.204 past 250yds

[swampthing]

Any luck with that .204 ruger on coyotes?, past the 250 yard mark? sounds good on paper, but, does it make ethical kills on these larger predators?

[HEAD0001]

IMO the 204 is not even effective on WV ground hog's past 250 yards without a double tap out of an AR style rifle.  I do not even have a lot of faith in the 223 Remington past 275 or 300 yards.  Tom.

[mjbgalt]

even though it has the speed and most of the energy of the .22-250 at that range? let me put it this way: the .220 swift at 300 yards with a 50 grain bullet has 6 foot-pounds more energy than a .204 with a 32-grain bullet, according to remington.com.

-Matt

[Ponydog]

I  have taken two coyotes in the last few weeks , in between 100 and 150 with that 32 grain Vmax in a 204....the last one was a double lung-er...ran a few feet and dropped like a stone..   As the debate about 204's goes on, I am out every weekend...shooting coyotes with one...hauling them out of the field.......someone also says Physics proves bumble bees can't fly either.......I just use mine..because it shoots great...and takes out what I shoot.  CZ 527 Varmint, 204 Ruger.  I will keep mine ...thank you............

[Rancher]

Longest shot I've made on one is just a step or 2 under 400 paces with a 32 grain V-Max.  Had to hit him twice, but that didn't cause much sleep loss on my part.  So it will work and I'm not afraid to take a long shot with it.  Might not be optimal, but it hits where I aim it and I like the heck out of it so that's what I carry with me pretty much every day.

[rickt300]

Will the 32 grain VMax exit at ranges under 150 yards? Just how fur friendly is this round?

[Ponydog]

Will it exit....ummm...OH yeah.....small entry hole.....quite a bit larger exit....that was on a broadside shot.....one I hit quartered away did not exit......
I would never be afraid  to take a shot from 200 and in .....ever...

[DalesCarpentry]

I killed a bunch of Groundhogs this past summer with a 204 Handi Ultra Varmint. My experience is past three hundred yards it drops off in energy drastically. If it were me I would keep shots to 250 yards or less. That is why I went and bought a 243 Remington 700 SPS Varmint and never looked back. Dale

[NoBull60]

I killed a bunch of Groundhogs this past summer with a 204 Handi Ultra Varmint. My experience is past three yards it drops off in energy drastically. If it were me I would keep shots to 250 yards or less. That is why I went and bought a 243 Remington 700 SPS Varmint and never looked back. Dale

If the energy drops off at 3 yards .... use a sling-shot, for better down range pass throughs. 
Must have missed a word.

NoBull60

[DalesCarpentry]

  I will correct my post. Dale

[Catfish]

The first day I ever hit a coyote with my .204, I hit 4 of them, but did not get any of them. The first was a gut shot at just under 300 yrds. He ran and I was standing by the truck door so I took after him in the truck. I ran over him as I slid side ways into the first 2 rows of corn. The second was in through the right rear quarter at abt 60 yrds. and never made it into the vitals. 3 rd. was another gut shot at abt. 250 yrds. and she kept on going. The last one I jumped and the 1 st. hit was at abt. 60 yrds. He went down like he was hit with a truck. The 2 sd hit was abt 75 yrds. and the truck hit him again. The 3 rd. hit was abt. 90 yrds. and he went down hard again. Problem is he got up again and was getting to closed to the top of the hill to risk another shot. He wasn`t going very fast by this time, but he had enough head start this fat old boy could catch him. The guy running the sheller saw the first one I hit go out of the field and he wasn`t in to good of shape eather. These were all shot with 32 gn. Sierra`s and when I called Sierra they told me their bullets weren`t made for game as big as coyote. I did not see enough difference on groundhogs between them and the Hornady 32`s that I would try them. I now carry an AR for up close and personal and when running them with dogs and a .22-6mm for when I want to reach out and touch them. The last one I shot was with the .22-6mm. I hit it low in the rear and it left a 5 in hole in it`s belly and slammed it down hard. The coyote still made it another 30 yrds leaving a 15 in. wide blood trail in the snow.

