what signs it gives and how you can tell. I have been loading it in 204 for 4 different guns and it shoots fantastic with no pressure signs at .3 over max, with a vel. of 4125fps. out of my 26inch 77VT. Also have quite a few groups in 2s and 3s at 100 yds. But if it is dangerous I will have to find another way to go. Thanks BTBook

Hi BTBook,
Ok, found my notes.....
I was using the 32 V-Max and BLC2 powder in amounts of 28.5, 29.0, 29.5, 30.0 and noticed pierced primers at 29.5 & 30.0 grains. At 28.5 I was around 4000 fps with fine accuracy. At 29.0 primers still fine and fps around 4085 but at 29.5 gr. the primers pierced. This also happened with the 40 V-Max and 28.5 gr.
BLC2 was the only powder I experienced this with. Oh, H335 also was very accurate.

Now, after switching over to RL 15 and both 32 & 40's loving it, I read an article (I think it was on this web site) by James Calhoon titled "Primers and Pressure". Well it turns out I had been using Rem 6 1/2 (.020" thick)primers instead of 7 1/2's (.025"thick) and this can be a problem with with high intensity cartridges like the .204, 223 etc. As long as I kept the load down the 6 1/2's worked fine. Anyway it really bugged me so I switched to CCI 450's (.025" thick)and never looked back. Since switching to the thicker 450's I have not tried any BLC2 loads to see if primers would still pierce, the RL 15 just works so well no reason to switch.

Since p-dog shooting normally takes place in very warm weather in AZ (and most places I presume) with temps on a cool day around 80 but on a hot day over 90 to 100, I decided to stay away from ball powders because from all I've read and heard from the folks at Alliant and Hodgdon, ball powders are prone to an increas in pressure on hot days, while powders like Benchmark and RL15 (plus others) are less sensitive to high temps.

BTW those Rem 6 1/2 primers are now listed on the REM web site as for use only in cartridges like the 22 Hornet and 218 Bee. This was not the case nearly 2 years ago when I got the rifle. And if I keep the loads to medium speeds like a 32 V-Max at 3800-3900 they work just fine and accuracy is still exellent.

Thanks Arizona Hunter I have worked up to the load I am now using ( 31gr BLc-2 which is .3 gr over max) .2 of a gr at a time. Both of my 204s are 26 inch barrels and it gives me 4125 fps. in both the same as factory ammo, this is with 32 gr V-Max. I don't seem to have any pressure signs in either gun. This load seems to work in 2 other guns I load for and it was worked up to the same way. It doesn't get quite as hot here as it does where your at. I now have about 600 rounds loaded and I may start trying some Benchmark and r-15. I load all 32gr v-max at this time. My 77VT will do 2s and 3s and at times the mid to high 1s if I can do my part, 5 shot c to c groups at 100 yds.
When I started loading for the 204 I read some where that it did better with hotter primers so I used CCI 450s that I had here. Then later I saw that Rem.6 1/2s were for the hornet and 218 BEE which I also load for. I have continued to use the 450s.

Thanks again and I wish I could get out for some Pdog shooting.
Bythebook

I've been using blc2 for a couple years in my CZ i use 30.2 grains and cci br primers and 39grain bks.The last time I checked the speed I was around 3900 fps and it groups less than a half inch at 100 about a 1/4 inch on nice days,I shot around 700 rounds with this load no pressure signs and great accuracy,I tried RL-15 but I couldn't get enough velocity 3650 and the case was full so I gave up on it,glad I have a chronograph or I would have believed aliants published velocities.I'm gonna pic up some 10x and see how it does.But I'm pretty happy with the blc2.

the blc-2 rounds I loaded and worked up to in february with no problems, went dramatically overpressure in july, locked the rifle up, destroyed the brass! you may never have these issues if it doesn't get hot where you live! here with 100+ days temprature is a real factor! as for me I'm sticking with benchmark!