204 in Contender, How does it shoot?

[rickt300]

I just picked up a 204 barrel for my contender and have it centered at 25 yards.  Just how good do these barrels shoot? Best factory load? How good a coyote bullet is the 32 grain Hornady VMax. Any trouble with ricochets? May go to the range tomorrow and do the real sight in and shoot a few groups.

[Grumulkin]

I have a 204 Ruger Contender carbine & it shoots great (about 0.5 MOA or less) with Hornady 45 gr. Spire Points.  I've never shot factory stuff in it.

High velocity + fragile bullets = low chance of ricochet.

[skb2706]

Just got back from a weekend of shooting pds with my son. We both shoot Contenders in .204. His is a factory job and mine is an MGM. All I will say about them is that inside of 400 yds. (yes we shoot alot of 400 yds.) they are deadly on prairie dogs. I never shoot anything but 32 gr. Vmaxs and haven't found any reason to switch.

[mjbgalt]

i have had two of these. my old one and the one i now have both would shoot into 0.350" if i did my part, and used the proper reloads.

Try Varget, from 26.5 to 28.5 grains, under a 32-grain sierra blitzking and see if you don't get the same results. this is the third TC in .204 i have had that liked that recipe.

-Matt

[rickt300]

I shot the 204 barrel at the 100 yard range today.  The way it shoots the 32gr. VMax factory load is a sure good omen for my reloads.  A 3 shot group gave an amazing .3 center to center but the next two groups were around .5. It was a bit windy.  When I got home my package from Cabela's had come with two boxes of 32 gr. VMax's and RCBS dies so I had to go to the gunshop and pick up some powder, H322 and some CCI 450 primers.  I went thru all my dippers and found one that put out 24.3 grains of H322 so I used it for my first loading. I seated the bullet .05 further out than the factory load but made no attempt to see just how close I could get.  These shot fine at my 25 yard range but i am going to wait till I empty the other 36 factory loads before I take the reloads to the range. I figure I am getting 3600 fps. A mild and easy on brass load that is hopefully accurate. If not good enough I wll work up at .5 grain increments till I get a load that shoots at least as well as the factory loading.

[skb2706]

This is my sons girlfriend just about to end the life of a prairie dog at 320 yds. with my .204, a 32 gr. Vmax ahead of a max dose of RL-15. She makes the shot, her first one.

[rickt300]

I worked up to 26.0 grains of H322 using the 32 grain VMax. No pressure signs and clean barrel. In fact this must be a very smooth barrel as I have found no jacket fouling at all in this barrel. When I get back from the lease I'll report on any varmints shot and as soon as possible shoot my reloads on paper at 100 yards.

[mjbgalt]

the 40-grainers in the factory ammo shot so badly (tumbling and hitting the target sideways at 25 yards!!!) that I never tried them in my reloads. however it may be worth the time...

i have had the same experience, though...very clean barrel and a nice shooter.

-Matt