[rickt300]

I just got back from the lease and shot some varmints with my 204 using the Hornady 32 gr. factory load.  I took two huge raccoons, 4 Jackrabbits, one skunk and one crow. After seeing this I feel if you can't kill coyotes with a 204 you just have no tallent with a rifle. You aren't supposed to shoot them in nonvital area's and expect them to fall down dead. The round was never designed as an end to end coyote round and you are delusional if you think it was. However the damage done is extraordinary on the animals listed.  With good hits at reasonable ranges coyotes wouldn't have a chance.  It will make a perfect calling rifle loaded down a bit.

[rex6666]

I have shot many coyotes over the years and would bet that a gut shot from a 30-06 would
not stop one, even thow it will shoot through end to end (that works well) also that a 204 with 32gr in the chest or head would do the trick. You don't gut shoot anything. never used a gun over dogs on coyotes, didn't want to steal the dogs fun (dogs like a little kill time too).

[gooser]

 Not a yote,but my hunting partner shot a woodchuck at a laser measured 425yds with his .204. That same day,I made that same shot with my .223 on another woodchuck that came out 20 feet away from the first one.Both were instantly turned into GOOD woodchucks...

The .204 didn't make an exit wound, but my .223 did. I took it through the neck as it stood looking towards us.

[gube]

I've shot numerous yotes past 300 yds with the 204 with 35 and 40 gr bergers. Most times they are DRT. A couple of them have spun around about 5 or 6 times and run about 20 yds before piling up. The key is shot placement and proper bullet selection. IMO the sierra ballistic tips are to frangible for yotes. The bergers and the 45 gr hornady SP's are your best selection for yotes. I use the ballistic tip stuff for the smaller critters like crows, ravens, magpies, prairie poodles. The hornady V-max work okay as long as they don't exit. They tend to make rather large holes when they exit (which I found is about 25% of the time)

[FourBee]

Hey Swampthing:
I'm brand new at this long range (beyond 100 yards) shooting.
What little I've experienced at this point is that somewhere between 200-300 yards, a shooter ((me)), whether using a .22-250, .204, or .223, finds himself in a whole new ballpark with bullet placement.

That's where the ethics really comes in to play, as it separates the marksman from the expert.    So, for me it wouldn't be ethical to attempt a kill at that range "yet", but an expert can just spit and put'm down.
 

[manofthe45]

I have removed a post that the poster had no right  to make as it was right on the line of a personal attack.  All posts pertaining to the first have also been removed.  The thread is about effective range of the 204 on yotes if you want to start a thread on ethics feel free, but I warn you I will watch that thread like a hawk. 

I have not shot the 204 round as of yet so can give no opinion on its effectiveness at any range, but have seen first hand the effectiveness of sub cal rounds on larger animals.  Shot placement is key.

[rickt300]

Well not much past 250 yards.  I hit a coyote right behind the shoulder last weekend using Hornady's 32 gr. VMax factory load. It exited and the coyote ran 30 feet or so. Exit hole was only an inch across but a lot of blood came out the other side when he was hit. I walked it back and counted 280 paces. I held dead on the shoulder and a slight breeze made the hit behind the shoulder.  I got this coyote by putting a pile of dog food out where I could see it from the cabin window, worked just fine.

[Catfish]

I do believe that gube204 has put it as well as I have heard it put. There is no round that will do all things better that all others, or any cal. that is better for all things. I have been loading my own since 1965 and at present have 3 different .17 cal. rounds, a .204, 6 different .22 cal. rounds and so on. It doesn`t matter what round you shoot shot placement is always critical, you have to put the bullet in the vitals. With lite bullets you must put the bullets through the ribs as you don`t have the nessary penitration for a shot from the rear. I also believe that 300 yrds. with a good flat shooting round is about the max. range most the shooters have the ability and knowledge to shoot well at. I loaded some 110 gr. FNHP for a friends .30-30 so he couls use it on varments, he use 1 on a deer. He put the bullet through the ribs into the heart and it dropped like a rock. BUT, if he would have shot it from the rear the bullet would not have made it to the vitals, and I have taken a lot of deer with the Texas eye ball shot. You need to choose a bullet that is suited to your shot.

