Author Topic: New h&r 204 ruger bullets are keyholing HELP! (Read 2907 times)

reflex99 · « **on:** May 05, 2011, 02:05:25 PM »

my father-in law has a new h&r 204 ruger he took it to the range yesterday to shoot it in and he found that his factory hornaday 40gr vmax's were flying sideways. then he switched to his 32gr hornadys and they peformed great anyone have any experince with this also? THANKS

quickdtoo · « **Reply #1 on:** May 05, 2011, 02:16:56 PM »

Welcome! Yup, it's happened before, some 39-40gr won't stablize in the 1:12" twist, or the twist is slower in some H&R 204s, can't confirm that either way, but FWIW mine shoots the 40gr Vmax on top of max loads o BL-C2 excellent tho, so do others as mitchell explains.

Tim

http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,58956.msg353582.html#msg353582

PHATINJUN · « **Reply #2 on:** May 06, 2011, 04:35:26 AM »

Mine keyholes 40gr and shoots 32 and 34 gr in tiny groups at 100 and kill PD's very well out to 350 yards. Kurt

Fred M · « **Reply #3 on:** May 06, 2011, 11:02:17 AM »

FWIW the 204 was designed with a 32gr bullet in mind for best performance and velocity. So if you up the bullet weigth you should not be surprised to see key holes. Yes you can over come some instability by upping the powder charge and increasing pressure and velocity. Not the best idea for a Handi. The gain with a 40gr bullet is only minimal, and there is a price to pay. If you need a bigger bullet get a bigger bore.

LONGTOM · « **Reply #4 on:** May 06, 2011, 04:02:37 PM »

I have owned 5 different 204 Handis and they all loved the factory Hornaday 32gr V-MAX ammo.
The two I own at the present (a 22" and a 24" ultra) also loves the 45gr factory Hornaday ammo.
The 45gr ones shoot about 1.5" higher than the 32s with the same scope setting so I use the 45s for the longer shots, over 350yds.
I also use the 45s for turkey.
I have been told that the 32s are just to lightly constructed for turkey.
Just goes to show that they all seem to have a mind of their own when it comes to what is Fed through them!

LONGTOM

Uncle Harry · « **Reply #5 on:** May 07, 2011, 05:59:29 AM »

Mine doesn't like 32 gr. V-Max's at all but loves 40 gr. Burgers. Go figger.........

Ozzy Jack · « **Reply #6 on:** May 10, 2011, 09:47:33 AM »

Try the 39gn Sierra BK. They work well in mine. A lot of guys down her who have trouble getting 40gn's to work, do well with the 39gn'ers.

Chris2strong · « **Reply #7 on:** May 13, 2011, 12:40:23 PM »

I second the 39 grain sierra's! With reloader 10x, I get em goin 3550 out of the 22 inch barrel & they group 5 shots into 3/4 inch. That makes me happy

God Bless!

ratdog · « **Reply #8 on:** May 13, 2011, 02:22:45 PM »

i shoot the hornady 32 gr in mine h@r 1/2'' groups i would think you wouldn't have any problem killing a turkey unless its frozen ive shot them with a 22 lr. try it you will like it.
2

PHATINJUN · « **Reply #9 on:** May 13, 2011, 05:23:22 PM »

I sure wouldn't shoot a turkey with my 204. The way they blowup Pdogs I'd think they would make a real mess of a turkey bird. Maybe with a solid bullet

Kurt

Shoots For Fun · « **Reply #10 on:** May 16, 2011, 05:19:54 PM »

Hi all,

Just purchased my first handi in January. It is a 204 ruger.

As a reloader I tried all the bullets there are. To my dismay when I tried the 39 gr SBK's they keyholed, big time. I checked my twist rate a found that I had a 1 in 14" twist. Not good !

So one day I began to experiment. Started by filing the base of the bullet flat, first to 35 gr then 36, then 37, then 38 and to my surprise, no key holing! I next removed the polymer tip only. I did this by using a flat file to make a flat surface just big enough to center a small drill bit. By drilling the tip at a slow rpm, it will begin to spin within the bullet cavity and make extraction easy. I then test fired a few and they worked perfect.

So I worked up a load using IMR4895 that produces 3620 fps out of the heavy 24" barrel and prints 1/2" to 3/4" groups @ 100yds. I spent a few hours and modified the remaing bullets. To check the first results, I blindly chose ten of the bullets and reloaded them. Went to the range and shot two five shot groups, both under 3/4 '.

I now have the load data recorded in my book referring to it as a "modified 39gr SBK".

I have not tried them on any critters as yet, but am looking forward to vaporing the ground hogs that plague my garden every year about the time they catch wind of the plants. If they explode them like they do a gallon milk jug of water, they will not crawl off to their holes and deprive me of my right to get final closure

gcrank1 · « **Reply #11 on:** May 17, 2011, 09:00:10 AM »

Nice job; you found the length that will stabilize pretty easy so that twist, at that velo is on the edge. If you slowed it down you likely will also find a velo threashold (more an experiment than anything, for someone so inclined). Hope it performs for you.
FWIW, Ive turned some cast bullets on the lathe shorter to do the same, its futzy but it worked; saved about 100 bullets for shootin' that otherwise were a waste.

LONGTOM · « **Reply #12 on:** May 18, 2011, 04:05:04 AM »

Quote from: PHATINJUN on May 13, 2011, 05:23:22 PM

I sure wouldn't shoot a turkey with my 204. The way they blowup Pdogs I'd think they would make a real mess of a turkey bird. Maybe with a solid bullet Kurt

I have seen what happens when a 32gr V-Max is used on turkey, not very pretty if the turkey is recovered.
I have never tried the 32s but have shot a couple using the Hornaday 45gr softpoints.
They do a fine job with very little mess.

LONGTOM