[mas19]

My .204 will drop coyotes at 300+ all day long. Longest personal shot with my gun was 469 at the standing male chuck, hit him center mass and he turned into mush.

[hoggunner]

As one poster put it on another forum "the word in the woods is that when coyote meets 35 grain bergers he is dead". I have heard this on the street too, and have worked up a pretty good load for the 35 grain berger. will let you know when I can't get one to come in any closer the 250 yrds. To me the fun of calling is the coaxing them in close. some have great luck with the v-max others don't, maybe some are better shots then others. can you say shot placement over and over again. i say it to my self as I squeeze the trigger.

[Glanceblamm]

I do not own a .204 but it was high on my wish list untill I saw a few pictures come in (mainly with the lighter bullets and large entrance holes). The handloaders have seemed to make the things a little more fur friendly especially using the bergner bullets so there could possibly be one in my future yet. It all depends on what you want to do...I like to call Coyotes in to under 150yds and a .22 Hornet would work well for those ranges. If I was dealing with nuisance yotes seen frequently around the farm in the 250 to 400yd ranges I would jump up to a .243 or even a .25/06. That .204 is going to kill out there for sure but I would also empathise shot placement.

even though it has the speed and most of the energy of the .22-250 at that range? let me put it this way: the .220 swift at 300 yards with a 50 grain bullet has 6 foot-pounds more energy than a .204 with a 32-grain bullet, according to remington.com.

These bullet weight numbers when figured in with the velocity to get a foot lbs number are widely read and respected but I take them with a grain of salt. I think that it boils down to the old Large bore verse Small bore school of thought...I think that a media test with those said calibers and distance would reveal more than a six pound diff in the penetration.
This can be proved even with air rifles as a .22 cal model will bend & break the airgun swinging targets while the .177 won't despite having more published energy on paper.

[crowhammer]

Ethics are a matter of where you can put a round comfortably.If you cant put a round close to where it needs to go its unethical to take a shot.We as sportsman owe it to the game to make a clean kill.As  far as gut shots well thats what grandma did to yotes eating persimins.Will a .204 kill yotes out past 250 meters.the answer is yes.If you put it in the boiler room but I recomend 45 grain rounds as they deliver a bit more kenetic energy then a 32 gr. My suggestion is choose all shots wisely. Better to take a chance on no shot rather than a bad hit.Have a great day and good luck on the yotes Crow hammer

[Ahshucks]

I  have taken two coyotes in the last few weeks , in between 100 and 150 with that 32 grain Vmax in a 204....the last one was a double lung-er...ran a few feet and dropped like a stone..   As the debate about 204's goes on, I am out every weekend...shooting coyotes with one...hauling them out of the field.......someone also says Physics proves bumble bees can't fly either.......I just use mine..because it shoots great...and takes out what I shoot.  CZ 527 Varmint, 204 Ruger.  I will keep mine ...thank you............

I've liked what I read about the CZ and the 204.  Was wondering what damage to the coyote fur you have been experiencing?  How about fox fur damage?

[Ponydog]

Not too friendly on the exit .......the last one I hit made a real mess on the outbound.....but I am not a fur guy.....I have read and heard others say the 35 berger is better on the exit.......most guys I hang with here , that are fur guys.......run string traps.....not enough hours in the day and night around here, to make a $$ or two shooting them ...
guys here will get landowner permission , and run traps along irrigation ditches..crop boundary ditches, etc..one guy on my Ducks Unlimited board group..caught over 200 last year on one farmers property......and he said he did not even make a dent..........since we are in the delta...there are tons of options.....for trappers.....

[Stuart C.]

Don't mean to hijack but I'm thinking seriously of getting a 204.
I reload and I would like lower noise and explosive bullets for hunting near developed areas.
Will I get more out of the 223 with handloads, or go with the 204?
Thanks.
S